June 16, 2011
Another aging rocker
Eikichi Yazawa debuted on the pop charts in the 1970s and rekindled his career in his sixties. He has performed live at the Budokan over a hundred times, a unmatched record.
Incidentally, the Beatles were the first rock group to perform at the Budokan, but the name really entered the pop culture lexicon with the release of Cheap Trick at Budokan in 1978.
Here Eikichi Yazawa appears with guitarist Tomoyasu Hotei.
Incidentally, the Beatles were the first rock group to perform at the Budokan, but the name really entered the pop culture lexicon with the release of Cheap Trick at Budokan in 1978.
Here Eikichi Yazawa appears with guitarist Tomoyasu Hotei.
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Anzenchitai
Border Reiver
Kazumasa Oda
Labels: aging rockers, japan, music, pop culture
February 07, 2011
Kazumasa Oda
I bought my first Off Course (オフコース) album way back in 1980. Off Course was a folk/rock duo featuring Kazumasa Oda and Yasuhiro Suzuki. A sort of Simon & Garfunkel, though in this case, it was Oda and his pure Art Garfunkelish high tenor whose sole career continued on strong when they split up in 1989.
Yes Asia has an authorized Hong Kong release of his Best 2 collection at a very reasonable price (meaning what you'd normally pay in the U.S.). He divides the tracks between covers of his Off Course hits and and more recent singles. If you want to mellow out, Kazumasa Oda is about as easy as listening gets.
Yes Asia has an authorized Hong Kong release of his Best 2 collection at a very reasonable price (meaning what you'd normally pay in the U.S.). He divides the tracks between covers of his Off Course hits and and more recent singles. If you want to mellow out, Kazumasa Oda is about as easy as listening gets.
Related posts
Border Reiver
Anzenchitai
Eikichi Yazawa
Labels: aging rockers, japan, music, pop culture
January 20, 2011
Anzenchitai
If you're a fan of aging rockers (quickly scanning my CD and MP3 collections, it appears that the minimum age of the typical front man is well past fifty), look no further than Kouji Tamaki and Anzenchitai ("Safety Zone"). A good collection to start with is Anzenchitai Complete Best.
I got interested in them after seeing a reunion special last year on NHK, though the comeback tour has reportedly been frustrated on occasion by Tamaki channeling Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart. In any case, as illustrated below, his younger, energetic self has been preserved for all time.
They started out doing fusiony rock and drifted into wall-of-sound pop. If you're hip, this is called "selling out." But I'm not hip. (Aside from "Hell, Yeah," I prefer older Neil Diamond covering middle-aged Neil Diamond and not the recent stuff when critics decided he was "hip" again.)
I got interested in them after seeing a reunion special last year on NHK, though the comeback tour has reportedly been frustrated on occasion by Tamaki channeling Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart. In any case, as illustrated below, his younger, energetic self has been preserved for all time.
They started out doing fusiony rock and drifted into wall-of-sound pop. If you're hip, this is called "selling out." But I'm not hip. (Aside from "Hell, Yeah," I prefer older Neil Diamond covering middle-aged Neil Diamond and not the recent stuff when critics decided he was "hip" again.)
Related posts
Border Reiver
Kazumasa Oda
Eikichi Yazawa
Labels: aging rockers, japan, music, personal favs, pop culture
January 03, 2011
Border Reavers
I'm good at getting stuff after it's marinated in my brain for a while. Unfortunately, this sometimes takes years. Take the Reavers on Firefly.
The other day, I was listening to the first track on Mark Knopfler's Get Lucky CD, "Border Reiver." And it clicked. I was vaguely familiar with the meaning of reave [Old English reāfian] is actually the more common English term, reive being chiefly Scottish.
But the historical usage is what brings Whedon's adoption of the term alive.
Drawing these kinds of human connections in futuristic world building is what makes good fantasy and space opera great. Joss Whedon is one smart guy. Firefly was one great television series.
The Reavers live on the edge of the human-controlled binary solar systems, rarely venturing deep into occupied space. As a result, most of inner worlds and many Alliance officials believe them to be myths made to cover for violent criminals. Reavers are known to capture ships and raid colonies on the edge of populated space.
The other day, I was listening to the first track on Mark Knopfler's Get Lucky CD, "Border Reiver." And it clicked. I was vaguely familiar with the meaning of reave [Old English reāfian] is actually the more common English term, reive being chiefly Scottish.
reave — verb (reaves, reaving, reaved, reft)
1. to carry off (property, prisoners, etc) by force
2. See also reive: to deprive; strip
But the historical usage is what brings Whedon's adoption of the term alive.
Border Reivers were raiders along the Anglo–Scottish border from the late 13th century to the end of the 16th century. Their ranks consisted of both Scottish and English families, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their victims' nationality. Their heyday was perhaps in the last hundred years of their existence.
Drawing these kinds of human connections in futuristic world building is what makes good fantasy and space opera great. Joss Whedon is one smart guy. Firefly was one great television series.
Related posts
Anzenchitai
Kazumasa Oda
Eikichi Yazawa
Labels: aging rockers, language, music, musical metaphors, television