I've been a fan of Japanese popular music for 40 years, and have managed to collect a lot of material during that time. So I decided I wanted to talk about Showa Era music with like-minded fans. My particular era is the 70s and 80s (thus the "kayo kyoku"). The plus part includes a number of songs and artists from the last 30 years and also the early kayo. So, let's talk about New Music, aidoru, City Pop and enka.
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.
Good heavens, I did forget about this one by Hiromi Iwasaki（岩崎宏美）although it is included in at least a couple of my BEST compilations on her. I should have remembered due to that lyric sung by her at the very top and that piano intro with the ominous flute flutter.
And there is that title "Sayonara no Banka" (A Elegy of Goodbye) which seals the deal on a foreboding story. This was Iwasaki's 15th single from November 1978 with the singer relating about a romance which seems to have had its love evaporated like moisture from a now-crumpled autumn leaf, a symbol that pops up throughout the lyrics by Yoko Aki（阿木燿子）. The heroine is now at her wit's end, practically begging for release from the poisonous relationship.
The ever-prolific Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）created the bouncy melody which almost takes the song into City Pop territory. Although the song has been classified as an aidoru kayo on J-Wiki, it's a bit difficult to imagine it as the typical aidoru tune, due to Iwasaki's one-cut-above vocals and Tsutsumi's arrangement. I mean, it just has that smart and classy vibe to it.
(cover version)
"Sayonara no Banka" didn't crack the Top 10 but it did peak at No. 13. In terms of official single A-sides, the song is reputedly the first one that didn't have Yu Aku（阿久悠）providing the lyrics but Aki who was probably more famous for writing for Momoe Yamaguchi（山口百恵）at the time. I'm not sure whether the single actually had been put on an original studio album but it did get placed as a bonus track onto the 2007 re-issue of Iwasaki's 7th original"Pandora no Kobako"（パンドラの小箱...Pandora's Box）which had been released in August 1978. The original LP went as high as No. 11.
Was doing a quick browse of YouTube after getting my last article up and I encountered this name Haruhi Aiso（相曽晴日）who I had never heard of before. So I gave her "Coffee House nite" (At The Coffee House) a try.
Sure enough, my instincts were spot-on for me. It's a lovely tune and so Aiso comes under that category of the 90% of the iceberg that is underwater when it comes to wonderful Japanese popular music. During the early 1980s, I think when it came to female singers, the aidoru were pretty much front and centre so to hear someone who was not named Yumi Matsutoya（松任谷由実）from that same time, coming out with a pure pop song is refreshing.
"Coffee House nite" (and that last word isn't the colloquial for "night") was Aiso's 2nd single from March 1983. The singer-songwriter hails from Shizuoka Prefecture and first took her steps into the music biz professionally by winning a prize at the 19th Yamaha Popular Song Contest in 1980. The year after, she also won a prize for the song of this article with lyrics by Toshio Otake（大竹敏雄）, although its release as an official single wouldn't come for another couple of years. The song was also included in her debut album "Twilight no Kaze"（トワイライトの風...Twilight Winds）from November 1982.
I've got two different versions of the song. The one above sounds a bit more folksy so I'm wondering if this had been the one used in the 1981 Yamaha contest with the video below showing the final official single for 1983. Alternately, the one above might be the official single with the other video being a new arrangement around the late 80s or early 90s. If I had to make a choice, I would go with the one below. I like it since it has that pleasant innocent sound with a hint of Boz Scaggs in there. Besides, I've always enjoyed the coffee houses of Japan. A cuppa might cost a small fortune but the taste of the coffee and the atmosphere can't be beat.
Incidentally, my photo at the very top is of the Mister Donuts just underneath Tokyo Sky Tree. No, I wouldn't qualify it as a coffee house but it was quite relaxing in there.
Took a walk outside today. Fortunately there's an industrial park area near my home that's largely devoid of vehicular traffic outside of driving school training cars and taxis on break so it's nice to take that healthy stroll. Couldn't ask for a more gorgeous day either. It definitely feels like a June weekend out there with the sun and warmth.
Perhaps another reason for my sunnier countenance is that I'm here to talk about my latest acquisitions, and this time it didn't take a quarter of a year for them to get over here from Japan. Tracked EMS is the way to go if you're in Canada and you want your Japanese CDs to get here within a week or so.
One of those discs is guitarist-songwriter Fujimal Yoshino's（芳野藤丸）debut solo album, "YOSHINO FUJIMAL" from 1982. After listening and then writing an article on two of the album's songs, the really chipper "Who Are You?" which starts things off and then the ballad "Girl's In Love With Me", it was time for me to pull the trigger. So far, I've heard it twice and no regrets whatsoever.
I read some of the liner notes for "YOSHINO FUJIMAL" and apparently the impetus for Yoshino to come out with his own release was his old buddy, Makoto Matsushita（松下誠）, coming out with his debut album"First Light" the previous year. Yoshino loved the sound and wanted to get in on that City Pop/J-AOR action and thus he set out to get his own project done.
An interesting thing comparing "YOSHINO FUJIMAL" and "First Light" is that whereas the latter album takes Matsushita into American West Coast AOR territory, I think Yoshino keeps things solidly in Japan, albeit in the big megalopolis of Tokyo. It's not so much the Ventura Freeway as it is the Bayside Highway.
As I said above, "Who Are You?" is the first track on the original Side A of the LP, which has been dubbed "in the DAY time" while Side B is "in the NIGHT time". Track 2 is "Midnight Plus 1", which I guess would be the day time technically although things are still pitch dark out there if that title is indeed signalling 1am.
The beat is pretty brisk, thanks to Fujimal who composed all of the tracks, and the City Pop tropes are in there with a boss bass and pleasant keyboard as the man himself sings about what sounds like a guy out there on the roads not to paint the town red but just doing his job, perhaps making deliveries. It's not usually something from City Pop I would hear since my impression is that partying in Tokyo is the theme for a lot of the genre's tunes. "Midnight Plus 1" does have that shaki-shaki beat of getting things done on the clock.
Yoshihiko Ando（安藤芳彦）took care of the lyrics and helping out on backing chorus is that Princess of City Pop, EPO.
The last track on "in the DAY time" is "Freeway 5 to South" is another road song although with some more introspection with Kazuko Kobayashi's（小林和子）lyrics against the otherwise sunny upbeat melody by Yoshino. And as one commenter on YouTube said, the chorus work is excellent. One of the guys taking part there happens to be Matsushita who also plies some of his guitar work on a few of the other tracks.
The aforementioned "Girl's In Love With Me" is "in the NIGHT time" along with this one "Shang-hide Night" which sounds quite bright and skippy considering the time of the day. Ando again took care of lyrics, and although the title might hint at Shanghai, I think the song describes a night out in Yokohama's Chinatown.
As I said, "YOSHINO FUJIMAL" is a keeper for all those City Pop fans out there. It would definitely be a pleasure to hear this album and then go straight to Matsushita's "First Light" again for an aural comparison. By the way, the above video is a new more "get down" version of "Midnight Plus 1" from 2014 that isn't on the album.
Well, almost time for the weekend. And it's looking pretty decent out there for a change after a really wet May. As I mentioned, I caught "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2" last Monday and enjoyed it thoroughly. One of the longer-lasting effects from the movie, though, came from one of the old-timey pop songs provided by Electric Light Orchestra"Mr. Blue Sky" during the introductory battle between the Guardians and some creature while Baby Groot was dancing up a storm.
It is quite the joyous earworm that can singlehandedly blow away any storm clouds and it just shows that someone can still discover a new song from the old days. As I always say, better late than never. Apparently, "Mr. Blue Sky" and the opening credits for the movie have even sprouted a video meme of sorts with different movies getting the "Guardians of the Galaxy" treatment. "The Matrix" is one such movie.
Speaking discovering fun new songs from the old days, I also found one just a few days ago by the eternally sunglasses-wearing balladeer, Yosui Inoue（井上陽水）. "Make-up Shadow". Coming out almost a quarter of a century ago in July 1993 as his 33rd single, it's a pretty roving tune that's got a humming engine, thanks to the keyboard work. Written by Inoue and composed by Jun Sato（佐藤準）under his pseudonym of Utsuru Ayame（彩目映） , I think the singer is relating a story of a glam young lady painting the night red. This could be a good Friday night song.
Several years later, the song was used for a Toyota Blade commercial. I probably would have used it for something a bit leaner and meaner like a Porsche, and considering the title and the lyrics, perhaps it would have been best utilized for a bold cosmetics ad. "Make-up Shadow" hit No. 2 on the charts and became the 27th-ranked single for 1993.
A decade after the original's release, a cover version was released by former SPEED member, Takako Uehara（上原多香子）, as her 8th single in March 2003. When I first heard the introduction, I wasn't quite sure if I had the right song but I guess the arrangement went for a slightly more dance remix-y feeling. Plus, I think Uehara in the video would have been the perfect figure for that bold cosmetics ad that I mentioned above. This version peaked at No. 29.
For years, on our family forays of Japanese TV via videotape, one of the familiar figures on the kayo shows was the enka singer Mieko Makimura（牧村三枝子）. I haven't seen her in decades but on the videos of "Enka no Hanamichi"（演歌の花道）and any of the music shows that NHK put out, she was always out there. Of course back then, I wasn't into enka or Mood Kayo like I am now so it was just the name and the fact that she sang enka tunes that I remember.
So I decided to take a look at her discography on J-Wiki. And I found her 12th single, "Michizure"(Traveling Companion) from October 1978. The Hokkaido native made her debut in 1972 and several years later, she encountered this song that actor Tetsuya Watari（渡哲也）had released a few years earlier. She basically begged him directly for the chance to record it as a single and obviously her efforts bore fruit.
"Michizure" doesn't refer to traveling partners. It's actually a love proposal from man to woman so that they can become partners for life. It certainly hit a soft spot among listeners as it broke the Top 10 to peak at No. 8 and eventually become the 9th-ranked single for 1979. The ballad hung on for another year to finish at No. 62. Not surprisingly, it won a Japanese Record Award for being a long-seller and sold over a million records. The song is quite tenderhearted and I get images of a couple in traditional garb walking slowly over an arched vermilion bridge, and it is there that the man professes his love to his lady.
A few years in 1981, Makimura made her debut on NHK's Kohaku Utagassen with "Michizure". It would be her first of four consecutive appearances on the show.
Written by Kaoru Mizuki（水木かおる）and composed by Minoru Endo（遠藤実）, Watari had released the original "Michizure" in November 1975. His version has a pretty pleasant low and rolling delivery but his voice keeps things within a relatively narrow range compared to the delicateness that Makimura has. So perhaps it didn't quite make as much of an impression, peaking at just No. 55 on the charts. However, sales weren't too bad for him at all; his single was able to sell around 200,000 records.
Ironically enough, Makimura would make her 2nd appearance on the Kohaku in 1982 singing "Kuchinashi no Hana"（くちなしの花）, another Watari original.
Gotta say that I'm getting pretty tempted to get an album...any album...by groovy band Ryusenkei（流線形）.
I mean, it may be the early 21st century but these guys are disco-ing as if it were the late 1970s or early 1980s. "Koi no Cider" (Love Cider) is straight from Ryusenkei's debut album"City Music" from 2003. The arrangement is a love letter to City Pop and I just adore the drums in this tune. Unfortunately, that's about all the information I can get about this song since the band still doesn't have any sort of website or even any recognition on J-Wiki. I think their Facebook page is about it for representation outside of any media reports on them. But I did find out that Tomomi Sano（サノトモミ）is the vocalist here.
Various folks have put forth that City Pop as a genre should be addressed to the creations by Tatsuro Yamashita（山下達郎）, Minako Yoshida（吉田美奈子）, Makoto Matsushita（松下誠）and others from decades back and that the tunes made by folks like Ryusenkei should be given a new name or the old one of AOR. However, I think the newer stuff I've heard still fits the bill enough to earn the return of the name of that favourite genre of mine. At the same time, though, I think I can see their point since City Pop seems to refer to the big city (namely Tokyo) during a time when the Economic Miracle was paying off in big dividends...a time that no longer exists now.
Incidentally, you can also try out another song from "City Music": "Airport '80"（エアーポート’80）.
Well, it took a while. Actually, it took about 30 years. After deciding to try "Crimson" during Akina Nakamori's（中森明菜）era of "experimental" albums and realizing that it wasn't such a bad album after all, my conscience said that I should be even braver and pull out the LP of her next album "Cross My Palm". Coming out in August 1987, this was Akina's 11th studio album and her first totally English-language release.
I found this at Wah Yueh in Chinatown and I almost passed it by since I couldn't quite recognize that lady smoking in the alley as Ms. Nakamori. But when I did finally recognize the lass, I was intrigued enough to plunk down my Canadian bucks.
Like with "Crimson" the first time, I wasn't all that thrilled with the new direction and different style of vocals that the Tokyo-born singer brought. And to be frankly honest, I didn't find her English enunciation to be all that grand, so after a few rounds on the old record player, "Cross My Palm" was relegated to the rack to gather dust.
(cover version)
As the title card in a movie would say....THIRTY YEARS LATER. So two stints in Japan and a lot of CDs later, and with that purchase of a TEAC record player, I took the New York-recorded "Cross My Palm" out of the sleeve and put it under the needle. In fact, in the past few weeks, I've played both sides of the LP twice to get to know it again. The result is that the feeling of redemptive delight that I had for "Crimson" wasn't nearly as soaring for "Cross My Palm". It's still not a great album for me and a lot of it is due to the fact that I'm still not a fan of Akina when she goes into that vocally quavery style.
Still, some of the nostalgia factor has kicked in and I now appreciate some of the music that went into the tracks. For instance, the title track has that European New Wave-y feeling thanks to Chris Morris' composition with Barrie Corbett and John De Plesses providing the lyrics. And to be honest, even with my harsh attitude toward her vocals on the album, I've realized that Akina sounds stronger in voice here than I had noticed before.
One of the tracks on "Cross My Palm" is titled "Modern Woman" which I did like. However, I couldn't find Akina's rendition but I did find the original version, "Femme d'aujourd'hui" by French singer Jeanne Mas. Having appreciated Taeko Ohnuki's（大貫妙子）brand of European-styled pop over the past few years, I guess, has mellowed me out on "Modern Woman". Although Mas wrote the original French lyrics, Linda Hennrick came up with the English lyrics for Nakamori's cover. Romano Musumarra and R.Zaneli provided the melody.
"Honey, finally up? There's coffee, orange juice
and granola on the counter. I'm taking Bowser for a walk."
The trio of David Batteau, Danny Sembello and Gardner Cole came up with "Easy Rider". Sembello's brother, Michael, I know for coming up with "Maniac" on the "Flashdance" soundtrack which spent eons on the Billboard chart in the early 1980s. Again, Akina's delivery comes across as a bit molasses-y at points but at least her voice, to my realization, was going deeper here. The song sounds like something that I would hear as background music on an episode of some 80s cop show where the cooler-than-thou heroes would strut into a bar to find out where a particular snitch might be lurking. Ah, no...it's not the greatest song.
"The Look That Kills" by Biddu-Winston Sela is the original version of the Nakamori single "BLONDE" which is one of her singles that I really do love. As for the original version...not so much. The tempo is a little too sludgy and I think Akina is trying too hard with the high-pitched delivery. Satoshi Nakamura's（中村哲）arrangement of it into "BLONDE" brought a lot more snap and fun into the proceedings.
So that I don't end the article on a supremely sour note, I will finish things up with a track that I did fairly like, "My Position". Humecke, David Batteau and Robin Lane created this urban contemporary tune and again I have to admit that Nakamori has got some of those deeper tones back. Plus, her slinking about in the above video helps set the scene rather nicely.
However, you can see that I still have mixed feelings about "Cross My Palm" even after so long. And yet, I think I'm probably in the minority since the album did hit No. 1 on Oricon and ended up as the 19th-ranked album of the year. I'm not an optimist by any means but I can say that I could re-discover a few small gems even in here. Hey, if any of you Akina fans out there would like to chime in, please do so.
