Hiroshi Wada & Mahina Stars/Ari Hanabusa -- Aishitewaikenai（愛してはいけない）

Happy Sunday! It's been a thankfully quiet weekend especially since I've been quite busy over the past couple of weeks with translation work. Had my lesson with my student last night and will be talking with old friend JTM later tonight.

Was thinking of handling some oldies today and came across this number by Mood Kayo group Hiroshi Wada & Mahina Stars（和田弘とマヒナスターズ）from November 1964, "Aishitewaikenai" (Must Not Love). Listening to it a few times, I think it's a mix of concepts here. Of course, with the Mahina Stars singing this, it is a Mood Kayo tune by default (with that touch of Hawaiian, a Mahina Stars trait) but there is also something rather enka about it since I can't imagine the setting being necessarily a city. I can just as easily envisage this intense talk between a couple taking place on some arched bridge near a temple in the countryside with cherry blossom petals blowing about.

Gou Ishigouoka（石郷岡豪...not sure of the reading of that first name）created the lyrics while Keitaro Miho（三保敬太郎）came up with the music which also has a mix between melancholy and hopeful. I believe the lyrics involve a woman stating the title as the first line in each verse in various forms as she gradually amps up her insistence to the love of her life that he is not a person who cannot return her love. The first verse has her repeating what her boyfriend (perhaps a lone wolf) has just said as a so-called final description of his emotional state whereas the second verse begins with her questioning his opinion. The final verse has the lady stating in no uncertain terms that he is dead wrong and that she will always love him so he had better shape up. As the song progressed, I got the impression that the music got more positive. Hopefully, the lug came to his senses.

Incidentally, "Aishitewaikenai" was used as the theme song for a TBS drama "Onna no Shatou"（女の斜塔...A Woman's Leaning Tower）.

Never heard of Ari Hanabusa（英亜里）before and was intrigued by the reading of her kanji. According to one website, a lot of Japanese had apparently struggled  with the reading, too, since usually that first kanji is read "hide"（ひで）or "ei"（えい）. She was actually born Yoshiko Endo（遠藤貴子）in downtown Tokyo so I gather that her manager or record producer wanted to have her stand out in some way, so why not through the name?

That same website is the only source for information on the singer because J-Wiki doesn't have an article for her (and that page got its information from the liner notes from a BEST album of hers). She debuted in 1968 and released several singles at least before calling it quits in 1980 at the age of 30.

In 1973, Hanabusa released a single that covered the Mahina Stars' "Aishitewaikenai". The cover takes things out of the Mood Kayo genre and into an even more relaxing kayo arrangement with some mellow horns. The arrangement was done by veteran Koji Makaino（馬飼野康二）. I don't think this version was used as a TV theme tune but if it had been used as such, it would have been for some suburban home drama.

fhana -- divine intervention

Realizing that it's quite late to put this one into "Kayo Kyoku Plus", I still have to pipe up in my defense that when an anime has such an earworm ending theme such as "Witchcraft Activity"（ウィッチ☆アクティビティ）, any opening theme would have a difficult time standing out.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, I'm referring to the anime "Witchcraft Works"（ウィッチクラフトワークス）which aired in early 2014. The series itself frankly went over my head without subtitles but it was all about these different covens of witches jockeying for position within the usually mundane environment of a suburban Japanese neighbourhood. I have to say that a lot of it was very gorgeously animated, though.

Anyways, the opening theme was fhana's "divine intervention" and I think it's only been within the last little while that I've finally started to appreciate it. Ending theme "Witchcraft Activity" simply burrowed itself into my head so much that it had been the only song that I associated the anime with. But after enjoying the band's first single, the lovely and fitting ending theme for the first season of "Uchoten Kazoku"（有頂天家族）, "Que Sera Sera"（ケセラセラ）, and then last year's so-happy-that-it-kills "Aozora no Rhapsody"（青空のラプソディ）, I got to hear "divine intervention" again through my anime buddy's anison hour.

The song was fhana's 3rd single released in January 2014. Written by Hideki Hayashi（林英樹）and composed by fhana keyboardist Junichi Sato（佐藤純一）, "divine intervention" flies in like a witch on the warpath with the keyboards and the rock but then also has these quieter passages that almost takes things into a humming disco ballad thanks to the addition of those strings. Well, being someone who likes the ancient music, I appreciated the disco of it.

"divine intervention" got as high as No. 52 on Oricon. It also became a track on fhana's debut album "Outside of Melancholy" released in February 2015 which peaked at No. 8. This song will still be a fairly distant third behind "Aozora no Rhapsody" and "Que Sera Sera" for me but from now on it will not be forgotten.

Misato Watanabe -- Big Wave Yattekita（BIG WAVE やってきた）

Nope, sorry, couldn't find any photos with big waves among my 2014 Japan shots. But then again, I didn't think that the shores of Kanagawa really had anything to rival the monsters in Hawaii.

The preamble above was to introduce another tune from the Misato Watanabe（渡辺美里）file. This time, it's "Big Wave Yattekita" (The Big Wave Has Come), her 26th single from July 1993 that has that hint of a surf rock song thanks to Yasuyuki Okamura's（岡村靖幸）melody and Takeshi Kobayashi's（小林武史）arrangement. Watanabe wrote the words to this cheer-up song that says when love has got you down, there's nothing like hauling the surfboard and hitting the waves to get back on top.

"Big Wave Yattekita" crashed into the Top 10 by peaking at No. 7 and it was also the title track for Watanabe's 8th album "Big Wave" which also came out in the same month. It hit the top spot on Oricon and was the 18th-ranked album of 1993. However, outside of her very early 90s discography, my interest in the big-voiced singer started to wane around here. She was still making some nice tunes but they weren't quite on the same level as her output back in the late 1980s.

Miki Imai -- Totte Oki no Asa wo （とっておきの朝を）

Got hit with some pretty heavy translation work over the past few days so could really use a bit of relaxation time about now.

So I've decided to with this, Miki Imai's（今井美樹）"Totte Oki no Asa wo" (A Precious Morning) which is about as mellow as one can get in Japanese pop. With a nice hint of Latin, Imai goes on about waking up one lovely morning while her darling is still sleeping away in bed. The next thing you know, there will be that familiar chime signalling that coffee is ready followed by the Maxwell House logo on TV.

All joking aside, though, this is the second Miki Imai song that I had ever heard after first hearing "Natsu wo Kasanete"（夏をかさねて）in that Gunma coffee house back in 1989 or 1990. It turns out that "Totte Oki no Asa wo" was the second track following the first track of "Natsu wo Kasanete" on her first BEST album "Ivory" that was released in the year that I got to Japan on the JET Programme. At the time, I wasn't all that amazed by "Totte Oki no Asa wo" because it just seemed a little too mellow for me. Well, time has mellowed me. I'm a bit more accepting of my bossa nova-influenced J-Pop.

Both tracks originally came from Imai's 3rd original album "Bewith" in June 1988. Imai provided the lyrics while guitarist Ryohei Yamanashi（山梨鐐平）came up with the soft melody. The album hit No. 1 on Oricon.

Yuzo Kayama -- Enka Nagashi Uta (演歌流し唄)

Since Kiyoshi Maekawa's (前川清) "Uso yo" (嘘よ) from late last year, I've been aware of Yuzo Kayama's (加山雄三) love for kayokyoku. Nevertheless, it did not diminish the excitement I felt upon discovering that he came up with a whole album dedicated to enka classics. As such, this was one of my must-gets when I was at his museum in December - technically, I could've gotten it online, but it wouldn't be as special...

Titled "Enka Nagashi Uta" (演歌流し唄), this album was released in 1972, and the tracks included ranged from the more easy-going, pop-like enka to the hardcore stuff, the latter of which had me going, "Whoa, he actually sang that?!"... because, you know, I see the Wakadaisho and some of these singers to be on completely different planes of existance. Unfortunately, I was unable to find full versions of the covers, only just 45 second samples from online CD shops, so I had added the original versions in my descriptions to give an idea of what sort of stuff he had taken on.

Here is the list of songs and their singers:

1. Tabi Sugata Sannin Otoko (旅姿三人男); Dick Mine (ディック・ミネ)
2. Minato Machi Blues (港町ブルース); Shinichi Mori (森進一)
3. Mugi to Heitai (麦と兵隊); Taro Shoji (東海林太郎)
4. Dare yori mo Kimi wo Aisu (誰よりも君を愛す); Kazuko Matsuo & Mahina Stars (松尾和子 . 和田弘＆マヒナスターズ) 
5. Hakodate no Hito (函館の女); Saburo Kitajima (北島三郎)
6. Wakare no Ippon Sugi (別れの一本杉); Hachiro Kasuga (春日八郎)
7. Jinsei Gekijo (人生劇場); Shigeo Kusunoki/Hideo Murata (楠木繁夫/村田英雄)
8. Yogiri no Blues (夜霧のブルース); Dick Mine
9. Hoshikage no Waltz (星影のワルツ); Masao Sen (千昌夫)
10. Rindo Kouta (りんどう小唄); this is Kayama's own song, if I'm not wrong
11. Hokkiko (北帰行); Akira Kobayashi (小林旭)
12. Ippon Doko no Uta (いっぽんどっこの唄); Kiyoko Suizenji (水前寺清子)

What I found most fascinating, besides the Wakadaisho's attempts at some of the songs, was, as the album's name suggests, putting Kayama in the shoes of a nagashi, and actually beginning with him going into a noisy bar and providing some entertainment for the drinking crowd. As we go down the list, the nagashi even thinks out loud or talks to the customers before he goes on to singing the next song proper. The world building is a creative idea, and that also gives "Enka Nagashi Uta" a warm and atmospheric touch. It feels more like you're at the smoky pub itself with a cup of sake before you listening to some live entertain rather than simply listening to a CD. As for the music, their arrangements are mostly close to the original takes save for that Kayama touch - lots of electric guitar that gives certain tracks a strong Group Sounds flavour.

Overall, I was pleased with whatever that was brought to the table, but I do have my highlights, the first of which is the track at the top of the set list, "Tabi Sugata Sannin Otoko". This is one of my favourite matatabi enka, and I very much enjoy the fast-paced and modern take that Kayama brought to the table. Here, it feels like the ronin having fun in the busy streets of Edo (Tokyo during the Edo era) instead of silently trudging through the Tokaido road towards Kyoto (or something like that).

Next is "Minato Machi Blues". I'm actually I'm not a big fan of Mori's halting and raspy delivery, so I welcome other takes of this well-known hit with open arms, with Kayama's being no exception. Not saying that the original is bad - it's not, which is why I have it above - but, to me, it's better when each line is belted out in a smoother manner. In terms of musical style, it's pretty similar to the original, just with a little more zing to it from, you guessed it, Kayama's favourite instrument.

So much for different planes of existance - the Wakadaisho even took on enka heavyweights like Hachi and Muchi (or Kusunoki)! "Wakare no Ippon Sugi" is the quintessential bokyo tune that is heavily melancholic; "Jinsei Gekijo" is a gravelly ode to the responsibilities of a manly man. As heavy as they are, Kayama managed to turn them into faster-paced groovy ditties with a strong Group Sounds taste. I do appreciate the enka-GS fusion, but it does take out quite a bit of the foreboding and creepy ambiance that the originals seem to revel in. Nevertheless, they are fun and refreshing to hear, especially "Wakare no Ippon Sugi" - probably would have taken to the song much faster if I'd heard the cover first.

(I'm sorry but the video was taken down.)

Yeah... the Wakadaisho's electric guitar and piano can't replace Koga sensei's mandolin.

Besides hardcore enka, Kayama also did some intense Mood Kayo like "Yogiri no Blues" and "Dare yori mo Kimi wo Aisu". Unlike the aforementioned stuff, they kept majority of their original smoky atmosphere. Perhaps they fit with the bar scene well already, so there wasn't a need to change much of it? Or maybe he just preferred their melodies as is? Whatever it is, I found his versions more palatable for some reason, especially with "Dare yori mo Kimi wo Aisu".

As for "Yogiri no Blues", Kayama's delivery struck me as being very similar to Yujiro Ishihara's (石原裕次郎), whose version I have put up, though with more grit.

I think a good way to end things off here is with the sentimental "Hoshikage no Waltz". The case of "Hoshikage no Waltz" is similar to "Minato Machi Blues" wherein I personally feel the song needs a steadier delivery, and also one with a softer touch for it to really shine. Kayama did just that with this too, however, its faster tempo did also take out some of the wistfulness. If only it were a tad slower... Ah, well, can't have the cake and eat it too. Hmm, I wonder if Hachi's version would be the best of both worlds.

The Wakadaisho looks pretty good in a kimono.

Tomoko Hori -- Seaside Hotel 805（シーサイドホテル８０５）

I've stayed at a few seaside hotels...well, more like bayside hotels but the water was still salty. One establishment was the Portopia Hotel in Kobe. The JET Renewers' Conference was held there in 1990 and all of us JETs who were planning to go onto another year of teaching were obliged to go there. It was a pretty luxurious place in a city that I thought resembled more like a metropolis in California than Tokyo. Mind you, within half a decade, the largest city in Japan would undertake a major urban project which begat Odaiba.

I actually bookmarked this song several months ago but have decided to put it up tonight. As much as there are a lot of City Pop songs that have been unearthed over the years and are still yet to be discovered by me, there are also a lot of aidoru tunes in the 1970s and 1980s that have remained unknown, and churlishly speaking, perhaps some of them should be left unknown. But that is of course a matter of personal opinion.

However, I did pick Tomoko Hori's（堀智子）"Seaside Hotel 805"（シーサイドホテル８０５）because I had never heard of this 70s aidoru and the song itself had that nostalgic hippy-skippy melody that screamed bell-bottomed pants and big hair. I could find barely anything about Hori but this page shows the 6 singles that she released in the mid-70s including this debut single which came out in August 1975. The cover of her made me think that she was auditioning for the main role in a live-action version of "Cutey Honey".

Written by Ou Yoshida（吉田旺）and composed by Koichi Morita（森田公一）, "Seaside Hotel 805" not only feels like a happy 70s kayo with that loopy electric guitar and strings but there is a 1950s/1960s sax in there and the overall music has me thinking girls dancing in their go-go boots from the previous decade. No idea how Hori's aidoru career went but I'm glad that I could find some of these tunes that perhaps even many Japanese of a certain age (namely mine) had forgotten or not even known about.

Ray Marimura & The Time Sellers -- Kyou mo Yume Miru（今日も夢見る）

Through "Kayo Kyoku Plus", I've found a lot of new singers, bands and great songs and those are not only the ones in the last couple of decades. Although not as frequently, I've also discovered some fine stuff even further back.

My image of Japanese folk music has usually hovered around the first half of the 1970s but of course, it most likely started up some years earlier. Well, I got that proof when I found out about this band called Ray Marimura & The Time Sellers（万里村れいとタイムセラーズ）. At first when I saw the band's name, I had first assumed that this was another Group Sounds outfit since the late 1960s was the time of Group Sounds.

However, the first hint that my assumption was wrong was seeing that group of four men surrounding a young lady. I don't think I had ever heard of a Group Sounds band with a mixed male-female lineup. And as it turns out, Ray Marimura & The Time Sellers was a folk group. Now it was really difficult to find out about this group...had to look through different sources and none of them were named Wikipedia.

Ray Marimura was born Kazuko Murakami（村上和子）in 1945 in Kanagawa Prefecture. While attending Keio University, she and some of her friends fell in love with folk music and formed The Four Dimes（フォア・ダイムズ）, a Peter, Paul & Mary cover band and released at least one single via Toshiba Records, "Yuuhi ga Shizumu"（夕日が沈む...The Setting Sun Is Sinking）in 1965.

Then in 1968, Ray Marimura & The Time Sellers, a band inspired by not only Peter, Paul & Mary but also The Kingston Trio, was born with the lineup of Takashi Nakane（中根孝...not sure if that is the right reading of his given name so apologies just in case）, Toshiyuki Kosaka（小坂俊幸）, Shigeto Muto（武藤重遠）and Michifumi Mishima（三島通文）, and Kobayashi taking on her new name. One of their hits was "Kyou mo Yume Miru" (I Also See a Dream Today), a gentle ballad of optimism about a couple seeing the possibilities and overcoming the difficulties. The song was written and composed by Yuko Kawamoto（川本優子）with assistance from Takehiko Maeda（前田武彦）and major composer Hachidai Nakamura（中村八大）. "Kyou mo Yume Miru" is a very calming and reassuring ballad with some nice harmonies.

I don't know whether or not Ray Marimura & The Time Sellers ever hung up their mikes for good into the next decade but they were giving performances as recently as 2014 in Shibuya. There's still at least one more song by them that has been represented on YouTube that I will have to check out and Marimura herself started a solo career earlier this decade.