Tokyocht: Where City Pop and Yacht Rock Collide (But Don't Sink)

 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...

 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...