Prism -- Dancing Moon

I've heard about this group for years but never got around to writing about Prism until today. Mind you, one of the original members of this fusion band, guitarist Katsutoshi Morizono（森園勝敏）, has had representation on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" for about a couple of years through one article.

Prism was formed in 1975 and its original lineup had Morizono, guitarist Akira Wada（和田アキラ）, bassist Ken Watanabe（渡辺建）, keyboardists Kouki Ito（伊藤幸毅）and Daisaku Kume（久米大作）, and drummer Toru Suzuki（鈴木徹）. From reading their article on J-Wiki, I found out that Wada had been greatly influenced by the Latin rock of Santana and jazz pianist Chick Corea's jazz fusion group Return to Forever, and brought some of that influence into Prism.

The original lineup lasted until 1978 and during that time, Prism was able to release two studio albums, one of which was the 1977 debut "Prism", and from that album, I give you "Dancing Moon". It starts out AOR-mellow and with a sax solo (I don't know who provided it) before the guitarists come on in with a melody line that probably had folks racing to buy the audiotape to throw into their car stereos. Maybe it was a good time to bomb down the highway from Tokyo to Shonan. Even in my room typing this while listening to "Dancing Moon" with the fan wafting the breeze behind me, I'm feeling pretty wavy right now. There's a bit of a detour into rock and even some Stevie Wonder riff territory halfway through.

The band has gone through several lineup changes up to the present, and as of 2013, Prism still has Wada but he's now joined by bassist Jiro Okada（岡田治郎）, drummer Mansaku Kimura（木村万作）and keyboardist Cher Watanabe（渡部チェル）.

Mieko Hirota/Yuki Okazaki -- Nagisa no Uwasa（渚のうわさ）

It's Friday and I tend to put up a few City Pop tunes on Fridays but I just wanted to start off today's batch with something more wistful and appropriately seasonal.

And for that matter, I'm starting today with a song from quite a ways back. This would be "Nagisa no Uwasa" which directly translated as "Beach Rumours" but the official English title is "The End of Summer", and it was first sung by Mieko Hirota（弘田三枝子）.

This was Hirota's 18th single from July 1967 and that English title fits things here as the singer relates the story of a woman walking alone on a beach while wondering whatever became of her perhaps all-too-brief romance with that special someone. Of course, when it comes to an end-of-summer kayo, it's often about the end of relationships. The woman asks around the area to see if anyone has heard of anything regarding her lost beau so it's really quite melancholy despite the fairly upbeat melody.

The partnership between lyricist Jun Hashimoto（橋本淳）and composer Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）were behind the creation of "Nagisa no Uwasa", and according to J-Wiki, it turned out to be the composer's first big hit of his career as the song was able to sell around 300,000 records. It also got Hirota her 5th of eight appearances on the Kohaku Utagassen.

"Nagisa no Uwasa" was covered by other singers a number of times, including Yuki Okazaki（岡崎友紀）via her June 1972 album "Album 4". There isn't all that much different in the basic arrangement but there is a bit more wistfulness in Okazaki's version compared to some of the brio that Hirota injected in the original song. I think with both versions there is a slight sense of "Where the Boys Are" by Connie Francis with a bit less drama.

Hall & Oates -- Private Eyes

I swear..."Private Eyes" must have been Japan's favourite Hall & Oates song. That's quite a declaration but I kept hearing their August 29th 1981 single whenever I entered a Muji department store or my neighbourhood Daiei supermarket. Then at one point, it was even used in some commercial on TV. I mean, Daryl and John must have been wondering one day early in the 21st century when they got an envelope at their studio and said "Why are we getting a cheque for 100 million yen?". Royalties must have been good, man.

For whatever reason, 80s music was always popular in Japan but "Private Eyes" was very public in my old stomping grounds. Maybe the one other American tune from that decade that I could remember that was getting a maximum amount of love in the country was Huey Lewis & The News' "The Power of Love".

"Private Eyes" was released almost a month after my return from Japan during that important school trip, and as I've said before in past articles, that trip and that time were responsible for finally hatching my longtime interest in kayo kyoku, so the songs that were in the Oricon monthly Top 10 for August 1981 bring a goodly sum of nostalgia and love. Here are the songs that were the top 3 entries.

1. Seiko Matsuda -- Shiroi Parasol

2. Yumi Matsutoya -- Mamotte Agetai

3. Jun Horie -- Memory Glass

Chie Odaka -- Yuuwaku Kurakura（誘惑クラクラ）

There's something about Chie Odaka's（尾高千恵）voice that is familiar and unique, as oxymoronic as that may sound (especially the last three syllables). It strikes me as being breathy and pliable...like a good pillow, I guess.

Anyways, allow me to say that this is the first time that I have ever heard of Odaka who hails from Kanagawa Prefecture. According to her J-Wiki profile, her career began in the late 1980s and she was supposedly going for a more aidoru-ish pop route. The "-ish" suffix is in there since Odaka was already in her early 20s when she debuted with the single "Hana Matsuri"（華祭り...Flower Festival）in February 1986 and then her album "Cute" later in July.

One of the tracks in that debut album is "Yuuwaku Kurakura" (Giddy With Temptation) which is light enough that it feels somewhat aidoru in tone (with an underlying New Wave layer) but there is something in Odaka's delivery that had me thinking more along the lines of the late Minako Honda（本田美奈子）and Kumiko Yamashita（山下久美子）, and they both went into the rock route. Odaka also would gradually shift her singing into rock.

What I also found out in that J-Wiki article is that Odaka had actually started out in show business as early as 1982 under a stage name Chie Usaki（宇紗木千恵）as an actress in a movie starring the aidoru group Shibugakitai（シブがき隊）. Getting back to the song, it was apparently written and composed by someone with the kanji 「西伯利亜」when I checked the JASRAC database. I had assumed that it would read as Toshia Nishihaku but actually the four kanji stand for Siberia. I couldn't track down whether it was a fellow or a group effort under that potential pseudonym. Odaka released a total of 6 singles and 3 original albums up to 1988.

Megumi Shiina -- 29 ~ Twenty-Nine

Dining inside a favourite restaurant, pub or fast-food joint is simply not impossible right now here in Stage 2 of the re-opening of the economy, although patio dining has become OK as of yesterday. Fortunately, the summer season is upon us, though. However, I'm sure that there are some of us who are hoping for the night that we can enjoy some fine dining in the good clothes with full courses and vintage wine and impeccable service. Me? I would just be happy with the Classic Breakfast at the nearest Eggsmart with family or friends.

When I listen to Megumi Shiina's（椎名恵）"29 ~ Twenty-Nine", her 10th single released in May 1988, I get that sophisticated dining experience in a French restaurant vibe. Yoshiaki Ohuchi's（大内義昭）melody is a bit reminiscent of 1960s Henry Mancini with that gentle infusion of jazz and bossa nova while Keiko Aso's（麻生圭子）lyrics are bittersweet as they describe a woman who has learned her share of wisdom in love at the age of 29 and would like to apologize to that man who she had fallen for when he was 29, and perhaps caused some consternation in his life. Good heavens! The lyrics could describe a plot line for a movie that would be scored by the late legendary Mancini.

In any case, this song is in one of the corners of City Pop that I've enjoyed...the one residing in that classy and expensive hotel in Tokyo. And I love Shiina's smooth and creamy delivery here...just like a glass of Baileys Irish Cream. Up to now, I've only known Shiina for her lovely cover of Charlene's "I've Never Been To Me" so it's nice to hear her tackle something in the uptown area of the city. Plus, it's a revelation to see that Ohuchi composed "29" because I've known him mostly for his uptempo pop/R&B compositions for Kahoru Kohiruimaki（小比類巻かほる）. "29" is also the title track for her June 1988 4th album "29 Twenty-Nine ~ W Concerto II".

Hiroko Kokubu -- Steppin' Out

My history with television goes way back to a small black-and-white set with knobs, dials and a bunny-ear antenna. Yep, no remote control, there were things called UHF and VHF, and this may terrify some of you, but television wasn't always 24 hours a day (and night). That's right...TV stations also closed off for the evening and what we got past midnight was the test pattern for about 6 hours accompanied by an annoying whine. Perhaps it's been within the last few decades that programming like movies and informercials started to fill the overnight hours.

When I first started living in Japan from 1989 during my JET Programme days, I often watched the telly there until the wee hours and even back then, the TV stations would call it a day and throw on the test pattern. But I gotta say that the stations like Fuji-TV really liked to open and end their broadcasting day with panache and perhaps a bit of psychedelia.

However, the gradual transition to 24-hour broadcasting on the national broadcaster NHK may have been sparked in the late 1980s before I arrived there due to the fact that the Showa Emperor's health had been in decline around that time before his passing on January 7th 1989. People stayed up to hear any overnight updates on Emperor Hirohito's condition, but I also think that the same thing occurred in the case of typhoons or earthquakes, too.

Finally from April 1997, NHK went full tilt into overnight service under the overarching title of "Midnight Channel" according to the J-Wiki article on the topic and apparently the programming included dubbed versions of American TV programs such as "Beverly Hills 90210" and local documentaries. Maybe the night owls also enjoyed that jaunty music which adorned the list of upcoming shows (which you can hear right from the start of the video above). In fact, the video was put up onto YouTube because the uploader had wanted to find out who was behind the music. Dang, it's enough to get me to go to the fridge and pull out a Red Bull at 1:00 am!

Fortunately, the fellow did find out. The song is "Steppin' Out" by jazz pianist and composer Hiroko Kokubu（国府弘子）. It's been a long while since she's adorned the pages of "Kayo Kyoku Plus", so I bid her welcome once more. Now for me, I found out about "Steppin' Out" only because I hadn't put up an article about her for close to 5 years and consequently was doing some browsing. When I listened to this good-time strut by her with the wonderful keyboards and horns including a cool streetwise sax, that's when I discovered that it was the song to introduce the upcoming programs on "Midnight Channel".

"Steppin' Out" is a track on her September 1993 album "Heaven", a collaboration with fellow jazz pianist Kiyotsugu Amano（天野清継）. It's been hard to find any tracks from my favourite Kokubu album "Light and Colour" (as seen in the thumbnail at the top), but I'm still happy to make my acquaintance with this Kokubu gem.

Lest I forget...there is another older "Steppin' Out" that I also cherish. In any case, KKP is now ending its broadcasting day today.

Miyuki Kosaka/Yosui Inoue -- Kannazuki ni Kakomarete（神無月にかこまれて）

Up to now, the only thing that I've really heard from 70s/80s aidoru Miyuki Kosaka（小坂みゆき）was her lovingly techno-quirky "Nuance Shimasho"（ニュアンスしましょう）in 1984, created by the dream team of Taeko Ohnuki（大貫妙子）and EPO.

Then a few months ago, I heard her 21st and final single from November 1989, "Kannazuki ni Kakomarete" (Wrapped Up In The 10th Month of The Lunar Calendar) which is also pretty catchy in a different way. Written and composed by Yosui Inoue（井上陽水）, it's a fairly driving pop/rock tune with the sheen of that decade. I figured that it was probably made as a theme song for some action drama starring Kosaka.

Well, I may be half to completely right on that guess since it was used as the first theme song for an anthology drama series called "Dramatic 22"（ドラマチック22）, so titled because it was broadcast at 10 pm or 2200 hours on TBS. The show lasted for about 18 months and though I didn't go through the entire list of episodes to look for Kosaka, it looks like it starred pretty much all of Japanese show business in one way or another.

The thing is, though, that "Kannazuki ni Kakomarete" was actually originally recorded by Inoue himself for his December 1972 album "Yosui II: Sentimental"（陽水II：センチメンタル）. The album has been classified as a folk release, but Inoue's first take of "Kannazuki ni Kakomarete" also has that same urgency but within a combination of Latin rhythms and light psychedelic rock. It's like doing the tango in a wide-lapeled suit and bell-bottoms while the piano keeps on chugging along.

As for "Yosui II: Sentimental", it peaked at No. 10 on Oricon, and though it took its sweet time, the album became the 8th-ranked release for 1974 and then came in at No. 15 in 1975.