Baby Blue by Ginji Ito (1982)

After the commercial failure of his 1977 debut album, Deadly Drive, Ginji Ito (伊藤銀次) spent the next five years carving out a place in the music industry behind the scenes, writing and arranging songs for other artists to make ends meet. His fortunes began to shift in the early ’80s when he was invited to join the live backing band for Miki Matsubara’s performance of her breakout hit, Stay With Me.

It was during this period that Ito crossed paths with rising singer-songwriter Motoharu Sano. Their connection led to Ito arranging songs for Sano’s debut album, Back to the Street. His work on the record caught the attention of music director Kenji Kizaki, who soon enlisted Ito to arrange music for pop idol Kenji Sawada.

While working on Sawada’s 1981 album Stripper, Ito’s vocal talent unexpectedly came to light—thanks to a demo tape he recorded for one of the songs. Impressed, Director Kizaki encouraged Ito to step back into the spotlight. With his support, Ito began work on what would become his long-awaited comeback album: Baby Blue.

THE MUSIC

1. Baby Blue  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Stella (Rainy Stella / 雨のステラ) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Tappin’ and Clappin’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. Planet Girl ⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. Same Old Song (センチメンタルにやってくれ) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
6. Congratulations (3:38)⭐⭐⭐
7. One Way Ticket To The Moon (3:51)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. Because Of You (3:37) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. Just A Little Love⭐⭐⭐⭐
10. Shade Of Summer ⭐⭐⭐

THE VERDICT ⭐⭐⭐⭐

After listening to a few of his albums, I’ve come to realize that Ginji Ito isn’t the type of artist to stick to just one style, nothing wrong with that. But I think Baby Blue is proof that he truly shines when performing nostalgic, 60s-style oldies pop. This album feels like it could be kissing cousins with Someday by Motoharu Sano—especially on tracks like “Baby Blue” and “Because of You,” which blend baroque pop melodies with the polished city pop sound of the early 1980s. There’s a romantic wistfulness running through the album that’s hard to shake. Funny enough, my favorite track is actually “One Way Ticket to the Moon”, a smoother, spacey AOR jam that would fit right alongside anything by Paul Davis or Hall & Oates. And shoutout to “Tappin’ & Clappin’” for being one of the goofiest yet catchiest Christmas songs I’ve ever heard. It’s a happy-go-lucky number with a laid-back groove reminiscent of James Taylor’s “How Sweet It Is,” paired with lyrics about a man spotting a woman at the beach who reminds him of a Christmas tree. I don’t know what kind of holiday party Masao Urino was at when he wrote those lyrics, but it must’ve been a blast. Although I think most people consider Deadly Drive as Ginji Ito's most iconic album, I personally believe Baby Blue best highlights his strengths as a singer-songwriter. 

If you want to learn more about Giji Ito, check out his website: https://ginji-ito.com/

Deadly Drive by Ginji Ito (1977)

Ginji Ito is probably one of the most underrated singer-songwriters in City Pop. He was a key figure for Eiichi Ohtaki's Niagara Records and was responsible for writing the lyrics for the band Sugar Babe's iconic single, Downtown. He even had his own band back in the early 70s called Coconut Bank, but unfortunately, they broke up around 1974, otherwise, they would have been Niagara's first band on their label. That didn't stop Ito from pursuing music, however. On top of joining Tatsuro Yamashita and Ohtaki with their collaborative album, Niagara Triangle, Ginji Ito also joined the Bye-bye Session Band, which was the backing band for the Japanese singer-songwriter, Lily. 

It wouldn't be until 1977 when he joined the Warner Pioneer's Asylum label that he would finally get a chance at his first solo album, Deadly Drive. Taeko Ohnuki provided backing vocals as well as lyrics for the song If You Can Be The Wind. Former Sugar Babe Guitarist Kunio Muramatsu provided the composition for the titular song, Deadly Drive. Country Rock band Sentimental City Romane provides backing vocals as well. Other great talents include prolific composer and keyboardist Ryuichi Sakamoto(坂本龍一), drummer and long-time collaborator with Ito, Yukata Uehara(上原裕), bassist Akihiro Tanaka (田中章弘) who's performed in bands like Sugeru Suzuki's Hucklebuck and folk band The Dylan, and percussionist Nobuo Saito(斉藤信男).

THE MUSIC

If You Can Be The Wind (風になれるなら) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm Telling You Now ⭐⭐⭐

Deadly Drive ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Konuka Rain (こぬか雨) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

King Kong⭐⭐⭐

Sucking At That Time (あの時はどしゃぶり)⭐⭐⭐

Sweet Daddy ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hobo's Lullaby ⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE VERDICT  

Overall Deadly Drive is a decent album, most of the songs are fine examples of their respective genres, but don't really do anything to set them apart as unique or outstanding. the best songs are the more light & mellow tracks which fit Ito's vocal style very well. Ginji Ito has very soft and comfy vocals, almost like Michel Franks if he didn’t sound bored half the time, and it pairs well with Taeko Ohnuki's backing vocals.

"If You Can Be The Wind" aims to recapture the magic of Sugar Babe, pretty well with much better production values on top of that. Out of all the jazz-fusion tracks the titular song, "Deadly Drive" has the most personality to it. It’s a high-speed Jeff Beck-style jazz-rock track with some great drum breakdowns, funky guitars, and an immersive driving ambiance that really makes you feel like you are in a car chase out of a scene from the Blues Brothers. "Konuka Ame" is a beautiful rainy-day soul ballad with a mesmerizing piano riff, beautiful orchestral backing, and hauntingly mesmerizing backing vocals thanks to Ohnuki. The 2nd half of the album doesn't leave as big of an impression but the songs are still good. the best one is "Sweet Daddy", a funky jazz number in the style of the Crusaders, complete with a groovy guitar & piano solo, a funky brass section, and some soulful backing vocals. "King Kong" is a mellow funky jazz-rock number with some neat use of the talk-box. "Sucking At That Time" is a pretty standard salsa dance number, and "Hobo's Lullaby" closes off the record with a bluesy country ballad with some soulful piano playing.

Deadly Drive isn't representative of Ginji's later career, but it's a good album to have if you are a Sugar Babe or Taeko Ohnuki fan. It has a more mellow approach to City Pop and is very reminiscent of Ohnuki's early albums, Grey Skies, and even Sunshower, which came out the same year.

Someday by Motoharu Sano (1982)

Someday is the 3rd solo album by Japanese singer-songwriter, Motoharu Sano (佐野元春), released in 1982. Sano is considered to be one of the most important artists in Japanese music, especially in rock and roll. As a child born in Taito, Tokyo, Motoharu Sano originally wanted to become a mangaka like his hero Osamu Tezuka(手塚治虫), the creator of Astro Boy. However he did not receive much support from his parents, his mother even ripped up the comic he wrote. Thankfully Sano would find another creative outlet in the form of music when in junior high, his friend gifted him with a transistor radio. He soon became hooked on The British invasion, with bands like The Beatles and the Who. His interest in western music deepened in high school when he started listening to Bob Dylan.

Sano began writing music in high school, but wouldn't make his solo debut until 1980 when he signed up with Epic Records Japan. He released his first single, "Angelina", the same year, which was also featured in his debut album, Back to The Street. He would release his 2nd album, Heart Beat, the following year in 1981. Unfortunately, neither album performed well financially, but his gig as a radio DJ and a steady stream of live concerts kept him afloat with a solid fanbase. He would get his big break in 1982 with his seminal 3rd album.

Sano would get his big break in 1982 with his 3rd seminal album, which also happens to be his first self-produced work. When composing the album, he was working to convey the theme of "Innocence alive in a devastated city". The name of the album and the titular song was inspired by classic songs from the 60s that used "Someday" in the title or theme, particularly "Someday Never Comes" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and "Someday We'll Be Together" by The Supremes. You can definitely hear some of the CCR influence in the song as well. Assumably out of his admiration for Bob Dylan, Sano intended to make the opening song, Sugar Time, a protest song and wrote the lyrics with hard content but ended up changing them due to pressure from the record company. 

The album also features the vocal talents of singer-songwriters, Masamichi Sugi(杉真里), superstar idol Kenji Sawada(澤田研二), and Ginji Ito(伊藤銀次), who also assists on the electric guitar. The album was backed by Sano's own band, The Heartland, featuring Takashi Furuta(古田たかし) on drums, Yoshitake Abe(阿部吉剛), Akira Nishimoto(西本明) on keyboards, and bassist Kiyofumi Onoda(小野田清文). 

THE MUSIC 

1. Sugartime ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Happy Man ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Down Town Boy ⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. Birthday for Two (二人のバースディ) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. Beatiful Donna Anna (麗しのドンナ・アンナ)⭐⭐⭐
6. Someday ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. I'm In Blue ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. Purify At Midnight (真夜中に清めて) ⭐⭐⭐
9. Vanity Factory ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
10. Rock & Roll Night ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
11. Sunchild is My Friend(サンチャイルドは僕の友達)⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE VERDICT 

Someday ended up being a pleasant surprise. I wasn't sure what to expect but it certainly wasn't a Bruce Springsteen & Billy Joel collab produced by Eiichi Ohtaki. At least that's what it felt like I was listening to. The record feels like a natural evolution from Ohtaki's A Long Vacation, taking that Baroque, resort pop sound and adding an extra layer of heartland & arena rock on top. Motoharu even sounds a bit like Ohtaki himself when he sings, if he was giving a Springsteen impression instead of Neil Young. He even has that sort of spoken word style cadence when he sings, it's pretty interesting to hear it in Japanese, and I eventually got used to it. 

"Sugartime" is a Sunshine pop number that lives up to its name, it's hard to believe that this was originally going to be some sort of political statement, it's way too cheery to be anything but a bubblegum new wave dance number. "Birthday For Two" detours into a more yacht rock sound with a funky jazz beat. "Someday", is a pleasant Baroque pop love ballad number that feels like a more fleshed-out version of Springsteen's "Hungry Heart", the mellow piano playing accompanied by the ambiance of city traffic gives the song a down-home feel to it. "Vanity Factory" is another epic track that's a throwback to old-school rock & roll with a glam twist, which explains why it was originally written for a male idol, Kenji Sawada.

  Like any good City Pop album, there's always a rich sense of nostalgia, embodied in songs like "Downtown Boy", a classic rock anthem that paints a scene straight out of American Graffiti or Grease. A spry youth riding his hot rod around town, falling in love, going to the driving movies, and getting heartbroken. Then you have the sentimental "Rock & Roll Night", an epic ballad about friends who end up growing up to lead their own separate lives, unsure of where life will take them. It's a very somber song, reminiscent of Billy Joel's own "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant", however, this song feels a bit more optimistic, with each time the chorus, you hear more and more voices singing with each other, almost as if these friends are meeting one last time at a bar to mark a significant change in their life and reassure each other that everything will be alright.

I can appreciate why "Someday" is considered a Motoharu Sano classic. It's got a great nostalgic rock & roll sound with relatable lyrics about coming of age and being young and in love, all packaged in a gorgeous Wall of Sound production.