Mari Sono -- Aitakute, Aitakute （逢いたくて逢いたくて）/ The Peanuts -- Teami no Kutsushita （手編みの靴下）

Over the past few years, I've covered two-thirds of the Spark Sannin Musume, the three female singers who were the darlings of Japanese variety TV in the 1960s. There were Yukari Ito（伊東ゆかり）and Mie Nakao（中尾ミエ）, and then there was Mari Sono（園まり）. Of the three Musume, Sono is the one that I've known the least about, but to give a brief summary, she was born in Yokohama in 1944 as Mariko Sonobe（薗部毬子）and had her first taste of public performing through participation in children chorus groups in the 1950s before winning a championship on TV in 1960 and then making her professional debut in 1962. It wasn't too long after that she got teamed up with Ito and Nakao to become the Spark Sannin Musume.

In January 1966, her 19th single was released under the title of "Aitakute Aitakute" (I Really Want To See You). A ballad of longing, I could probably see a lot of hardworking salarymen puffing on their cigarettes and sighing wistfully at their local watering holes while listening to this one. As Sono sang about desiring to meet her man at last (with a lot of those guys more than happy to answer her summons), that trumpet was the cherry on top of the sundae. It would also be the same for Sono since it would be a huge hit and one of her trademark songs. In fact, by June of that year, she would find herself playing a singer in a movie with the same title as the hit song. Then later, she would make her 2nd appearance on the Kohaku Utagassen.

The interesting thing is that "Aitakute, Aitakute" also had a previous incarnation as a ballad by The Peanuts back in 1962. Known back then as "Teami no Kutsushita" (Hand Knit Socks), this was the twins' 7th single from December of that year. Hiroshi Miyagawa（宮川泰）was behind the basic melody and his frequent songwriting partner, Tokiko Iwatani（岩谷時子）took care of the lyrics for this ballad and the totally different words for "Aitakute, Aitakute". The original Peanuts version sounded more whimsical than the more tenderhearted take by Sono. Still, both versions are chock-filled with that sepia-coloured nostalgia.

Chikuzen Sato/Eric Tagg -- No One There

I wrote an article several months ago about Chikuzen Sato's（佐藤竹善）cover of the AOR classic "What You Won't Do For Love" originally by Bobby Caldwell and the fact that it came from Sato's first album of covers, "Cornerstones" from 1995. Having become a fan of his work with Sing Like Talking, I just had to see what the smooth-singing Sato could do on his own.

Well, here is the opening track from "Cornerstones", "No One There". And it looks like Sato was rarin' to get crackin'. Starting with what sounds like a bit of steel drum calypso, he just gets into some of that wonderful AOR groove with that great voice of his. From this song, there isn't much different (at least, at that time) between his solo stuff and his work with SLT, but that's not a bad thing at all. He knows a great hook when he hears it, and I do love that electric guitar during the bridge.

As I said, "Cornerstones" is a cover album, and "No One There" is a cover of a song by singer-songwriter Eric Tagg. Released also as the first track on Tagg's 1982 album, "Dreamwalkin'", I only heard this for the first time tonight, and I'm rather kicking myself up the keester just some months before I enter my second half-century because I had never heard of this guy before. As regular readers of "Kayo Kyoku Plus" may have already surmised, I often gravitate to City Pop in Japan and its equivalent of radio-friendly AOR/adult contemporary music from the 70s and 80s. And listening to the original "No One There", there is much for me to enjoy in the arrangements. Visions of Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan and James Ingram are dancing around my head as I write this. There is no blistering guitar here but the keyboards and the soft horns are swoon-worthy for me.

There is an article about Tagg at a website dedicated to Canadian songwriter David Foster who has helped musicians in both Japan and North America, and in the article, the author mentions that Tagg should have been up there with folks like Daryl Hall and Luther Vandross. Instead, he is just one of those best-kept secrets. Of course, music and musicians are a very personal and subjective choice, so for me at least, I would agree that Tagg should have deserved a bit more profile. However, along with those leading lights already mentioned, I have to say that at least according to his vocals in "No One There", he sounds quite a bit like Kenny Loggins before he entered the "Danger Zone".

According to that same article, Tagg had some mighty fine help backing him up. Foster himself was on the keyboards, Nathan East on bass, Lee Ritenour on guitar and Jerry Hey and company on horns. All of them have been seen in the liner notes of a lot of Japanese singers' albums as well.

P.S. I just discovered that I did hear Eric Tagg all the way back in my salad days. It was on "Is It You?" (1981), an AM radio regular and I even have a copy of the song on one of my AOR compilations but the track was always listed under Lee Ritenour's name.

Naomi Chiaki -- Yotsu no Onegai （四つのお願い）

Just finished watching the latest "Kayo Concert" tonight, and considering it is March 3rd, the show's theme was "Adeyaka Hina Matsuri"（艶やかひな祭り...Bewitching Doll Festival）. Yup, it is (or was, depending on where you live) Girls' Day in Japan, and so that multi-tiered display of Hina dolls went up to absorb all those bad spirits. Not surprisingly, the guests were all women including a couple of surprising first-timers on the show, former 80s aidoru Shizuka Kudo（工藤静香）and the Queen of Anison, Nana Mizuki（水樹奈々）...my label for her anyways.

I heard a few old-time songs of note, including this one by Naomi Chiaki（ちあきなおみ）titled "Yotsu no Onegai" (Four Requests). The song that I've always known Chiaki for has been the proud and elegiac "Kassai"（喝采）that she would introduce a couple of years later, so to hear her sing this cheerful tune as she skipped along in some of her performances was a bit of a revelation. This was her 4th single in April 1970 and the impression I got from the J-Wiki article on the song was that it was Chiaki's breakthrough hit.

Written by Cho'ei Shiratori（白鳥朝詠...I hope that's right） and composed by Jun Suzuki（鈴木淳）, the song has Chiaki playfully giving her man four requests if they are going to remain a happy couple. For the record, according to the first verse, those requests are: 1. Love me tenderly, 2. Let me make a selfish request, 3. Don't make me sad and 4. Keep it a secret from everyone else. As for that last one, I'm not sure whether the couple in question is actually a pair having an affair.

"Yotsu no Onegai" has that comfortable style of melody that I remember from the 70s: strings and horns which is bouncy and strolling at the same time. I could probably envision Mari Amachi（天地真理）singing this one as well, and as it turns out, a lot of people have covered this one not just in Japan but also in Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea. As for the Japanese artists, they include The Peanuts, Yukari Ito（伊東ゆかり）and Aki Yashiro（八代亜紀）. One of the surprising points about the song is that it was classified as an aidoru tune and that was how Chiaki was categorized as well at the time. In fact, she was labeled as following that "sexy aidoru route" although she was already around 23 years old at the time. But then again, I started my love for kayo kyoku with 80s aidoru so that particular image was imprinted upon me.

As I said, the song was a huge hit for Chiaki. It peaked at No. 4 on Oricon and finished the year as the 22nd-ranked song overall, selling a little under 400,000 records. It also won the singer the Broadcast Music Prize on the very first edition of the Japanese Music Awards (not to be confused with the Japanese Record Awards that I've often referred to), and it got her an invitation to her first appearance on NHK's Kohaku Utagassen. Strangely enough, Chiaki wasn't too keen on the song, thinking that it was going to be the end of her career since she thought she was no good on these cheerful tunes. Little did she know.

Toshihiko Tahara -- Hatto Shite! Good （ハッとして!Good）

Ahhhh....the 1980s...when aidoru songs can sound like tunes from the 1920s. Well, at least, this particular one. For the longest time, I thought "Hatto Shite! Good" had been sung by Masahiko Kondo（近藤真彦）but it was actually the other member of the Tanokin Trio collective, Toshihiko Tahara (田原俊彦...to be honest, I often couldn't tell the two apart, and I usually forgot who that third member was, Yoshio Nomura/野村義男).

Released in September 1980, this was Toshi-chan's 2nd single. I was kinda wondering what the first part of the title meant but after going through the lyrics about a young fellow suddenly running into the girl of his dreams, I realized that the "Hatto Shite" was somewhat onomatopoeic with Tahara going "BOING!" on seeing her. I thought it was cute and clever how that turn of phrase went in the lyrics: "Hatto shite, gutto kite, patto mezameru, koi dakara"（ハッとして、グッときて、パッと目覚める、恋だから...I go BOING, then I go GULP, and my eyes go SNAP, cause it's love）. That phrase could pretty much describe that moment that every boy that had ever lived on the planet Earth experienced when l'amour struck for the first time.

Written and composed by a classical pianist by the name of Yumiko Morioka（盛岡夕美子）under her pen name of Tomo Miyashita（宮下智）, it was also interesting how she made the song into a bit of an old jazz ditty without the usual electric guitars and the disco strings of the time. There was an old issue of Myojo that I have somewhere in my apartment which had a photo of Toshi-chan prancing about in a 1920s outfit complete with porkpie hat just outside of the Akasaka Detached Palace in Tokyo that had me thinking that the kid could have lived a previous life as a dandy from that decade. And his theme song was of course "Hatto Shite! Good".

The song hit the top spot for 2 weeks, Tahara's very first No. 1, and became the No. 22 song for 1980. Its success would continue on into 1981 as it ended up the 93rd-ranked song for that year. It became a million-seller and won him a Best Newcomer Prize at the Japan Record Awards in 1980. So, of course, the Kohaku Utagassen came knocking as well. 

Another interesting side benefit was that Japanese television viewers got a partial re-enactment of the first few lines of "Hatto Shite! Good" via a Glico chocolate commercial starring Tahara and up-and-coming aidoru Seiko Matsuda（松田聖子）. As the lyrics described, Toshi-chan is riding his bike up to some highland telephone booth when his eyes perk up at the cute and lovely young lady on the phone. With today's technology, I couldn't see that happening now, so it's even more quaint seeing the ad, and especially since Seiko-chan has that famed Seiko-chan cut.

Rina Sato & Asuka Ohgame -- Egao ni Naru （笑顔になる）

Ten-don YUM!

Ahhhh, yes...it's been a great thing watching the foodie foreplay that is "Koufuku Graffiti"（幸腹グラフィティ）before my anime buddy and I go out for dinner. It gets us into a good mindset. By the way, yesterday's dinner was Spicy Coconut Chicken Curry (very much YUM!).

And the theme songs have been fine for the ears as well. About a month ago, I featured the opening theme, "Shiawase ni Tsuite Watashi ga Shitteiru Itsutsu no Houhou"（幸せについて私が知っている5つの方法）by Maaya Sakamoto（坂本真綾）. And here tonight, it's "Egao ni Naru" (You'll Smile) by the two seiyuu stars of the show, Rina Sato（佐藤利奈）and Asuka Ohgame（大亀あすか）as their characters Ryo and Kirin respectively. Written by Yuuki Matsuura（松浦勇気）and composed by Katsutoshi Kitagawa（北川勝利）, it's another sunny and smiley song that has that hint of 60s Bacharach and David. For those who can understand the Japanese lyrics, Ryo and Kirin adorably pepper the melody with various dishes and the onomatopoeia that accompany them. It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of the night owls who have been dedicated to "Koufuku Graffiti" (it's a late-night anime) rushed out of the apartment and headed for a 24-hour konbini for whatever's left on the bento shelves. My friend and I are most fortunate that we get to see this on Sunday afternoons.

And of course, I have to leave off with another adorable rendition of "Shiawase Graffiti"（しあわせグラフィティ...Happy Graffiti） with one of my favourite dishes. There is a full version but I'll leave that for next month.

Sashimi platter

Hamburg platter

UA -- Kazoetarianai Yoru no Ashioto （数え足りない夜の足音）

I had collected enough of chanteuse UA's singles and one album that I decided to grab her 2003 DVD of her music clips titled "Illuminate - The Very Best Clips". Taking a look through the myriad videos, I definitely received the impression that the soulful Osaka singer liked the conceptual over the straight performance.

Case in point, there is the video for her 11th single from November 1998, "Kazoetarinai Yoru no Ashioto" (The Countless Sounds of Footsteps in the Night). Written and composed by UA, the video was certainly one to remember as the singer was dressed up in black as some sort of mysterious modern-night sprite quietly haunting the streets and expressways. Another reason that I remembered the video was that the song didn't fit into the Neo-Soul and Pop balladry that I had previously known her for. Instead, it was about as close to club music that I ever heard her sing, and I wonder if later cool singers such as bird and Yoshie Nakano of Ego-Wrappin' covered this one.

"Kazoetarinai Yoru no Ashioto" addresses the nuttiness of life through the meaningless words being bandied about and the tide of humanity that one has to often swim against. In the video, UA just seems to have isolated herself in her own very tiny timestream as she dances and walks the night away while the rest of the world literally speeds by (the video probably has some stylistic tribute to Madonna's "Ray of Light") and even looking at one irate driver who almost ran her down with nothing more than slight irritation. However, as soon as the first rays of sunrise peek through the horizon, the black pullover disappears and the formerly dark wraith fades off. Feel free to make your own philosophical insights.

The single went as high as No. 29 on Oricon and ended the year as the 272nd-ranked single of 1999. It was also a track on UA's 3rd album, "Turbo", which came out in October 1999. It did much better than the single by peaking at No. 6 and finishing at No. 135.

Frank Nagai/ Hiroshi Uchiyamada & Cool Five -- Sakaba no Hana (酒場の花)

(karaoke version)

When I listen to Frank Nagai's "Sakaba no Hana", the image I get in my head would be that of a salary man, tie loosened, hair somewhat scruffy after a tough day at work, and he would be outside on the chilly (yes, it shall be winter time), dimly lit streets of a drinking hole late at night - about midnight or so, or at least when some joints are closed - with a cigarette wedged into the corner of his mouth, wandering around with only his thoughts running through his mind. An occasional pause to stare at the dark sky void of any stars, puffing out a cloud of tobacco smog and his own breath, and he continues on. 

amazon.co.jp

Long story short, the soft music, that seems to have both the qualities of an Enka and Mood Kayo song, composed by Koichi Morita (森田公一) just paints a lonely yet strangely comfortable picture. Nagai's crooning with his smooth as brandy voice with an edge just adds to the atmosphere. Ah, "Sakaba no hana" and Yujiro Ishihara's (石原裕次郎) "Yogiri yo Konya mo Arigatou" (夜霧よ今夜も有難う) just make the perfect pair of night time tunes.

Now, for the Hiroshi Uchiyamada & Cool Five (内山田洋とクール・ファイブ) version. The image I get is similar to the one above, however, the man is sitting at the bar with drink in hand rather than roaming the streets. Warmer and not as alone - you got the bartender staring at him and keeping the lad company, so that's something, I suppose.

I found that the Mood Kayo group's rendition of "Sakaba no Hana" leaned more to the genre of Enka in its music, and its fuller, more up-to-date arrangement kinda lost some of the original's loneliness hence the description above. Another thing that contributed to that is the difference in the two fellas' vocal delivery. Kiyoshi Maekawa's (前川清) voice, while deep like Nagai's, is too intense for this delicate song and it felt like he was holding back. Whereas Nagai handled it better as he sounded a lot more relaxed. 

I like both versions just as much as they are slightly different in their own respect, but if we were talking about atmosphere, I would go with Nagai's one... Yeah, first time ever that I picked a version without Mae-Kiyo in it!

Before I forget, "Sakaba no Hana" was written by lyricist Michio Yamagami (山上路夫). The original came out in 1976 and the Cool Five's version was released in 1983. Frankly, I don't know which was more popular since there's no write-up on it and oddly enough I did not see this entry in Nagai's discography on his J-Wiki page, but I did see it on the Cool Five's page. And by just searching "Sakaba no Hana" on Google, most results are of the Cool Five's version... So the Cool Five's one was more popular?

THE PERM... WHY MAE-KIYO?

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Apparently Ikuzo Yoshi (吉幾三) tried his hand at this song. I've never heard it, so I can only imagine how it sounds like.