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.
Being raised in the K-Tel record commercial era, I was privy to a lot of songs that were titled with single names, usually because they were the target of love for the singer. There were of course "Sherry", "Johnny Angel" and "Laura". But the same was true in kayo kyoku. We've had "Sachiko", "Junko" and even "David".
Now, allow me to introduce the soulful "Takako", a lovely sunset song sung by the just-as-soulful Masaki Ueda（上田正樹）. Written by Chinfa Kan（康珍化）and composed by the late Daisuke Inoue（井上大輔）, this ballad simply soars into the early evening sky and I would think that any young lady with that name would feel properly complimented.
The arrangement by Katsu Hoshi（星勝）has a lot of talent involved with folks like Yuji Toriyama and Makoto Matsushita（鳥山雄司・松下誠）on guitar, the chorus group EVE, and the Joe Strings. It's epic and soothing at the same time, and it's no wonder that "Takako" won an award for arrangement at the Japan Record Awards that year. The ballad was a May 1984 single for Ueda.
Inoue himself covered "Takako" in his 1989 album"Sapphire Blue". His version sounds slightly more pensive and elegiac, and even has a bit more of the "lonesome cowboy" feeling to it. I think both the Ueda original and the Inoue cover even have a hint of Righteous Brothers in the verses. But in the end, I have to go with Ueda's "Takako" since I get so much feeling from its arrangement and the vocals.
Another one of those aidoru that I had never known about, Tokyo-born Kumiko Aimoto（相本久美子）had actually started her career back in 1974, although for the first couple of years, it was under the stage name of Kumiko Kondo（近藤久美子）. She released 14 singles and 2 albums between that first year and 1981 with another single released in September 2015.
I came across this track from that second album from July 1981, "Yume Nanoni I Love You"（夢☆なのにI LOVE YOU...Even If It's A Dream, I Love You）. Titled "Mayonaka no Heroine"(Midnight Heroine), it has that certain synthesizer plowing the way which perhaps takes things into the techno aidoru kayodirection. It was written by Aimoto and composed by Yusuke Hoguchi（穂口雄右）with "Mayonaka no Heroine" having a pleasant and laidback beat. The end is a bit abrupt but the song is such that I would be pretty interested in hearing what the rest of that album sounds like.
With her final single in the summer of 1981 (aside from that 2015 release), Aimoto decided to go into acting.
The above is a simple but sweet cocktail known as a Brown Cow. It's known as a Kahlua Milk in Japan, and it was my drink of choice whenever I went to an izakaya or the karaoke box. Nice touch with the Pocky stick in there, too. The Brown Cow was as much a salve and tonic as it was a tasty refreshment for me when it came to karaoke. The coffee liqueur concoction afforded me enough courage to take up the mike and it also provided solace whenever I screwed up a tune and received the inevitable damning-with-faint-praise applause. As you can read in my article on failed karaoke attempts, there were plenty of tunes that I love to hear but cannot sing a whit.
For me, singing badly comes to me quite easily unless it's one of my juu-hachi-ban. However, I've heard that it takes someone with real talent to sing badly well especially when the singer is actually pretty darn good.
Now, I've already mentioned about Yuko Goto's（後藤邑子）famous/infamous "Koi no Mikuru Densetsu" (The Legend of Mikuru in Love) in the very first Haruhi Suzumiya（涼宮ハルヒ）-related article for "Kayo Kyoku Plus". As I stated there, the rendition of that song by Goto's character of Mikuru Asahina（朝比奈ミクル）was so horrifying and cute at the same time that it almost derailed me from ever watching "Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu"（涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱...The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya）. Poor Mikuru! I'm surprised that she didn't end up fleeing back to her time zone after being forced to sing that.
Yet, after all these years, it's the one song that I remember from the first season of "Haruhi Suzumiya" along with the even more famous ending theme "Hare Hare Yukai"（ハレ晴レユカイ）. "Koi no Mikuru Densetsu" has got that Eurobeat-ish melody by Satoru Kousaki（神前暁）overlaid by Goto's incredibly distinct vocals singing out Yutaka Yamamoto's（山本寛）lyrics, and the seiyuu's delivery has so indelibly insinuated itself into my head that I really can't even imagine how she would sing it well. It would frankly sound boring and flat, so it has to remain at its craptastic best!
"Koi no Mikuru Densetsu" is available as one of the songs on the 2006 single "Suzumiya Haruhi no Tsumeawase: TV Anime "Suzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu" Geki Chū Kashū Shinguru"（涼宮ハルヒの詰合 〜TVアニメ「涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱」劇中歌集シングル〜...The Assortment of Haruhi Suzumiya: Collection of Songs in an Anime "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya")）. The single went up to No. 5 and became the 106th-ranked single for the year.
I gotta say that I was pretty impressed with the orchestral version of "Koi no Mikuru Densetsu" which starts off the 2009 album "Suzumiya Haruhi no Gensou"（涼宮ハルヒの弦奏...Haruhi Suzumiya's String Performance） with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra playing the heck out of the song. Try playing the first several seconds over the incredible "Portals" scene in "Avengers: Endgame"! The album peaked at No. 47.
January 11th 2024: Have a gander at the improved version of the song.
Didn't touch the blog all yesterday. I was swamped with work and then later on in the evening, the other translators and I had a seasonal get-together at a nice pub with a patio closer to downtown. Pretty nice place, too. It boasts some of the best hamburgers in Toronto, and after having one of their baconburgers, I can absolutely agree. There was also a chocolate Guinness cake for dessert that was very delicious and dense. Even with my colleagues' assistance, I didn't quite finish that.
The important thing, though, is that for the first time, it actually felt like Toronto was finally approaching the hot season. It was sunny and pleasantly cool out there. After what has seemed like an extended winter running over spring to get to summer, all Torontonians are looking forward to a more positive change in the weather.
That's just the introduction I needed to segue into Stardust Revue's（スターダストレビュー）"In The Sun, In The Shade". Although this long-running band has shown its dexterity in providing fun music covering a lot of genres such as pop, AOR and rock, I have to sheepishly admit that the only evidence of Stardust Revue on my shelves until last week was a CD single of their "Kimi no Subete ga Kanashii"（君のすべてが悲しい）that I had bought about 30 years ago.
Ironically enough, that's when "In The Sun, In The Shade" was released as their 7th studio album, back in July 1989. I finally decided to atone for my sins of neglect by purchasing this release on the strength of the thoroughly enjoyable track "Natsu no Jou"（夏の女王）as performed by (now-former) Stardust Revue keyboardist Yasuhiro Mitani（三谷泰弘）. My article for that one has a video of "Natsu no Jou" being performed in concert, but here is the original recording.
Listening to "In The Sun, In The Shade", there is that warm feeling of summer approaching and the first track seals the deal. "Brand-New Wind" is some seasonal AOR/pop created by lyricist Shun Taguchi（田口俊）and composer Mitani with some natsukashii synths leading a car drive into southern and warmer climes. And it sounds like Mitani really enjoyed those synths in recording.
"Gekko Ressha"（月光列車...Moonlight Locomotion）takes things back into 50s rock n' roll in feeling if not in instrumentation. I was rather reminded of an old Uniroyal Tire commercial as I was listening to it. Hitoshi Shinohara（篠原仁志）was the lyricist while bassist Kiyoshi Kakinuma（柿沼清史）took care of the music. I like the chorus work here as a couple goes on the train ride of their lifetime.
Vocalist Kaname Nemoto
Vocalist Kaname Nemoto's（根本要）sweet voice comes to the fore with "Be My Lady" which sounds like it was made as a serenade for that sweetheart in the window. This was one of three singles included in the album with "Be My Lady" being the 17th (July 1989) for the band. Nemoto and Mitani composed and arranged this one also as a bit of a 50s/60s tune with Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）providing the words. That arrangement even gives me hints of Eiichi Ohtaki（大瀧詠一）.
For a bit of City Pop, there is also "Triste" which was performed and composed by Mitani. Masako Arikawa（有川正沙子）, who has had some experience with the urban contemporary side of kayo, wrote the words for love in the metropolis. As Meme Man would say, "Triste" is cool and good. The requisite boppy bass is in there, too.
"Northern Lights ~ Kagayaku Kimi ni"（輝く君に...To Shining You）was Stardust Revue's 15th single from February 1989. Vocalist Nemoto was once again behind the music which reminds me somewhat of the proud rock/pop that Motoharu Sano（佐野元春）was providing in the early1980s. Ken Takahashi（高橋研）, who wrote lyrics for a number of ALFEE songs at around the same time, gave his contributions here about a fellow who's heading up north to convey his feelings for that woman. It sounds like a more proactive and hopeful song about love getting back together than the aforementioned "Kimi no Subete ga Kanashii" ballad of woe.
"In The Sun, In The Shade" managed to break into the Oricon Top 10 by hitting No. 5 on the charts. I'm now happy to say that I finally have my Stardust Revue album, and perhaps next I will go for a general BEST compilation by the band. But even this particular 1989 release gives a fine description of what Nemoto and company have been capable of all these years.
I recognized the Miho Nakayama（中山美穂）song from that rumbly and slightly anarchic melody by Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）but never learned the title. It turns out to be "Tsuiteru ne, Notteru ne" which I am guessing means "You're Lucky and in the Swing of Things". Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）wrote the lyrics which describes a young woman who knows well that she's the popular one of the neighbourhood, and she's got those feelings of exhilaration and confidence to match. She probably has more than enough string to wrap a whole ton of guys around her fingers.
Released in August 1986 as her 7th single, I'm curious to know who belongs to that male voice doing the "Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh". Not sure if it could be either Matsumoto or Tsutsumi, but I'm wondering if it could even be Masami Tsuchiya（土屋昌巳）from the New Wave band Ippu-do（一風堂）.
"Tsuiteru ne, Notteru ne" was Miporin's first single to crack the Top 3 on the charts, peaking at No. 3, ending up as the 51st-ranked single of the year. It was also used in a Shiseido commercial starring the aidoru herself. Its first appearance on an album was "COLLECTION", a release of her singles in November 1987. It hit No. 1 and became the 38th-ranked album for that year.
I grew up eating Japanese food whether it be dishes such as tempura and udon. Sushi and sashimi, strangely enough, were delicacies that I didn't get into until I went to Japan on that summer 1981 trip with the Toronto Japanese Language School. On that trip, I also fell in love with unagi and unagi-don for the first time. Of course, since then, I've been able to enjoy a lot of dishes such as okonomiyaki, chawanmushi and yosenabe. At the same time, though, I simply could never appreciate staples such as natto or shiokara; certain fermented Japanese foods just don't sit well with me, I'm afraid.
Years it took, but I was finally able to eat and even like (to a certain extent) motsu (cow intestines) at the yakiniku grill, although I will probably never get around to motsu nabe. Another far less graphic food from my ancestral homeland that I've come to savor is tarako（鱈子）. As the video above will let you know, tarako is salted cod roe. Initially, the idea of eating thousands of former potential baby fish while in their sacs didn't quite enthrall me but enough trips to the izakaya with friends and students gradually got me accustomed in the medium where I've usually eaten tarako: tarako pasta.
A few times, I've even bought Kewpie's tarako pasta sauce which came in a plastic bottle similar to the one that houses its world-famous mayonnaise. It can be used to spread on toast but for me, I used it for its original purpose: mixing it into cooked spaghetti. I quite enjoyed the taste for some years. As for the above video, I guess Kewpie also put the stuff into foil-lined pouches as well.
You may have also noticed the jingle with the commercial. Well, in 2004, it was first used as a march for the tarako pasta sauce with the speedy circus-like melody concocted by Chiba-born composer Koji Ueno（上野耕路）with lyrics added by commercial director Ryoichi Kato（加藤良1）. Then, according to an article in the Nikkei Sangyo Newspaper, in March 2006, a planning director from Victor Entertainment, Eiko Hirai*（平井映子）, sent an email over to Kewpie and proposed the idea of making the song a single.
*There are a number of readings for that first name「映子」, but I've gone with Eiko here. Let me know if you hear otherwise.
Some months later, a couple of girls, Haruka and Rena（ハルカ・レナ）, were recruited to form the duo Kigurumi（キグルミ）and their debut single happened to be that tarako pasta sauce jingle, now known as "Tarako, Tarako, Tarako" and was released in September of that year. I remember seeing the commercial on heavy rotation and first wondered if those things on the girls' heads were chili peppers or rice crackers. Indeed, the red shapes were representations of the distinctive cod roe.
Hopefully, Ms. Hirai got a huge bonus and promotion since "Tarako, Tarako, Tarako" became a hit, hit, hit. Much in the same vein as the Regain vitamin drink commercial around the turn of the decade into the 90s and the Hitachi ads from the 1970s, the cod roe ad song became the earworm of choice as it went all the way up to No. 2 on Oricon. It even went Platinum. But as the famous commercial catchphrase goes, "WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!".
In December of that year, there was even an Xmas version with some rockin' jingle bells. Plus, Kigurumi, with an average age of around 10.5, became the youngest female group to score a Top 10 hit on Oricon. In addition, they broke the record of a girl group debuting with the highest rank on the charts in history, and won a special award at the Japan Record Awards that year. If it weren't for the fact that NHK is a public channel without corporate sponsors, Kigurumi would have probably been invited to the Kohaku Utagassen, too.
Haruka and Rena graduated from the duo in 2008, to be replaced by Miki and Kei（ミキ・ケイ）, and apparently the duo is still active, or at least, hasn't officially retired. Y'know, I wouldn't mind seeing that Kewpie tarako pasta sauce here in Toronto; perhaps there might be some in the Asian supermarkets.
I didn't think that I had a snowball's chance in Hell in getting this album by 1970s band Mother Goose（マザー・グース）because of the group's relative obscurity, although from listening to songs of theirs like "Marine Blue"（マリン・ブルー）and "Boekifu ni Sarasarete"（貿易風にさらされて）, I did like their mellow vibe with varying levels of sunniness. However, I needn't have worried too much since Tower Records does have both their albums "Indian Summer" (September 1976) and "Panorama House" (June 1977). And now I have the latter album.
Even before getting into the music, I was able to glean one bit of interesting information from the liner notes for "Panorama House". Tatsuro Yamashita（山下達郎）wasn't the only New Musician who had taken an interest in the trio of singer-songwriters Mayumi Kaneda（金田真由美）, Yumiko Kyoda（京田由美子）and Sachie Takada（高田幸枝）. Yumi Matsutoya（松任谷由実）herself contributed some glowing comments about Mother Goose in the notes, and in fact, the cover with the empty glass and straw happened to have been illustrated by Yuming herself! Apparently the trio visited the Matsutoyas' residence shortly after their wedding and she did the illustration right then and there. I'm awfully glad that Yuming decided to make singing and songwriting her main bread n' butter, but if she had ever decided to go into a different field, I think illustration would have done right by her as well.
Unfortunately, aside from the single version of "Marine Blue" that has been represented by its own YouTube video, the only other evidence of "Panorama House" on the service is through a video with the whole album by uploader remoteconsole. But he/she has kindly provided time information underneath the video, and of course I will mention the times for the tracks that I introduce here, too.
Reading the liner notes, the writer, Yoshi Nagato（長門芳郎）, certainly has thrown in a number of specific genres describing the individual tunes. They include folk rock and swamp rock balladry; I actually had to remind myself of what the latter sounded like through a check into YouTube itself.
First up is "Sunrise Girl" which has been described in the notes as a short n' sweet slice of Latin soul written and composed by Kyoda and arranged by Chuei Yoshikawa（吉川忠英）. It's the type of beginning that would invite a sip through that glass that Yuming has drawn on the cover.
"Watashi no Doctor"（私のドクター...My Doctor）at 2:50 is described as a pop/soul number a la Tin Pan Alley（ティン・パン・アレー）featuring strings and saxophone. Kyoda provides words and music here as well. I don't know Tin Pan Alley so well that I can immediately sense the similarity between this particular number and a typical song by Haruomi Hosono's（細野晴臣）old unit, but there's a fair split between mystery and action here, including an interesting bridge involving the romantic sax and some very punchy percussion as if there were parallel stories taking place. Kyoda's lyrics are also intriguing since they may involve the protagonist whimsically asking either for a good friend to come by and take the blues away or an actual medical professional to come and cure her of her neuroses.
At 11:48 is "Otsuna Game"（おつなゲーム...A Stylish Game）with Kaneda on lyrics and Kyoda on music. Arranged with a happy looseness that even includes some warming up before the song finally gets started, it has the trio in a humourous back-and-forth about a couple's relationship. Some nice Dixieland jazz with violin work reminiscent of Stephane Grappelli. This is the type of music that I also used to hear on AM radio in that same decade where some of the bands wanted to bring back some of that old-timey cheer.
Then there is "Nagaremono"（流れ者...Stranger）at 23:40 which is that swamp rock ballad that Nagato was referring to in the notes. It's quite the romantic sweep of a tune about a person who's had enough of the cold city and wants to head somewhere warmer, physically and spiritually. I could easily hear this as a City Pop tune but the steel pedal and the harmonica bring in the country. Perhaps the fellow in the song can actually make his immediate world a better paradise in the metropolis instead. Takada took care of this one.
My final contribution here is the album version of "Marine Blue" at 8:00. The single version, which was the B-side to Mother Goose's final single"Boekifu ni Sarasarete" from November 1977 and has been included as a bonus track, was arranged by Tats himself and has its own article on "Kayo Kyoku Plus". That one has a richer and more of an open sunset (for lack of a better way to describe it) arrangement, whereas the album version comes off as being mostly more contemplative and intimate as if it had been meant to be performed in front of good friends and family at a home party. I'm sure that I will come up with more comparisons in the years to come as I continue to play "Panorama House", but I like both versions equally for their differences.
"Panorama House" is appropriately titled since I've been able to get quite a wide swath of styles from Mother Goose. Although it can obviously be played at any time of the day or night, I probably would prefer to hear it sometime in the afternoon. You can have a go at it yourself and let me know what you think.
