The Old-School J-Pop Thread! ~80s/90s/00s~

[Taishaku]

Hey! I know I'm not the only one with an old soul, and since I'm not really fond of the current J-Pop scene, I thought it would be cool to share our love for old-school Japanese music, which means everything that has been made the last three decades. The 80's have a very interesting idol movement with artists like Akina Nakamori, WINK and Jun Togawa (probably the first anti-idol), while the 90s saw the beginning of the music career of J-Pop queens Namie Amuro, hitomi and Ayumi Hamasaki, and also bands like X-JAPAN and L'Arc~en~Ciel were HUGE! Almost gaining an iconic status with many fans worldwide.

So, what are you into at this moment? Right now, I can't stop listening to dream's eternal dream compilation, back when they were just three members. The CD2 is a non-stop megamix that is just as amazing as the first ayu-mi-x megamix albums. I really love it! But I don't think anyone remembers them aside from "My will" from Inuyasha (which is very sad).

So, your turn now! What are your favorite artists/songs/albums from the good old days, or what was the music you were into when you started listening to Japanese music?

[mizuki-7]

I am a huge fan of Akina Nakamori ! I find her carrier outstanding and her discography very solid and I don't even speak about her vocal abilities ...


I also like Seiko Matsuda but her discography after the 80's is quite uninteresting and boring at least for me excpet some songs !


I quite like DREAMS COME TRUE too I like the voice of the singer and some of their older songs are very catchy

[NintendoHTF1242]

I like this one song from the 70's...I think it's called Sharp Shooter? I can't remember ugh but it was in a rhythm game for the DS.

[x-megumi-x]

I'm a huge fan of L'Arc~en~Ciel! Too bad they are not as active as in the past, but they are still awesome <3. My favorite album is True (released in 1996).



I used to like Mai Kuraki a lot in the early 00's too.

[KuuXAyu-fan]

Originally Posted by NintendoHTF1242

I like this one song from the 70's...I think it's called Sharp Shooter? I can't remember ugh but it was in a rhythm game for the DS.

I think you mean this

I'm a huge fan of Seiko and Akina. I view them as the Ayu and Kuu of the 80s.

[Taishaku]

Whoa! Lots of artists and songs to check out in this thread!

Originally Posted by KuuXAyu-fan

I think you mean this

I'm a huge fan of Seiko and Akina. I view them as the Ayu and Kuu of the 80s.

That's one classy lady. Loved her performance!

[Taishaku]

This may be more actual, but I was on Jpopsuki.tv when I suddenly saw this SweetS song.
I think it's probably the best idol song Avex could pull off the last decade...Too much nostalgia. >_<

[NintendoHTF1242]

Originally Posted by KuuXAyu-fan

I think you mean this

Thank you! I love this song.

[YuriChan]

This is the epitome of 90's J-Pop. (Well, sort of... I really like this song. )


B'z from the 90's to the mid 00's had some kick-ass hits! It's not quite the same now... But they're still producing some pretty decent stuff.




(Could only find an AMV for this song)


http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xlc...E5%BF%83_music

Then there was Rie Miyazawa.


(Another example would be DREAM RUSH)

[AyuGAME]

this is one of my fav, come out on 1989

Wink - Sabishii Nettaigyo (1989) - 淋しい熱帯魚

[Taishaku]

Originally Posted by AyuGAME

this is one of my fav, come out on 1989

Wink - Sabishii Nettaigyo (1989) - 淋しい熱帯魚

I love that song! This one's a Kylie Minogue cover and also a classic to me:

[Mr. Goto]

[aqua_crystal]

Originally Posted by x-megumi-x

I'm a huge fan of L'Arc~en~Ciel! Too bad they are not as active as in the past, but they are still awesome <3. My favorite album is True (released in 1996).

Ahh I remember the good ol' Laruku days when the band actually got along with one another.

They're old stuff is timeless for me and, since we're talking about True here, I thought I'd post the live version of my favourite Laruku song of all time.



This still blows my mind every time~

[tokyoxjapanxfan]

That SweetS song is still among my favorite Jpop songs lol. Granted, that's a long list... but I've always loved that song! So nostalgic for me.

Spoiler:

Despite how young they are, I always thought they had really strong voices.


Classic.


This performance is awesome.


This has always been one of my favorite Seiko songs.


Also a great performance!


This is probably one of the best example of 80's Jpop I can think of lol.

[Yooku]

I'm big fan of 70-90's music! I like various music styles - not only idol pop. I love artists like Akina Nakamori, Carmen Maki, Miharu Koshi, ZELDA, Miyuki Nakajima and Glass but there's a lot more to name.

I bought my first vinyl in 2010 and I've been collecting constantly older j-music since then.

[Kacku]

Originally Posted by Taishaku

I love that song! This one's a Kylie Minogue cover and also a classic to me:

... This song is awesome! Why have I never heard it before! Official new jam!


One of my favourite artists atm (GILLE) is releasing a cover album of 70s and 80s Jpop soon. This inspired me to dive into Youtube and find some of the original versions. So much good stuff to find!

This song rocks.


Candies is adorable, this song is amazing, why didn't I know it was theirs!


I clearly need to try more older stuff. But since we're also talking about 90s...


globe is still one of my favorite Jpop acts. This, FACE, and Departures (especially the ARRIVAL mix) are my favorites from their early career.

[tsumekaze_]

this thread needs this:

[Delirium-Zer0]

This thread....

This thread is filling me with so many happy feelings

I'm giving a talk/doing a panel on J-Music history at a convention here in Dallas in August... I feel like older Japanese pop is becoming more and more underappreciated, so this thread makes my heart feel all warm & fuzzy!

I already see a few songs I love here! SO FREAKING COOL, you guys are all awesome.

Here are some more! Yaaay!



OLD SCHOOL (Up to the late 90s)

THE ALFEE -hoshizora no DISTANCE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoeYzq87h1s
Imagine a world without this song. A world without the Sailor Moon theme. Without the melody in the verses of Ayu's "GUILTY." This is not a world I'd want to live in. ...."BABY COME BACK! doo-dooooo do-do-do-do-doooo..."

Anzen Chitai - WINE RED no kokoro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7Stbxcx_tM
A remnant of that period in the 80s when electric guitar was just starting to replace the saxophone as mid-tempo ballad solo instrument of choice. Freaking awesome song.

ZOO - Choo Choo Train
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD9hLnLg8W0
This song was covered by EXILE in 2003, and this single was reissued afterwards to remind everyone it's a cover. lol... Two of the dancers in this group are still performing today. One of them is the singer of TRF, Yuki, and the other is Hiro who went on to form... omg! EXILE!

Yamaguchi Momoe - ii hi tabidachi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCCUWpKuEc8
First off, her voice was freaking gorgeous especially considering her young age. Second, this song is just everything good about J-pop rolled into one package. The sweet melody that goes from dark, mysterious, and minor key to a more uplifting chorus; the nostalgic lyrics that talk about taking your past with you on a journey to find a special person in the future; and it was a Japan Rail commercial tie-in, helping to cement its place as a well-known Japanese pop song for decades afterwards.

NOKKO - CRAZY CLOUDS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXYbeyNxXaE
The first solo single from the lead singer of 80s rock group Rebecca (original performers of "MOON" and "Raspberry Dream" which Ayu covered on Idol On Stage). GREAT song, and WAY ahead of its time - did NOT sound like it came out a year before Zoo's "Choo Choo Train." Fun fact - Guy Sigsworth is playing keyboards in this song, and he'd go on to become a HUGELY famous producer of western-hemisphere music by Seal, Bjork, Alanis Morissette, Madonna, and Imogen Heap/Frou-Frou a few years after this.

Yakushimaru Hiroko - SEERAfuku to kikanjuu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihxc5zSmpmM
The theme song for the FREAKING AWESOME movie of the same name, starring Hiroko as a schoolgirl who learns she's now the leader of a yakuza clan. (The whole movie is on youtube w/ english & spanish subs if any of you guys wanna check it out.)

EAST END x YURI - MAICCA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtuqQNlHSkk
Hey you know that "GM Kaz" who's credited as producer on Ayu's "NOTHING FROM NOTHING" album & single? Guess what else he produced Yes, Ayu's rap unit was formed specifically to bank on the success of this group. Ayu was touted as the younger version, basically.


ONLY KINDA OLD SCHOOL (After 3" singles died)

m-flo loves melody. and Yamamoto Ryohei - miss you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD59LJX2r38
As long as we're talking about stuff that came out in the early '00s... holy crap this song gets me so nostalgic for my second year of college.

Do As Infinity - Desire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUoTOzRmKOY
This song is about an affair from the POV of the other woman, so Van Tomiko typically performed it without her DAI bandmates when promoting the song on TV in order to avoid gossip This was the first DAI song I ever heard, and between this & "fukai mori" from Inuyasha, myself and other J-pop fans int he early 2000s were pretty much hooked. Tomiko's unusually deep voice made them really stand out in a sea of cutesy idols.

OLIVIA - Color of your spoon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mRbOWEztNw
Most of my friends are still waiting for new mother Olivia to release more music, buying things from the Etsy shop she & her sister run in the meantime. This song is weird in the context of the rest of her discography, but it's enchanting and does NOT feel like six minutes despite the fact that it's not very dynamic. Just let it wrap around you.

LUNA SEA - TONIGHT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n3yqkanP44
Ah, Luna Sea just before they split up. They were so freaking great. This song was catchy as all get out, too.

Aikawa Nanase - NO FUTURE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jZ-uo1b8Ew
OH MY GOD YOU GUYS WHO REMEMBERS ZOIDS.
OH MY GOD YOU GUYS WHO REMEMBERS WHEN NANASE WAS STILL AWESOME.

DJ Krush feat. Esthero - Final Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b88FnQt-J0U
I was listening to a ton of trip-hop before getting into j-pop, and this was like... SQUISH here's both together! DJ Krush's jazzy EDM was pretty groundbreaking back in the day. You guys have probably heard of the late Nujabes - well he wouldn't have had the sound he did without this guy, lemme tell ya. Even Tsutchie (who was another one of the musicians behind the Samurai Champloo soundtrack, along with Nujabes) took the party-rap stuff of Scha Dara Parr & East End and fused it with DJ Krush's more chill, atmospheric style to create the sound of his group Shakkazombie.



AND NOW TIME FOR AYU'S BACKING MUSICIANS BECAUSE WHY NOT

BARBEE BOYS - banarero yo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCELKMnXhYw
Hey, that funny-lookin' dude playing bass at 2:11 looks familiar...

THE GOOD-BYE - kimagure One Way Boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-63jyBQwhHc
This Johnny's Entertainment group was put together as a tribute to Group Sounds bands & 80's rock & roll, and the lead singer & guitarist... well, you'll recognize him.

[NintendoHTF1242]

Originally Posted by Delirium-Zer0

OLIVIA - Color of your spoon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mRbOWEztNw
Most of my friends are still waiting for new mother Olivia to release more music, buying things from the Etsy shop she & her sister run in the meantime. This song is weird in the context of the rest of her discography, but it's enchanting and does NOT feel like six minutes despite the fact that it's not very dynamic. Just let it wrap around you.

LOVE this song and LOVE the context for OLIVIA writing it. I hope she comes back and makes music VERY soon. Even if it's indie stuff she releases in the U.S. lol

[primavera♥]

This thread is really cool. Thanks for making it. I've been kind of feeling like it's time for me to explore some older music. I'm in the mood and kind of done with a lot in the present besides a few favs. So this is really cool. I'd love to explore old old J-pop and even rock.

There are some 00s and late 90s artists that I do recognize and like and being reminded of them is cool. And I'm enjoying watching the stuff from earlier decades. Classic artists who I should have listened to long ago lol.

So I know what I'll be doing this weekend lol :p

For the stuff that I know, I miss it a lot. I also miss old visual key stuff. J-rock had a lot. Just thinking of old MUCC ♡