Abstract

A nostalgic and new book that vividly brings back a breakthrough in pop music.
Japanese music of the 1980s is attracting attention due to the reevaluation of "city pop". This book, which is an addition to the popular series "Notes from the 1980s" distributed by Kyodo News and published in local newspapers, begins with the MC of a concert in December 1979, where each artist announced their intentions for a new era. And then the dramatic 1980s. The appearance of Motoharu Sano, the relationship between Eiichi Ohtaki and Takashi Matsumoto, Yuming who was ahead of the trend, Yutaka Ozaki's stage, girls rock... The path to success and struggles of Off Course, Shogo Hamada, BOOWY, etc. are also depicted.

Music critic Hideki Takeya draws in detail the appearance of artists, the words they spoke, and the behind-the-scenes stories of the production that he witnessed at live shows and interviews in the 1980s. It is full of behind-the-scenes and unknown episodes that only an author who was always on the scene can write! You can read while listening to songs from that time by holding your smartphone over the Spotify code. Playlists for each year from 1980 to 1989 (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music) are also included.

Recommended by Kiyoshi Shigematsu! Takeya-san was always in "that moment on that day."

Author’s Information

Take Hideki is a music critic, non-fiction writer, scriptwriter, and radio music show personality. He has been following Japanese rock and pop music since its early days. He was born in Chiba Prefecture in 1946. He graduated from the Department of Politics, Faculty of Law, Chuo University. In 1969, he became the founding editor of "Shinjuku Play Map," the first town magazine. He has also worked as a scriptwriter for Nippon Cultural Broadcasting's "Say! Young," and as the editor-in-chief of youth magazines such as "Lettuce" (Sanrio). As a scriptwriter, he has won the Grand Prize (2001) and the Excellence Award in the Radio Entertainment category of the Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association Awards. He has written many books, including "Kazemachi to Deracine: 50 Years of Lyricist Matsumoto Takashi" and "On the Road Again: 241 Days of Hamada Shogo's Tour."