Satoko Shimonari -- Keep In Touch

I mentioned about a week ago that I had gotten another couple of CDs, one of which was the amazing "Yoshino Fujimal". The other one was Satoko Shimonari's（下成佐登子）"Keep In Touch" from December 1987. I purchased that one on the strength of the opening track "Time Goes By".

"Keep In Touch" hasn't had the same immediate impact that "Yoshino Fujimal" did but listening to the former album a second time, I can confidently say that the tracks are starting to grow on me. This was Shimonari's 5th and final studio album to date, so perhaps that title had some meaning when it was released.

As a whole, "Keep In Touch" has got that urban contemporary atmosphere of the late 1980s mixed in with a few ballads. "Game" is one of those songs that would take place in the city although I probably wouldn't classify it as City Pop in terms of melody. Written by Junko Sato（佐藤純子）and composed by Hitoshi Haba（羽場仁志）with Shimonari singing about a rather flirtatious lady with a devilish streak holding court in the dance clubs. Her J-Wiki profile also stated that she has contributed some anison so I figure this track could have been something played for a show such as "City Hunter".

"Yasashii Kaze"（やさしい風...Gentle Winds）is the original final track on the album and it's my favourite of her entries here. Sato also provided lyrics with Shimonari composing the song herself and it sounds quite inspirational. I only have one tiny pet peeve in that the usage of a "haunting" synthesizer near the final refrain makes it sound a little too dated. "Yasashii Kaze" was also her 15th single from June 1987, and it served as the ending theme for an NTV travel program "Watching Nihon Retto"（ウォッチング日本列島...Watching the Japanese Archipelago）.

My final contribution to the article here is "Haruka naru Shangri-La"（遙かなる桃源郷...Far-Off Shangri-La）, her 16th single from November 1987. It was placed as a bonus track on the original album to exhort the masses to travel to those exotic lands. Considering the Bubble was probably already in Japan or on its way, the song probably didn't have to push too hard to get folks buying those plane tickets. In fact, it was used as the campaign song for Japan Asia Airways that year. The aforementioned "Game" was the B-side on the original single. Ren Takayanagi（高柳恋）and Yasuo Kosugi（小杉保夫）created the song.

So "Keep In Touch" isn't a home run out of the park but I think as an example of where Japanese female pop singing and songwriting were heading from the late 1980s, I think this final studio album by Shimonari hits the spot. I always like to find some of these more obscure efforts.

The Peanuts -- Uwaki na Aitsu（浮気なあいつ）/ Yokogao （よこがお）

I guess if I had to come up with an overarching theme phrase for this article, it would be "All good things must come to an end". After starting their illustrious career with a sung version of a jazz song and then becoming kayo pop stars for the better part of two decades (including a stint as movie princesses providing a song to a gigantic caterpillar), the female pop duo The Peanuts（ザ・ピーナッツ）decided to call it a day, at least when it came to their time as recording artists.

So why not end things with a jazz song to complete the circle? Their final single was "Uwaki no Aitsu" (That Cheating Jerk) from March 1975. It was jazzy as heck but unlike the 1959 "Kawaii Hana"（可愛い花）which started off their career, "Uwaki no Aitsu" was something to let them go out with a bang. There is a mix of jazz and maybe rockabilly in there, and I even wonder if the material that the Manhattan Transfer was performing at about the same time had some influence. Yoko Yamaguchi（山口洋子）wrote the lyrics while Hiroshi Miyagawa（宮川泰）, the same fellow who arranged "Kawaii Hana" from the original as performed by saxophonist Sidney Bechet, composed the snazzy melody.

The same songwriting duo also came up with the B-side, "Yokogao" (Profile), a somewhat more sedate jazz number. I actually like this song even better than "Uwaki no Aitsu" since it has that comforting nightclub feeling, and I feel as if Miyagawa threw in some kayo influences and even a musical shoutout to "Blues in the Night" by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. I almost expect the Peanuts to say goodbye to the listeners at the end; it makes for a nice farewell to everyone.

I believe I mentioned "All good things must come to an end". Well, in keeping with that theme, I would like to recognize the fact that Adam West, the actor who first introduced me to Batman as a toddler passed away yesterday at the age of 88. Decades before we all got to re-acquaint ourselves with the superhero as the brooding Dark Knight through revamped comics, graphic novels and movies, I got to know him as the ever-faithful goody-goody good guy with Robin as they threw the fisticuffs every episode. The Bright Knight indeed. So long, ol' chum!

Akira Wakayama -- Yorokobi mo Kanashimi mo Ikutoshitsuki（喜びも悲しみも幾歳月）

I've often used the above photo for a few articles on the blog for no other reason other than I couldn't find anything else suitable. However, I can finally say here that it fits perfectly for reasons that will soon become apparent.

On a recent episode of "Uta Con"（うたコン）, there was a montage of the old kayo for one segment and I saw this one fellow singing most heroically on a kayo show from long ago. I had thought it was some sort of wartime song to bring cheer to the troops and citizens.

However, I was quite wrong there. Instead, "Yorokobi mo Kanashimi mo Ikutoshitsuki" was the theme song for a movie of the same name which was translated as "Times of Joy and Sorrow" as it was titled in the USA and "The Lighthouse" in the UK. Released in 1957 and directed by Keisuke Kinoshita（木下惠介）, it was a years-spanning movie about a couple who start life together living in a lighthouse from the year 1932. As the American title will indicate, the movie goes into the ups and downs of their lives as they raise a family through the war and into the postwar years.

Just gleaning from the fact that those NHK morning serial dramas, which often feature stories spanning decades, have remained a TV staple all these years, I wasn't surprised to find out that "Yorokobi mo Kanashimi mo Ikutoshitsuki" became a huge hit. The theme song also became one for singer Akira Wakayama（若山彰）. The Hiroshima-born singer had once aspired to go into the field of opera but after doing some work as part of a backup chorus, he decided to switch into singing regular kayo. Perhaps his training would explain those exhorting vocals.

Wakayama had been singing professionally for about 6 years when he recorded the theme song which made him an overnight success. In fact, he ended up making an appearance on the Kohaku Utagassen for 1957 and would appear 3 more times in a row. Director Kinoshita's younger brother, Chuuji Kinoshita（木下忠司）, wrote and composed the song; and he often provided the music for several of the elder Kinoshita's productions.

Yuki Okazaki -- Jamaican Affair （ジャマイカン・アフェアー）

One of our days on that cruise last month included a several-hour stopover in Falmouth, Jamaica. Couldn't have asked for a better day to go ashore and enjoy a walk around. I wouldn't have minded buying some of that famous rum...especially after having a double-shot rum and coke on board. Definitely was feeling mellow that night.

I found this B-side by Yuki Okazaki（岡崎友紀）recently so wanted to give this a highlight. For me, Okazaki will always be the one behind "Do You Remember Me?" (1980), the somewhat Swinging 60s-ish pop tune (apparently, the composer was inspired by The Ronnettes). Well, on the flip side of that single, this is "Jamaican Affair", a much more mellow affair with that bit of soft reggae thrown in.

The same folks behind "Do You Remember Me?" were taking care of this one as well, lyricist Kazumi Yasui（安井かずみ）and composer Kazuhiko Kato（加藤和彦）. I probably couldn't say that this was real reggae, of course...more like reggae-tinged New Music or J-AOR. However, I'm glad that I could get a second article on Okazaki on board (I put the first one up all the way back in 2012), so perhaps I should start exploring some of her earlier material since "Do You Remember Me?" was actually near the tail end of her singing career.

Sumako Matsui/Hisaya Morishige/Chieko Baisho/Yoshio Tabata/HALCALI -- Gondola no Uta （ゴンドラの唄）

Just before I logged in today, I got some rather shocking news from my mother. Apparently, our shopping mall (one of the oldest in Canada) plays kayo kyoku!...and yes, I am still living in Toronto. She rather nonchalantly remarked that she has heard Yuzo Kayama's（加山雄三）"Kimi to Itsumademo"（君といつまでも）and Kyu Sakamoto's（坂本九）classic "Sukiyaki" song over the speakers from time to time, albeit as cover versions. But still, this is quite a revelation. If the manager ever decides to play anything by Yellow Magic Orchestra, I will be so there!

Last night, after getting back from my friend's house with her great Jamaican buffet, I sat down and caught a little bit of that NHK morning serial drama that's currently playing on TV Japan, "Hiyokko"（ひよっこ）starring Kasumi Arimura（有村架純）. The episode took place at the end of the year 1965, so that meant the Kohaku Utagassen would be on the telly which in turn meant the main characters huddled around the kotatsu singing to the performers while noshing on mikan. There were a couple of excerpts of the 1965 Kohaku showing...with one featuring someone singing a song called "Gondola no Uta". I had never heard of this particular chestnut so I decided to investigate.

Happily again, "Gondola no Uta" has quite a bit of history behind it. Originally released in 1915, the song was written by Isamu Yoshii（吉井勇）and composed by Shinpei Nakayama（中山晋平）. Nakayama came up with the melody one day while coming home on a train as he was mourning the recent passing of his mother. According to the J-Wiki article for the song, he mentioned that "the melody came up naturally as I was swaying along with the train". The source for the information from the last two sentences is from pages 140 and 141 from a novel by Noboru Wada（和田登）, "Inochi Mijikashi Koi se yo Shojo-tachi: Shosetsu Nakayama Shinpei"（いのち短し恋せよ少女-小説中山晋平....Life Is Brief, Fall In Love, Maidens - A Shinpei Nakayama Novel） that was published in October 2005.

The first artist to sing "Gondola no Uta" (The Gondola Song) was Sumako Matsui（松井須磨子）, an actress who had an even bigger hit the previous year with "Katyusha no Uta"（カチューシャの唄...Katyusha's Song）, also composed by Nakayama (that particular song has been seen as being the first ryūkōka). The video above has Matsui's rendition of "Gondola no Uta", and it begins with a minute-long monologue by Matsui although due to the age of the recording and her high-pitched voice, I cannot decipher what she's saying. The song begins a little after 1:20.

Found out through J-Wiki as well that the 1965 Kohaku Utagassen featured actor/singer Hisaya Morishige（森繁久彌）performing "Gondola no Uta". Looking at Yoshii's lyrics, there is a lament in there but also encouragement for folks to grab happiness as much and as soon as they can since life will catch up to them before they know it.

Chieko Baisho（倍賞千恵子）has given her own straight-ahead cheerful cover of the song.

I have to say that Yoshio Tabata's（田端義夫）rendition, though, is one of the most heartfelt.

Even Okinawan song-and-dance duo HALCALI provided a cover of "Gondola no Uta" in 2012, almost a century after its original release. Unfortunately, the only copy that I could find was in commercial form.

But the one rendition of the song that will probably have viewers and listeners sniffling away like crazy is through a scene that has become one of the most iconic within Akira Kurosawa's（黒澤明）oeuvre of films (and perhaps film in general). "Gondola no Uta" was performed by actor Takashi Shimura（志村喬）in the film "Ikiru"（生きる...To Live） as his terminally ill protagonist Kanji Watanabe slowly swings away in the playground on a winter night. Frankly, I'm still afraid to watch "Ikiru" since from what I've read of the plot, it just comes across as being very depressing even after Watanabe's ultimate passing. I guess I'm simply not ready yet.

There are plenty of other covers of "Gondola no Uta" on YouTube. You can just cut and paste the kanji for the title and take a look. I can't help but wonder though whether either songwriters Nakayama or Yoshii had somehow read the legend about the river Styx and the ferryman Charon before this song was created.

LUNA SEA -- IN SILENCE

Rock music isn't exactly my forte but even I have to admit thinking the name LUNA SEA as one of the cleverest and coolest monikers for a Japanese rock band. And strangely enough, according to the J-Wiki write-up, it did originate from the band's first name, LUNACY. The band first came into being in 1986 via a couple of high school buddies, Jun "J" Onose（小野瀬潤）and Kiyonobu "Inoran" Inoue（井上清信）after which  Yasuhiro "Sugizo" Sugihara（杉原康弘）and Shinya Yamada（山田真矢）joined in 1989. Finally, the most famous member, vocalist Ryuichi Kawamura（河村隆一）entered the band later that year. The name change from LUNACY to LUNA SEA took place in 1990.

I hadn't paid too much attention since visual kei wasn't my thing and my early memories of LUNA SEA were the members in makeup and outrageous clothing. But it looks like by the time I returned to Japan in late 1994, Kawamura and the band had toned down their looks to a large extent.

Now, JTM was the first collaborator on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" to put up a LUNA SEA article through his elaboration of the theme song for the Fuji-TV drama "Kami Sama Mou Sukoshi Dake"（神様、もう少しだけ）, "I For You". As for me, my biggest memory of the band was from their 8th single, "IN SILENCE" which was released back in July 1996. I remember the song getting lots of airplay and I especially liked the refrain where Kawamura unleashes that voice of his and the percolating guitar work.

Created by LUNA SEA, "IN SILENCE" went all the way up to No. 2 on Oricon. It was even used as the image song for the American CBS drama "Chicago Hope" via TV Asahi. The single was also placed on the band's 5th album "STYLE" which came out in April 1996 with a No. 1 ranking and an eventual place at No. 30 on the yearly charts. The end of 1996 would signal the band's sabbatical from recording or performing for about a year so "IN SILENCE" was the final single before the break. I think it was during this time that Kawamura started popping up on TV screens regularly due to his solo career.

Now, the boy in the music video for "IN SILENCE" is rather interesting. I had no idea until I was about to write up this article that he was future actor/tarento Eiji Wentz（ウエンツ瑛士）. The reason I mention him is that he became a regular sighting for me on the variety shows as this strapping half-Japanese and half-German-American lad goofing it up. Wentz is the fellow on the far left of the row of foodies chowing down on some don.

Apparently, according to the article on "IN SILENCE", during the filming of the video, little Wentz had to hold the true corpse of a bird (perhaps he was truly screaming in that scene) and he said that he was so scared of the thing that he was on the verge of tears. I hope the director had the good sense to at least fumigate it.

Rajie featuring Yoshitaka Minami -- THE TOKYO TASTE

Another wonderful day out there. Quite reflective of the late spring and early summer. It's just like that photo above with the blue sky shining off that skyscraper in West Shinjuku there. I will be heading off in a couple of hours to a friend's place up in Richmond Hill for a nice little dinner party but still wanted to get this one article peeled off before I go.

Last night, I pulled the trigger again and purchased a few City Pop albums including this one, "Heart to Heart" (1977) the debut release by the relatively unknown Rajie. Part of the reason that I got it was I have enjoyed her brand of music especially this one track, and the album itself makes quite a contrast with her 3rd album "Quatre"  (another acquisition) from 1979 which has more of a technopop flavour.

"THE TOKYO TASTE" wasn't only a track on that first album but also the B-side to Rajie's 3rd single, "Cool Down" from December 1978. And although the song says "Rajie featuring Yoshitaka Minami", I think the mellow Minami（南佳孝）shares equal billing with his duet partner in this one. They would get together again in the aforementioned "Quatre" for one number "Tokidoki Mahou"（ときどき魔法...Sometimes Magic）.

The song itself is a cool and light funk piece that actually didn't have Minami creating it. Minami was just the singer here. Instead it was YMO drummer Yukihiro Takahashi（高橋幸宏）and YMO associate Chris Mosdell taking care of the lyrics while Takahashi also provided the music alongside Tsugutoshi Goto（後藤次利）. It's quite nice to listen to while strutting down the hotel-laden streets of West Shinjuku around sunset with the slightly loopy lyrics describing some cool and light fun downtown. Considering the title and how I have described it here, I would think "THE TOKYO TASTE" would have made for the ideal jingle for a menthol cigarette commercial.

In any case, I am looking forward to getting my copy of "Heart to Heart" in the next few weeks.