Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal Vol. 174 - Does This Sound the Same? Or Different? Songs that Sound Vaguely Similar Edition Part 1

Whenever I am listening to music, there are many times when I come across a piece of music that has a sound, melody, or feeling that I felt that I have heard somewhere before. Many times, we encounter a piece of music that has a sound, melody, or atmosphere that we have heard somewhere before.
Musicians, the creators of music, listen to a variety of music and are influenced by it. In a sense, it is natural that the music we have heard in the past remains in our internal memory and is outputted.
I sometimes write songs, and oftentimes a melody of someone I heard in the past pops into my head. I don't know who it is at the moment, but when I turn my head, I later recognize it as “Oh right, that’s this musician’s melody.”
Some songs that become hits have a common chord progression, so some songs are produced by copying or approximating that chord progression. If you're involved in music, it's like the Shakyamuni method.

This issue features Toshio Kadomatsu.
In 1994, Kadomatsu (titles omitted) produced an album that is a condensed version of the music he had heard somewhere before. It was an album that Toshio Kadomatsu himself liked so much that he created it through his own filter in a respectful way. At the time, it was also an album that became a hot topic with stories circulating that it was plagiarized.
However, I believe that it is not plagiarized or copied, but rather a reflection of the musicians and albums that he has loved and listened to as material for his own music.

We, as listeners, can laugh at it in our own way (Pardon me! There are moments of bliss in this album that only those of us who have dabbled in this kind of music can fully relate to (not in a bad way).
I would like to introduce you to one such album and its songs.

■ Recommended album: Toshio Kadomatsu, ALL IS VANITY (1994)

Released in 1994, this is Toshio Kadomatsu's ninth masterful album. This album is a condensation of fragments of his influences such as Steely Dan, Donald Fagen, and Airplay. First call musicians such as Larry Carlton (g), Joe Sample (key), and Rick Marotta (drums), who have played on Steely Dan albums, play on this album. First-call musicians in Japan such as Tsugitoshi Goto (b) and Shuichi Ponta Murakami (dr.) also play on the album, supporting Toshio Tsunomatsu's musical direction.

It’s a luxury to be able to produce an album as if you were Steely Dan by assigning his own flavor and letting the musicians who participated in the album to be as they are.
You can hear such an outrage (laugh) in this album. Respect for the music that brought him up is scattered all over the album.

If you listen to the performances alone, they are not inferior to those of other genres. The only difference is that it is in English or Japanese. This album proves that Toshio Tsunomatsu's approach to pop music and that the results are no different than those of foreign works.

Recommended song: “Night Away - You Are Leaving My Heart”

The song starts with sound effects (SE) such as the sound of a whiskey bottle pouring out and a zippo lighting up to emphasize the image of the lyrics.

From the moment the sound comes on, the opening track “I.G.Y.” from Donald Fagen's classic album “Nightfly” comes to mind. The arrangement of the sounds, the rhythm, and the mood of the song are so similar to “I.G.Y.” that one might think it was a perfect copy. This is probably the reason why it was accused of plagiarism at the time of its release.

Listening to the album. Your first impression is superficial, and although there are similar elements, it is clear that the music is based on Kadomatsu's own identity. In this sense, it is a confident effort. The level of music performance is high enough to make one think that an album like this could exist. I can see Kadomatsu himself and his staff enjoying themselves within the music. Toshio Kadomatsu is a man with an incredible amount of ability.

The musicians who participated in the project contributed to this. The solo parts of the songs are also a testament to this confidence. Joe Sample's acoustic piano playing is just like the Joe Sample solos I’ve heard on Michael Franks' and The Crusaders' albums, and it makes me smile. The guitar solo that followed Sample's solo was sung effortlessly by Larry Carlton. Like Samples, Carlton's solo is the same as “that solo” heard on Steely Dan and Carlton's albums.

It’s amazing and enviable that Kadomatsu himself has been able to carry out the amateur's idle talk of “If I were to make my own music, I would invite anyone and everyone to play like that solo on that song from the album”.

The music of Steely Dan and Donald Fagen, in particular, is extremely difficult to reproduce, even among pop music, and is the ultimate in sophistication. The musicians are also extremely talented. Even if it were easy to copy, it would be extremely difficult to reproduce.

The mindset that he has brought such an almost joke-like world to life on his own album is simply mind-boggling.

Please have a listen and compare! It's fun!

■ Reference album: Donald Fagen, Nightfly (1982)

A solo album by Donald Fagen, vocalist and keyboard player of Steely Dan. This album was released during the hiatus of the superb pop unit Steely Dan. It features pop songs of the utmost sophistication.

The album is about young people growing up in America in the late 1950s and early 60s. It is truly an autobiographical album.

The songs are even more sophisticated than those of Steely Dan, and it’s Fagen's own band.

I still cannot forget the shock I felt when I first heard this album.

Reference song: “I.G.Y.”

The opening track of the album, which is said to be the ultimate pop song. It reinforces the feeling that reggae rhythms have come this far.
The development into the chorus and the wonderful melody line are irreplaceable.

Musicians, albums, and recommended songs featured in this issue

• Artists: Toshio Kadomatsu, Donald Fagen, Joe Sample, Larry Carlton, etc.
• Albums: ALL IS VANITY and Night Fly
• Recommended songs: “Yoru hanare - You Are Leaving My Heart” and “I.G.Y.”

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