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.
MAX is that 1990s song-and-dance group that I've known for their association with Namie Amuro（安室奈美恵）when they were collectively known as Super Monkeys, and then when the two parted in their own directions, MAX also gained their fame for their catchy J-Eurobeat tunes during that decade. Nana, Mina, Lina and Reina were also quite the popular guests on television, especially with a running gag involving their home prefecture's (Okinawa) wetlands of Lake Man which when said in their original Japanese has the same pronunciation as the term describing a certain part of a woman's anatomy. Ah, much mirthful embarrassment was had by all!
Anyways, at this juncture of my life, it sure sounds nostalgic hearing the group's 4th single"Seventies" from July 1996 (following "Tora Tora Tora") because of all of that J-Eurobeat again although the lyrics by Kazumi Suzuki（鈴木計見）hearken back to all that disco of the titular 1970s. Heck, they even refer to the hairstyles, fashion and some of the popular songs from that decade. All in all, it's the type of song that reminds me that the video game Dance Dance Revolution would become a thing a couple of years later.
"Seventies" became MAX's first Top 10 hit by placing in at No. 7. The song composed and arranged by Groove Surfers was also included on their first studio album, "Maximum", released in December 1996 which hit No. 1. And to top it all off, the song was actually a cover of the 1994 original by Mega NRG Man.
The good news is that it's feeling really balmy out there with temperatures being on the plus side of things. However, the bad news is that we're supposed to be getting smacked around again with a wall of precipitation and a lot of that will be in the form of cold hard rain before it changes into snow. Then, the temperatures will plummet once more.
For this Wednesday smack dab in the middle of February, allow me to give you a song that is rather soothing. Bossa jazz always has that effect on me. The folk duo Toi et Moi（トワ・エ・モワ）provided something that was a little out of their folk toolbox, and yet, Emiko Shiratori（白鳥英美子）and Sumio Akutagawa（芥川澄夫）handle their "Shiroi Nami"(White Waves) as if they were born to sing bossa nova. It's just a pity that I couldn't track down when they had released "Shiroi Nami" although it is located on their "La Belle Epoque" compilation from 2001. I could only find out that through another YouTube video featuring this particular song that it had made its presence known sometime in the early 1970s, so I'll just plant it as a 1970 concoction.
But then, there was one comment that I saw under that video for Toi et Moi's"Shiroi Nami" that said something to the effect that they "...also liked this version" by the folk duo. And so I thought "Oh, was there an original version of it?". Once again, I was happy to go into the rabbit hole to search for a story on this comforting "Shiroi Nami".
And sure enough, I found out that the first sung version of "Shiroi Nami" was recorded by another duo that specialized in Japanese-style bossa nova, Yuki to Hide（ユキとヒデ...Yuki & Hide）. In fact, "Shiroi Nami" was their very first single released in July 1967, and yep, I can "taste" an even more pronounced bossa nova flavour in this version.
The lyrics were provided by Hide himself under his other stage name of Eiji Mizuki （水木英二）, and for very keen readers of "Kayo Kyoku Plus" and/or true believers in kayo kyoku, both of those names might strike you as being very familiar because they both popped up in my February 2015 article for Hide & Rosanna's（ヒデとロザンナ）"Ai no Kiseki"（愛の奇跡）. Yep, same fellow but different duo. There was one more single released by Yuki to Hide later in October but the act broke up sometime in 1968 with Hide meeting Rosanna soon after that. In fact, there were two Yukis during the Yuki to Hide era with the original, Yuki Sato（佐藤ユキ）, taking on the geimei of Mariko An（アン真理子）in 1969 and going onto a career of singing, songwriting and acting.
Up to now, I haven't revealed the composer for "Shiroi Nami" but I will as of this sentence, and it is jazz saxophone legend Sadao Watanabe (渡辺貞夫...Yuki to Hide during their short time together enjoyed covering his songs). The original is quite a bit peppier than then sung versions and it is a track on his June 1967 LP, "Bossa Best Collection".
Always nice to encounter a band or singer for the first time that sounds as if it's taken another side road off the main highway, melodically speaking.
I never heard of the band Qujila（くじら）but there is something about their "Yuuyake" (Evening Glow) which begins with some light if striking percussion before a gentle melody wafts in involving a steel pedal guitar. Qujila has been listed on J-Wiki as a rock band but on the Discogs site, it's been categorized as rock, funk/soul, pop, folk, world and country. Maybe the last two genres sum up the aural experience on "Yuuyake" although a buzzy electric guitar comes in halfway through this otherwise very genteel song. Vocalist and guitarist Yasuo Sugibayashi（杉林恭雄）is our most reassuring vocal guide, and the image that I get from this one is just sitting out contentedly on some rock somewhere in Sedona, Arizona and watching the sun set. The band has me thinking of other groups such as Sentimental City Romance（センチメンタル・シティ・ロマンス）and Sing Like Talking.
"Yuuyake" is a track on Qujila's 5th studio album"Melon"（メロン）from July 1990. According to that J-Wiki profile, the band started out with Sugibayashi, drummer Hitoshi Kusunoki（楠均）and Kioto（キオト）on bass in the early 1980s but it eventually grew to a 9-person group. Their first major single and album came out in 1985, and they've been continuing to release both into the 2010s.
This could come down as one of the bigger coincidences that I've ever experienced but this particular song by 80s aidoru Yu Hayami（早見優）came out as part of her 5th album "Recess" on March 1st 1984, a little over a week before the release of Ron Howard's"Splash", the story of Tom Hanks' Allen Bauer encountering Darryl Hannah's Madison the Mermaid. As crazy as this may sound, I never saw the movie.
Sure enough, the track is called "MERMAID 1984" and I'm not sure whether lyricist Ikki Matsumoto（松本一起）, composer Yutaka Mogi（茂木由多加）or any of the powers-that-be in charge of the record production had been inspired by any of the trailers for "Splash", but perhaps Matsumoto's words might reflect the romance between Allen and Madison. Anyhow, the music by Mogi is quite slick as it kinda straddles between City Pop and synthpop but not going fully into either genre so I'll be happy to keep it aidoru.
"Recess" peaked at No. 5 on the Oricon album charts, and it would be her final full studio album to get into the Top 10. By the way, I have to give my compliments to her snazzy cab driver get-up on the cover.
Actually, I had this song on the backlog for months so I didn't particularly select it for Valentine's Day, but considering the subject matter, I thought it would fit February 14th.
"O-Atsui Hou ga Suteki!" was pop duoJun & Nene's（じゅん&ネネ）4th single from September 1969, and it's a surprisingly saucy tune wrapped in innocence as the lasses sing about a young lady who's quite the affectionate type, and although it isn't explicitly expressed, perhaps her beau is becoming beet-red. In fact, the final verse has her inviting her boyfriend to enjoy and savor her like a very delectable piece of candy. Thank you for those lyrics, Akari Yamaguchi（山口あかり）!
And yet, the music by Masaaki Hirao（平尾昌晃）does have that traditionally innocent sound, and early on, I thought that things were approaching an enka level. To add onto that, something about the arrangement of "O-Atsui Hou ga Suteki!" is also reminiscent of The Ventures' approach to composing some of their songs for Japanese singers.
Never thought that I would find a performance by Jun & Nene back in the day, but here they are singing "O-Atsui Hou ga Suteki!", and it's actually within a second-season episode of "Heishiro Kiki Ippatsu"（平四郎危機一発...Heishiro in the Nick of Time） in 1969. The show revolved around Heishiro Kujo（九条平四郎）, a businessman who has a love for being an amateur sleuth. In any case, the song peaked at No. 48 on Oricon.
Just before Xmas last year, I brought singer-songwriter Masahito Arai（新井正人）onto "Kayo Kyoku Plus" for the first time with his "Fuyu no Photograph"（冬のフォトグラフ）from his first album as a solo artist titled "MASAHITO ARAI" from October 1987.
That song kinda straddled the line nicely between City Pop and straight-ahead pop, and the same can be said for another track from "MASAHITO ARAI", "Dance, Dance, Dance". Written and composed by Arai himself, it's a song that keeps within a certain range in terms of beat but it still has its mellower and dynamic parts. There's also an electric guitar which periodically enters the soundscape to add some more coolness to the proceedings.
Still don't know who did the appealing cover for the album but it's still cute and stylish at the same time. It reminds me a little of the main street of Unionville which is a scenic community north of Toronto; the area is also popular during the Holidays.
With all of the craziness out there these days, including last night's Super Bowl, people may be forgiven if they forgot today is Valentine's Day. Hopefully though, folks are celebrating with romantic dinners, movies and chocolates.
Ah, speaking of the Super Bowl, there will always be the trailers for upcoming blockbuster movies during the broadcast, and along with the ad for the upcoming "Moon Knight", "Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness" was unveiled for everyone's perusal and it basically exploded one Marvel-loving corner of the Internet due to it being more chock-filled with stuff and goodness than a really loaded bowl of minestrone. Well, I guess that May 6th can't come soon enough.
There was also sad news from entertainment. Ivan Reitman, the director of movies including "Ghostbusters", "Dave" and "Stripes" passed away over the weekend at the age of 75. Growing up in Toronto, he'd produced and directed so many flicks, but "Ghostbusters" will always be the movie that I identify him with. It wasn't a perfect movie by any means but it still had plenty of heart among the characters and the situation, and there's a part of me who would love to get a Ghostbuster uniform with a proton pack.
In any case, getting back to the matter at hand, I wanted to start this week off with a special Valentine's Day issue of Reminiscings of Youth since although I have paid tribute to the observed holiday in years past with kayo, I don't quite remember whether I actually recognized February 14th with a ROY article.
Now, in all honesty, I never bought the album "Born to Love", a July 1983 release with Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson recording duets, but I know two of the tracks there because they were on heavy rotation on the radio back when I was in high school. One is "Tonight I Celebrate My Love" which was released as a single in that same year. Though I am about as romantic as a piece of gneiss during a blizzard, I retain a sweet spot for the romantic ballads of the 1980s filtered through soul and Quiet Storm, and that includes "Tonight I Celebrate My Love" which was created by Gerry Goffin and Michael Masser. Will always love a good Fender Rhodes in this way. It did pretty well on the charts as well, placing in at No. 4 on Canada's RPM and the same rank on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.
Another track that I remember is "You're Lookin' Like Love To Me" which, as I mentioned above, is a song by Flack and Bryson that I heard frequently on the FM band at stations like CHFI here in Toronto. Bob Gaudio, Bob Crewe and Jerry Corbetta were responsible for this song which is also filled with lots of juicy love but has a bit more pop in its step. With both songs, the vocals are just top-notch and listening to them again has brought back a lot of nostalgia and memories of cramming away for examinations and the like.
Going to the Oricon chart for July 1983, what were the Top 3 singles back then?
