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.
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