Twilight Zone - Minako Yoshida - 1977

Minako Yoshida (吉田美奈子), born April 7, 1953, is a Japanese singer-songwriter, composer, and arranger. Minako first started making music during high school after she met Haruomi Hosono(細野晴臣) and Takashi Matsumoto(松本隆), and they advised her to become a songwriter. In 1971, she formed a piano duo Pafu with the Blues Creation bassist Noji Yoshiyuki(野地義行) while also performing as a support musician for the rock band Happy End. In 1973, she launched her solo career with the album Tobira no Fuyu, which was backed by Hosono's then-new band, Tin Pan Alley. Afterward, she would move to RCA and released three more studio albums and one live one, all while writing and composing for other artists like Tatsuro Yamashita(山下達郎), and An Lewis.

Her 3rd and last studio album under the RCA label, Twilight Zone, was released in 1977 and was the first where she handled all the composing and lyrics since her debut. The production and arranging were handled by Tatsuro Yamashita, while the sound engineering was none other than Minako's brother, Tamotsu Yoshida (吉田保). The album featured various prolific session musicians like drummer Shuichi "Ponta" Murakami (村上秀一), Kazuo Shina on violin, saxophonist Hidefumi Toki, jazz trombonist Shigeharu Mukai, guitarists Kenji Omura(大村憲司) and Tsunehide Matsuki (松木恒秀 ) and pianist & singer-songwriter, Hiroshi Sato. 

THE MUSIC 

1. Twilight Zone "Overture"⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Love⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Runner(駆けてきたたぞがれ)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. Melody⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. Shooting Star of Love (恋は流星)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6. Uptown⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. Raspberry Slope⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. Just Say Good-Bye⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. Twilight Zone⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE VERDICT 

Twilight Zone is a unique album that resides in a similar emotional plane as Taeko Ohunki's Sunshower; evoking a sense of hopelessness, and uncertainty in an imposing metropolis. However, unlike Sunshower which starts light-hearted and gets progressively darker (especially from a lyrical standpoint), Twilight Zone offers moments of joy, love, and optimism throughout the album. This also puts less emphasis on radio-friendly pop-oriented tracks and offers more introspective jazz-pop in the vein of Laura Nyro. 

The album opens up with the Overture to Twilight Zone, a very somber piano piece that sets the mood for the entire album and leads perfectly into the first ballad, Love. Love and the other ballad Rasberry Slope, have a very nocturnal, melancholy feel to them, especially with Yoshida's soulful and lingering voice. But then we get levity with songs like Runner, which provides a nice upbeat Motown feel that's perfect for a morning stroll, or Shooting Star of Love, a groovy Philly soul-inspired R&B track with a lush string arrangement accompanied by some great jazzy trumpet playing and Yoshida's more soulful and uplifting voice. The most streamlined track on the album is probably Uptown, an uptempo jazz-funk track with a smooth sax solo and groovy vocal harmonies that perfectly reflect the hustle & bustle of the big city. Melody is another lovely segway into some gospel-inspired sounds with the bluesy piano playing alongside an organ. Just Say Goodbye is a nice warm piece of lounge jazz that would go great with a cup of coffee and a warm fire. The album ends with a return back to the song Twilight Zone, but instead of ending on a precarious piano piece, bursts into a more optimistic jazz session.

It's safe to say that Nyro was a huge influence on Yoshida, ever since the beginning of her career, but it definitely shows here, with this album barring a strong resemblance to  New York Tendaberry. Some might dismiss this album as mere mimicry, but I feel like Minako Yoshida's material has enough in it to stand on its own. While the foundation is definitely that Ney York Brill Building style soft rock, Yoshida leans more into gospel & R&B than Nyro does. Besides, the only reason I know of Laura Nyro is because of Yoshida's work, so the similarities don't hinder my overall enjoyment. 

Twilight Zone is a nice detour away from the typical sunshine pop while still retaining the melodic urban aesthetic that we're used to from City Pop. Whether you are alone in a late-night diner, trying to run arrange downtown, or just out restless on a late-night stroll, these records got the right song for the mood.

Caramel Mama by Tin Pan Alley - 1975

Some of the most influential bands are the ones that work behind the scenes. They are usually in the form of session musicians but they're so reliable that multiple artists end up relying on them for their services. In the American 60s, we had groups like the Wrecking Crew & The Funk Brothers, and in the 80s you had Toto. Meanwhile, in Japan, one music group would end up fulfilling this role as the "first-call gang", whose sound was so unique it would serve the foundation of modern Japanese music.

Tin Pan Alley was one of the most important bands in Japanese history. Their mastery of American-style production would help define genres like New Music and City Pop, and by extension, brought Japanese music into the modern era. After the breakup of legendary rock band Happy End in 1973, bassist Haruomi Hosono (細野晴臣) went to record his solo album from his own residence in Iruma, Saitama Prefecture. He brought with him fellow guitarist Shigeru Suzuki (鈴木茂), alongside drummer Tatsuo Hayashi (林立夫), & keyboard player Masataka Matsutoya (松任谷正隆) from the folk band Four Joe Half (A Japanese pun that translates to Yojohan/四畳半). After recording Hosono's album they decided to stick together and provide sound production for other records, thus forming the band Caramel Mama. The name Caramel Mama originated from the Japanese slang term referring to overzealous conservative mothers who would invade college campuses to dissuade young people from joining protest movements using sweets and treats... We can assume that they named their band ironically.

Tin Pan Alley was the driving force behind the New Music scene in the 1970s. After the dissolution of the influential rock band Happy End in 1973, bassist Haruomi Hosono (細野晴臣) began working on his solo album, Hosono House, which would be recorded from his own home in the city of Iruma, Saitama Prefecture. He recruited former Happy End guitarist Shigeru Suzuki (鈴木茂) alongside drummer Tatsuo Hayashi (林立夫), & keyboard player Masataka Matsutoya (松任谷正隆) from the folk band Four Joe Half. Together they would go on to form a band originally conceived under the name Caramel Mama, a slang term from that era that referred to overzealous conservative Japanese mothers who were trying to dissuade college students from taking part in the left-wing student movements of that time. It's safe to say they named their band ironically.

Caramel Mama's debut as a backing band was for singer-songwriter Yumi Arai's (荒井由実) debut album, Hikoki Gumo, in 1973. Since then they have been a backing band for almost all of the most influential artists of the 70s, including Yumi Arai, Bread & Butter, Kaze, and many more. In the process, they formed a large collective of like-minded artists, such as Minako Yoshida(吉田美奈子), Hiroshi Sato(佐藤博), Akiko Yano (矢野顕子), & Yoshitaka Minami (南佳孝). The collective eventually was renamed Tin Pan Alley in homage to the collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City who dominated the popular music of the United States. They became incredibly influential, eventually evolving into the Japanese equivalent of The Wrecking Crew, backing many of the best acts of the '70s until their breakup in 1977. Within that time they've released their own standalone material, which began with their debut record, simply titled, Tin Pan Alley. 

On top of the four core members, Tin Pan Alley took advantage of their huge circle of talent to provide a star-studded production team. Nearly every name that we associate with New Music/City Pop today has participated on this album. On vocals (including backing) alone, we have Hosono, Suzuki, Matsutoya, Yoshitaka Minami, Taeko Ohnuki (大貫妙子), Tatsuro Yamashita (山下達郎), Makoto Kubota (久保田麻琴), Haruko Kuwana (桑名晴子) and her rockstar brother Masahiro Kuwana (桑名正博). Both Takashi Matsumoto (松本隆) and Yumi Arai contribute as lyricists. We also get Akiko Yano on piano, bassist Tsugutoshi Goto (後藤次利), legendary guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka (高中正義), and percussionist Nobuo Saito (斉藤 信男).

THE MUSIC

1. Caramel Rag: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Chopper's Boogie: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Hadoboirudo Town (はあどぼいるど町): ⭐⭐⭐ 
4. Being on the moon (月にてらされて): ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
5. Choo Choo Gatta Goto '75: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
6. She Is Gone: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. The Girl with the Freckles (ソバカスのある少女): ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
8. Jackson: ⭐⭐⭐
9. Yellow Magic Carnival: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
10. Ballade Of Aya: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐

Like many New Music albums of the 70s, Tin Pan Alley serves as a sort of a sampler platter of all the different styles of music they have mastered throughout the years, all combined with the band's signature "Yellow Magic '' production style and Hosono's strange sense of humor. Caramel Rag is a comedic overture featuring a ragtime sound backed by weird sound effects of roosters crowing, alarms ringing, and... bombs dropping? Upbeat funky jam sessions like Chopper's Boogie, highlight their knack for Jazz-rock fusion, with Takanaka's epic style guitar-shredding giving the song a vibe that would fit right in with Jeff Beck's Blow For Blow which came out a year prior. Choo Choo Gatta Goto '75 is a great cover from Hosono's own debut album, Hosono House, taking a folk-rock song and sending it to New Orleans with a much funkier ragtime number. We also get to hear rare instances of Matsutoya's vocal chops in Jackson, a strange funky cover of a country classic by Billy Edd Wheeler. Of course, we also get to hear Hosono's signature exotica sound with tracks like Yellow Magic Carnival and The Girl with the Freckles. The song that sticks out the most to me is She is Gone, with fantastic English lyrics sung by John Yamazaki, and a contemporary soft rock sound reminiscent of Pretzel Logic era Steely Dan.

Overall all of the songs on the album are really good, and truly represent each genre they emulate extremely well while also subverting them in creative ways. However, comparing this to their other work, this certainly isn't their best. With a few exceptions, you won't find anything as iconic as the works they've done for other albums, and many songs on this album would be covered later by their contemporaries to better effect. It's interesting to note that only 2 of the 10 songs (Caramel Rag & Ballad Aya) were produced by all four members, with the rest being solo productions by individual members, which explains why this record feels a bit disjointed compared to their other works. In spite of that, Caramel Mama is a compilation of songs that do a good job of showcasing Tin Pan Alley's versatility, fluidity, and discipline as a band.

*Also shout out again to Japanese study expert Moritz Sommet for his help with research on the band. For more information on Japanese culture, you should follow him on Twitter .*