Hiroshi Sato - Super Market (1976)

Some readers may know the late Japanese pianist Hiroshi Sato from his excellent Awakening record with Wendy Matthews, or his work with folks like Haruomi Hosono and Tatsuro Yamashita (who, according the Japanese Wiki, called him Japan's greatest pianist). We have some other great, if more subdued albums of his however, starting with Super Market, his 1976 debut. There are some funky jams here, but nothing approaching the heights of the best Boogie or City Pop sounds that would appear in the next few years in Japan, in our opinion. What we're really digging are the Wilson-influenced, lightly fusion/"island sounds" rays caught from tracks like "レインボー・シーライン" and "Night in L.A.".

While it's difficult to find a detailed list of contributors without a physical copy, such notables as Shuichi "Ponta" Murakami, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Minako Yoshida, Kenji Omura, Yoshida Minako and
Kenji Takamizu appear on the record.

Tracklist

A1	私の彼氏は200歳
A2	レインボー・シーライン
A3	F. W. Y.
A4	用意はいいかな
A5	Night In L.A.
B1	High Times
B2	いとしのマリー
B3	スーパー・マーケット
B4	パラダイス
B5	For Jun

ENJOY!

Tamao Koike - Unreleased Materials [REQUEST]

I first mentioned underrated YMO-associate Tamao Koike back in July '11 when I posted Asami Kado's La Fleur Bleue record, which covers Koike's "Automne Dans Un Miroir", which is simply one of the greatest technopop jams of all time. Koike was a model, actor and YMO back-up singer before releasing these songs. According to the JP Wiki, Koike worked on an album with Toshio Nakanishi for Sony that never came out. Shame!



This odds 'n' sods collection includes several versions of "Automne Dans Un Miroir", along with other assorted singles and compilation tracks. Lots of '80s Japan touchstones here: YMO-assisted technopop, island/fusion, molasses dub, Francophilia, studio collage, idol and Laurie Anderson-style avant-new wave. Check it out!



JP WIKI
DISCOGS
ENJOY

Akiko Yano - Ai Ga Nakucha Ne (1982)

I've got a week break from grad school, so I'll hopefully be able to get a couple of posts up in the next few days. I'm still slowly fixing all the broken links in the archive. Anyway, here's a Technopop classic from Akiko Yano, Ai Ga Nakucha Ne, from 1982. Discogs provides a wealth of credits, especially when you combine the listings found here and here. These are perhaps the most detailed credits I've ever seen, and include "Nurse" and "Transportation".

Yano does it all here, with a lot of help from Sakamoto. The rest of the YMO/Yen gang show up as well, including Kenji Omura. David Sylvain sings the duet lullabye "Good Night" which closes out the album. Steve Jansen and Mick Karn from Japan also play on the album. Prolific session players David Rhodes and Shinichi Tanaka contribute as well. Kazuhiko Kato even shows up in the credits.



INFO:
Akiko Yano– Ai Ga Nakucha Ne
Label: Japan Records – JAL-1801 (LP), MIDI Inc. – MDCL-1252, MIDI Inc. – MDCZ-1227 (CD)
Format: Vinyl and CD
Country: Japan
Released: 1982 (LP), 21 Sep 1993 (CD)
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

TRACKLISTING:
01. Ai Ga Nakucha Ne
02. Kanashikute Yarikirenai
03. What's Got In Your Eyes
04. Oishii Seikatsu
05. Michi De Battari
06. Onnatachiyo Otokotachiyo
07. Aisuru Hito Yo
08. Sleep On My Baby
09. Another Wedding Song
10. Donnatokimo Donnatokimo Donnatokimo
11. Good Night

PERSONNEL:
Akiko Yano: Production, Vocals, Arrangements, Keyboards.
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Production, Arrangements, Keyboards, Vocals.
David Sylvain: Vocals
Haruomi Hosono: Bass
Mick Karn: Bass, Vocals
Steve Jansen: Drums, Vocals
Yukihiro Takahashi: Drums
Shinichi Tanaka: Engineering, Mixing
Steve Nye: Engineering, Mixing
David Rhodes: Guitar
Kenji Omura: Guitar
Robbie Mackintosh: Guitar
Motoya Hamaguchi: Percussion
Hiroki Komazawa: Steel Guitar
Shigesato Itoi: Lyrics
Peter Barakan: Lyrics
Yuji Takahashi: Lyrics, Writing, Production
Masafumi Oka: Lyrics, Writing, Production
Kazuhiko Kato: Writing, Production
Hachiro Sata: Lyrics

Masayuki Takahashi: Artwork
Takashi Nomura: Artwork
Hiroshi Okura: Management
Chiaki Shimada: Make-up
Noriko Yamanaka: Nurse
Hayami Koshiyama: Transportation
Bishin Jumonji: Photography
David Wooley: Tape Operation
Michio Nakagoshi: Tape Operation
Renate Blauel: Tape Operation

DISCOGS
AMAZON
US WIKI
JP WIKI
PLEASE ENJOY

RS - Works I - CM/ Works II - TV/Inst. [REQUEST]

A lot of this material can be found in this previous post, but check out these slimmer releases (from the same year). These albums are pretty recent, and I've been busted for posting S's work here by Blogspot before, so I'm not writing exactly what this is here. You can buy these for cheap on Amazon.co.jp, and I would suggest doing so. As far as I know these were never released in North America, and go for decent cash on Amazon.com

Anyway, check these out, because they rule. Lots of perfect little Technopop jams like this one:



Discogs
And Discogs
Works I
Works II

Urban Dance - Two and a Half (Two Half, 2 1/2) (1986)

We're not gonna let the death of Megaupload slow us down here at WAX MASK. I'm gonna check out Mediafire for a bit, see how it goes. I'm aware of the problems with MF, but since I don't have a ton of uploads or a zillion readers, I think we'll be ok. I'm slowly getting old links fixed, but I want to make sure I get caught up on new posts (I've got a lot of stellar jams on deck).

Here's the 1986 album from Urban Dance, 2 1/2, or Two and a Half (or "Two Half" as it's listed some places). This is a totally solid record, produced by Harry Hosono. This is on the more "out" end of Idol, similar to Peal Brothers but not as overtly comedic, and more Technopop.

Urban Dance – 2 1/2
Label: Teichiku Records
Released: 21 Jun 1986

TRACKS:
01. Psyco
02. Ceramic Dancer
03. Kiss X Kiss
04. Day After Day
05. Bara No Emilia
06. Dance A Go Go
07. Camera Opuscula
08. Crazy Love
09. Camp



CREDITS:
Executive Producer: Haruomi Hosono
Producer: Masaru Arakawa
Producer: Shinobu Narita

Discogs
ENJOY!

Rajie - 真昼の舗道 (1980)

A few days ago I posted Rajie's Quatre. Here's another album from Rajie, 真昼の舗道 from 1980. Alternately titled Pavement at Noon, A Midday Paved Road, or Le Trottoir Dapres-Midi, this album was originally released by CBS-Sony. A lot of the same YMO-family figures from Quatre appear, with the addition of Keiichi Suzuki and others.

01. ラスト・シーン/ Last Scene (Yoshitaka Minami/ Etsuko Kisugi)
02. 真昼の鋪道/ Pavement Midday (Yukihiro Takahashi/ Taeko Onuki)
03. 霧の部屋/ Room Mist (Etsuko Kisugi)
04. 偽りの鐘/ Bell Fake (Yukihiro Takahashi/ Kenji Omura)
05. アパルトマン/ Flat (Taeko Onuki)
06. ラジオと二人/ People and Radio (Sugi/ Shigesato Itoi)
07. ヨジレアン・ツイスト/ Yo Gillet Anne Twist (Keiichi Suzuki/ Shigesato Itoi)
08. みどりの声/ The Voice of Green (Akiko Yano)
09. 秋の嵐/ Storm in Autumn (Keiichi Suzuki/ Taeko Onuki)
10. 忘却/ Oblivion (Taeko Onuki)

Album Personnel (likely incomplete):
Production, drums, string arrangement: Yukihiro Takahashi
Synthesizer, bass: Goto (except 2,3,6,10)
Bass: Haruomi Hosono (2,6)
Guitar: Kenji Omura (except 3)
Keyboards: Toru Okada (except 3)
Synthesizer, keyboards: Ryuichi Sakamoto (2)
Keyboards: Akiko Yano (3,8,10)
Violin: Takashi Toyoda (1)
String arrangement: Nobuyuki Shimizu (3,6,9)



Discogs
YMO Works
Rajie Bio
Japan Wiki
More info
PLEASE ENJOY

Rajie/ ラジ - Quatre (1979)

Here's an eclectic 1979 album from Rajie/ ラジ, alias of Honda Junko, member of Moonriders spin-off group Pony Tail. The album is listed as Quatre (Cattle) in some places. Some really nice early technopop jams here, like track six, "星に乗って", and track eight, "月の光". I'm not as keen on the ballads and fusion songs here, although they're certainly sure-handed representations of form. The final track, "キリンのいる風景", is a really nice conclusion, sounding both cosmic and minimalist, and recalling the opening jam, "キャトル". Junko's classicist vocals float effortlessly through the album, almost defiant of form.

The technopop songs here definitely have the YMO sound, as Yukihiro Takahashi produced the album. YMO Works says Akiko Yano and Sakamoto worked on the album. Discogs and Wiki don't offer much information. Yoshitaka Minami is the second voice on duet "ときと き魔法". Thanks to Youtuber "slimglam", here's some YMO/YEN-heavy information about some of the tracks:

02. "ときとき魔法"
Vocals: Rajie, Yoshitaka Minami
Drums: Yukihiro Takahashi
Bass: Tatsuya Honda
Guitar: Masaki Matsubara, Yuuji Toriyama
Keyboard: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Production: Yukihiro Takahashi

05. "風の道"
Vocals: Rajie
Piano, Synth: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Production: Yukihiro Takahashi

07. "クリスマス"
Vocals: Rajie
Drums: Mikiya Kazama
Bass: Tatsuya Honda
Guitar: Yuji Toriyama
Keyboard: Hiroshi Matsumoto
Keyboard: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Production: Yukihiro Takahashi

09. "一枚のフォトクラフ"
Vocals: Rajie
Lyrics: Kazumi Yasui
Production: Kazuhiko Kato
Production: Yukihiro Takahashi
Production: Ryuichi Sakamoto

If readers have more information I'd be very interested to learn more about Rajie. This biography doesn't cite any sources, but states Rajie worked with Yukihiro Takahashi, Tsugutoshi Goto, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Akiko Yano, Keiichi Suzuki, Yoshitaka Mitami, Taeko Onuki and Masamichi Sugi. You can check out her earlier album Heart to Heart over at Fenikon's Fusion World, where Fenikon claims that her early work was a big influence on fusion-lord Toshiki Kadomatsu.

Discogs
YMO Works
Rajie Bio
Japan Wiki
PLEASE ENJOY

Taeko Onuki 大貫妙子 - Best 1978-1984

Here is one of several Taeko Onuki collections. Hopefully I'll follow this post with her early albums. I don't have personnel for a lot of the tracks, but certainly the members of YMO and Kenji Omura are involved, as well of Onuki's old Sugar Babe band-mate Tatsuro Yamashita. I could likely compile a list of players by cross-referencing the tracks with the albums and singles they originally appeared on, so perhaps I'll do that. For now, enjoy this best-of, which confidently pulls in fusion, technopop and dramatic idol directions.



From Discogs:
"Active since the early 70s, Taeko's first role was as a member of Sugar Babe with Tatsuro Yamashita. In the mid-1970s she began to release solo albums, regularly collaborating with Ryuichi Sakamoto and other members of the Yellow Magic Orchestra. Taeko appeared on Sakamoto's No More Landmine single in 2001 alongside David Sylvian and Cyndi Lauper and in 2010 is releasing an album and touring with Sakamoto."

The tracklisting on Discogs doesn't match the tracklisting on my rip, so I really don't know what's up. Anyway, here is the Discogs tracklist, and here's mine:

01 - 夏に恋する女たち
02 - 海と少年
03 - ピーターラビットとわたし
04 - 黒のクレール
05 - RECIPE (調理法)
06 - 新しいシャツ
07 - 恋人達の明日
08 - じゃじゃ馬娘
09 - 雨の夜明け
10 - 色彩都市
11 - CARNAVAL
12 - グランプリ
13 - 横顔
14 - 夏色の服
15 - 若き日の望楼
16 - 宇宙みつけた
17 - メトロポリタン美術館
18 - 風の道
19 - 突然の贈りもの



Discogs also says:
Label: BMG Japan
Catalog#: BVCR 18007-8
Released: 23 Jun 1999

Backing Vocals: Epo
Bass: Haruomi Hosono
Drums: Yukihiro Takahashi
Guitar: Kenji Omura
Keyboards: Ryuichi Sakamoto



DISCOGS
OFFICIAL SITE
LAST.FM
JP WIKI
PLEASE ENJOY

Kenji Omura – Spring Is Nearly Here 春がいっぱい (1981) [REQUEST]

Happy to oblige a request from Blogspot user "theillmasta," Kenji Omura's third solo album Spring is Nearly Here 春がいっぱい from 1981. Fusion-master and YMO's touring guitarist, Omura sadly passed in 1998 of liver failure at the age of 49. Omura's earlier albums are more fusion-specific, but with this record Omura adapts more of an Technopop style, recruiting all of YMO (and associates) for an album more in-line with the Alfa Records sound.

Omura's pals from Yellow Magic Orchestra serve as his backing band, with Takahashi and Sakamoto helping with production and writing on select tracks. YMO/YEN friends Akiko Yano, Toru Okada, Hideki Matsutake (Logic System), Shinya Hayama, and Kazuhiko Kato contribute as well. Mainstay Chris Mosdell provides lyrics.

The album's style rests somewhere between gentle fusion and Technopop, with relaxed, deliberate instrumentation and scattered, textural vocals. Tracks one and three, "Intensive Love Course" and "Seiko Is Always On Time" present fusion whimsy up front with nevertheless still, deliberate synthesizer, with Sakamoto co-producing "Seiko". The second jam, "Under Heavy Hands And Hammers", is more melancholy, with grand, stately vocals and a mild guitar solo (both from Omura). This is the first of several moments that isn't completely successful, risking maudlin over-statement.



The two covers on the album are low-points as well, Omura & co. tackling George Harrison's "Far East Man" and The Shadows' "Spring is Nearly Here" (an odd track to name the album after). To me Omura's cover of Harrison and Ron Wood's "Far East Man" is an unadventurous version of a song I already don't like. This track really communicates the worst of Omura's fusion background, actually sounding like tedious 70s soft rock. Lyrically, it's hard to say if the selection is ironic, given the "white man's burden" message hidden beneath Harrison's good intentions. I'm no Beatles scholar, so if anybody knows more about what Harrison is getting at with this track, let me know. Nice backing vocals from Akiko Yano anyway. Two tracks away is a surprise Shadows cover, morphing the 60s British pop group's proto-surf song into a half-finished sounding jam, nevertheless displaying the same level of underwater stasis as much of Spring is Nearly Here.



"Knife Life" brings the listener back to a proggy, fusion place, but is ultimately all tension and no release, plodding along to its unsatisfying fade-out. "The Prince of Shaba" is more successful, an assertive signature-Omura instrumental. This jam resolves itself nicely, with a lot of reverby, surfy "island-sounds" guitar, whimsical synth chirps and added percussion from Shinya Hayama.



Still, the highlights of the album are the two Takahashi-written tracks, "The Defector" and "Maps" (an YMO original). "Defector" is very Alfa, with Takahashi's signature driving yet pensive rhythm arrangement and decorative, trilling synths and guitar flourishes. Interesting that Peter Barakan wrote the lyrics to this song and not Mosdell. "Maps" is wild, a heavy marriage between Omura's fusion guitar and the YEN/Alfa aesthetic. These two jams have assertive vocals, Omura even doing his best David Byrne impersonation on "Maps".

While I can't give this album a ringing endorsement, there are enough solid jams here to warrant a listen, for sure. Certainly, this fills a gap in the YMO/YEN/Alfa story, and in Omura's more fusion-centric discography, as his most Technopop solo material. Enjoy!



TRACKLISTING
01. Intensive Love Course
02. Under Heavy Hands And Hammers
03. Seiko Is Always On Time
04. Far East Man (George Harrison cover)
05. Knife Life
06. 春がいっぱい (Spring Is Nearly Here) (Shadows cover)
07. The Defector
08. Inaudible
09. Maps
10. The Prince Of Shaba

CREDITS (from Discogs)
Music - Kenji Omura (tracks 01, 02, 03, 05, 08, 10)
- Yukihiro Takahashi (tracks 07, 09)
- Ryuichi Sakamoto (track 03)
Lyrics - Chris Mosdell, Peter Barakan (track 07)
Backing Vocals – Akiko Yano (track 04), Yukihiro Takahashi (track 07)
Bass – Haruomi Hosono
Drums – Yukihiro Takahashi
Guitar – Kazuhiko Kato (track 04), Kenji Omura
Keyboards – Ryuichi Sakamoto, Toru Okada
Percussion – Shinya Hayama (track 10)
Piano – Akiko Yano
Programmed By – Hideki Matsutake
Vocals – Kenji Omura
Track 04 lyrics and music - Ron Wood, George Harrison
Track 06 music by - Brian Bennett, Bruce Welch

Label: Alfa Records
Catalog#: ALR-28013

Discogs
Japan Wiki
PLEASE ENJOY

Asami Kado/ 門あさ美 - Anti-Fleur (1987)

Two weeks ago I posted Asami Kado's La Fleur Bleue album from 1988. Here's her LP from the year previous, Anti-Fleur. Both albums are produced by Yukihiro Takahashi. One more Kado record on the way!

Asami Kado/ 門あさ美
Anti-Fleur (1987) (JP)
Toshiba EMI

01. Anti Fleur
02. KOROKU
03. キリンと私
04. 太陽がいっぱい
05. SORADAKI (空薫)
06. みつばちのささやき
07. 魚になりたい
08. 道草
09. ひまわり

Images courtesy of Disclegend
More info on Kado here and here
ENJOY IT

Asami Kado/ 門あさ美 - La Fleur Bleue (1988)

It's a beautiful Summer day here in Western Massachusetts. Yet, instead of mowing the lawn or weeding the garden, I'm compelled to put off such chores in order to share integral, underheard Japanese pop music with all of you. I've been saving this fantastic album, and such an idyllic Saturday afternoon as this one seems the perfect opprtunity to post Asami Kado's 1988 full-length, La Fleur Bleue.

I don't have a lot of information about this one. While this is a late-80s EMI release, there are heavy YEN vibes throughout, especially in the later half of the album. Somewhere between Technopop and the more melancholy side of Idol, La Fleur Bleue is unique in that it also indulges in the island-sounds "fusion" obsession of the time, but in a totally creative way. With light Dub movements throughout, the album is marked by ghostly reverb-drenched vocals and patient, deliberate instrumentation. I would compare it to Saeko Suzuki's best work or Dip in the Pool.

Track seven, "退屈と二つの月", is a cover of Tamao Koike's YMO-assisted "Automne Dans Un Miroir". Yukihiro Takahashi produced this album as well as Kado's 1987 album for EMI, Anti-Fleur. Tracks like "Oriental Flash" and "フォマルハウトー南の魚" particularly sound like Takahashi creations. Can anyone confirm any further personnel for this album? Kado's Japanese Wiki page lists frequent collaborators (including Kenji Omura), but doesn't specify who produced or played on what. Speaking of Koike, I've got an album of hers to share soon as well. Until then, enjoy!



門あさ美/Asami Kado
Le Fleur Bleue (1988) (JP)
EMI Japan

01 - ここにいるの
02 - 夢の音
03 - 窓辺の肖像
04 - 青空を抱いていたい
05 - ほとり
06 - Oriental Flash (Instrumental)
07 - 退屈と二つの月
08 - 睦事
09 - 白い花と赤い花
10 - フォマルハウトー南の魚

DISCOGS
JP WIKI
JP AMAZON
PLEASE ENJOY

Saeko Suzuki - Studio Romantic (1987)

Here is the last of Saeko Suzuki's studio albums (that I know of), 1987's Studio Romantic. This album has three of Suzuki's best known songs, the brilliant "Happy End," which had been released as a single the year before, a re-worked version of "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday in the UK" and "Happy Families", an XTC cover (a big improvment, imo). There's also a version of Thunderclap Newman's "Something in the Air". The album seems mostly made up of covers, singles and remixes; the title of the album even stresses the process of recording, as opposed to composition. That isn't to say that there aren't original jams on the album, or to slight the creative integrity of the cover versions contained in Studio Romantic.

I don't have much info on the players. Peter Gabriel-associate David Rhodes played guitar on "Blow Up", according to this website.

"Happy End" doesn't appear to be a cover of YMO's track of the same name. But to confuse the matter, here is a two-part television presentation titled "Happy End" featuring an interview with Hosono followed by a performance from Suzuki and then from Takahashi. A bizarre sequence at the beginning features a cybernetic cow and a title card which reads "Friends of Earth". If any of our Japanese readers can shed some light on this video, please share in the comments section.

Part One: http://youtu.be/vJSVD8yLSbg
Part Two: http://youtu.be/YRtvx4LOrT8

I'll be posting some of Suzuki's soundtrack work as well as a few singles and miscellaneous tracks in the coming days.

Here's the video for "Happy End" from Music Tomato Japan. Nice to hear from our old friend Michael again:


Discogs:
Label: Midi Inc.
Catalog#: MDCZ-1030
Format: CD, Album, Reissue
Country: Japan
Released: 1987

Tracklist:
01. Blow Up
02. You're My Special
03. Something In The Air
04. Happy Families (XTC Cover)
05. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday In The UK
06. TV Dinner
07. Happy End
08. Freak In
09. Studio Romantic
10. Dear Walt
11. Adventure In South Pacific



ENJOY

Ryuichi Sakamoto - CM/TV (2002)

Ryuichi Sakamoto - CM/TV
Label: Warner Music (Japan)
Catalog#: WPC6-10244
Format: CD
Country: Japan
Released: 2002

This is a compilation CD collecting various commercial and television themes and interstitials composed by Sakamoto, pieces spanning the late 70s, 80s, 90s and early 2000s. I'm particularly into the catchy theme song from NHK's You! program, which I'd like to dedicate a post to some day (check the Katsuhiro Otomo animated intro). I apologize for the large file size, but hey, there are 50 tracks.

ENJOY!

Strictly Forbidden

Sandy, you devil!





Nearly ecstatic to discover this "homage" to the Sakamoto/Sylvain classic by Sandy Marton, belter of the undeniable "People from Ibiza" track. Not every day do I find such a link between two of my particular cultural obsessions. Check out both songs, and hear one of the most emotionally wrenching songs--built from Sakamoto's score for the brutally heart-rending Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence--morphed into a goofball utopian Italo-jam, complete with typically incomprehensible, mildly offensive lyrics.

The "Forbidden Colours" melody is basically used as an intro and bridge in the Marton version, but its influence is definitely felt throughout... Sandy was definitely feeling the vibe!

"Forbidden Memories" was released in '86, three years after the RS/DS original.

Koharu Kisaragi - Tokai no Seikatsu (1986)

Here is another album which I've unearthed that illustrates YMO's seemingly ubiquitous clutch on the 1980s Japanese "Technopop" (and assorted non-mainstream) landscape. Ryuichi Sakamoto produced only a few tracks on this album (I think), but Sakamoto's work actually stands in opposition to much of the album. Unlike some of the other Yen-associated female singers of the era, Koharu Kisaragi is clearly the mind behind the project, and Tokai no Seikatsu is an singular musical experience for it. Sakamoto's "Neo-Plant" production feels primarily like functional studio experimentation. This makes sense in the context of the original 12" single, but in the context of this album it's a bit jarring, even despite it's three-part framing of the album, and the admittedly appealing music itself.

While "Neo-Plant" is moderately known, this full-length album (her only?) seems obscure, and is absent from her Discogs page. The two parts of "Neo-Plant" and "Plant Posi" feature funky, mildly-dated hip hop-influenced production from Sakamoto, the sound of experimentation as I have posited. The rest of the album is a real mixed-bag, style-wise, but a quality bag for sure. No word on production or players for the other songs on Tokai no Seikatsu, but since Discogs credits Kisaragi with production on most of the 12" single, I assume she wrote the majority of these songs as well.

In contrast to Sakamoto's contributions and the wild + funky, cut & paste maximalism of much of Tokai no Seikatsu, my personal favorite track is "Traumerei", an haunted and restrained fugue, with subtle male backing vocals and piano, bassoon and click-track instrumentation. I assume Kisaragi provided the arrangement, I'd love to find out for sure.

If anybody has a rip of the single, let me know. I'd like to hear b-side "Tail", which is absent, despite Neo Plant's inclusion of "Traumerei", the other track on Neo-Plant's second side.

According to Artcontext, Kisaragi "died a few years ago". Like so much of the information in this post and in this blog, I can't substantiate that claim. If any Japanese readers have more information on Koharu Kisaragi, please comment or message me directly. Anyway, enjoy this eclectic and rewarding album.



Stay tuned, I've got A LOT of music to post in the coming weeks.
(I apologize for the extravagant file size)

HERE

Miharu Koshi - Boy Soprano (1985)

Here is Miharu Koshi's excellent album Boy Soprano, released by Non-Standard Records in 1985. This album is produced by Koshi's constant collaborator Haruomi Hosono, and the two split composition duties on the original tracks. Aside from the six originals, Koshi really pushes her vocals with two Schubert tracks, "Heidenröslein" and "Ave Maria", inspiring the album's title. As with most of her work, Koshi sings in several languages here. Hopefully I'll have more of her albums to share in the coming weeks.

Tracklisting:
01. Heidenröslein
02. Prie-Dieu [Yube No Inori]
03. Ave Maria
04. Marie-Ange
05. Mademoiselle Juju
06. La Nokto De La Cattleya [Cattleya No Yoru]
07. Vite, Usagi [Hashire Usagi]
08. Lip Shütz



Official Site
Wikipedia
Discogs
Hanamiweb
Download Parallelisme
Download Tutu

ENJOY

More Sakamoto/Imawano footage

Not sure how I missed this before



Not sure what the song at the very beginning is. This clip (series of clips?) really expresses the romance of the collaboration.

From the comments section:

"I vividly remember seeing the second one on TV (I was only 10!) Both of them were live TV shows. The first one is from "Yoru no HIt Studio" ("Hit Studio At Night" in Japanese) by Fuji TV, the second one is from "The Best Ten" by TBS (Tokyo Broadcast Station.) Kiyoshiro was one of the few Japanese rock stars who I cared. (Rest in peace.) Thank you for uploading this."

jvcforce 5 months ago jvcforce 5 months ago

Ryuichi Sakamoto and Kiyoshiro Imawano - Ikenai Rouge Magic (1982)

EDIT: Blogger sent me a "DMCA takedown notification" message concerning this post, so I've removed the link. No huge loss, as Youtube-rips are likely to be of higher quality than the scratchy, wavering vinyl-rips previously shared in this post. So go that route, for now. I encourage readers to email me with any questions or comments.



I've finally found a copy (a vinyl-rip I'm assuming) of the Sakamoto/Imawano collaboration "Ikenai Rouge Magic", which I wrote about in this earlier post. Unfortunately, the audio is quite poor, especially at the start of the A side. However, the (superior) B side "Akaruiyo" sounds fine. There used to be a higher-quality rip of "Ikenai" on Youtube, which I planned to swap with this file, but it seems to have been removed by Youtube. If any readers can provide a higher quality rip, shoot us a comment or email.

That said, I still really want to thank gracious Youtuber "trinity0818" (real name Shigenori) for sharing this single with WAX MASK. Shigenori also provided some background information, at my request:

Dear Greg

Hello.
This MP3 file is a thing of the EP record of 7 inches.
To our regret, I do not have the sound source of the remix version.
I'm sorry.

"Ikenai Rouge Magic" became a smash hit in Japan in 1982.
I was a junior high school student in those days.
Kiyoshiro Imawano was very active as the vocalist of "RC SUCCESSION".
Ryuichi Sakamoto did an overseas tours by "YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA".
At that time, I was very surprised because they who were the artists who represented Japan had united the unit.
They performed to Music Show of the television.
I got excited very much.

The death of Kiyoshiro Imawano was a very sad thing.
I attended in his funeral.
His 42,000 fans attended on the day.

However, the music of Kiyoshiro Imawano is not dead.
His music is loved also by the foreigner like you.
I am very glad.

If I for your help become it, it is glad.
Please enjoy his music for a long time.
Thank you !!!

Sincerely,

-Shigenori

Ikenai Rouge Magic

Discovered this collaboration between Imawano and Ryuichi Sakamoto from '82. I assume the single was a smash, as there's such a huge amount of video footage related to it on Youtube. I can't find any real information about the collaboration, or a vinyl-rip of the actual music. Some user comments (which I'm reading via Google Translator, Japanese to English) refer to an entire album of music by the two, but all I can find are mp3-to-Youtube rips of the single, the instrumental, and this fantastic version:



Many television performances of the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ0JpHyPF4c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJt176hzXgs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaDnUnNdE5w
Version with Oikawa Mitsuhiro standing in for Sakamoto: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMiKBG9R42U

Commercial: