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Japanese Music from the 70s/80s/90s

P

psyfi

Banned
GAF, I just started getting into older Japanese bands and I am in fucking love.

It all started with This is a 1980's Japanese mixtape. Every song on the playlist is good if not down right spectacular. I've started looking up some of the artists I liked best, and so far my favorite find is this Miharu Koshi song, which I think lead me to this Miki Matsubara song, which lead me to this pleasantly upbeat Haruomi Hosono song. Then my housemate suggested Sandii and the Sunsetz and they are fucking aaaamzzzzinggg I'm obsessed

I want more! I know there's at least a few people here who love this stuff. Give me some suggestions please!
 
S

Snakeyes

Member
Tatsuro Yamashita, the thread. On my phone so can't post links right now, but you can easily find most of his stuff on YouTube.
 
Eolz

Eolz

Member
If you like Jazz and funk, there's a ton of great artists from that era, and a lot of really good compilations. Akira Omori for example, Masahiko Sato, Minoru Muraoka, Ryo Fukui...
All have their unique touch.

Same thing for electronic music, with the incredible Susumu Yokota:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSY1tyuR3WQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td6yY7_zdE8
Or other unclassable things, like Geinoh Yamashirogumi that you might know from the Akira OST, or Tatsuhiko Asano, who while being more an early 2000s composer, has a similar vibe...

Otherwise, there's a lot of really good blues and other vocal type songs (folk...).
Meiko Kaji is a classic obviously, but I also love Hako Yamasaki and Yoshiko Sai. Really powerful voices and talented artists.
 
U

uncle_koploski

Banned
I have a few threads on other forums for Japanese music from the 70's/80's. I also host a Japanese New Wave night at a local bar in Baltimore.

I have so many recommendations, I don't know where to start.

Some of the best music I've ever heard. The stuff I like tends to be on the more new wave, groovy, or experimental side.

Mariah | Utakata no Hibi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UIBLA-PuUw
Yasuaki Shimizu | Kakashi - https://youtu.be/HKY38Nx8dSo
Haruomi Hosono | Hosono House - https://youtu.be/IdUDuqm3rds
Haruomi Hosono | Tropical Dandy - https://youtu.be/E59HdCg4ogE
Haruomi Hosono | Paraiso - https://youtu.be/ZhwZdaizbRU
Haruomi Hosono | Philharmony - https://youtu.be/_6wwtZXGta8
Chakra | Satekoso - https://youtu.be/x79kuGdI3WQ
After Dinner | Paradise of Replica - https://youtu.be/N5gQQbUmrK4
Yukihiro Takahashi | Neuromantic - https://youtu.be/BrmAjXrN1wk
Hiroshi Sato | Awakening - https://youtu.be/zFsbW5d6osc
Hiroshi Sato | The Orient - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqgfrhrNHDY
Chiemi Manabe | 不思議・少女 - https://youtu.be/WVYqqrw6eQU
 
Osukaa

Osukaa

Member
L Thammy said:
X Japan is a favourite of mine. I've heard a bunch of good Japanese prog metal street musicians recently and so I need to check that out.
Click to expand...

Right on! X Japan is awesome. These mofo's are still going strong to. Yoshiki seems to be a vampire that doesn't age and Toshi still screaming those hot vocals. My dream concert is an X Japan one. They are the Kings of Monster Ballads.

WE ARE X
 
K

kiri

Member
K

Koozek

Member
psyfi said:
GAF, I just started getting into older Japanese bands and I am in fucking love.

It all started with This is a 1980's Japanese mixtape. Every song on the playlist is good if not down right spectacular. I've started looking up some of the artists I liked best, and so far my favorite find is this Miharu Koshi song, which I think lead me to this Miki Matsubara song, which lead me to this pleasantly upbeat Haruomi Hosono song. Then my housemate suggested Sandii and the Sunsetz and they are fucking aaaamzzzzinggg I'm obsessed

I want more! I know there's at least a few people here who love this stuff. Give me some suggestions please!

edit: ugh wrong forum lmao
Click to expand...
Ohhh, thanks for that 80's mixtape. Smooth as hell. Always loved this sound.
 
I

Infinite

Member
Boredoms - Super Are (1998)
Number Girl - School Girl Distortion Addict (1999)
Sheena Ringo - Shoso Strip (2000 - close enough)
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Solid State Survivor (1979)
Cornelius - Fantasma (1997)
Jun Togawa - Tamahime Sama (1984)
Bloodthirsty Butchers - Korocono (1996)
The Blue Hearts - self titled (1987)
Happy End - Kazemachi Roman (1971)
 
J

JJSignal

Neo Member
Sandii and the Sunsets are great. If you can, try and find Babes in the Woods. Rachael is a great song from that album.

I'd also suggest Yumi Matsutoya, who's kind of a legend in Japan. She also goes by Yuming. Some might know her as the vocals for a lot of Ghibli songs, as well as the theme for Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask. She also had a character in it.

Parappa designer Masaya Matsuura had his shot in the 80s and early 90s as PSY•S [saiz]. Personal favorites from him are albums: BRAND-NEW MENU, and Another Diary. Chasing the Rainbow is a fantastic song.

Give C-C-B a try. Some top pick songs for them are hit Romantic Ga Tomanari, Lucky Chance, and Kūsō Kiss.

TOM☆CAT is another big personal favorite. So much so, that I named one of the lead characters in 2064 after them, and then the bar you meet them in after the first song I heard of theirs. They're also responsible for Tough Boy, which is an excellent song. Two versions of it-- 80s and the 90s one for Fist of the North Star Season 2, which just replaces "We are living, living the 80s! 80s! 80s!" to, well, the 90s.

TM Network is fun, and also did the ending credits and some other music composition in the original Vampire Hunter D

Echoing YMO, as it is incredibly important material if you want to get more into Japanese music from the 70s through the 90s, and learn about not only its influence on the music of those times, but also the music for games as well. If you dig enough, you'll discover that a lot of popular 80s musicians at some point played with them.
Please also check out everyone individually-- Sakamoto especially.

Speaking of, try out Akiko Yano, as well. She's great and has a unique singing voice, almost similar to that of Yumi Matsutoya.

Also check out Joe Hisashi's work outside of Ghibli from the 80s. It's all fantastic. Alpha-BET-CITY, and Illusion, his compositions for a lot of Beat Takeshi's movies.

I wanna say more, but I should probably be getting back to work..
 
S

Slowdive

Banned
Stay with Me is so good. I knew what that Hosono song was going to be before I clicked, his best song imo. I also somehow never knew Sandii & the sunsetz were on Razzmatazz.

Hosono and the other YMO members produced Sandii, Miharu Koshi and many other 80s artists, it's well worth checking them and their solo stuff out. Here's a performance of Parallelisme with Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi and Steve Jansen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz6n6YIos5w

Some of my other favourites:

Jun Togawa and her band Yapoos
Susumu Hirasawa and his band P-Model
Shiina Ringo

L Thammy said:
I'm also big on Shiina Ringo,. She's versatile, but more importantly, I like people who are willing to just destroy your fucking ears. Although I guess she started in 1999 so I'm kinda cheating.
Click to expand...

Too bad her recent stuff destroys your ears in a bad way. :p
 
S

sibarraz

Banned
Malice Mizer is a very cool band, I was ignoring them for their ridiculous look, but after listening thel I actually find them to ve a very good band

T-Square is also another terrific band
 
D

Dreamgazer

Member
TM Network - 1/4 of my work play list is just TM network stuff.

TUBE - Pop rock that does nothing but "summer" songs.

BOOWY - Introduced America rock band "style" into the late 80s scene and pretty much defined the direction of 90s Japanese pop rock. Often referred to as the most important rock band in Japan's music history.

Southern All Stars

Kubota Toshinobu (久保田 利伸): Kubota introduced elements of R&B, soul, funk and reggae, etc to J-pop.

Kazumasa Oda (小田 和正)

Akina Nakamori (中森明菜)

Seiko Matsuda (松田 聖子)

Kyoko Koizumi (小泉今日子) - I wouldn't say Kyoko is a great singer, but she is an amazing celebrity that has achieved success in almost everything she does (still). It's good to check out some of her 80s performance.
 
V

Vard

Member
Infinite said:
Boredoms - Super Are (1998)
Number Girl - School Girl Distortion Addict (1999)
Sheena Ringo - Shoso Strip (2000 - close enough)
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Solid State Survivor (1979)
Cornelius - Fantasma (1997)
Jun Togawa - Tamahime Sama (1984)
Bloodthirsty Butchers - Korocono (1996)
The Blue Hearts - self titled (1987)
Happy End - Kazemachi Roman (1971)
Click to expand...
This sort of stuff plus Fishmans, Blankey Jet City, Happy End, Les Rallizes Dénudés, and earlier output from The Pillows.
 
D

djSyndrome

Member
L Thammy said:
X Japan is a favourite of mine. I've heard a bunch of good Japanese prog metal street musicians recently and so I need to check that out.
Click to expand...

Saw them live some years ago in Oakland at a small venue. Amazing show!

What struck me was how many people from Japan had flown over to America just to catch them in a venue that wasn't a giant stadium.
 
C

cryptosporidium

Member
Im a REALLY big Japanese music fan, favorite foreign music by far so heres a short list of favourites

Jazz,
Ryu Fukui
Hiromi

Jazz Hop,
Takuya Kuroda

City Pop/Jazz Fusion,
Ryo Kawasaki
Taeko Ohnuki
Casiopea

Folk,
Hako Yamasaki

Rock/metal,
Cyntia
Band Maid
Babymetal
Mad capsule markets
Marty Friedman (former Megadeth guitarist)
Maximum The Hormone
The Seatbelts/Yoko Kanno
X Japan
Galneryus
Loudness

Electronica,
Susumu Hirosawa

Pop,
Itou Kanako (originally born in Vietnam i believe)
Maaya Sakamoto

Hip hop,
Nujabes
DJ okiwari
Uyama hirito

Traditional/Noh/other,
Osamu Kitajima
Geinoh Yamashirogumi
 
M

Myriadis

Member
yo_soy_el_topo said:
Les Rallizes Denudes are my favorite (and best band ever) to come out of Japan. Not for everyone though.
Click to expand...

Yes! Seconded. They are absolutely amazing, the most psychedelic noise ever created.
Funnily enough, because it's posted on the gaming side, is that I found this band just because of a video game. Space Funeral, to be exact, which has a very unusual soundtrack.
 
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