AB's by The AB's - 1983

After finishing the new album "An Evening with Silk Sonic" by super duo Silk Sonic starring Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak, it was an affirmation of how some music team-ups just make sense. Whether it is Dr. Dre & Snoop Dog, or Michael McDonald & James Ingram, pairing the right superstar talent together will bring about some amazing results. This is equally true in the realm of city pop, case in point, the legendary team-up of two of the genre's most iconic crooners, Makoto Matsushita(松下誠) and Fujimaru Yoshino (芳野藤丸), to form The AB's.

After listening to Matsushita's own debut album First Light (1981), Fujimaru reached out to him to collaborate on an album to create a similar atmosphere and aesthetic. The two also teamed up with Bassist and Drummer Naoki Watanabe(渡辺直樹) and Atsuo Okamoto (岡本郭男) respectively, both of whom were formerly in the Brass-Rock band, SPECTRUM from 1979 to 1981. Okamoto was also Yoshino's bandmate from the AOR group, SHOGUN. They also brought in former Parachute band member, Yoshihiko Ando (安藤芳彦), for his keyboard skills and his ability to write lyrics. Together they formed The ABs, named after their blood types; Yoshino, Matsushita, and Watanabe being AB (although years later Fujimaru learned he was actually B), and Ando and Okamoto being A.

The first project the ABs worked on was actually Yoshino's personal1982 solo album Yoshino Fujimal, alongside female crooner, Haruko Kuwana. Afterward, they would work together backing Kuwana's own 1982 album, Moonlight Island. Once they established a solid comradery, they started recording sessions for their own album, releasing the Girl/Django single by December of 1982, and their self-titled debut album, The AB's, in January of 1983. They also released their first track, Deja Vu as a single and part of a compilation in the UK unofficially in 1984 through Legendary UK compilation label, Streetsounds. Deja Vu ended up charting at 80 in the Official UK Top 100 Albums Charts, making it one of the very few Japanese songs to chart in the UK in the 80s'.

THE MUSIC

1. Deja Vu ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Dee-Dee-Phone ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Django ⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. Fill the Sail ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. Asian Moon ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐
6. In the City Night ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. Girl ⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. Just You ⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE VERDICT:

The AB's is the perfect blend of both Fujimaru Yoshino and Makoto Matsushita's sensibilities as musicians. Matsushita's knack for combining smooth Jazz and progressive rock blends well with Fujimaru's more R&B and pop-oriented style. On top of that, the whole production has an ethereal sound to it, from the glossy keyboard synths to the echoing wailing guitars that give the whole record a vibe that's equally sophisticated & cool. In The City Night proves to be an essential City Pop anthem with its funky bassline, jazzy drumbeat, and excellent vocal harmonies. Asian Moon is another underrated gem that leans on more of the prog side but still exciting in its own right, with its slow build-up at the beginning where the guitar almost sounds like shamisen, until it explodes into a Jazz-Rock jam session. It's really interesting when a j-pop song purposely starts with an oriental-style intro only to transition into a more western song, when executed right it's a cool and exciting subversion of expectations.

If you're a fan of the tight & technical musicianship of Toto, but are looking for a sound that straddles the line between the Jazz/Funk of Level 42, and Ted Rungen-Esque art-pop, then AB’s is the labrum for you. It’s a City Pop classic with a familiar groovy sound that knows just where to push the boundary to keep things interesting.