The Wind Blows in Akira Terao's 'Reflections' (Memories of City Pop ⑤)

The City-Pop in my Memory Ⅴ

　In 1981, two albums were released in quick succession.
　One was Eiichi Ohtaki's "A LONG VACATION," released on March 21st, and the other was Akira Terao's "Reflections," released on April 5th.
　It was quite an incredible year, seeing two albums that would later be called "masterpieces of City Pop" released around the same time, both becoming the number one and two bestsellers of that year.

　However, even though both are considered "masterpieces of City Pop," the atmosphere of these two albums is vastly different.
　In contrast to the permanently resort-filled masterpiece "A LONG VACATION," Akira Terao's "Reflections" was a cool, stoic album that exuded a sense of dandyism.

　At the time, Akira Terao, who was firing a massive magnum in the hugely popular detective drama "Seibu Keisatsu," was popular among boys, and riding the momentum of the massive hit "Ruby no Yubiwa," even a boy who had just entered junior high school was listening to this cool album.
　Of course, I also love "A LONG VACATION," but it was this "Reflections" that I felt captured the essence of the |city| as a genre.

　Later on, through Yokohama Tire commercials, I became hooked on the "City Pop" artists from the Toshiba EMI label, and this album was undoubtedly the catalyst for that.

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　This album really is a masterpiece.
　Including the singles "Ruby no Yubiwa," "SHADOW CITY," and "Shukkou SASURAI," which all entered the Top Ten simultaneously, all ten tracks are excellent.
　The lyrics were written by Masako Arikawa and Takashi Matsumoto, all music was composed by Akira Terao, and all arrangements were handled by Akira Inoue.

Actually, this Akira Inoue's arrangement is incredibly cool, but I hope to introduce Akira Inoue in this series of articles at some point.
Also, although I didn't know it at the time, this album features renowned musicians, starting with Akira Inoue.
Regarding that, the articles by " Ongaku no Mori," which I always read, are very detailed, so I will introduce them here.

" Ongaku no Mori," if you read their article, I think you will clearly understand what an amazing group of members it was.

Along with the hard-edged sound created with such members, I believe it is the lyrics by Masako Arikawa and Takashi Matsumoto that create the worldview of this album; I loved them so much that I had all ten songs memorized.

So,
I would like to introduce the recorded songs while also including the lyrics.

Since I owned the record, on the album, " Ruby no Yubiwa" was placed as the 5th and final track on Side A, " SHADOW CITY" as the 1st track on Side B, and " Shukkou SASURAI" as the 5th and final track on Side B.
Well, Side B included two singles along with their coupling tracks, so there were many songs I had already heard.
Therefore, I often listened to Side A, where there were many songs I didn't know at the time.

A-1 "HABANA EXPRESS"

Lyrics: Masako Arikawa / Composition: Akira Terao / Arrangement: Akira Inoue

True to the title "Express," this song features a speedy arrangement that was different from the image of Akira Terao I had held until then, and I remember being surprised when the vocals started right from the intro.
Because he's singing so fast! Akira Terao is!

The lyrics depict a scene of a breakup between a man and a woman, and it's quite a harsh scene, isn't it~

Even though they should have loved each other passionately, the emotions leaning toward a breakup are unstoppable, like an express train.

After the singing ends, the repeated outro is cool, isn't it~.
I think those who listened to the album thoroughly will understand, but the pause between the end of the song, which finishes with a "bang!", and the next track is great. (← You don't get it!)

A-2 "Nagisa no Campari Soda"

Lyrics: Takashi Matsumoto / Composition: Akira Terao / Arrangement: Akira Inoue

This was also a pop song, different from his previous image.
It depicts a meeting between a man and a woman, and Takashi Matsumoto's lyrics, overflowing with a resort feel, are also impressive. It is the only bright song on this album.

At the time, because of its brightness, I didn't like it much, but as you become an adult, it feels comfortable.
Also, I used to wonder what Campari tasted like, and it's a good memory that when I tried it, I thought, "Bitter!💦" (← Hey, when was that!)

A-3 'Cape of Good Hope'

Lyrics: Takashi Matsumoto / Composition: Akira Terao / Arrangement: Akira Inoue

Actually, this is a song I love.
In my previous article, I even ranked it as my third favorite song with lyrics by Takashi Matsumoto—that's how much I love it!

What I love about it is that the protagonist's way of life is just overflowing with dandyism.
In this day and age, it might feel a bit too male-centric, but the lyrics are incredibly gripping, and I had a strong longing for this kind of worldview.

The moment the intro kicks in after the brighter 'Nagisa no Campari Soda' fades out is also so cool—it gives me chills!
By the way, I didn't learn until much later that 'Cape of Good Hope' is a 'cape,' not a mountain.

A-4 'Two-Season Story'

Lyrics: Masako Arikawa / Composition: Akira Terao / Arrangement: Akira Inoue

The fourth track on Side A is 'Two-Season Story' with lyrics by Masako Arikawa...
As the title suggests, it's a song that depicts a story of two seasons, winter and summer, and it's another dramatic piece.
In the first half, the winter part, a man who has lost his lover is depicted in a poignant way, sinking into sorrow.

On the other hand, in the summer part, like the memories of the woman who passed away, a romance ignites from a chance encounter, and they spend a sensual summer... such an adult drama unfolds.

While spending happy times, the man watches the woman playing on the beach and falls silent as he notices something.
Behind these unspoken lyrics, there seems to be a fear of being too happy and a premonition of the future, which makes it all the more heartbreaking.

Also, this is a long song, over eight minutes.
Because of this track, Side A couldn't fit on a 46-minute cassette tape back then!
However, in the first half, the winter part, the sound is restrained, and with strings woven in, it becomes a gloomy and chilly arrangement, but in the second half, the summer part, the tempo changes and it shifts into a jazzy arrangement.

It's an excellent arrangement that highlights the contrast between winter and summer.
The interlude that connects these two seasons (about two minutes from around 2:55 to 4:55) is great, as it feels like rewinding time.
The trombone beckoning, the modulating keyboard, and the groaning guitar make you feel the time between these two seasons.
I think this masterpiece, which is like a short film, is a song where the skill of the arranger, Akira Inoue, really shines, even within this album.

A-5 'Ruby Ring'

Lyrics: Takashi Matsumoto / Composition: Akira Terao / Arrangement: Akira Inoue

It's a well-known massive hit, but because it was such a huge hit, I might have been a little tired of it at the time.
But listening to it again, the lyrics, the vocals, and the arrangement are all so cool, and this sound is actually at the root of my image of 'City Pop'.

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So, I have introduced the five songs on Side A.
You might notice that the word "wind" appears here and there.

Of course, one of the lyricists is Takashi Matsumoto, so it might be natural for "wind" to appear, but don't you think it feels intentional that it's included in all three songs he worked on?
Especially "Ruby no Yubiwa", which is practically the world of "Kazemachi", so I think he put a lot of effort into it.
Also, the other lyricist, Masako Arikawa, also placed the word "wind" as if to resonate with Takashi Matsumoto, and I think it creates the tone for the entire album.

And so, the songs with lyrics by Masako Arikawa that feature "wind" are A-1 "HABANA EXPRESS", and there is one more, which is...

B-5 "Shukou SASURAI"

Lyrics: Masako Arikawa / Composition: Akira Terao / Arrangement: Akira Inoue

Come to think of it, this album begins with the "Habana wind" and ends with the "dawn wind".

...I ended up focusing on the Side A songs, but Side B is also full of masterpieces, so let's go through them quickly!

The "doo-doo-doo" of B-1 "SHADOW CITY" makes you wonder when the singing will start, and B-2 "Unexpected Event" has the scent of light, mature pop, and B-3 "Dial M", where the "the number you have dialed is no longer in service..." message during the humming is just too sad, is also very impressive.
And the only new song on Side B, B-4 "North Wing", is the most painful and sad song on the album, and it really pierces the heart.

The perfection of these 10 songs doesn't feel dated at all, even when listening to them now.

After all, for me, it is a masterpiece among masterpieces.

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○ The fourth song with lyrics by Takashi Matsumoto

Since this Reflections, Masako Arikawa was the main lyricist, so Masako Arikawa was the main one, and Takashi Matsumoto was not involved, but actually there is one more song with lyrics by Takashi Matsumoto. That is a song called "Cinema Hotel," which was the B-side to the single "Ruby no Yubiwa," but unfortunately, it was not included on "Reflections."
Ruby no Yubiwa" which was the B-side to the single "Cinema Hotel" which was the B-side to the single, but unfortunately it was not included on "Reflections."

"Cinema Hotel"

Lyrics: Takashi Matsumoto / Music: Akira Terao / Arrangement: Akira Inoue

I think this is a good song too, though.

Well, perhaps it just means that the album "Reflections" was so perfect that there was no room for it. However, I secretly suspect that the reason it wasn't included might be that the word "wind" doesn't appear in the lyrics. 😆

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