Credits

I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Monday, February 19, 2024

Hiromi Go -- Junjou(純情)

 

I'm not sure how often veteran singer Hiromi Go(郷ひろみ)appears on television these days or even how active he is in entertainment outside of the Kohaku Utagassen, but in his younger days, he was really put through the wringer just in the recording part of his long career. He was regularly pumping out four singles a year in the 1970s and 1980s.

1982 was no different. He released that quartet of singles with the first one being "Junjou" (Innocence) in February 1982 (his third one for that year was his cover of Bertie Higgins' "Casablanca"), a fairly spirited if medium-tempo kayo kyoku. Written by Yoshiko Miura(三浦徳子), composed by Jin Haneoka(羽岡仁)and arranged by Kei Wakakusa(若草恵), it's got that sound that was familiarized around Go when he was no longer the cute boy aidoru of the early 1970s but the dandy young man around town in the latter part of that decade going into the 1980s

During that period, there was a bit more tango in the arrangement with the strings and percussion, perhaps a soupcon of City Pop with the bass and guitar and an atmosphere of romantic drama. Those furiously cutting strings have almost become a 1980s Go musical trope and one song that I remember those from is his 1980 hit "How Many Ii Kao?" (How Many いい顔). Generally, I think it's one of my beloved musical sounds from the 1980s.

"Junjou", his 41st single, reached No. 17 on Oricon and it later became the 95th-ranked single of 1982. It was first placed onto an album through his 15th collection of BEST songs "My Collection"(マイコレクション)released in June that year.

Sunday, February 18, 2024

ORESAMA -- Mimimoto de Tsukamaete(耳もとでつかまえて)/Kuusou Flight(空想フライト)

 


It's approaching seven years since I saw the 2017 version of the anime "Mahoujin Guru Guru"(魔法陣グルグル...Magical Circle Guru Guru) which starred among others, A-list seiyuu Konomi Kohara(小原好美)who had just started out in the industry when she got the main role of Kukuri(ククリ). The show was often hilarious and despite its status as a mystical isekai program, the theme songs for the 2017 version were often on the catchy and danceable synthpop end of things.


Strangely enough, I was listening to one of those opening theme songs from "Mahoujin Guru Guru" the other day. I posted the single "Trip Trip Trip" back in August 2017. Created and performed by the duo ORESAMA, it has been a fun technopop romp. But I haven't ignored the coupling songs either. For instance, there is "Mimimoto de Tsukamaete" (Grab Me by the Ears) which is more of the same albeit at a much mellower tempo, and as lyricist and vocalist Pon(ぽん)sings it, it's all about the joy and wonder about getting the notes of a splendid song in those ears. 

The second coupling song is a perky tune called "Kuusou Flight" (Flight of Fantasy). As is the case with all of the songs from the single, ORESAMA partner Hideya Kojima(小島英也)came up with the bouncy techno disco beat about spending a great time traveling around the world. Shoutouts are given to Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Germany, Rome and Paris. I think the song is far more well-traveled than I am.

Plastics -- Peace

 

Welcome to Sunday February 24th! It's another seasonably cold day here in Toronto but it's also sunny out there as well. I hope that all of you are enjoying your weekends wherever you are.

I haven't done a Plastics song in quite a while so I wanted to see if there were some songs by the Japanese New Wave band that I had yet to unearth. Well, I did discover this one which was their 4th and final single, "Peace" which was released in 1980. Not so much of a technopop song but it is definitely in the jangly New Wave realm. It was written by vocalist Toshio Nakanishi(中西俊夫)and composed by guitarist Hajime Tachibana(立花ハジメ)

Nakanishi's lyrics are written underneath the video at YouTube and they seem to involve the life in New York City...if seen through some rather odd rose-coloured glasses. As the title indicates though, the Plastics' experience must have been pretty serene. "Peace" was included in the band's 2nd album "Origato Plastico" from September 1980. A slightly longer version than the one used in the music video above was also on their follow-up album in March 1981, "Welcome Back Plastics".

Saturday, February 17, 2024

From TV Japan to Jme

Good Free Photos

 

Well, I figure that after posting the article this past Tuesday about TV Japan being dumped from my cable TV menu, I had to follow up with the future of North America's lone distributor of Japanese television content on our tellys. The past few days have seen a fair bit of speculation among myself and friends but earlier today just past the witching hour, we finally got the word of TV Japan's fate from the source itself. To directly quote the announcement from their website:

NHK Cosmomedia America

After more than three decades of broadcasting Japanese television programming to audiences across North America, we regret to inform you that TV JAPAN will cease its broadcast on March 31. As a result, it will no longer be accessible through cable and satellite TV networks as of April 1, 2024.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all of our viewers for choosing TV JAPAN as your source of Japanese entertainment and news.

Starting April 1, a new video streaming service ‘Jme’ will commence. With Jme, you'll have access to live NHK news, the latest dramas, popular movies, and much more—all conveniently accessible on internet-connected devices. With Jme, you’ll have the flexibility to enjoy your favorite Japanese programs from the comfort of your home or on the go. Jme offers unlimited streaming for one flat monthly price.

To access the Jme service, simply register on our website starting March 20, 2024. To welcome you to the new service, a 30-day free trial is provided to new subscribers between March 20 and April 30, 2024.

We understand this transition may raise questions and we are here to assist you. Please do not hesitate to contact our dedicated customer support team, should you have any inquiries or require support.

Just to clarify, NHK Cosmomedia America owns TV Japan which would explain the majority of the latter's programming being from the government channel. 

So I gather that we're on the cusp of an ending and a beginning. And personally, I get to see what my TV looks like hooked up to the Internet.

J-Canuck's Favourite Hiroshi Itsuki(五木ひろし)Tunes

 

As I may have intimated before, enka and Mood Kayo have been traditional genres that I've only accepted into my music sphere in the last decade or so. However with age, nostalgia and the writing of this blog, I have come to appreciate them and the singers associated with them. One prime example is veteran Hiroshi Itsuki who has a variety of talents: he can sing enka and Mood Kayo, play multiple instruments, be suave and down-to-earth depending on the situation and has loads of charisma. Well as such, I do have a few of my favourites by him.

(1971)  Yokohama Tasogare(よこはま・たそがれ)


(1982) Aishitsuzukeru Bolero (愛しつづけるボレロ)

(1982) Izakaya (居酒屋)with Nana Kinomi(木の実ナナ)


(1973) Furusato (ふるさと)


(1985) Soshite....Meguri Ai (そして。。。めぐり逢い)


Friday, February 16, 2024

Yutaka Kimura Speaks ~ Japanese City Pop Masterpieces 100: Yasuhiro Kido -- Zin Zin Zin(ジン・ジン・ジン)

 

Number: 045

Lyricist: Toyohisa Araki

Composer: Yasuhiro Kido

Arranger: Masaaki Omura

From Kido's 1977 album "Kid"

"Zin Zin Zin" is a pearl of a pop tune that should be called the greatest lost treasure within 1970s City Pop. With its gentle melody, its high-quality acoustic sound due to Masaaki Omura's(大村雅朗)arrangement, and a beautiful harmony that only a masterful chorus can create, even listening to it now, it sounds absolutely fresh. It would be spot-on to say that it is a masterpiece that was forty years ahead of its time, so there's no way that it will go stale.

The above comes from "Disc Collection Japanese City Pop Revised" (2020).

Hello, J-Canuck here. OK, this is another song from the 100 list that I had yet to cover personally, so I'll do it here. There is a discrepancy between the "Japanese City Pop Masterpieces 100" and what J-Wiki told me about the year that Yasuhiro Kido's(木戸やすひろ)album "Kid" was released with the former stating 1977 while J-Wiki says 1978 when I covered another song from the album "Mr. Music". But since I'm still digesting a heavy steak dinner right now, I'll just let it go. 😈

I'm not sure what the title is about, except that perhaps it might be some happy form of onomatopoeia. However "Zin Zin Zin" is that comfy, hammock-friendly 1970s City Pop that I've heard from artists such as Ami Ozaki(尾崎亜美)and Sumiko Yamagata(やまがたすみこ). I also enjoy that saxophone that starts off with the guitar and keyboards. It's the sort of song that you race to on a Friday night to help launch that therapy of relaxation and recovery following a tough week at the office.

Jackie Lin & Par Avion -- STRANGERS DREAM

 


HRLE92 was actually the first KKP writer to introduce this particular song on his "Omega Tribe-Related Works Review". And he's absolutely right. "STRANGERS DREAM" sounds like an Omega Tribe song as if an aidoru along the lines of City Pop-loving Momoko Kikuchi(菊池桃子)had opted to tackle it. But the singer here is Jackie Lin who hails from Hong Kong, born to Chinese and Korean parents. She and her band Par Avion(ジャッキー・リン&パラビオン)formed in 1987 and indeed it was meant to be a female-fronted version of the summery and urbane Omega Tribe.

Now, for those Japanese cop drama enthusiasts, and I know that we have at least one such person "on staff" here at KKP, if "STRANGERS DREAM" sounds remotely familiar to you, then you are definitely onto something. The reason is that the single which was released in April 1987 is a remake of the first opening theme song for the detective drama "Jungle"(ジャングル)as composed by Tetsuji Hayashi(林哲司), who was also a regular melody maker for Omega Tribe. The original arrangement was by Motoki Funayama(船山基紀)who made the theme into a dynamic dance remix of cops going after the bad guys. "STRANGERS DREAM", on the other hand, is a fairly mellower City Pop tune with Masao Urino(売野雅勇)providing the lyrics while Hiroshi Shinkawa(新川博)handled the arrangement. This version came out just a couple of months following the premiere of "Jungle".

It was just the one single from Lin and Par Avion. According to the music magazine "The Best Hit" via J-Wiki, despite "STRANGERS DREAM" becoming a hit, the band soon disbanded although a second single had been on the way. Lin couldn't get used to the differences between the entertainment worlds in Hong Kong and Japan, suffering mental distress. Additionally, there had been rumours about her dating Carlos Toshiki who was fronting Omega Tribe at the time and so for her, enough was enough, and she headed back to Hong Kong.