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The Tangential Birth of the Horn Dogs + Marlene's "Summer Nights" (1982) (AKA The Hawaii Episode)

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Anyone familiar with the Beyond Yacht Rock podcast (and its successor series, the nascent Yacht or Nyacht Podcast ) might recall the collective term those guys coined for the horn sections that appear in various configurations across a number of bona fide yacht rock: the Horn Dogs. These guys — or a good chunk of them, rather —actually began as the Seawind Horns, a horn section that formed the nucleus of the Hawaii-based jazz fusion band Seawind. The band that would later become Seawind formed in 1974 under the name Ox; Jerry Hey (trumpet), Kim Hutchcroft (sax and flute), and Larry Williams (also sax and flute) joined up with Ken Wild (bass), Bud Nuanez (guitar), Bob Wilson (drums), and Pauline Wilson (vocals) and quickly made a name for themselves in Hawaii . By 1976, this local fame brought them to the attention to noted session drummer and producer Harvey Mason, who facilitated their move to Los Angeles ; the band, now renamed Seawind as a nod to their Hawaiian origins, enjoye...
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PART I—Eikichi Yazawa and the Doobie Brothers Connection

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 Often regarded as the King of Rock in Japan, Eikichi Yazawa's professional music career started (again) in the wave of the Japanese Language Rock Controversy. In 1972, the 23-year old Yazawa formed the band "Carol," heavily influenced by 1950s American rock and roll and the early rock-and-roll-focused Beatles. But I didn't necessarily need to tell you that, I could have just shown you the following video: Carol performing their song "Louisiana" on Japanese television, 1974 Yazawa's band dissolved in 1975, and for his debut solo album, I Love You, Ok , released the same year, he elected to head to Los Angeles to record at A&M Studios. The result was a stunning commercial failure back in his native Japan, as Yazawa branched out on I Love You, Ok towards an eclectic sound reflective more of the Americana-rock tinges of Little Feat and the early Doobie Brothers than the straightforward, electric guitar-based, rock and roll he had first gained mild fame...
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Shigeru Matsuzaki's "You're So Good For Me" (1980): The Neil Sedaka Connection

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 Once again we return to a Western song covered by a Japanese artist: this time Neil (& Dara) Sedaka's "You're So Good for Me." Released on Neil Sedaka's 1980 album In the Pocket , it was co-written by Neil and his daughter Dara (On the boat at 75.25 for  1982's "Huggin'"). The Sedaka version served as the B-Side for his single  "Should've Never Let You Go," which peaked at #19 on the Billboard in June/July 1980. Both "Should've Never Let You Go" and "You're So Good for Me" feature duets between Neil and his daughter, in what may be one of the most problematic duets to occur pre-"Lemon Incest." The Sedaka "You're So Good for Me" is not without its yacht merits, either, and it features some credible personnel from Los Angeles: David Hungate on bass, Dean Parks and Lee Ritenour on guitar, Gary Coleman on vibes, and Russ Kunkel on drums. Shigeru Matsuzaki, a Japanese musician...
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Keiko Mizukoshi - "I'm Fine" (1982)

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As I find myself dragged down by a Masters degree, I find myself with less and less time to put these together. That being said, I want to give this album the spotlight. It's really fucking smooth. Keiko Mizukoshi debuted in 1978 (though some sources place her in the music industry as far back as 1974), and began drifting from idol music towards the smooth musical production we find replete in yacht rock and city pop.  This hit its peak in 1982, with the recording of Mizukoshi's seventh album and first for Taurus Records, I'm Fine, recorded with Toto(!)        Above: "Jealousy" - One of the yachtiest Tokyocht songs I've found     Toto members David Hungate , Steve Lukather , David Paich , and Steve and Jeff Porcaro appear on the album , respectively keeping it smooth and bouncing on bass, guitar, keyboards, and drums. Percussionist Lenny Castro , second guitarist Dan Ferguson , and saxophonist Jim Horn round out the backing band. Background vocals a...
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Haruko — Million Stars (1978)

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Haruko Kuwana's debut album Million Stars was recorded in Hawaii and Los Angeles in 1978. She had previously been a member of Ghost Town People, the backing band used by her elder brother, Masahiro Kuwana, on his debut album in 1976. The elder Kuwana, born in 1953, clearly built his repertoire in a post-Happy End Japan, where western musical stylings were paired more and more frequently with Japanese-language lyrics. Though clearly nowhere close to the boat itself, "Baka no Otoko no R&R" (lit: "Stupid Man's Rock and Roll") takes on a clear western musical identity — the blues. The younger Kuwana, soon to be known mononymously as "Haruko," similarly adapts her repertoire to encompass a multitude of Western musical genres  — notably disco, funk, soul, and of course, yacht rock.  Million Stars ' A-Side was recorded in Hawaii and produced by Mackey Feary , two years post-Kalapana (CAB: 1975's "The Hurt " — 45). In addition to Fe...
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Preface: An Apology to a Friend / Hiroshi "Monsieur" Kamayatsu - "Walk Again" (1978)

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 I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to my friend Justin and, instead of the article I was originally going to set public today, veer us slightly off-course towards the Japanese guitarist Hiroshi Kamayatsu. Justin  — earlier this summer, I introduced you to a few songs off Kamayatsu's 1978 album Walk Again , knowing how much you enjoy synthwave, which this album is somewhat a progenitor of. I told you I'd send you the link to this album, but I forgot. When I saw you again late last week, I was suddenly reminded that I hadn't yet done that, so here's my attempt at making good while still fufilling the purpose of this blog. Anyway, back to today's subject: Hiroshi "Monsieur" Kamayatsu. Hiroshi Kamayatsu, who occasionally performed under the ostentatious stage name "Monsieur," was a Japanese guitarist who, much like Hirofumi Banba, started in the folk scene. He began performing in 1970, around the time of the Japanese Language Rock C...
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A Legendary Idol Records in L.A. : Momoe Yamaguchi's "L.A. Blue" (1979)

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It is difficult to explain the intricacies of idol culture in Japanese music in a way that most Americans wouldn't find foreign. Or,rather, the corporate nature of idol culture and marketing isn't as hidden in Japan as it is in the American music industry. Japanese "idols" are young girls and women (typically in their late teens when they begin performing) marketed based on attractiveness and a bubbly personality in addition to the entertainment that they provide; some argue that those qualities of attractiveness come first and foremost in an idol's marketing rather than the content of their entertainment, which lends to their description as "corporate" acts marketed mainly for profit rather than any deep connection to their industry of choice, but I digress. I am neither an expert in Japanese idol culture nor am I well-equipped enough to explain the politics of the music industry on either side of the Pacific. What is often difficult to diagnose, I have...
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