Beyond SONGS: Archiving The Musical Activity of Sugar Babe - Part 1

It's a well known fact that the 1975 release of SONGS by the band Sugar Babe, marked the beginning of what we know as Japanese City Pop. However, it was not Japan's first introduction of Sugar Babe themselves, nor was it their first recorded contribution in J-pop. In the band's 3 year run (1973-1976) Sugar Babe collaborated with many artists, in both studio & live projects, that helped establish them as valuable assets in the Japanese music industry. The full list of collaborations is actually quite big, so I've narrowed down some notable highlights. Just for clarity when referring to Sugar Babe throughout this article, I'll usually be referring to the 3 "core" members of the group, Tatsuro Yamashita, Taeko Ohnuki, and Kunio Muramatsu, as they all performed lead vocals throughout the record and majority of their collaborations involved them performing as a chorus group for other artists.

The list so far:

• September 21, 1973: “CITY—Last Time Around” (Official Debut)
• March 1974: Yuka Kamebuchi ‎– Touch Me, Yuka
• July 1974: Chie Sawa - 23 Years Old
• September 4, 1974: René Simard ‎– ミドリ色の屋根
• October 1974: Yumi Arai - Misslim
• December 25, 1974: Yumi Arai Christmas Concert
• January 25, 1975: Chu Kosaka - Horo
• August 1975: Kohei Oikawa - 懐しいくらし(Nostalgic Living)
• May 30, 1975: Eichi Ohtaki Niagara Moon
• June 5, 1975: Kaze -1st Album
• October 3, 1975: Minako II Live Concert
• November 25, 1975: Tin Pan Alley - Caramel Mama
• Boys and Girls Choir Mizuum
• January 25, 1976: Seri Ishikawa 石川セリ ‎– ときどき私は (Last Appearance)

CITY—Last Time Around: Happy End Concert

Appropriately named after the final album of Buffalo Springfield, CITY: Last Time Around was the final concert of legendary rock band Happy End (はっぴいえんど), held at Bunkyo Public Hall (now known as the Bunkyo Civic Center). At this point in time, had functionally disbanded, Haroumi (Harry) Hosono (細野晴臣) & Shigeru Suzuki (鈴木茂) had already began their new band, Caramel Mama, and Eiichi Ohtaki (大瀧詠一) had created his new independent label, Niagara Records. However this concert was mainly seen as an opportunity to formally say farewell, as well as to show off all of the new talent they are currently working with, that included a newly formed Sugar Babe. Ohtaki had invited them a month prior after listening to a copy of Tatsuro Yamashita's amateur album, ADD SOME MUSIC TO YOUR DAY.

The concert event was moderated by Group Sounds legend, Hiroshi Kamayatsu (かまやつひろし), with musical performances by Minako Yoshida (吉田美奈子), Yoshitaka Minami (南佳孝), Moon Riders, Kyōzō Nishioka (西岡恭蔵), Ginji Ito's band Coconut Bank, Singers Three and Caramel Mama.The entire concert was so big it had to be split into 2 live albums, Live!! Happy End, and Show Boat: 素晴しき船出 (Wonderful Ship)

Eiichi Ohtaki

On top of being their producer, Eiichi Ohtaki brought Sugar Babe on a number of different personal ventures under the Niagara Label. Sugar Babe made their official music debut as the backup chorus for Ohtaki during the last live happy end concert, where they sang some of Ohtaki's popular songs, including uraraka, Flying Whale, as well as Coconut Holiday, by Ginji Ito.

Sugar Babe also participated in the recording of Niagara Moon, where they sang the commercial jingle melody Cider '73 '74 '75. Kunio Muramatsu was also on guitar, and Yamashita handled the Horn & String arrangements.

Yumi Arai | 荒井由実

After the release of her debut album, Yumi Arai became interested in Yamashita and his band's vocal prowess after hearing them perform with gospel singer Yuka Kamebuchi (亀淵友香) in the fall of 1974. Sugar babe then became a part of the backing chorus for multiple Yumi Arai albums, including Misslim, Cobalt Hour, and 14th Moon. Sugar Babe also participated in the  Yuming's 1974 Christmas Concert where they were they were the backing band for the song December Rain (12 月 の 雨). One of my favorite moments is in Lipstick Message from the album Cobalt Hour, where you can hear Tatsuro's falsetto take over the finale of the song. 

René Simard

Then French-Canadian prodigy René Simard, apparently shared the same record company as Yuming, ALFA Records, at that time known as Alpha and Associates Inc.. This led to Sugar Babe participating in Simard's very first live concert album. Recorded at Shibuya Public Hall on September 14 and 15, 1974 . While not credited or seen on stage, Sugar Babe along with Minako Yoshida participated in the chorus for "Nu Cupe pa les Roses", "Yo Yo", "Dove in the Ruins" and "Small Life" live in concert.

Kaze | 風 

Kaze  was a Japanese musical duo composed of singer-songwriters Shouzou Ise (伊勢正三 ) and Kazuhisa Ookubo (大久保一久). They were best known for their chart-topping debut single 22-sai no Wakare (22 Year Old Farewell), which was released in 1975. While primarily a folk duo, their debut album, aptly called First Album, features songs like Dancing Doll  &  Romance that fall into the realm of New Music, featuring Tin Pan Alley and naturally Sugar Babe, as the backing band. 

Tin Pan Alley

Speaking of which, seeing how they're basically the forerunners of New Music, it comes to no surprise that Sugar Babe was a natural part of the Tin Pan Alley ensemble whenever they did session work for other artists. My two personal favorite highlights being in Chu Kosaka's Horo (ほうろう), in the song Yugata Love (ゆうがたラブ) , Tats, Ohnuki, and Minako all sing like their in a gospel choir during a shout. There's also a moment in Minako's own first live album, Minako II, where her & Sugar Babe sing a cover of Ain't No Mountain High Enough.

Seri Ishikawa | 石川セリ

The last album to have Sugar Babe credited was Seri Ishikawa's sophomore album, Sometimes I...(ときどき私は). This album marked Ishikawa's official transition from regular aidoru (Idol music), into the more adult contemporary New Music scene, featuring session musicians like Akiko Yano (矢野顕子), Ray Ohara (小原礼) and Masataka Matsutoya (松任谷正隆). Sugar Babe was the appropriate choice for her back up chorus, who voices can be heard in songs like Wow Wow (フワフワ), and the titular track, Sometimes I. 

If there are anymore City Pop/ New Music albums that feature Sugar Babe in them, let me know in the comments below. *If you enjoy my content, consider supporting me through Teespring & Patreon. Thanks!