First Light by Makoto Matsushita - 1981

City Pop, specifically Japanese AOR, is a genre of music that pulls from a number of different sources for inspiration, most notably the different genres that makeup 60's pop, including the Motown sound, the Phil Spector-influenced chamber pop, and the singer-songwriter adult contemporary music spearheaded by the likes of, The Righteous Brothers, Carol King, and The Carpenters. However, the most notable influence I hear people point to is the famous jazz-rock fusion band, Steely Dan. Consisting of the duo Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagan (keyboards, lead vocals), Steely Dan was famous for blending elements of rock, jazz, Latin music, R&B, & blues with sophisticated studio production and cryptic, ironic lyrics. There were plenty of artists and bands in Japan that were trying to capture the same style of production found in their music, however, the one musician that came the closest to matching the same quality was Makoto Matsushita (松下誠), with his 1981 solo debut album, First Light.

Makoto Matsushita, born November 16, 1955, is a Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist, and arranger who's mostly known within the J-AOR realm through his work as part of the band, The AB's. After dropping out of the Yamaha Nem Music Academy at the age of 19, he managed to start his career off as a session guitarist in 1974, playing for artists like Junko Yagami (八神純子), Seiko Matsuda(松田聖子), Mai Yamane (山根麻以), and Eiichi Ohtaki ( 大瀧詠一). Eventually, he started a band called Milky Way in 1979, with pianist Kazuo Nobuta (信田一男), who would eventually help him produce his debut album.

After enough experience as a session musician, Makoto would try his hand as a producer for his debut album. The band on this album consists predominantly of musicians that he has worked with on previous records, including Nobuta on piano and as part of the backing chorus, as well as bassist Yasuo Tomikura (富倉安生), and drummer Masahiro Miyazaki (宮崎正弘). Both would later rejoin Makoto as part of his prog-rock band, Paradigm Shift. New York singer-songwriter Judy Anton, who Makoto arranged music for on her album Smile, helped by providing English lyrics for the most famous song on the album, Love Was Really Gone. There's also the Joe Kato Group, which provides string arrangements for the latter half of the album. It should also be noted that the album also features percussionist Makoto Kimura (木村誠), who also worked with the 1st City Pop band, Sugar Babe, on their album Songs. First Light was released on September 21, 1981. It received two different album covers, the first featuring a stylized photograph of Hollywood Blvd, taken by photographer Kaoru Ijima (伊島薫), later printings received the illustration by Tsutomu Kizawa (木沢勉).

THE MUSIC

1) First Light: Within the first 30 seconds of the album we're treated with a beautiful, glamorous, and funky opening, leading into a funky and groovy AOR track. The groovy energetic guitar riffs combined with the smooth slab bass carry me through the song as Makoto and Nabuo's smooth harmonizing vocals take us on a 1st class plane ride "from the east to the west".

2) One Hot Love: Makoto decides to take us to the streets with this awesome smooth soft rock number that's perfect for a long drive at night. The kick-ass guitar solos and the smooth vocal harmonies in the chorus are the stars of this track.

3) Resort For Blue: Things calm down a bit for a short intermission track that goes for a jazzy resort pop feel. However as the calming guitar riffs make you want to relax by the pool, the rain starts to kick in towards the end, preparing us for the next song.

4) September Rain: The first true slow jam of the album. September Rain sets the mood as Matsushita sings about sudden memories of a lover in the middle of the night, much like the falling rain comes in to signal the end of summer. It also happens to be the only song sung in both English & Japanese.

5) Lazy Night.: The record picks up the pace as Matsushita goes full Steely Dan on this track (even calling them out by name), as the cool drum & bass provide a smooth groove that evokes chill nights in New York City.

6) This Is All I Have For You: Another smooth jazz fusion number accompanied by dreamy synths and a melodramatic orchestral string arrangement.

7) I Know...: As the album reaches its climax, A scene is set up for us with the final intermission track. It's 5 in the morning, as Matsushita confronts a lover about their struggling relationship, only accompanied by a melodramatic piano and a beautiful A Capella arrangement. However, by the end of the song, he decides it's time for them to part ways, which sets the scene for the next song.

8) Love Was Really Gone: Matsushita finds his inner Bobby Caldwell, to provide a classic R&B track. While Caldwell's famous tune, What You Won't Do For Love, is about everything a man will do to keep his relationship, Matsushita sings the aftermath; even after everything he's done to keep the love strong, their relationship was just not meant to be. All of this is accompanied by a smooth bassline, beautiful string arrangements, harmonious backing chorus, and a jazzy piano solo thrown in for good measure. And if that wasn't enough, it all leads up to a beautiful and emotional orchestral outro that evokes the loneliness of a broken heart.

9) Sunset: The final track throws you for a loop with an electronic-sounding intro that seems out of place, but then leads into a smooth track that's equal parts progressive pop and resort pop as Matsushita reminisces about his love as he looks into the sunset. The album closes us out as the wind begins to blow and we are greeted with yet another beautiful orchestral string finale.

THE VERDICT

It's made very clear that Makoto Matsushita's talents as a session musician did not go to waste as he was able to accomplish a feat that's almost impossible to do; create the perfect City Pop album on his first try. Every song feels unique enough while still maintaining the same Steely Dan quality of production throughout the whole thing, making it feel like the perfect anthology of everything great about American AOR and West-coast music. From the Doobie Brothers-inspired soft rock found in One Hot Love, the Donald Fagen style New York fusion evoked in Lazy Night, the Yacht Rock-inspired First Light, all to the Bobby Caldwell style crooning found in September Rain and Love Was Really Gone. We also get a taste of his prog-rock sensibilities in the final track Sunset, a style he would play around with more in his second album, Pressures & Pleasures.

Matsushita manages to arrange everything in a way that feels inspired, but still unique with its own emotions to convey. It really helps that he also had a solid team with him who's already had years of experience working together on other albums. Yasuo Tomikura's smooth bass compliments Matsushita's groovy guitar perfectly, and Nobuta's piano playing and vocal harmonies help give many of the tracks a dreamy relaxing feel. Normally, I find that a lot of City Pop records tend to be front-loaded, however, my favorite part of the record is actually found with the second half, specifically how the songs I Know & Love Was Really Gone set up an extremely cinematic musical experience creating a scene that would feel right at home in a romance movie. Love Was Really Gone is probably one of the best R&B songs, let alone the best example of City Pop, that I've personally ever heard. It has all the essential elements that make J-AOR so inspired while still adding its own unique elements that help it stand out, particularly with the finale. On that note, Matsushita does a really good job singing in both Japanese and English, while not anything fancy, his vocals remain smooth throughout, only really getting emotional towards the end. I was actually surprised at how well I was able to follow along with him on tracks like September Rain, to the point where I think the English version is actually superior to the Japanese version.

Honestly, I'd say First Light is up there with Ride On Time as the perfect City Pop album. While it may feel a bit short (two of its tracks only last between 1 & 2 minutes respectively), First Flight goes for quality over quantity as every track offers its own fulfilling experience and everything flows together nicely. It's an essential part of City Pop's evolution, going on to inspire another City Pop legend and fellow guitarist, Yoshino Fujimaru (芳野藤丸), as they would eventually come together to form The ABs the following year. If you're looking for something new that still fulfills your Yacht Rock needs, this is the perfect record to get. Matsushita summed up the album brilliantly in the first track with the line "From the east to the west", it's the perfect marriage of Japanese songwriting sensibilities and American AOR production.

First Flight is available now on Spotify, but if you want to buy a physical release, the latest reissue is by Warner Music Japan, which you can buy from Light In The Attic Records.

Summer Breeze by Piper - 1984

When introducing City Pop to people, I've often gotten the critique that it sounds like elevator music. While I can make a case against that for certain artists, one band that definitely fits that description would be Piper. Piper was a trio band that specialized in their own particular brand of synth-pop boogie music. The main trio consisted of Keisuke Yamamoto (山本圭右) on lead vocals & guitar, Takashi Shimamura (嶋村隆) on keyboards, and Wataru Ito (伊藤航) on bass.

The story of Piper begins in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture when Yamamoto formed the band, originally called Skunk. They later moved to Tokyo and signed with Yupiteru Records thanks to their original guitarist Yuji Suzuki ( 鈴木裕二) who also happened to be A&R personnel there, where they released their first single, Lovely Night. The band was later renamed "Piper", and they released their debut album, I'm Not in Love, in 1981, featuring numerous session musicians including Akira Inoue (井上鑑), Nobuo Saito (斉藤信男), and Tin Pan Alley drummer, Tatsuo Hayashi (林立男).

It was around this time where Piper would meet singer-songwriter Kazuhito Murata (村田和人), who at the time was under the Moon Records label being produced by Shigeru Suzuki (鈴木茂) and Tatsuro Yamashita (山下達郎). Murata became a key contributor to the band's future efforts and together they would release two albums in '83: Summer Breeze and Gentle Breeze. The former of the two, Summer Breeze is considered to be Piper's defining album, featuring music with a nostalgic summer aesthetic akin to Tatsuro Yamashita.

Besides the main Piper trio, there was also Murata to provide backing vocals along with Hiroshi Koitabashi (小林宏). The album also features percussionist Tetsuaki Hoashi (帆足哲昭), who the previous year worked on Takako Mamiya's Love Trip. As well as drummer Takanori Umeno (梅野貴典), who would later go on to work on Yurie Kokubu's (国分友里恵) Steps in 1987.

THE MUSIC

1) Shine On: The album immediately sets the scene with the sounds of ocean waves crashing onto the beach, when suddenly we hear someone tuning the radio. We're then greeted to the opening track, a whimsical instrumental that's equal parts tropical and retro-futuristic with its excellent combination of mellow synths, Latin percussion, and funky guitar licks. All accompanied by ethereal background vocal harmonies.

2) Summer Breeze: The start track of the album greets us with a guitar riff that's almost as iconic as Yamsihita's Sparkle.  Although the lyrics aren't much, Yamamoto's smooth vocal delivery shines through.

3) Hot Sand:  Another tropical instrumental that doubles down on the synths and tight bass-line. Instead of singing, we're greeted by what sounds like synthesized whistling. We get a really awesome bongo solo towards the end.

4) Gentle Shower: The album changes the mood a bit with a slow jam, shifting between some melodic guitar riffs, and Yamamoto declaring that "When our love is over, I will never fall in love again". The track closes out with some very ambient synths, which is immediately followed up by.

5) Twilight: Some emotional piano playing accompanied by dreamy-sounding synths. The bass and guitar in this one have a calm and lonely feeling to them. The track ends with the sound of ringing, followed by waves crashing as if you just awoke from a dream while sleeping at the beach.

6) Samba Night: Samba Night brings the mood back up with some Latin boogie, accompanied by some groovy guitar riffs scattered throughout the song with the chorus chanting "Samba Night! Feeling Tight!". Another track where the vocals help add a dreamy atmosphere.

7) Starlight Love: An A Capella chorus opens up this track, followed by a reggae-inspired synth-pop track, complete with goofy percussion sound effects, and synthesized vocals. Definitely the most experimental track on the album.

8) Night Shore: Night Shore takes us on a cruise down the coast with its energetic drums and funky bassline, accompanied by more smooth & groovy, yet hyped-up guitar riffs.

9) Angel Smile: Piper brings back the resort pop feel from the beginning of the album for a much more standard City Pop song. Plus we get to hear more of Yamamoto on lead vocals. 

10) Moonlight Beach: The last tack is a very surf rock-influenced synth-pop tune, complete with Beach Boys-style harmonies and a funky bass all wrapped up in dreamy-sounding synths. However, towards the end of the song, it fades out, then fades back into giving us a slower, almost doo-wop-sounding melody as it fades back out again to what almost sounds like seagulls at the beach.

THE VERDICT

Production: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Vocals:⭐⭐⭐
Arrangement:⭐⭐⭐
Aesthetic:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Memorability: ⭐⭐⭐
Composition:⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's clear that Piper was going for a background music approach to music production when producing this album, as most of it puts less emphasis on vocal work and more on creating atmospheric, easy listening melodies. It's easy for this type of sound to end up being forgettable, but Piper ends up pulling it off well. Each song is unique enough to appreciate on its own while still retaining the overall summer/resort motif. It has the best elements of the summery sound found in Tatsuro Yamashita's music, and combines it with synth-pop sensibilities found in early Hiroshi Sato (佐藤博) tracks, then throws in some groovy & rhythmic guitar playing that one might hear from Masayoshi Takanaka (高中正義). The title track, Summer Breeze, does a great job encompassing all those aspects in one 3 minute package, it's mellow enough to relax, yet has enough energy to be an opening track at a beach party. My second favorite track being Night Shore has that quintessential 80's synth-wave sound to it that makes it the perfect driving song for cruising down the highway. The record isn't heavy on the lead vocals, however, there's plenty of backing chorus harmonies scattered throughout the record to spice things up.

If you're looking for some nice background instrumentals that aren't your typical jazz fusion but also aren't as experimental as your typical YMO electro-pop, Piper's Summer Breeze provides a nice middle-ground. You can add it high on the list of essential summer City Pop records. If you want to purchase it, I'd recommend the new reissue done by Light In The Attic.

Aqua City by Kiyotaka Sugiyama & Omega Tribe - 1983

 

Kanagawa prefecture is famous for turning out artists who've dedicated their music to Summer.  Anri is the first example that comes to mind, but then you have bands from the Shonan region like TUBE, folk duo Bread & Butter, and most famously, Southern All-Stars. However, the one band that most City Pop fans in the west will be familiar with is Omega Tribe, lead by Kiyotaka Sugiyama (杉山清貴). 

THE HISTORY 

Omega Tribe was a band that debuted in 1980 as the amateur band Kyutipanchosu. After winning the  Yamaha Popular Song Contest, they were picked up by Koichi Fujita (藤田浩一), producer & president of Triangle Productions,  and they changed their name to Omega Tribe just in time to release their debut single, Summer Suspicion in April 1983, followed by their first album Aqua City, sever l months later.

During the recording or Aqua City, the band included, of the Kyutipanchosu members, guitarist Toshitsu Takashima (髙島信二), Keiichi Hiroishi (廣石恵一) for drums, Takao Oshima (大島孝夫) for bass, and Kenji Yoshida (吉田健二) for guitar. The original band's keyboardist Akira Senju (千住明) was replaced with Toshitsugu Nishihara (西原俊次). The goal of Aqua City was to further cement their new identity as the summer pop band,  with a collection of songs with themes of summer, the beach, and the sea. To accomplish this they needed the best production team possible. While Kiyotaka himself was the lead singer, he only composed 3 of the songs on the album, the rest of the music composition was handled by music veteran Tetsuji Hayashi (林哲司), who was responsible for giving them their signature yacht rock sound. Arrangements were split between Hayashi, Tsugutoshi Goto (後藤次利), former bassist of rock group Sadistic Mika Band, and Kenzo Shikuma (志熊研三), who had previously worked on Toshiki Kadomatsu's debut album, Sea Breeze, in 1981. One of the lyricists for the album was Korean-Japanese writer Chinfa Kang, who's made previous hit singles for artists like R&B singer Masaki Ueda (上田正樹), and pop idols  Hiromi Iwasaki (岩崎 宏美) & Mariko Takahashi (高橋真梨子). The other was Yasushi Akimoto (秋元 康), who's considered today the most famous lyricists in Japan and would later be known for revolutionizing the idol industry with his seminal groups Onyanko Club and AKB48. Aqua City was released by VAP Records on September 21, 1983, peaking at #4 on the Oricon charts. The album's stylish blue-tinted cover photo was taken at the Waikiki Walls of Honolulu Hawaii.

THE MUSIC

1) Summer Suspicion: Omega Tribes very first hit single, a pop-rock song about a young man's worries of his girlfriend breaking up with him before the summer's over. Complete with a dramatic opening, cheesy synths, beach boy-inspired vocal harmonies, and a rocking guitar solo, this makes for the perfect opening track.

2) Paddling To You: A pretty standard 80's pop-rock song with slightly more surf-rock vibes. This song was written by Sugiyama during the band's Kyutipanchosu phase and was modified to pass the strict screening of the producer.

3) Midnight Down Town: Things get a bit more interesting here with a George Duke-inspired Latin disco track about lovebirds out for a late-night party.

4) Light Morning: A much mellower rock ballad composed by Sugiyama, although it retains the same pop-rock feel of Paddling to You.

5) 海風通信 (Sea Breeze Communication): Another surf rock-inspired pop song.

6) Transit in Summer: Side B begins with easily the best song on the album. A resort pop number about two lovers taking a first-class plane ride to summer vacation. From the smooth drums & bass-line to the Champaign sounding synths, the mellow guitar licks, this is definitely the most city pop-sounding track.

7) Trade Wind: A great melodic follow-up to the previous song, Trade Wind continues the light mellow motif and goes more for a tropical paradise sound. The vocal harmonies on the chorus are fantastic, plus we get an amazing saxophone solo halfway through the song.

8) Sexy Halation: Another light & mellow track, this time about falling for beautiful women at the beach.

9) Alone Again: One of Omega Tribe's most iconic songs which pretty much established their formula for slow ballads. A romantic song defined by its mellow beat, melodramatic strings, and smooth vocals that fade out into the sound of ocean waves.

THE VERDICT

Production: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Vocals:⭐⭐⭐⭐

Arrangement:⭐⭐⭐

Aesthetic:⭐⭐⭐⭐

Memorability: ⭐⭐⭐

Composition:⭐⭐⭐⭐

I think Aqua City is a good introduction for the band. It lays the groundwork for all future albums with its slick arrangements, and lyrics formed solely for the purpose of evoking the feeling of summer vacation, the ocean, and some imagery of urban skyscrapers scattered throughout. It's one of those albums where I wouldn't worry about finding a translation since you're not going to find anything deep or sophisticated. It's 80's sunshine pop at its finest.

 What goes into my major problem with the album is that it feels very by the numbers. There are only 3 unique tracks on the album and the rest fall into generic 80's soft rock territory, with the same-sounding guitar solos and generic synthesizers, causing everything to blend into each other. Out of the 3 tracks written by Kiyotaka Sugiyama, Light Morning is definitely my favorite as it's the most mellow out of the other pop rock-sounding tunes. Midnight Downtown does the best job to break up the monotony of the whole thing as it's the only Latin-inspired track on the album. It also helps that Tetsuji Hayashi took a few cues from George Duke's 1979 track, Brazilian Love Affair. The same can be said about Transit In Summer which very obviously bites from Niteflyte's song, You Are. Thankfully Hayashi does enough to make each song more unique and stand apart compared to their American counterparts.

I think what really saves this album that the overall production of the album, while played safe, is consistent in quality. The bass is driving, the drums are steady, and the guitarists have an excellent sense of rhythm and some impressive solos. It also helps that Sugiyama himself has a very soothing voice, and the backing vocals only help to accentuate its ethereal sound, as well as further evoke the Beach Boys-inspired vibe to the album. I'd say he's definitely one of the best male vocalists in the City Pop genre. 

Overall, despite having very few killers stand-alone tracks, Aqua City does a good job establishing Omega Tribe's winning formula and listening to the album consecutively, I think it makes a great soundtrack to a day at the beach or a cruise down a sunset lit highway. Which was obviously their goal. I was fortunate enough to meet a real Omega Tribe fan from Japan last year in 2019, he had a gold chain with their logo and everything He came to visit Santa Monica and was drawn to the souvenir shop I worked at since I was playing Omega Tribe on the loudspeaker. While we were bonding he told me that same day Kiyotaka Sugiyama was performing his last live concert with Omega Tribe. Even though Omega Tribe is no more, Sugiyama himself is still making music, which you can listen to now (along with his Omega Tribe works), on iTunes and Spotify.