Junko Yagami -- 1984 ~ Seireki Ni-Sen-nen ni Mukatte（西暦2000年に向けて）

Happy Sunday to you readers at "Kayo Kyoku Plus". Had the day off yesterday since I was meeting up with a couple of old friends for lunch. Ended up at our old university haunt of the Madison Ave. Pub where I had the meat loaf platter, cheekily labeled as "Bat Out of Hell". Then it was a good walk for a while after which my legs were about to give out but certainly after the Holidays, the exercise was necessary.

Commenter Daemonskald tipped me off some hours ago that Junko Yagami's（八神純子）8th album "Communication" from February 1985 has been remastered and is now on sale at Tower Records. Not only that, but apparently her 9th album "Jun"（純）which got out later in November is also available there.

Many thanks to Daemonskald since Yagami albums in the 1980s aren't exactly easy to get. Furthermore, as I've learned through experience when tracking down hard-to-find CDs, when an opportunity like this comes along, I will not let it go. I had already done some buying at Tower when the announcement came in from the store via my e-mail and then Daemonskald's tip arrived, so not letting fate slide and at the risk of seeming rather ravenous to the good folks at the music shop, I pulled off another purchase by securing both "Communication" and "Jun", along with Yumi Arai's（荒井由実）debut album "Hikoki Gumo"（ひこいき雲...Vapor Trails）. As the uploader for the above video has stated, I have supported Ms. Yagami by buying her albums.

Speaking of which, then, I will provide some advance communication on "Communication" (sorry, couldn't resist) by talking on one of the tracks, "1984~ Seireki Ni-Sen-nen ni Mukatte" (Towards 2000 AD). Starting off with what seems like a hard technopop riff granted by Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一） (nope, Yagami still took care of both words and music), the singer then launches into a fairly dreamy but urban contemporary tune that has me imagining folks not so much walking on the city streets at night but floating above them like spirits (I'm writing this after catching "Doctor Strange" on TV).

There's a part of "1984" that reminds me of the ballad "Mystery" performed by the Manhattan Transfer and then by Anita Baker on her second hit album "Rapture", and though I've still classified the song as a City Pop number, I think there's a lot of that American R&B from the same time period influencing it. Of course, at this point, I'm still awaiting getting "Communication", but listening to "1984" and another track from the album "Cashmere no Hohoemi"（カシミヤのほほえみ）, I've been reminded of what I said in that article about Yagami making another turn in her career by going for that US dance-pop sound from City Pop while still remaining in the urban contemporary field.

By looking at Yagami's lyrics for "1984", it seems like that the year was a significant one for her. From my impression anyways, they seem to convey that Yagami had just returned from this exotic country (maybe the United States) with a whole new view and information and is inviting listeners to come with her back to America. However, according to the J-Wiki biography on Yagami (original source: Yagami's "Sagashimono wa Kokoro no Naka ni"/ 探しものは心の中に [What You're Searching For Is In Your Heart] pp. 17-21, 1997) the big move from Japan wouldn't occur until 1986 when she married John Stanley and then moved over to Los Angeles later that autumn.

In any case, I would like to say to Tower Records: Mata yoroshiku onegai shimasu（又よろしくお願いします。）.

Seiko Miki -- Sukoshi Dake Kataomoi（少しだけ片想い）

Initially, when I had decided to write that follow-up on the Yumi Arai（荒井由実）album "Cobalt Hour", it was supposed to have been just on one track "Sukoshi Dake Kataomoi" (Just A Little Crush) with the original by Yuming（ユーミン）and then the cover by Seiko Miki（三木聖子）. Well, as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men...

Noticing that the Miki version got the squeeze out, I've decided to make amends by writing an individual article for it. Miki's take was actually the B-side to her debut single "Machibuse"（まちぶせ）, itself a Yuming creation and an even bigger hit some years later for Hitomi Ishikawa（石川ひとみ）, released in June 1976.

Her "Sukoshi Dake Kataomoi" doesn't quite have the New Music breeziness of the Yuming original from "Cobalt Hour", but it's a bit of a weird combination of doo-wop and AOR. Although the overall song is fine, I think the backup chorus was somewhat overzealous. Both this song and "Machibuse" were placed onto her one and only album "Seiko"（聖子）from December 1976.

Yumi Arai -- Cobalt Hour (Follow-Up)

Seeing pop music legend Yumi Matsutoya（松任谷由実）sashaying across the NHK Shibuya Hall stage along with two other kayo legends, Keisuke Kuwata（桑田佳祐）and Saburo Kitajima（北島三郎）on New Year's Eve at the 69th Kohaku Utagassen, the spectacle wasn't lost on me. And I internally remarked that, yes, this was indeed the Yuming（ユーミン）that I have seen and known for the past couple of decades starting with the VHS tape of her "Wings of Light" tour from the early 90s. She was flashing that huge smile and whirling around like a dervish as if she were at one of her own concerts.

When I first watched "Wings of Light", I was absolutely gobsmacked since the sight of Yuming not only singing it up but also hoofing it up along with her fellow dancers was completely different from the image that I'd had of the singer-songwriter. My impression was that she had been a pretty stoic and serious artist in her early years armed with singing and songwriting talent who would be cemented behind the microphone when she sang, and that as her career took off in the 1970s, she gradually grew into her vivacious public persona.

But then I came across this stunning footage of Yuming when she was still Yumi Arai（荒井由実）at that time, and I was so impressed that I feel compelled to give a shoutout to the uploader.

The video in question features an episode from a TV Asahi late-night program called "NOK NOK New Omoshiro Klub"（ノックノック(NOK)･ニューおもしろ倶楽部...New Fun Club） that had its run during that decade. Hosted by music critic and novelist Yuuji Konno（今野雄二）, this particular episode supposedly had him and his crew go to Arai's house to have Yuming entertain them and friends in various parts of the residence. To be honest (and at least one other commenter for the video has also given his/her doubts), I actually wonder if this is actually a very well-adorned set rather than her actual house considering the logistics involved. Mind you, near the end of the video, Konno and Yuming end up in her bedroom (OK...no giggling please), and the host actually refers to it as such....plus the lady looks quite comfy sitting on the floor by her bed.

In any case, one amazing thing is just to see this pretty well-preserved footage showing this singer in her 20s acting just as down-to-earth and outgoing as the woman next door who would be the neighbourhood social director. Yuming was always vivacious! As well, the other amazing thing is that she sings a number of her classics from that time period: "Sukoshi Dake Kataomoi"（少しだけ片想い）, "Juu-Ni-gatsu no Ame"（12月の雨）, "Ame no Station"（雨のステイション）and "Ano Hi ni Kaeritai"（あの日にかえりたい）. That last one that she does as a kinda duet with Konno is done in English under the title "Lonely Girl".

(karaoke version)

The whole experience sparked me to follow up on my article on her 3rd album "Cobalt Hour" that I had written all the way back in March 2012 since two of the songs that I've cited in the previous paragraph are in the album. Although I've written about some of the other tracks on "Cobalt Hour" in their own articles, "Sukoshi Dake Kataomoi" and "Ame no Station" are the holdouts.

"Sukoshi Dake Kataomoi" (Just A Little Crush) is one example why I will always love Yumi Arai. Her voice is unmistakably Yuming but back then, it also had that mellowness, and her music has that carefree feeling. Tatsuro Yamashita（山下達郎）and Minako Yoshida（吉田美奈子）are the backup chorus on this one which tells of the story of a fellow dropping off a female friend at her place, not knowing that she has great feelings for him. Perhaps she's chomping on the bit that the dummy won't bite but she's also laughing it off since I think she's pretty confident that he will take notice someday. Sounds like many a plot device in anime. The whole aura of "Sukoshi Dake Kataomoi" is innocent and comical at the same time. Incidentally, it was also the B-side for the single "Ano Hi ni Kaeritai". Also have a look-see at the Seiko Miki（三木聖子）cover.

But of course, Yuming can do wistful, too. "Ame no Station" (Rainy Station) is a bluesy ballad about remembering a past love at the titular station with the drizzling rain coming down. Apparently, when Arai was creating the song, she was referring to Nishi-Tachikawa Station on the JR Ome Line in Tokyo, and a memorial has been erected at the station in tribute to the song. Also in 2006, "Ame no Station" was adapted into the train departure chime there.

Singer Heaco did a cover of "Ame no Station" that you can check out here.

I want to throw one more in here and that would be the title track itself. "Cobalt Hour" is a 70s City Pop tune with Yuming playfully inviting the listener to join her in a little time travel back to 1960 where they would act as a couple enjoying a drive out on the highway in an Isuzu Bellett from the bright lights of Tokyo into the countryside. The cobalt hour refers to the time of that sky as the sun is setting in the distance. Perhaps the song could also be representative of the growing leisure activity as Japan was slowly becoming the 2nd-largest economy on Earth.

"Cobalt Hour" the album went all the way up to No. 2 on Oricon and became the 31st-ranked album for 1975 but then it showed its longevity by becoming ranked No. 5 on the yearly charts for 1976.

The album also has the famous "Sotsugyo Shashin"（卒業写真）.

Tomoco Yasuno -- Mysterieux

The Tomoco Yasuno（安野ともこ）that I found at J-Wiki is listed as a fashion and jewelry designer, and from doing some more digging, it looks like that she's indeed that person behind this light technopop tune from 1985 composed by Yellow Magic Orchestra's Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）with lyrics by Michio Akiyama（秋山道男）. "Mysterieux" is well-titled since I think Yasuno had this single and one other previously from 1984, and it's this rather intriguing curiosity that was the theme song for a murder-mystery titled "Kiken na Onna tachi"（危険な女たち...Dangerous Women）also released in the same year.

Considering the few pictures that I could find of her at Google Images from way back then, perhaps she was being modeled somewhat after the gamine Miharu Koshi（コシミハル）after her transformation into a technopop diva at around the same time. At one Japanese site which specializes in French technopop, the author wasn't too kind toward "Mysterieux", but I'm not quite sure whether Hosono was actually trying his darnedest for a true French tango sort of sound in the first place. I mean, during his time with YMO, he and his mates were going more for an affectionate poke at some older genres of music through computers, so why not with this one?

As for Yasuno herself, she was born in 1959 so she would have been in her mid-20s at the time, but her voice isn't too bad in an aidoru-ish sort of way. Overall, "Mysterieux" is pretty nice as an addition to any compilation of techno kayo.

Mariko Ashibe -- Highway Dancer（ハイウェイ・ダンサー）

Tis the first Friday of the year, so perhaps it's time for some City Pop once more. Maybe there are still folks out there on both sides of the Pacific who still need to drive off some of that nervous Holiday energy.

Commenter roelm remarked on my recent article on my choices for 1980s City Pop albums that there was a new discovery in the form of this singer who had aspirations as a jazz chanteuse but also did her fair share of anison and urban contemporary material. Her name is Mariko Ashibe（芦部真梨子）, and according to this Japanese blog, she had started out as perhaps an aidoru in 1982 (although the photos of her on the blog had her looking not so much as a teenybopper singer) under the name of Mari Ashibe（芦部真梨）, then Mariko Ashibe and over to Reina Muramoto（村本玲奈）and then just Reina before going back to one of her previous names. According to that same site, Ashibe had also participated as a personality both on TV and radio.

roelm was kind enough to tip me off on this first track, "Highway Dancer" from her debut album as Mariko Ashibe, "Street Scandal" (1984). A bit of a worrisome album cover although we know that there are many more far more problematic covers, but "Highway Dancer" is quite the tonic for City Pop fans with that slap bass and pretty terrific riffing horns. And considering that Ashibe may have debuted as an aidoru in 1982, she made a quick transition into funk and boogie.

I was able to glean from the picture of the record in the video that the lyricist was Akira Ohtsu（大津あきら）but the composer's name was too difficult to pick out. Did some searching through Yahoo.jp and finally found out that he was a fellow named Kenzo Shikuma or Shiguma（志熊研三 ）. Also, according to this record website, guitarist Makoto Matsushita（松下誠）had a hand in the album's development.

As well, I was informed that "Highway Dancer" may have gotten some inspiration from a 1981 dance song called "Gonna Get Over You" by Canadian singer France Joli. Yes, we in the Great White North can boogie, too. Keeps us warm.

Captain & Tennille -- Love Will Keep Us Together

A special article to finish the day here on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" since I did want to mention that Daryl Dragon, aka The Captain from the 70s duo Captain & Tennille passed away yesterday at the age of 76. All throughout the history of this blog, I have been mentioning that my interest in music really came around in the middle of high school at the turn of the decade into the 1980s, but that didn't mean that I had failed to remember some of the big pop hits in the 1970s.

One of those songs was "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain & Tennille, released in April 1975. Written and composed by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, the song was a long-time resident on AM radio here in Toronto and hit No. 1 on both the year-end charts for American Billboard Top 100 and Canada RPM Top Singles in that year. Plus, I think that thanks to that hit and a few other songs, the duo even got their own short-lived music-variety hour on ABC. It was such a poppy bit of fun for me that when I heard the news yesterday of Dragon's passing, I immediately searched for their biggest hit on YouTube.

As you can see at the top, "Love Will Keep Us Together" was also released in Japan under the title "Ai Aru Kagiri"（愛ある限り）, and on the J-Wiki article for the song, it did get covered by singers such as Hatsumi Shibata（しばたはつみ）and Junko Sakurada（桜田淳子）in 1976 though I haven't been able to find their versions on YouTube thus far.

What I hadn't known much to my surprise is that Captain & Tennille's big hit was actually a cover of the original by Sedaka via his 1973 album "The Tra-La Days Are Over" that apparently never got a US release.

Of course, this is a very personal article for me, but being as this is a Japanese music blog, I will retain the content mandate here by supplying a few of the singers that actually debuted in April 1975 when "Love Will Keep Us Together" was released. All three singers and songs have already gotten their own articles so I will just provide the label and video with the link.

Hiromi Iwasaki -- Duet

Sugar Babe -- Downtown

Takashi Hosokawa -- Kokoro no Nokori

AKB48 Team B - Temo Demo no Namida (てもでもの涙)

Happy New Year 2019.  I wish everybody good health and prosperity this year.

First article of 2019.  Nothing special though.  I suddenly remember this song that I encountered some years ago when I was frantically searching for AKB48 videos on YouTube.  And I decide to write about it.

I signed up for Beginning Japanese at Foothill College around 2010.  There was a young student from Hong Kong watching a girl group during break.  As I wrote in my previous articles, I was still living in Showa era in terms of Japanese music and I didn't know anything about the new music scene at that time.  So I asked him what he's watching, and he said "AKB48".  I think he also mentioned his favorite was Atsuko Maeda (前田敦子), who was the "lead" in the group.

Like any good student, I googled.  Of course, a few clicks later led me to hits like Heavy Rotation, Ponytail and ShuShu etc.   I'm not an idol fan, I said to myself.  Okay, Akina was an idol, but she's different, okay :)  I kind of ignored AKB at that time but kept their name in mind.  I mean, how can I even get their name off my sight in the next 5-6 years when they became the hottest thing in Japanese music, at least in terms of sales.  And by the way, I ended up buying one song from iTunes Japan, Sakura no Ki ni Narou (桜の木になろう) , my favorite of AKB48.  And oh, one more, Sho Nichi (初日) , which is another favorite but I don't own yet.  But I digressed...

I forgot when but when I was on YouTube one day, I saw this song title that looks interesting, Temo Demo no Namida, and it means......nothing.  That caught my attention (advertisers who want to target me, take notice) and so I clicked and listened.  It has a very familiar melody reminiscent of the 80s, or event 70s.  The dance was also interesting, typical early AKB stuff.  I think what's intriguing to me is the interactions between the 2 girl singers.  Like Wink, there's a certain kind of mystery.

A few google search later, I finally understand what the title means.  In the chorus, there're these 2 lines:

Kona ni Aitaku Temo (こんなに会いたくても)  

No matter how much I want to meet you 

Kona ni Suki Demo (こんなに好きでも)

No matter how much I love you 

 And in another chorus section, we have these 2 lines:

Kona ni Kanashiku Temo (こんなに悲しくても)

No matter how sad it'll be

Kona ni Dame Demo (こんなにだめでも) 

No matter how inadequate I am for you

And so the song title is just formed by the conjunctions "Temo" and "Demo" in the chorus, plus the word Namida (涙), for tears.

The song is about a teenage girl (middle-school/high-school) who broke up with her first love (maybe in the same school).  She was waiting for him at the 2nd intersection on the boy's way home (stalker again?).  It was raining.  The boy just passed by without noticing her.  She wanted to call him but was too afraid.  Tears were coming from her eyes, as if it rained on her cheeks.  Unable to do anything, she watched him from afar, buried with nostalgic memories as well as her loving thought towards him.

Music was composed by Sachiko Terahata (寺畑早知子), and of course, like any other AKB48 songs, lyrics was written by Yasushi Akimoto (秋元康) (It used to be that ALL AKB48 songs' lyrics were written by him but I don't know if it's still true these days).

Temo Demo no Namida was never released as a single or in any AKB best album.  However, you can find it in this special album Team B 3rd Stage: Pajama Drive.

I am not an AKB48 expert but from what I've read on J-Wiki, it was a song that AKB48 Team B performed on stage during their live performances.  As such, it has been performed by different pairs of AKB Team B members.  Here're 2, one performed by Yuki Kashiwagi (柏木由紀) and Rena Kato (加藤玲奈), and another by Rina Ikoma (生駒理奈) and Ayane Suzuki (鈴木絢音).  The latter is actually Nogisaka46 (乃木坂46), and Rina was an original AKB48 Team B member.  I wonder if they have to get "permissions" from current Team B beforehand :)  Enjoy!

♪ てもでもの涙#生駒里奈 ✨#鈴木絢音 ✨#nogizaka46 #乃木坂46 pic.twitter.com/rySGfE8zPx

— 乃木坂46⊿齋藤飛鳥💖神推し動画✨ (@asuka46suki) November 2, 2018