Hiroshi Sato "Awakening" Interview

This is an excerpt from an interview with Hiroshi Sato covering the production of his 1982 masterpiece, Awakening, and his early career. Thanks to J-Cannuck from Kayokyoku Plus for translating the interview into English. unfortunately, Hiroshi Sato passed away in 2012, but hopefully, this interview will give some insight into his career in the '70s and early '80s leading up to the production of his Magnum Opus. 

Question: It was three years between your 1979 album “Orient” and “Awakening” in 1982. What were you doing during that time?

Sato: I first went to Los Angeles but I soon moved up to San Francisco where I played with the band Rogers & Burgin who are friends with Amos Garrett. After back, I got back to LA and toured together through the clubs with the Spencer Davis Group for about 10 months.

Q: Which years was that?

Sato: I spent 1980 with Amos and his buddies, and I think I was with the Spencer Davis Group for 1981.

Q: The Spencer Davis Group was atypical for you, wasn’t it?

Sato: The coordinator, Malcolm Jones, who helped me out on my first album “Super Market” in 1976, used to be a bassist, and I met him in LA. When I spoke with him on a variety of topics, I found out that the Spencer Davis Group had gotten back together and he joined them as the bassist. So, he invited me to join them.

Q: After that, you came back home to Japan and made a contract with Alfa Records?

Sato: No, that’s not quite correct. Initially, I’d gone to America on a student visa so I had to change over to a working visa midway, but at that time, whenever I spoke with Kunihiko Murai, who was with Alfa, he told me from time to time that there were plans to set up an Alfa America, so they could help me if I were an exclusive artist with them. Therefore, I was able to get a working visa with no problem as an Alfa America songwriter/artist and I was able to continue staying in the States.

Q: So, you’re saying that you always meant to work in America from the offset?

Sato: Yes, that’s right, but there were various personal circumstances and I was no longer able to make an album, so it was only time that I ran out of. A while later, when talk of making an album gradually came about, I occasionally came across Roger Linn’s rhythm machine. It had a very big impact on me. I thought that if I only had this, I could be in Japan and I could pull it off. I’d started my career from overdubbing and the biggest hurdle for me was the drum and the bass, so regarding those two instruments, I’d thought that I could only perform alongside American musicians to get that sound, but because of my encounter with the Linn drum machine, I felt that perhaps I could approach things in an interesting way with this as an extension of overdubbing, so I decided to give it a try and returned to Japan.

Q: I see…so that’s how “Awakening” came to be. When I compare “Awakening” with your previous three albums, I believe that you took an incredibly contemporary approach here.

Sato: I hadn’t meant to change things up especially, but at the time, my mental attitude changed greatly. Up until then, I’d only focused on rhythm but then I really got into Elvis and the Beatles who I’ve long admired. Up to “Orient”, I had been desperately trying to figure out what originality meant for Japanese people, so I had the temerity to throw out my own roots which included Elvis, the Beatles, blues and R&B. However, while I was in the States, I realized for the first time that I was being rather foolish about that, so in my opinion, what changed on “Awakening” was that mental attitude rather than any superficial style.

Q: As far as you have listened to the work, I wonder if the influence of black contemporary from that same period, for example, was great.

Sato: I think that there was very little of that, and that’s because I felt that I wanted to create something that honestly came from my heart. But regarding the connection with the Linn drum, there was only one track on Herbie Hancock’s “Mr. Hands” (1980) where he used the Linn drum to perform the song by himself.

When I heard that, I thought that this was something that I could pull off and it was close to what I had wanted to do. That was the song that was the sole influence, you might say…that got me to try the Linn drum.

Q: Wendy Matthews was featured here so why did you collaborate with her?

Sato: While I was working with Spencer Davis, I got to know Veronica “Randy” Crawford. When she appeared at the Tokyo Music Festival, we went to Japan together as I was replacing Joe Sample in a hurry and played support for her. Later on, it was time to make the album, and thinking that I needed a female vocalist, I was searching high and low when I met Wendy.

Q: Was the idea behind using English lyrics prompted by the fact that you were working with Wendy?

Sato: I’ve come to sing just English-language songs since long ago. I’ve never memorized Japanese songs. So, even for my own melodies, that Western musical influence comes out naturally and strongly, and I had a lot of resistance against singing in Japanese at the time. To me, songs are one part of the sound. In a way, it’s an unrealistic world. However, singing in Japanese strangely draws out the reality and that’s something that I can’t stand. Singing in English has an unreality that feels like an extension of scatting in a way so it’s very easy to sing.

Q: Up to “Orient”, you’d basically sung in Japanese but was that resistance there in fact?

Sato: That’s right. The track “Kalimba Night” in “Orient”, was the one song that didn’t have any lyrics and I just sang it as a scat, so it was a modest attempt of self-assertion. That, as I mentioned before, was the breakthrough when I went to America.

Q: So that had a connection with your cover of “From Me to You”, didn’t it?

Sato: There were other choices for songs, but I picked this one because it was the most fun when I tried using the Linn drum. In my case, it was more than a simple cover…it was me trying an approach of putting in a fresh song onto the lyrics of McCartney and Lennon. I was going with chord progressions close to the original for that song, but after that, for example with songs such as “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” and “Eight Days a Week”, I changed the chord progressions so much that they could be called totally different songs.

Q: Another song on the album, “Love and Peace” is a blues take, isn’t it?

Sato: It’s the first song I found out about on a Quincy Jones album, and from the beginning, I got a lot more guitarist influences than those from a keyboardist, but even from the point of a guitarist-created song, it was a very interesting song for me, so I had been thinking of tackling it someday. What was great about “Awakening” was that I could honestly express this bluesiness through the piano.

Q: On “Say Goodbye” and the final track of “Blue and Moody Music”, TatsuroYamashita took part in guitar.

Sato: Basically, I appreciate guitarists with a simple approach. When it comes to fusion guitarists, most of them have taken on a style of chorus and delay, so this is something that is familiar to me. With the guitar being directly connected to the amp, I had also wondered whether there was anybody that would fit my style when I thought “Ah…there’s Tatsuro!” so I asked him to help.

Q: There are two versions of “Blue and Moody Music” recorded on the album: a slow version and an uptempo (Wendy’s) version.

Sato: For this song, I had the band arranged with Wendy singing it first but the lyrics were written to match me, so I thought it odd if I didn’t sing it and as a result, we also created a ballad version. And so that’s how we ended up with both versions on the album since they were both made.

Q: I think the slow version is especially wonderful.

Sato: I asked Lorrain Feather, who wrote the lyrics if she could thematically meld me and the music together, but at the time, “Blue and Moody Music” was at a ballad tempo. Back then, I felt that a ballad-type song was suitable for my voice so musing that I leaned more towards ballads, I created the version for Wendy.

Q: Was there something like a theme or an image when creating the album?

Sato: There was nothing particular for this album, but what I was aware of was “a lullaby just for myself”. “You’re My Baby” was something that I made as a love song for my daughter.

Q: How did you come up with the album title of “Awakening”?

Sato: I thought it was the perfect title to express how I was reborn. In other words, my feelings for my connection with music and the way to express it had greatly changed when compared to the past. Those led to the word “awakening”.

Q: Which are the tracks that you’re most drawn to?

Sato: Focusing on the piano, they would be “Blue and Moody Music”, “Only a Love Affair” and “Love and Peace”, and if I focus on the vocals, they would be “I Can't-Wait” and “You’re My Baby”. In addition, although I don’t sing it myself, I do have an emotional attachment to “It Isn’t Easy”, too. Come to think of it, “It Isn’t Easy” had been made for a 1977 album by Linda Carriere which ended up as a bit of a mystery. Also, I always like to put in an improvised part in an album, so with the first track, “Awakening”, I actually had the sound of a wave included while in the studio, and as I was listening to it, I just played down something without thinking of anything. Since I don't think there is any better orchestration than the sound of waves, I feel that I honestly expressed something inspirational while listening to them.

 

Q: Looking back on “Awakening” once more, what does the album mean to you?

Sato: In the true sense of the word, it’s my first album. What I mean is that it’s the work that I created that is the closest to what I am. With the previous three albums, I’d wanted to establish my own originality but I perhaps went overboard. However, because I went over to America, I could get a really good bird’s-eye view of what I’d done before then, and so I feel that had a lot to do with “Awakening”. Also, another big thing is that I could get that overdubbing style. At the time, I was still inexperienced with things such as sequencers, and although there were many things that I had to do by hand, I had remembered when I cut my first album while I had overdubbing on the brain in the storehouse by my home during my teens in Kyoto. For that, I’m truly grateful to Kunihiko Murai of Alfa Records who let me create this on my own.

Awakening by Hiroshi Sato - 1982

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Hiroshi Sato (佐藤博) may not be a famous musician, but he made a name for himself behind the scenes as one of the most prolific and respected pianist/keyboardists within Japan's music industry. Sato has appeared on a countless number of classic recordings as a session player in addition to the dozen-plus solo works he made over his four-decade career. He collaborated often with Haruomi Hosono and his Tin Pan Alley crew and was a member of Shigeru Suzuki’s short-lived band, Hucklebuck. Hell, Tatsuro Yamashita considered him Japan’s best pianist, in reference to the work Sato did on his seminal albums Spacy (1977) & For You (1982). However, Hiroshi Sato’s 4th album, 1982’s Awakening, would be the record that put him in the mainstream spotlight.

THE HISTORY

Hiroshi Sato in Tin Pan Alley 

During the late 70s', Hiroshi Sato was trying to break ground as a solo artist and was tired of only being recognized for his session work for others. The fact that his previous 3 solo albums weren't doing so well added to his frustration. 

After declining an offer from Harry Hosono to join Yellow Magic Orchestra, Sato moved to Los Angeles for a fresh start and began collaborating with West Coast heavy hitters like Maria Muldaur, Spencer Davis, and Randy Crawford. It's at this point that he met one of the most vital components to Awakening's identity; Canadian-Australian singer Wendy Matthews, who would later have several top-20 hits in Australia.

 After signing with Alfa Records, Sato convinced the label to purchase him a then-new Linn LM-1 drum machine, determined to use its innovative sampling capabilities to help reinvent his sound. After moving back to Japan in 1982, he began production of Awakening as practically a one-man band, handling all of the synthesizers and drum programming as well as various acoustic instruments, including the acoustic guitar and his trademark piano. Outside of Wendy on vocals, the only other session musicians were 3 guitarists; Tsunehide Matsuki, Yuji Toriyama, & Tatsuro Yamashita, who was recording For You around the same time.

THE MUSIC

SIDE A

1. Awakening: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. You're My Baby: ⭐⭐⭐
3. Blue And Moody Music: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. Only A Love Affair:⭐⭐⭐
5. Love And Peace:⭐⭐⭐⭐

SIDE B

1. From Me To You:⭐⭐⭐
2. I Can't Wait:⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. It Isn't Easy:⭐⭐⭐
4. Awakening: ⭐⭐⭐
5. Say Goodbye: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6. Blue & Moody Music (Wendy Mathews): ⭐⭐⭐

The 1st half of the album sets us up with a very melancholy vibe, straddling the fence between Gino Vannelli and Bobby Caldwell. The titular instrumental intro sends your imagination to a wonderful beach with a lone piano backed by the soft crashing of waves. We're then led by some atmospheric synthesizers into the 1st duet, You're My Baby, which gives us an image of a Venus-like girl rising from the sea. Then we transition into my favorite track on the album, Blue And Moody Music. A very personal song where Sato croons about staying up in the wee small hours, ridding himself of his sorrows through his passion for music. Only A Love Affair is another decent duet followed by the last instrumental on Side A, Love & Peace, a resort pop piece that creates the perfect vibe for being alone at the bar. 

I Can't-Wait, Single Version

Side B kicks the tempo & mood up a few notches with a soon-to-be staple of Hiroshi Sato albums; British Pop covers! This time in the form of From Me To You by The Beatles, redone to an 80's Boogie beat. We then get possibly my favorite duet on the album, I Can't Wait, which does the best job of showcasing Wendy and Hiroshi's vocal compatibility. It Isn't Easy is Wendy's 1st solo track, on the album, with her voice standing pretty well on its own against an AOR melody that leans more on the oriental side than Westcoast. The last 3 songs, beginning with a reprise of Awakening, cap off the album on a synth-boogie/disco note. The Awakening reprise, being the weakest, it's not bad but it feels like an over-extended prologue to the real star of the show, Say Good-Bye, one of Sato's most iconic songs, a catchy breakup songs that combines Sato's excellent synth work with Tatsuro Yamashita's catchy guitar riffs. However, the true final track is yet another "reprise" of Blue & Moody Music, this time sung by Wendy Mathews. 

THE VERDICT

Hiroshi Sato & Wendy Mathews

Usually comparing anything to elevator music implies that it's boring, however in the case of Awakening, I'd say it's a compliment. Hiroshi Sato and Wendy Mathews' soothing voices complement each other so well, and it helps that Sato's English is virtually impeccable. Funny enough I almost mistook him for Howard Jones, a whole year before his debut! 

The most impressive part of the album is how well it balances out the electronic elements with the more acoustic flourishes. From the awesome guitar riffs paired with the hypnotizing vocoded singing in Say Goodbye to Sato's melodic piano solo in Blue & Moody Music, and the acoustic guitar in It Isn't Easy. It's a wonderful blend of easy listening & synth-pop all wrapped up within a West Coast-style production. Blue & Moody Music is my all-time favorite Hiroshi Sato song, as it gives me very strong Frank Sinatra vibes but in an 80's AOR setting. It's the perfect introspective song for restless nights. Although I'm not a huge Beatles fan, I was also impressed by the fact that he also managed to turn From Me To You, into a catchy disco number, despite it not being my favorite track on the album, I do prefer it over the original.

Sadly, Hiroshi Sato passed away in 2012 at the age of 65, but it's obvious that he left behind an awesome legacy, not just as a session musician, but also as a talented singer-songwriter. Legendary 80s producer Toshiki Kadomatsu cites Awakening as his favorite City Pop album and one of the key influences for his own production. If you're going to grab a copy, I'd recommend the remastered version from Light In The Attic Records, who's been doing an awesome job releasing City Pop vinyl in the States. For some reason it excludes Wendy Mathew's rendition of Blue & Moody, it's a great track but it's not a huge loss considering Sato's version is far superior. But if you really want it, most other re-releases have it, the 2014 re-release by GT Music being ideal since it also features some remixes and instrumental versions of the tracks.