Whenever I talk to Japanese tourists about Shōwa-era music, one band name comes up constantly: Sazan—better known by their full name, Southern All Stars. This Kanagawa-based rock band has carved out a lasting legacy in Japanese pop culture. Led by the charismatic Keisuke Kuwata(桑田佳祐), Southern All Stars crafted a unique identity rooted in American rock & roll, Latin music, and highly suggestive lyrics. Arguably, their most famous song is their breakthrough debut single, “Katte ni Sindbad”, which shot into the Top 10 upon its release in 1978.
Their fifth original album, "NUDE MAN," released on July 21, 1982, is considered a landmark album, highlighting their musical evolution. One of the key players in the album's production was Keyboardist Yoshihiro Kunimoto, who played a major role in Sazan's live concerts. This period also marked the band’s growing interest in songs with socially conscious themes. Despite the album's funky, upbeat sound, some tracks drew inspiration from contemporary issues such as the plight of Japanese war orphans left behind in China and the political scandal of the Lockheed bribery case.
So... we gotta address the naked elephant in the room, and talk about the jacket photo on the album. Captured by photographer Katsuo Hanzawa, it's an image of an Australian hippie with whom Hanzawa lived in a rented fishing hut during a photography trip to India in the early 1970s, encapsulating a sense of freedom and cultural exploration that was synonymous with the band. Kuwata unsurprisingly found the photograph resonant and amusing, deciding to incorporate it into the album's visual identity with Hanzawa's consent.
Despite the album's success, lead vocalist Kuwata’s reflections on "NUDE MAN" were mixed. He described the album as "boring" and expressed a lukewarm sentiment towards some of the songs. Yet, he also acknowledged the creative liberation the album afforded him, stating that it allowed him to pursue musical endeavors that were previously out of reach. Kuwata also recognized the album's pivotal role in shaping the band’s image, suggesting that it solidified the Southern All Stars’ identity as synonymous with summer, for better or worse.
THE MUSIC
- Oh! Claudia⭐⭐⭐⭐
- The Legend of DJ Kobe (D.J.コービーの伝説) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Memories of Star Dust (思い出のスター・ダスト)⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Giving Up On The Summer (夏をあきらめて)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Chasing the Flowing Clouds (流れる雲を追いかけて)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Rainbow Coloured The Night Club 匂艶The Night Club ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- "I've met you, I've seen you, my sick mind" 逢いたさ見たさ病める My Mind⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Plastic Super Star (Live In Better Days)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Lamentations of a Female Poet 女流詩人の哀歌⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Nude Man ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Cat 猫⭐⭐⭐
- Come Jamaica 来いなジャマイカ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Just A Little Bit⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
THE VERDICT
When it comes to summer in Japan, names like Tube or Omega Tribe are usually the first to surface. Yet the difference between Omega Tribe and Southern All Stars (SAS) is perfectly captured by producer Tetsuji Hayashi:
“If Southern All Stars is a beach house, then Omega Tribe is a bistro. The former can go anywhere in the country, even if there is a curtain of ice. But the latter is pretty much restricted to Shōnan or Suma. That’s where SAS’s strength lies.”
Where Omega Tribe is bound to a single, shimmering summer vibe, SAS thrives on flexibility. That elasticity has allowed them to remain fresh long after the season fades. Their 1982 album Nude Man embodies this versatility—a strange yet addictive collage of Southern rock, disco, 1960s soul, and Latin influences, all anchored by Keisuke Kuwata’s bluesy, soulful vocals.
One of the album’s standouts, “Natsu o Akiramete” (夏をあきらめて), has become one of SAS’s most enduring ballads, a breezy anthem of summer love. Remarkably, Kuwata recorded the vocal while suffering from TMJ disorder—yet it still shines as one of his most heartfelt performances. In stark contrast, “Chasing the Flowing Clouds” (流れる雲を追いかけて) offers a somber, honky-tonk ballad telling the story of a mother enduring hardship in war-torn Manchuria. Beautiful, but almost jarring, it is immediately followed by “Nijiiro The Night Club”, the album’s showstopper: a bombastic, Latin-flavored track brimming with strings, brass, and layered vocals that perfectly encapsulate SAS’s signature sound. Then there’s “Koi na Jamaica” (来いなジャマイカ)—a tongue-in-cheek reggae cut that’s as provocative as it is playful. The lyrics cheekily name-drop Marley, Jagger, and Ray Parker Jr., while rhyming “erection” with “connection.”
Listening to Nude Man is like wandering through a raucous summer festival: eclectic, noisy, a little messy, but utterly unforgettable. It flaunts its musical inspirations without shame, using variety itself as the point. And that’s the secret to Southern All Stars’ lasting legacy—their ability to pivot between genres while always sounding unmistakably like themselves.
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