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.
I'm surprised that in all these years that I hadn't put this one up by enka legend Saburo Kitajima（北島三郎）especially since "Kaero ka na"(Maybe I Should Head Home) has been sung on NHK'sKohaku Utagassen seven times.
"Kaero ka na", Kitajima's 12th single was released in April 1965 and it was created by the legendary kayo-writing duo of lyricist Rokusuke Ei（永六輔）and composer Hachidai Nakamura（中村八大）who had made "Ue wo Muite Arukou"（上を向いて歩こう）for the late Kyu Sakamoto（坂本九）some years earlier. Paraphrasing from the J-Wiki article for "Kaero ka na", it was originally made as a not-too-serious paean to the old hometown as Sabu-chan's protagonist toiled away in Tokyo and wondered lightly whether to go see Mom and maybe even introduce a girlfriend. The song was a huge hit, becoming a million-seller and inviting the singer to the Kohaku later that year for what would be the first of several performances of the song over his decades-long career. Specifically, Kitajima sang it as well in 1973, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2007 and 2011.
Of course, Kitajima would sing "Kaero ka na" on other kayo shows besides the Kohaku Utagassen, so indeed it's one of his trademark tunes. Over the years, it would gradually take on a very epic gravitas when it has been performed usually with a chorus of probably dozens backing him up. In fact, even though this hasn't always been the case whenever he sang it, sometimes the arrangement would also include an excerpt from the Japanese children's song "Nanatsu no Ko"（七つの子...Seven Children）just to add to the nostalgia and homesickness.
The first Hump Day of June sees the new daily infection rates take another swan dive into the low 300s. It's rather like seeing the government and medical experts acting like that fisherman trying to wrest that fighting muskie representing the rates into submission. Meanwhile, I'm starting to wonder what's happening in Japan, especially Tokyo and Kita-Kyushu.
Anyways, the subject of this article is another one of those obscure-but-grand City Pop finds. There's perhaps a thimble's worth of information on Akiko Mizuhara（水原明子）aside from the fact that she released at least two albums: "Love Message" in 1982 and then "So Crystal" in 1984. I couldn't even find anything on her in my "Japanese City Pop" guide.
Regardless, the track "Love Duet" is a splendid introduction to Mizuhara within "Love Message" which has been described as an album of cover songs. Indeed, "Love Duet" was originally performed by singer-songwriter Michael Franks and S. Renee Diggs from Franks' 1982 album"Objects of Desire". Franks is already on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" for his duet with Anri（杏里）on a cover version of his own "Antonio's Song". Listening to both original and Mizuhara's cover, there doesn't seem too much daylight at all between them in arrangement. There's that great meshing of keyboards and violins along with the sax solo; for Mizuhara, Yasuaki Shimizu（清水靖晃）was behind the solo.
The only other information that I could find about Mizuhara is that she was also responsible for a couple of songs in the movie version of the anime"Densetsu Kyojin Ideon"（伝説巨人イデオン...Space Runaway Ideon）in that same year. But getting back to the album "Love Message", there are a few more tracks listed on YouTube, so have a listen to those and let me know how you feel about them, if you can.
Today, while revisiting Miho Nakayama’s (中山美穂) early hits, fifth single “Close Up” just started playing, and I thought: “wow, what a lively and summery tune we have here”. In fact, sometimes I almost forget how I much I have always loved that song, and also how it encapsulates the type of singles that aidoru singers usually releases in the summer, or, in this case, a month before its start (in the northern hemisphere, of course).
Originally released in May 1986, it’s a delight to see the
young and fresh Miho Nakayama singing “Close Up” on the Yoru no Hit Studio (夜のヒットスタジオ)
stage amidst all the dancers. Usually, this TV show enhances the arrangement
with a full on orchestra, but in this case it wasn’t so necessary, since the
original recording is also quite rich with all the horns and flourishes, especially during the instrumental break. Speaking of which, it
truly sums up the excitement that we all have come to expect from the summer. In
my opinion, the slightly extended version included in the “Summer Breeze” album
(released in July 1986) is even better, since the horns are given more time to
shine during the beginning and the middle of the song, but I couldn’t find it
on YouTube, unfortunately. Anyway, the single version is already good enough.
“Close Up” reached #4 on the Oricon chart, selling
around 128,000 copies. Lyrics were written by Takashi Matsumoto (松本隆),
while music was composed by Kazuo Zaitsu (財津和夫). As
for the arrangement, Masaaki Ohmura (大村雅朗) was the responsible.
Late last year, I wrote about saxophonist/songwriter Toshiyuki Honda（本多俊之）and his contribution to the TV Asahi evening news show "News Station"（ニュースステーション）. His theme song "Good Evening" made an impression on me even though I didn't really watch Hiroshi Kume（久米宏）and his program all that much.
Since then, I was able to discover one of his earlier works in the form of his 1980 album"Easy Breathing", and within it, there is the track "Living in the City".
Man, this is the sort of pleasant and mellow song that you want to hear when you're waking up on a sunny morning in your suite at the Keio Plaza Hotel or the Hilton in West Shinjuku. It definitely reflects the good side of living in the city, especially in the megalopolis of Tokyo. In fact, I'll extend my dreamscape into having that breakfast while listening to "Living in the City"...Eggs Benedict with bottomless cups of coffee, please. Then, I will take that walk in the neighbourhood, passing by buildings such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Hall and the Mitsubishi Building.
I'm not sure whether it is indeed Honda himself playing the main instrument of flute for the tune, but the performance is wonderful and it almost comes across like birdsong. Furthermore, that flute along with the bass, the keyboards and any other instruments mesh together to remind me even of some of Vince Guaraldi's contributions for the 1970s"Peanuts" specials. Of course, since I was weaned on Charlie Brown and Snoopy back in the day, that extra layer of nostalgia has also been laid on me. Yep, it would be nice to head back to my old stomping grounds again.
Some good ol' happy-go-lucky pop/rock by this band Verandah（ベランダ）via their lone single"Anywhere" but I have to admit that I am just as drawn to the music video which seems to have been inspired by Christopher Nolan. My respect and compliments as well to lead guitarist/vocalist Soshi Takashima（高島颯心）for his way of walking (and his ability to regurgitate a banana) throughout the video; by the way, would anyone know where this city is? With the steep slopes, I am assuming Nagasaki.
Takashima was also responsible for words and music behind "Anywhere", their April 2018 single that is relaxing to hear with those buzzing guitars. His lyrics talk about a fellow's ardent love for a woman that perhaps he hasn't quite confessed to yet. The song has also become a track on Verandah's 2nd album"Anywhere You Like" released at the same time as the single.
According to their website, the band was formed through in 2014 through a chance encounter at a university club. There hasn't been any news announced from Verandah since late 2018 but the lineup listed is Takashima, bassist Reiko Nakano（中野鈴子）, drummer Takeo Kanezawa*（金沢健央）and guitarist Mamoru Tazawa（田澤守）.
*Not 100% sure about the reading for the name. Let me know if I've made a mistake.
A few months ago, I introduced the fraternal folk duo Billy Ban Ban（ビリーバンバン）via their late 2010s single, "Mata Kimi ni Koishiteru"（また君に恋してる）, a ballad that also became further popularized by enka singer Fuyumi Sakamoto's（坂本冬美）cover version.
But I figured that I had heard about Billy Ban Ban for years and years, I should also write about their early era, and this was one of their big hits, "Sayonara wo Suru Tame ni"(To Say Goodbye) from February 1972. It stands out for an arrangement that is sprinkled with classical violin and characterized by those wonderful harmonies between Takashi and Susumu Sugawara（菅原孝・菅原進）. At times, the ballad makes me think more of France than it does Japan.
As I said, "Sayonara wo Suru Tame ni" was a huge success for Billy Ban Ban as it hit No. 1 on Oricon and even became the 3rd-ranked single for 1972, selling approximately 800,000 records. That also meant that NHK came on calling and so the duo made their first appearance on the Kohaku Utagassen that year.
Ironically, though, there was some consternation over Billy Ban Ban's 10th single. At the time, the Sugawaras had been in a slump and they hadn't gotten that really big follow-up hit since their debut single, "Shiroi Buranko"（白いブランコ...White Swing）in 1969. But when "Sayonara wo Suru Tame ni" was placed onto their collective laps, younger brother Susumu initially refused to have anything to do with the recording because he had felt that it was a source of shame for folk singers having to sing something that was not one of their own creations. Certainly, "Sayonara wo Suru Tame ni" wasn't created by the brothers but by lyricist Koji Ishizaka（石坂浩二）and composer Koichi Sakata（坂田晃一）.
Ishizaka's input was a bit of a surprise because I had been seeing him all these decades on TV as an actor and TV personality. Strangely enough, he was one of the stars on the NTV drama "San-chome Yon-banchi"（3丁目4番地...District 3, House Number 4）that had "Sayonara wo Suru Tame ni" as the theme song. Obviously, cooler heads prevailed and the show went on....much to their success.
According to J-Wiki, "Sayonara wo Suru Tame ni" has been covered by various artists in the years since its release, adding to its legacy. One example is Mizue Takada（高田みづえ）who covered it in her September 1983 album of cover songs, "Ano Hi ni Kaeritai"（あの日に帰りたい）. Her version has a lighter pop touch although it still retains that drama of the original.
We're into June now and the weather in Toronto has been a little cooler, a little fresher in the air. Not a bad meteorological development.
Let's start the month off then with something appropriately summery. I have seen and heard of jazz pianist/keyboardist Himiko Kikuchi（菊地ひみこ）for a few years via YouTube, but this will be her first entry on "Kayo Kyoku Plus". I gotta say that she makes quite a splash with her "Sevilla Breeze", the title track from her 1988 album, and though I couldn't find out who is on the bass, my compliments to the bassist regardless. This is really sunny playing and the type of AOR or fusion that I do like to hear during this time or when things are really cold and I want to feel warm again.
As for Kikuchi herself, according to her biography, she was born in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture but was raised in the city of Shiogama in the same province, and for those anime fans, it's also the hometown for seiyuuKoichi Yamadera（山寺宏一）. She started classical piano at the age of 7, began learning composition at the age of 15 and won the Yamaha Electone Competition at 16. Following that, she performed in the United States, the Philippines, Mexico and other countries before returning home and making the decision to become a professional piano player. Performing alongside other artists such as Takuro Yoshida（吉田拓郎）and Junko Ohashi（大橋純子）, in 1975, she showed great interest in jazz and trained under pianist Sadayasu Fujii（藤井貞泰）. Kikuchi has released 12 albums between 1980 and 2007.
Writing this, I am aware that things have now become extremely tense in America, especially within the last half-hour or so. I have friends and fellow Japanese pop music fans including Rocket Brown, Larry Chan and JTM there so I am hoping that everybody is staying safe and healthy.
