Seaside Lovers - Memories In Beach House
CBS/Sony, 1983
Japanese fusion is a hard genre to get right. Through meticulous trial and error, bands such as Casiopea and T-Square have cemented their success and sound with tight rhythms, erratic lead guitars, and a keen ear for synthesisers. Artists like Naoya Matsuoka have found success in Latin rhythms, congas and clean cut arrangements.
In the 80s, Japanese giant CBS/Sony came up with the idea to create lifestyle/mood-centric albums. The idea wasn't new. The same way Martin Denny and Les Baxter created East-Asian moods through their exotica albums in the 50s, CBS/Sony aimed to emulate the idea of island-life and even, life in the big apple. Except this time, it would be done not with bongos, bird-calls and congas. With Japan's economy booming at an all time high, tired salarymen and women flocked to island resorts to escape the tiresome beauty of urban nightlife. And for their getaway, they needed a soundtrack.
CBS/Sony recruited three Japanese musicians: Hiroshi Sato, Akira Inoue, and Masataka Matsutoya.
Sato has one of the most prolific careers in Japanese music, having nearly joined Yellow Magic Orchestra with Haruomi Hosono as a keyboardist (that honour went to Ryuichi Sakamoto), not to mention one of the most successful posthumous careers of any Japanese artist. Inoue was no stranger to the fusion scene, having released Prophetic Dream (Express, 1982). Matsutoya worked extensively with Haruomi Hosono on The Aegean Sea (CBS/Sony, 1979), the third album in the Sound Image Series.
With such talented musicians working on the album, one can expect the finished product to be nothing short of great. And indeed, it's one of the best fusion albums to come out of Japan.
The nine-track album is as varied as it gets. From a full-blown orchestra (Blue Memories), to synthesiser and drum-machine dominated cuts (Sun Bathing, Evening Shadows), the album features some of the most famous synthesisers and drum machines of the era. Armed with all these instruments, Seaside Lovers accomplishes a rare feat; it manages to break the slight monotony and listening fatigue of other fusion albums from Casiopea and Naoya Matsuoka.
The album hits the nail on the head when it comes to capturing the mood of island-life and resort living. Amazingly, there isn't an ounce of diegetic sound, like waves crashing in the recording. Naoya Matsuoka tried using wave sounds to directly emulate island life on A Farewell To The Seashore (Warner Bros. Records, 1983) and it wasn't convincing at all.
Despite their different musical directions, the vision for what the album should represent is synonymous with the trio. The concept album, starting with lovers in a paradise before them, takes out through the day till the evening, and eventually until the grandeur of island life becomes a mere memory. Much like Roger Waters' The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking (Harvest, 1984), several of the album's tracks take their name from several times of the day (Sunset Afternoon, Evening Shadows). While not as exact as Waters' album, it still captures the essence of island life.
Constantly changing, each track demonstrates the talent of all three songwriters working in unison. Sato's penchant for drum machines and synthesisers dominate the ears. Inoue's exploration of space and echo bring a breathiness to the album. Matsutota's organic piano arrangements keep the album from becoming a full blown synthpop record.
Memories In Beach House fulfilled CBS/Sony's request for a mood album, and at the same time, created one of the best fusion albums of all time. Sadly, this was the last album released under the Sound Image Series, closing off a six-part volume with the best for last.
But as they say, go out with a bang. And what a bang it was.
井上鑑・松任谷正隆・佐藤博 (SEASIDE LOVERS) - MEMORIES IN BEACH HOUSE (1983)
1. LOVERS PARADISE
2. MELTING BLUE
3. SUN BATHING
4. SUNSET AFTERNOON
5. X'S AND O'S
6. WIND, WAVE AND WINEGLASS
7. COCONUTS ISLAND
8. EVENING SHADOWS
9. BLUE MEMORIES
佐藤博 : by the courtesy of ALFA RECORDS.
今 剛 : by the courtesy of CANYON RECORDS INC.
ジェイク・コンセプション : by the courtesy of DEAR HEART/RVC CORP.
青山 純 : by the courtesy of MOON RECORDS.
東郷昌和、小出博志 : by the courtesy of RVC CORP.
Japanese fusion is a hard genre to get right. Through meticulous trial and error, bands such as Casiopea and T-Square have cemented their success and sound with tight rhythms, erratic lead guitars, and a keen ear for synthesisers. Artists like Naoya Matsuoka have found success in Latin rhythms, congas and clean cut arrangements.
In the 80s, Japanese giant CBS/Sony came up with the idea to create lifestyle/mood-centric albums. The idea wasn't new. The same way Martin Denny and Les Baxter created East-Asian moods through their exotica albums in the 50s, CBS/Sony aimed to emulate the idea of island-life and even, life in the big apple. Except this time, it would be done not with bongos, bird-calls and congas. With Japan's economy booming at an all time high, tired salarymen and women flocked to island resorts to escape the tiresome beauty of urban nightlife. And for their getaway, they needed a soundtrack.
CBS/Sony recruited three Japanese musicians: Hiroshi Sato, Akira Inoue, and Masataka Matsutoya.
Sato has one of the most prolific careers in Japanese music, having nearly joined Yellow Magic Orchestra with Haruomi Hosono as a keyboardist (that honour went to Ryuichi Sakamoto), not to mention one of the most successful posthumous careers of any Japanese artist. Inoue was no stranger to the fusion scene, having released Prophetic Dream (Express, 1982). Matsutoya worked extensively with Haruomi Hosono on The Aegean Sea (CBS/Sony, 1979), the third album in the Sound Image Series.
With such talented musicians working on the album, one can expect the finished product to be nothing short of great. And indeed, it's one of the best fusion albums to come out of Japan.
The nine-track album is as varied as it gets. From a full-blown orchestra (Blue Memories), to synthesiser and drum-machine dominated cuts (Sun Bathing, Evening Shadows), the album features some of the most famous synthesisers and drum machines of the era. Armed with all these instruments, Seaside Lovers accomplishes a rare feat; it manages to break the slight monotony and listening fatigue of other fusion albums from Casiopea and Naoya Matsuoka.
The album hits the nail on the head when it comes to capturing the mood of island-life and resort living. Amazingly, there isn't an ounce of diegetic sound, like waves crashing in the recording. Naoya Matsuoka tried using wave sounds to directly emulate island life on A Farewell To The Seashore (Warner Bros. Records, 1983) and it wasn't convincing at all.
Despite their different musical directions, the vision for what the album should represent is synonymous with the trio. The concept album, starting with lovers in a paradise before them, takes out through the day till the evening, and eventually until the grandeur of island life becomes a mere memory. Much like Roger Waters' The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking (Harvest, 1984), several of the album's tracks take their name from several times of the day (Sunset Afternoon, Evening Shadows). While not as exact as Waters' album, it still captures the essence of island life.
Constantly changing, each track demonstrates the talent of all three songwriters working in unison. Sato's penchant for drum machines and synthesisers dominate the ears. Inoue's exploration of space and echo bring a breathiness to the album. Matsutota's organic piano arrangements keep the album from becoming a full blown synthpop record.
Memories In Beach House fulfilled CBS/Sony's request for a mood album, and at the same time, created one of the best fusion albums of all time. Sadly, this was the last album released under the Sound Image Series, closing off a six-part volume with the best for last.
But as they say, go out with a bang. And what a bang it was.
井上鑑・松任谷正隆・佐藤博 (SEASIDE LOVERS) - MEMORIES IN BEACH HOUSE (1983)
1. LOVERS PARADISE
2. MELTING BLUE
3. SUN BATHING
4. SUNSET AFTERNOON
5. X'S AND O'S
6. WIND, WAVE AND WINEGLASS
7. COCONUTS ISLAND
8. EVENING SHADOWS
9. BLUE MEMORIES
佐藤博 : by the courtesy of ALFA RECORDS.
今 剛 : by the courtesy of CANYON RECORDS INC.
ジェイク・コンセプション : by the courtesy of DEAR HEART/RVC CORP.
青山 純 : by the courtesy of MOON RECORDS.
東郷昌和、小出博志 : by the courtesy of RVC CORP.
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