HORO by Chu Kosaka - 1975

Chu Kosaka (小坂忠), born July 8, 1948, is a Japanese singer-songwriter, gospel singer, and pastor, but back in the day he was one of the pioneers of Japanese pop music. Born Masayuki Kosaka (小坂正行), he began his musical journey with the Group Sounds band, The Floral in 1966. When The Floral broke up, Kosaka and fellow bandmates Eiji Kikuchi (菊池英二) and Hiro Yanagida (柳田博義) went on to form the band Apryl Fool alongside fellow pioneers Haruomi Hosono (細野晴臣) and Takashi Matsumoto (松本隆). The same year, he turned down joining Hosono's next band, Happy End in pursuit of a solo career, which he began as a performer in the original cast for Japan's first rock musical "Hair". He would make his solo debut in 1971 with Arigatou (ありがとう) and would culminate with his magnum opus, HORO(ほうろう).

Kosaka's 1975 album HORO belongs on the list of pre-Sugar Babe albums that would provide the foundation of modern City Pop, especially since many consider this to be the forerunner of modern Japanese R&B, or as they called it, Wasei-R&B (和製R&B). Before this album was released, Kosaka's previous 3 albums took on more of a folk-rock sound akin to Buffalo Springfield or Moby Grape, thanks to the help of legendary rock band Happy End for the first album and Kosaka's own band, Four Joe Half (it's a pun that in Japanese translates to Yojohan/四畳半) for the next 2. However, Kosaka admits that he was originally into soul music, citing his first favorite singer growing up as Ray Charles. So for his 4th record, he reached out to Haruomi Hosono to help co-produce, of course, Hosono brought Tin Pan Alley along for the ride to help recreate that soulful sound. The record also features Akiko Yano (矢野顕子) on the keyboard, although at this time she was still Akiko Suzuki (鈴木晶子), and her future (ex)husband, Makoto Yano (矢野誠) handling string & horn arrangements. The albums chorus included Minako Yoshida（吉田美奈子）, Taeko Ohnuki（大貫妙子）and Tatsuro Yamashita (山下達郎), the latter two still performing as Sugar Babe at the time.

THE MUSIC

1. Horo(ほうろう): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. Kikansha(機関車):⭐⭐⭐
3. Bon Voyage Warf (ボン・ボヤージ波止場) : ⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. Winter Storm Sketch (氷雨月のスケッチ): ⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. Yugata Love(ゆうがたラブ): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6. Shirakechimauze(しらけちまうぜ) : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. Meteor City (流星都市): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. Tsurube Ito(つるべ糸): ⭐⭐⭐
9. Furaibo (ふうらい坊): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Most city pop records have a big city aesthetic to them however, HORO's unique blend of folk, blues & R&B gives the record a down-home feel to it. Instead of New York or LA, Kosaka takes us on a tour through an old coastal town, possibly Burbon Street in Louisiana. Kosaka himself has a great bluesy voice that lends well to the roots feel of the music. The added string arrangements in certain songs add a layer of Philidelphia-soul to put a bowtie on an otherwise grittier sound.

The titular song HORO is a funky rhythm & blues number that sets the mood for the album. Songs like Kikansha & Tsurube Ito still retain much of Kosaka's folk roots while leaning into a bit of blues & gospel music with the organ. Kikansha in particular shows up in Kosaka's first 2 albums and progressively gets more bluesy with each recording. Bon Voyage Warf shifts gears into full-on soul with a jazzy beat set to the ticking of a clock. While not derivative of it, the song creates a vibe very similar to Otis Redding's Sitting On The Dock of the Bay, it's a quiet song that makes you feel self-reflective while staring out into the ocean. Yougata Love takes you to church as it dives deeper into the funk side of things and mixes it with a little gospel with the funky organ and the upbeat chorus break down. Songs like Shirakechimause and Meteor City bring us closer to that contemporary City Pop sound with an uptempo strut, a light-hearted chorus, and funky guitar riffs. Winter Storm Sketch and Furaibo are excellent renditions of Happy End classics, Winter Sketch Storm in particular have a great honky tonk vibe to it.

Overall Chu Kosaka's HORO stands out as a bluesy City Pop album that provides more of a down-to-earth sound than most other records and is easily Chu Kosaka's best album up to this point. The best part is that we have the choice of the original and the remake he did in 2010. HORO 2010 is definitely its own experience since we get to hear an older more seasoned Kosaka sing classic tracks that have been remastered for the 21st century. You won't go wrong with either choice.

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 .*

Thru Traffic by Narumi & Etsu -1982 | ALBUM REVIEW

THE HISTORY

The story of this album begins with Tohoku Shinkansen, no not the train line, but rather a singer-songwriter duo consisting of the late Hiroshi Narumi (鳴海寛), and Etsuko Yamakawa (山川恵津子), who also go by Narumi & Etsu. Both of these artists had roots in classical music, but where Yamakawa would begins to draw influence from Group Sounds and wester pop from the 60s, Narumi would venture into the realms of soft rock, R&B, and bossa nova.

Their paths would officially cross at Yamaha Music Foundation which was behind the Popular Song Contest (PopCon). As a young college student, Yamakawa would work part-time at the Yamaha Music Foundation as an office assistant. While there she got to know the staff in the Creative Works "R&D" department, where she met famous composers & arrangers like Mitsuo Hagita, Motoki Funayama, and Osamu Totsuka. While she did her routine duties, she would secretly take a look at the scores that they had created, take notes on some of their techniques and methods.

Before long, Yamakawa was able to work with “Cocky Pop”, a popular radio program sponsored by Yamaha, where she first encountered Hiroshi Narumi. Narumi was still a high school student at the time, but due to his innate talent, he was recognized and his compositions were used as television themes. Copies of his demo tapes eventually made their way to Yamakawa, and she was immediately impressed with his skill as a composer at such young age. Narumi & Etsu would later join the backing band for the female singer-songwriter, Hiroko Taniyama, Etsu as a keyboardist, and Narumi playing the guitar. Narumi's guitar skills would be noticed by his senpai, Makoto Matsushita, and work under him on his 1979 album, Summertime Love Songs.

Soon after, positions opened up in singer-songwriter Junko Yagami’s backing band, The Melting Pot. Narumi & Etsu joined and helped out as both studio musicians, and as stage arrangers for the band. A Yamaha director who had been paying close attention to their work suggested that perhaps the both of them could form their own music unit. Thus began the official duo of Tohoku Shinkansen. While both would handle arrangements and chorus work, Hiroshi Narumi handled the guitar playing on his Gibson Byrdland, Yamakawa was in charge of the arrangement of all of the keyboards along with strings and horns. Other notable musicians on the album included popular anime composer Kentaro Haneda on piano, renowned bassists Tsugutoshi Goto and Kenji Takamizu, drummer Hideo Yamaki from the jazz band Toshinori Kondo & IMA, percussionist Motoya Hamaguchi, and of course, saxophonist Jake H. Concepcion. Junko Yagami herself also joined in the backing vocals, along with British singer-songwriter, Rupert Holmes, and American singer Christine Faith. Singer-songwriter Yasuhiro Abe also provides a song for the album, September Valentine, which he originally wrote for folk artist Yukio Sasaki (佐々木幸男).

While recording the album went comparatively well, the overall production was faced difficulties with alternating staff, disagreements contracts between the duo and the Yamaha Studio, and lack of promotion. Even the odd name of Tohoku Shinkansen came about from the fact that the project's own setbacks mirrored the real-life express trains' own troubled construction. The album eventually released on June 25th, 1982. While it did not sell well and the production disagreements would hurt their relationship with Yamaha, it served as a vital launching point in their careers. A fellow AOR artist, Tatsuro Yamashita, had just released his own seminal album, For You, that same year. When he heard Thru Traffic, he immediately invited Narumi & Etsu to join him as backing vocalists for his live tour.

Narumi also joined Takao Kisugi’s band and would become a producer for artists like Cindy and Kyosuke Kusunoki. His fame grew exponentially later that decade when he participated in Yamashita’s JOY Live Concert in 1989. Harumi's performance on the song “Soubou”, is most notable with his soulful guitar playing. Later on, in 1994, he would put out three more albums with the band Frasco. Meanwhile, Yamakawa also distinguished herself as an arranger and composer, handling a wide area of genres from Jazz Fusion, to AOR, to idol music. In 1986, she would win an award in arrangement for a Kyoko Koizumi song at the Japan Record Awards.

THE MUSIC

• Summer Touches You: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• The album wastes no time and starts off with a smooth summer grove with a Bobby Caldwell rhythm and awesome vocal harmonization done by Hiroshi Narumi.
• Up And Down: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• A smooth jazz number perfect for when you're stuck in traffic, featuring Etsuko's angelic singing, a hypnotizing flute, tight horns, and a groovy guitar solo accompanied by a beautiful string arrangement. The song sneaks a very surprising, split-second cutaway from the music as Narumi & Etsu silently whisper, "up & down" in your ear. 
• 心のままに (Kokoro no mama ni/ As You Please) :⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Narumi channels his inner Christopher Cross, to provide a relaxing yacht rock melody accompanied by yet another great string arrangement, some acoustic guitar, and mesmerizing vocal harmonies. 
• Strange Wine: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• A Gino Vanelli-style soft rock ballad about lost love. The song starts off as a soft, sensual ballad where Narumi croons about reminiscing over his ex while getting tipsy, then the instrumentation swells up until finally, he's wailing sorrowfully, as if pleading for forgiveness, over an electric guitar solo.
• September Valentine: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• A jazz lounge ballad of the Frank Sinatra persuasion, featuring beautiful piano playing, a relaxing bassline, and an angelic, Manhattan Transfer style vocal chorus. 
• 月に寄りそって (Tsuki ni Yorisotte/ Leaning On The Moon): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Narumi & Etsu exchange verses in this romantic R&B duet.  
• Cloudy: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• A relaxing ballad is sung by Etsu with some Michael Franks style bossa nova influences sprinkled in.
• Spell: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Another Latin-jazz tune, this time as an instrumental complete with a saxophone solo, mesmerizing flutes, and a ghostly sensual background chorus. All tied together with Narumi's excellent jazzy guitar riffs. 
• Last Message: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• The album ends with Etsu's sultry voice lulling us to a 50's style love ballad.

    THE VERDICT

A few years ago I would have told you Ride On Time was my favorite City Pop album of all time. Well, let's just say that my tastes have matured since then. That's not to say it's not one of my favorites, it's still very near and dear to my heart as it has a lot of songs I grew up listening to. But now that the nostalgia glasses are off, I've since discovered other records that represent the peak of City Pop's brilliance, this is definitely one of them. Each song represents a different faction of the easy listening music scene and does so flawlessly. Blending the AOR sensibilities of Gino Vanelli, Bobby Caldwell, in songs like Strange Wine and Summer Touches You, channeling the essence of Bill Chaplinin in Leaning On The Moon, even taking a few pages out of the Great American Songbook with songs like September Valentine & Last Message.

And don't even get me started on the vocals! If you would have told me that this was a collaboration between Makoto Matsushita and Junko Yagami, I wouldn't be the wiser! Narumi & Etsu's singing was top-notch! Narumi's deep voice is just as smooth as the likes of Matsushita or Yoshino Fujimaru, but he's never afraid to hit any high notes. Etsuko Yamakawa has a voice that's so ethereal but manages to sound sultry when it needs to. Thru Traffic is the pinnacle of Japanese AOR and my personal favorite City Pop album. From the aesthetic of the cover to the variety of music styles, everything is done with extreme polish, smarm, & class. If you are a die-hard City Pop fan, then this is a must-have.

YOSHINO FUJIMAL by Yoshino Fujimaru - 1982

If there was a City Pop artist that embodied the word "cool" it would be Yoshino Fujimaru (芳野藤丸). Not just because he's a prolific studio musician, or the fact that he's always wearing a fancy suit with sunglasses on all of his album covers, but also from a musical standpoint. From his smooth deep voice to his west coast yacht rock-style guitar playing, Fujimaru's music provides an aesthetic that oozes with a certain swag that very few can pull off. Nowhere is this more exemplified than in his 1982 eponymous album, YOSHINO FUJIMAL.

    THE HISTORY

 After graduating from Hakodate La Salle Academy and wandering the west coast of the US for about 10 months, Fujimaru came back to Japan to pursue his musical career. Fujimaru started off as part of Hiro Tsunoda's (角田博民) Flying Space Band in 1972, then moved on to form the Fujimaru Band in '73, which became the official live band of superstar idol, Hideki Saijo (西城秀樹). After the Fujimaru Band released their one and only album in 1977 called BGM, they broke up and Fujimaru would form another band with American Singer-Songwriter, Casey Rankin called the One Line Band, which later became known as Shogun in 1978. After releasing a string of albums, and Television tie-in songs (most notably the theme of Detective Story, Bad City), Fujimaru caught wind of fellow session musician turned singer-songwriter, Makoto Matsushita (松下誠), and his '81 album First Light.

Feeling inspired by Makoto's work, Fujimaru wanted to move his career in a similar direction and started working on his first solo album. Some notable credits include two members from the band Spectrum, drummer Atsuo Okamoto (岡本郭男), and bassist Naoki Watanabe (渡辺直樹). There's also famous Percussionists, Nobuo Saito (斉藤信男), and all-star saxophone player, Jake H Conception.  Makoto Matsushita himself also helps out on the album with backing vocals and extra guitar work, and with him, he brought the drummer Taeko Kukichi (菊池丈夫) who had previously worked with him on Summer Time Love Song from 1979. The album also guest stars female singers, EPO and Haruko Kuwana (桑名晴子), as extra backing vocals. Fujimaru composed all the tracks but received help with lyrics from Kazuko Kobayashi (小林和子), Yoshihiko Ando (安藤芳彦), and American lyricist Jeff Keeling. 

After the success of YOSHINO FUJIMAL, released on July 21 of 1982, Fujimaru, Matsushita, Okamoto, and Watanabe, would join forces to form yet another band, The AB's, and continue to hone their unique brand of AOR sound.

THE MUSIC

In the Day Time (SIDE A)

•  Who Are You?: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 
• Fujimaru evokes summer with his own opening guitar riff that puts the sparkle in your heart, followed up with a groovy tropical disco beat. Haruko Kuwana shares the spotlight on the mic for a wonderful duet. 
•  Mid-Night Plus 1: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐  ⭐  
• The momentum picks up a bit as Fujimaru sings about speeding down a rainy highway. The track features a funky bass solo backed by bongos.
• One-Shot Lady: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐ 
•  A funky reggae-inspired groove featuring some awesome percussion. 
• Free Way 5 to South: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 
• The Daytime side ends with a laidback, but cool cruising song. Complete with a memorizing chorus, and a memorable and soothing guitar solo. 
• 
  

In the Night-Time (SIDE B) 

• Girl's In Love With Me: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 
• This groovy R&B track kicks off the Night Side of the album with a bombastic sax solo. Fujimaru's first English song on the record is an instant classic. It was such a good song, they used it for the '80s anime, Cat's Eye.
• Shang-Hide Night: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐ 
• A funky, oriental-inspired track about nightlife in Yokohama's Chinatown. Features some pleasant piano work accompanied by some interesting synth sounds that make it feel like something from Yellow Magic Orchestra.
• Not What I'm Looking For: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 
• A laid-back and atmospheric, groove where Fujimaru tells the story of his encounter with a dangerous and deceitful woman. The use of synths and echoing guitar create an air of suspense one might find in a Neo-Noir film.
• Pretender: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐
•  The closing track continues the dark & mellow vibes, but this time with a programmed drum beat, accompanied by a simple bassline and more echoing guitars to create a minimalistic vibe.

THE VERDICT

Yoshino Fujimal manages to create his own style of summer pop with his eponymous album that sets it apart from its contemporaries. While other summer albums are like drinking a pina colada at the beach, this one is like sipping on a mojito in a lounge chair on an offshore yacht, with your shades on of course. The whole production is chock full of melodic guitars, groovy baselines, slick saxophone playing, and infectious harmonious backing vocals. Fujimaru's vocals are irresistibly smooth, both in Japanese and English, songs like Girls In Love with Me prove that he could give Bobby Caldwell a run for his money. Although it's not an album that breaks any new ground, everything is executed incredibly well.

Each song has a unique identity while still retaining all of the elements that make Fujimaru's music so cool. The day/night cycle is perfectly embodied within each song. All the daytime songs have incredible energy to them, especially high-energy dance tracks like Midnight Plus 1, and Who Are You. As the final track of Side A, Freway 5 To South,  does an excellent job of creating an atmosphere of driving into the sunset, with the backing vocals getting more intense as the guitar solo plays out. Girls in Love with Me and Shang-Hide Night are the perfect backdrop for taking your date on a night around town. The last two songs, Not what I'm looking for and Pretender, provide a dark and mellow vibe that closes out the album on a good note.

YOSHINO FUJIMAL is an album that takes all of your favorite City Pop tropes and adds an air of cool to them. If you're a fan of good old fashion west-coast yacht rock, then this record is right up your alley.