Welcome to Sake and Tears – a monthly radio show that aims to unearth the forgotten gems of Japanese popular music of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, trawling through the bargain bins of Tokyo record stores and beyond to find the finest cuts of Showa Kayo, Enka, Mutant Pop and Cult Cinema Soundtracks for your listening pleasure. Hosted by Tombed Visions label boss, David McLean.
The second instalment of an unofficial two-parter, Episode 8 continues to survey the glorious sounds of Showa Kayo, laying siege to a an extensive haul of 7 inches acquired over the summer months. We’re clocking nearly 40 individual songs. We have show staples like Yujiro Ishihara, Keiko Fuji, Shinichi Mori making return appearances, including a rare super low-key alternative edition of Tetsuya Watari’s ‘Tokyo Drifter’, but the meat of this month’s show is designated for the under appreciated stars of the Showa Kayo world. We have some stirring roots rock via Akiko Wada, some harrowing, super moody Kayo from doomed songstress Hiroko Tomo and two lesser-known cuts from Reiko Ike’s ‘porno-groove’ masterpiece ‘World of Ecstasy’, which caused a stir on its release in 1971, in no small part due to it’s x-rated front cover. There are also haunted lounge versions of two well-known Kayo standards by glamorous model and actress Ako Midorikawa, an opulent, unrequited love ballad by golden voiced Kazuo Funaki and a strangely bewitching and certified ear-worm by Yumiko Kokonoe. We even have a back to back comparison of Tomio Umezawa’s most well known tune, a Led Zep-referencing power ballad and some New Romantic bargain bin gold from boy band ‘Safety Zone’ and a silky, 80's funk ballad from starlet Yuri Honma. There’s even a ghostly, rare concert rendition of show tune and big band singer Yoko Kishi's most famous song ‘Two Stars’, which has been reduced to a funeral ballad and sounds like a stray Nico live cut from the late 80’s. All this amongst the usual late-night whiskey nursers you’d expect. Minimal narration on this month’s edition to allow you to plumb the bargain bin depths, uninterrupted. Full Track List Below:
Ouyang Fei Fei – Rainy Yokohama
Yuri Honma – Such A Night
Kenichi Mikawa – The Woman on the First Train
Akiko Wada – Wandering/Yokosuka
Akiko Wada – Shooting Star
Eriko Yoshimura – Whenever I Meet You
Yumiko Kokonoe – Kissing You Again
Ruriko Watari – Doronko Blues
Tetsuya Watari – Tokyo Drifter (Alternate Slower Version)
Mariko Ann – Princess of Love
Kazuo Funaki – Late Night In Akasaka
Shinichi Mori – The Older Woman
Reiko Ike – A Woman Named
Reiko Ike - Bonds of Love
Masaomi Kondō - Because of the Girl
Kazuko Aoyama – Please Give Me A Dream
Keiko Maruyama – Please Leave Things As They Are
Yukiko Noji – Three Tears
Hideo Oki & Yoko Tsuyama – Shinjuku Raised
Mari Sono – I was Lonely
Izumi Chidori - Hitoshi Scarlet Sakura
Koji Tsuda – Kawachi Yuuden
Yuji Ishihara – What To Forget
Ako Midorikawa – Kasabah Woman
Ako Midorikawa – Dreams Open at Night
Michi Aoyama – My Blues
Aya Katsu – Koi Azami
Mari Henmi – Experience
Yoko Kagawa – Just Because She’s a Woman
Hiroko Tomo – It’a Woman’s Name
Hiroko Tomo – Tears
Takuya Jo - Let's skip it and say goodbye
Izumi Ayukawa – Winter Flowers
Safety Zone – Y Tension
Tomio Umezawa – Yume Shibai
Masako mori – Yume Shibai
Yoko Kishi – Two Stars (Rare Live version)
Episode 7 sees a firm return to the glorious realms of Showa Kayo with nearly 2 hours of back-to-back gold from the Tokyo bargain bins. We have stand-out singles from gravelly voiced enka hardman Koji Tsuda, a ghostly prairie ballad by Tokiko Kato, a gorgeously gloomy 90’s love song by Mariya Takeuchi and a dramatic miniature masterpiece by Chiemi Eri, one of the best to every do it. Comparison tunes are back in the fold and you’ll be able to pick you favourite version of ‘Hibotan Bakuto’ sung by both chambara film star Junko Fuji and show regular Mina Aoe as well and two interpretations of ‘Ginza Blues’, with the original sung by Frank Nagai & Kazuko Matsuo. We also have some laconic lounge tunes by the delicately voiced Keiko Saijo, fist clenching enka by Yakuza film bit part actor Takuzo Kawatani and a run of taste testing 80’s audaciousness from Kenji Niinuma, Down Town Boogie Woogie Band and Tatsuhiko Yamamoto, closing the show with two very special low-key songs from Japan’s fertile experimental music scene. Full Tracklist below:
Hiroshi Mizuhara – If You’re A Man
Kiyoko Itoh - Flower Madonna
Kazuko Matsuo & Frank Nagai – Ginza Blues
Ken Kuroki – On The Rocks Rock
Reiko Kita – Woman’s Handprint
Tomoko Ogawa – Silver Rain
Tokiko Kato – I Want To Go Home, But Can’t
Kaoru Chiga - Charisoyo Soul
Keiko Fuji – Sai Hate No On’na
Ryotaro Sugi – Man’s Song
Chiemi Eri - Sanosa
Sachiko Nishida – Ginza Blues
Keiko Saijo – Don’t Even Know People
Keiko Saijo – Lakeside Inn
Frank Nagai – Tokyo 3am
Junko Fuji – Hibotan Bakuto
Mina Aoe – Hibotan Bakuto
Masaru Shiga – The Two Remaining Travellers
Koji Tsuda – Tokai Yukuden
Takuzo Kawatani – Killer Bushi
Takuzo Kawatani – Song of the Deadly Man / Black Dog
Ryotaro Sugi – Floating Song
Downtown Boogie Woogie Band – Blind Spot In The Daytime Theme
Kenji Niinuma – Tsugaru Koijo
Tetsuro Kashibuchi – Dazzling
Tatsuhiko Yamamoto - May Storm
Seiko Matsuda - The Tomb of Wild Chrysanthemum Theme
Mariya Takeuchi – Single Again
Ghost - Way To Shelkar
Hontatedori – Iron Fence
With over 70 tracks and a suitably immersive run time of well over three hours, episode 6 of Sake & Tears is another special, this time focusing on the fertile ground of Japanese film and TV soundtracks. Featuring carefully selected audio from long running weekly Samurai action shows, coming of age dramas, art-house curiosities and a predictably heavy focus on all things crime, this edition runs from nocturnal jazz, gorgeous 90’s ambience, the odd 80's fist clencher and deep into gritty 70’s funk. We have killer cuts from the filmographies of legendary Japanese composers like Kenji Kawai, Joe Hisashi, Shigeru Umebeyashi and Masaaki Hirao with lesser-known work from Daisuke Kume, Chuji Kinoshita and jazz bassist Osamu Shiomura, finishing the show with startling and beautiful rare composition form the incomparable and peerless giant of Japanese film, Toru Takemitsu.
1.-4. – Akihiko Takashima – The Beast Must Die (1980) - AX-7286-AX
5.-10. - Toshiro Mayuzumi – The Beast Must Die (1959) - FJSP330
11.-14. - Shigeru Umebayashi – Let Him Rest In Peace - C28A0412
15.-16. – Daisuke Kume- Violent Cop - CINK-46
17.-20. – Joe Hisaishi – Kid’s Return - PROS-7036
21.-24 – Osamu Shiomura – Death’s In Tokimeki - 20MX 1162
25.-28. - Masaaki Ohmura – “You Gotta Chance” - SM25-5413
29.-32. – Kenji Kawai – Patlabor 2 - WRWTFWW048LTD
33.-36. – Chuji Kinoshita – My Son! My Son! - MR-7053
37.-40. - Hozan Yamamoto & Yu Imai – The Devil’s Flute - MRBLP234
41.-48. - Masaaki Hirao – Deadly Worker Vol. 3 - K22G-7243
49.-52. - Katsuhisa Hattori – Edo No Kaze - HRLP 216
53.-57. - Masaaki Hirao – Mortal Punishment - K23G-7282
58.-61. - Tatsuya Takahashi & Tokyo Union – Big City - MR 7042
– Sounds Ace Band – Theme from ‘Oh Youth!’ - YLT132
– Sounds Ace Band – Theme from ‘Endless Days’ - YLT132
– Anzen Band – Theme from ‘Endless Days’ - BMA-4
65.-67 - Inoue Takayuki Band – Howl At The Sun - AX-8033
– Bunta Sugawara – Excerpt from Battles Without Honour and Humanity - CF-49
– Unknown – Theme from ‘The Fang of Edo’ - DR-6371
– Takeo Yamashita – Theme from ‘7 Detectives’ - DR 6209
– Toru Takemitsu – Time Within Memory - KVX-1063
Marking the first Jazz Special, this month’s episode of Sake and Tears aims to explore the Japanese Jazz scene from the 60’s to the modern day, with a mixture of straight-ahead bangers, deep dark fusion workouts, avant-garde curiosities and solo piano beauty. Tracks have been carefully selected from lesser-known albums from back catalogue of titans like Yosuke Yamashita, Masabumi Kikuchi, Terumasa Hino and Masahiko Togashi as well as giving some well-deserved exposure to the likes of Satoko Fujii, Tomami Koyake, Akira Miyazawa, Shoji Aketagawa and Tokashi Kako. Full Tracklist below:
Hozan Yamamoto – Prologue
Hozan Yamamoto – Sawonose
Gary Peacock – Requiem
Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band – Memory
Toshiko Akiyoshi Quartet – Sumi
Satoko Fujii Orchestra – Jo
Akira Sakata – Saitaroh-Bushi
Jam Rice Sextet – Jam Rice Relaxin' Side B (Edit)
Masabumi Kikuchi Quintet - Admire, But Detest (Mr. Out)
Tokashi Kako - L'Aube
Tamami Koyake – Activity
Yosuke Yamashit & Masahiko Togashi – May Green
Kiyoshi Sugimoto Quartet – Rosetta Stone
Akira Miyazawa – ‘Round Midnight
Akira Miyazawa/Masahiko Sato/Masahiko Togashi/Yasuo Arakawa – Scarborough Fair
Nobuyasu Furuya Quintet – Jap Agitator Caught Again
Terumasa Hino – Wind Blows Your Skin
Shoji Aketagawa – Khalifa
Sabu Toyozumi - Malachi's Tune
Yosuke Yamashita Trio + 1 – Picasso
Yosuke Yamashita Trio & Guests - Anomachi Konomachi
Honda Takehiro Trio – You Don’t Know What Love Is
Making up for the delays between shows, this month's edition is another bumper episode, featuring multiple tracks from screen legends Tetsuya Watari and Yujiro Ishihara, Avant-pop duo Ippu-Do, doomed ballader Hako Yamasaki, Argentinian folk singer Graceila Susana and Showa Kayo starlet Aki Yashiro. We also have the long overdue appearance of the iconic Maki Asakawa, who reinvented what Showa Kayo could do with a series of delicate and introspective albums in the 70's, blending folk, jazz and American blues into bewitching nocturnal cocktail built around her trademark smoky vocals. This show premieres two songs from her recently reissued album 'American Night', which saw Maki move her signature sound into the realms of urban, late night funk. Also on the show we have singles from the Japanese James Dean, Keiichiro Akagi, Cop and Samurai film star Ryotaro Sugi, avant-garde renaissance man Toshinori Kondo, psych-blues songstress Lily and returning hits from Tamaki Sawa, Keiko Fuji, Sachiko Nishida and Midori Sasa. Full Track list below:
Tetsuya Watari – Tokyo Drifter
Yujiro Ishihara – One Rainy Night In Tokyo
Tetsuya Watari – Toryanse Jingi
Mieko Makimura - Toryanse Jingi
Yujiro Ishihara – Man’s Storm
Toshinori Kondo & IMA – Yami
Ippu-Do - Lonely Sealion
Ippu-Do – Dream of the Gypsies
Akina Nakamori – Okibi
Tatsuhiko Yamamoto - Night Memories
Carmen Maki – Sometimes Like A Motherless Child
Ranbo Minami – Musashino
Tamaki Sawa – Goodbye, My Love
Lily – Turn It Over Love
Hako Yamazaki – Whimsical
Hako Yamazaki – Goodbye
Mimi Hiyoshi – Story of a Man and a Woman
Keiichiro Akagi – Today’s Only Love
Sachiko Nishida – I Want To Believe
Keiko Fuji – Tokyo Drifter
Ryotaro Sugi – Will You Die For Others?
Sayuri Ishikawa – Tsugaru Winter Scene
Midori Sasa – Mother & Child Dance
Aki Yashiro – Woman Port Town
Aki Yashiro – Your Blues
Graciela Susana – One Rainy Night In Tokyo
Graciela Susana – Seperation (Wakare)
Maki Asakawa – It’s Snowing
Maki Asakawa - Woman
Maki Asakawa – American Night
May’s edition of Sake and Tears is a bumper episode, featuring a whopping 26 songs of bargain bin brilliance. Along with the usual cuts from cult crime and samurai films we have two sets of three song comparisons throughout the show, dotting different versions of ‘Yanagase Blues’ and ‘Dreams Open At Night’ amongst filmic curiosities from Tatsuya Fuji, Hiroki Matsukata and Shigeru Amachi, stone cold classics from show regulars Keiko Fuji, Mina Aoe, Hiroko Ogi and Shinichi Mori and even a cursory look at City Pop, a fusion of jazz, soft rock, funk and soul that became the soundtrack of Bubble Economy-era Japan. Full Track list is below:
Kenich Mikawa - Yanagase Blues
Chiyo Okumura – Love Madness
Jun Mayuzumi – Something Happens On A Saturday Night
Tomisaburo Wakayama – Gokudo Blues
Shinichi Mori – I’ll Love You More Than Anyone
Lee Sung Ae – Unavoidable Fate
Keiko Fuji – Yanagase Blues
Tamaki Sawa – Kasbah Woman
Shigeru Amachi – Ruthless Licence
Hiroki Matsukata – Nemuri Shiro’s Theme
Sachiko Nishida – One On One Blues
Yukio Mishima – Afraid To Die
Hiroko Ogi – The Night Is Falling
Noboru Ando – Black Dog
Takashi Shikauchi – Honmaki Fairy Tale
Saori Yuki – Scat at Dawn
17.寺尾聰 – Habana Express
Akira Terao – Habana Express
Naoko Kawai – Fog Rain Pier
Junko Yagami – Secret Love
20.渡辺真知子 - フォグ・ランプ
Machiko Watanabe – Fog Lamp
Tatsuya Fuji – Flower Round
Tatsuya Fuji – Dreams Open At Night
Kan Mikami – Dreams Open At Night
Keiko Fuji – Keiko’s Dreams Open At Night
Mina Aoe – Yanagase Blues
Akira Kobayashi – Legend of Turmoil Theme
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJPAsYnWDds&t=80s)
Episode 2 showcases the brilliance of famed singer Chiemi Eri, whose bustling mixture of jazz, mambo and Latin moods reinvented Japanese folk music in the 60’s. There will also be another back-to-back comparison of two versions of the moody enka anthem ‘Shinjuku Blues’, a rare and exclusively ripped b-side by Hatsumi Shibata and carefully selected singles from Showa Kayo starlets Tamaki Sawa, Midori Sasa, Yukari Ito and Rumiko Koyanagi. Along with the usual cuts from cult crime films, we have a heavy dose of atmospheric and blissed out jams from the 70’s, including hits from Grape, Hako Yamazaki and Meiko Kaji. Full track list is below:
Ken Yabuki – Embers
Meiko Kaji – Bridge of Fireflies
Keiko Fuji – Woman’s Blues
Shinichi Mori – Wharf Woman’s Blues
Sasa Midori – Shibata Hatsukoimon Maemachi
Hiroko Ogi – Shinjuku Blues
Mina Aoe – Shinjuku Blues
Kiyoshi Nakajo – Forgotten Grass
Tetsuya Watari & Ayumi Ishida – Wakare Michi
Jiro Atsumi – Return to Pusan Port
Hatsumi Shibata – Pavement
Chiemi Eri – Hukagawa Kuzushi
Chiemi Eri – Kurodabushi
Sugata Noriko – Sanshiro
Tamaki Sawa – Don’t Smoke In Bed
Yukari Ito – Morning Kiss
Rumiko Koyanagi – Children’s Song (Traditional Chinese)
Hako Yamasaki – Help Me
Grape – Wind and Sky
Ken Takakura – A Bar of the Times
This inaugural episode features 3 versions of the enka classic 'Abashiri Prison', carefully selected singles from Showa Kayo starlets Mina Aoe, Yukio Nagisa, Keiko Fuji and Yukiji Asaoka, a mountain of hits from popular cult crime and samurai cinema actors like Bunta Sugawara, Akira Kobayashi and Yujiro Ishihara and the odd 80's power ballad for good measure. Full track list is below:
Yukio Nagisa – Prickly Rose
Akira Kurosawa & His Los Primos – Naimda to Tomoni
Ken Takakura – Abashiri Prison
Shinji Tanimura – Left Alone
Noboru Ando – When A Man Dies
Ritsuko Abe – Excuse For Wrapping In Love
Ayumi Ishida – Blue Light Yokohama
Akira Kobayashi – Abashiri Prison
Keiko Fuji – Keiko’s Abashiri Prison
Yukiji Asaoka - Till The Rain Is Over
Masaru Shiga – Road
Bunta Sugawara – Unfaithful Blues
Ryoko Bushi – Hideko Bushi
Yujiro Ishihara – A Stylish Farewell
Mina Aoe – I Liked It
Miyuki Kawanaka – Love Is Seperated
Tomio Umezawa – Love Mandala
Tatsuo Umemiya – Bancho Shalock
Shigeru Katsumi – Oh My Heart
Shintaro Katsu – Zatoichi’s Blues