Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal Vol. 128 - Hidden J-Pop Classics Special: Japan Edition

Special Feature on Hidden J-Pop Classics

So far, I have introduced synthesizer ensembles and synthesizer solos in J-pop and international rock. Finding synthesizer solos among them has been a difficult task of going down the memory funnel. That's how few synthesizer solos there were in the music. If I looked overseas, I could still make a list, but in Japan, I think my knowledge was limited to only one or two more features.
Among them, the one that always stuck out in my mind was a monophonic synthesizer solo from Makoto Matsushita's first album First Light, a hidden masterpiece of J-pop music. Since I had a strong desire to introduce Makoto Matsushita's album as a stand-alone album, I decided to introduce his album and include the synthesizer solo as a hidden masterpiece and to introduce unknown masterpieces of J-pop and other genres.

Connect with Makoto Matsushita! A Piece from a gourd...

T-kun, the bassist of the first band I formed at my new job, told me about Makoto Matsushita's album. The album was First Light. Of course, T-kun said he wanted to play the songs from this album with his band. It was an outrageous act that even the gods would not approve of (lol).
Matsushita's music is quite advanced music, and it is impossible to copy his songs without having a certain level of ability and a really good ear. Nowadays, information is available on the Internet without the need for playing by ear. But back in 1981, there was no such convenience. I replied, “That's impossible!” However, the husband of the sister of a friend of mine from college was the bassist of Junko Yagami's band, and a friend of her husband was Makoto Matsushita, so I was able to get the original score from Mr. Matsushita (thanks!). The score was not just handwritten chords, but notes for each part of the piano, synthesizer, guitar, etc., were carefully written.

J-Pop or City Pop? A classic that transcends categories!

Makoto Matsushita is a musician from Kakegawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture, who covers a wide range of areas as a guitarist, composer, and arranger. He studied music at Yamaha's Nemu School of Music. In an interview, Matsushita said that although he is well-known as a guitarist, he was not obsessed with the guitar, but was more oriented toward music in general.
He wasn’t interested in music with blues roots, which many guitarists are inclined toward, and he listened to progressive rock and Earth, Wind, and Fire, which are very distant from the blues. His favorite guitarist was Al McKay, Earth's master of cutting guitar, who was the object of his orientation. This is probably the reason why you hardly ever feel the touch of blues when you listen to Matsushita's albums.
Distancing himself from the muddy blues, his music has reached a level of sophistication that makes this album a sprout of city pop.
Matsushita originally wanted to be a painter, not a guitarist, and his first album, First Light, is considered a historical masterpiece because of his comprehensive approach to music as a painting.

■ Recommended album: First Light / Makoto Matsushita (1981)

A timeless milestone album of J-pop by Makoto Matsushita, “First Light” was released in 1981 with a photo of sunset as the artwork (left side), which was later changed to an illustration (right side). It was later replaced by an illustrated jacket (right side).
When I first heard this album, my impression was that there was someone in Japan who could create such sophisticated music. Originally intended as a pop album, the album shows Mr. Matsushita's signature harmony construction, and it gives the impression of a mosaic of small pieces that are precisely piled up. However, Matsushita is a guitarist. As mentioned above, there is nothing muddy about his solo phrases, and he develops a beautifully constructed solo. The phrases are not those played by the average guitarist. I have never heard a guitar phrase like Matsushita-san's, and I would like to hear what kind of scales he uses.

A perfectionist, Matsushita-san does not play guitar out of habit, but rather responds to guitar solos with “written notes” of the melody before entering the studio.
He comments, “If I don't have an image in my head when I hear the intro, I can't proceed with the story. This is a glimpse into Matsushita's aspirations to become a painter.

The musicians invited for this album were Yasuo Tomikura (b), Masahiro Miyazaki (ds), Masato Matsuda (keys), Kazuo Nobuta of Milky Way (keys, synth, cho), Haruo Togashi (synth, prog), and other talented musicians. One of the highlights of this album is the synthesizer solo (see below), which I found to be one of the most impressive.

Recommended song: “ONE HOT LOVE”

The score I received from Mr. Matsushita is his “ONE HOT LOVE”. The guitar solo at the beginning of the song, which is covered by the backing rhythm section, is the quintessence of Makoto Matsushita. The ensemble of live piano, electric piano, strings, drums, and bass is a wonder to be heard. The song is typical of Matsushita's style, where the rhythm is intricately broken up and the riffs that are built up create the contours of the song. The vocals ride on such an ensemble, and Matsushita's world unfolds vividly. The guitar solo by Mr. Matsushita in the middle part of the song, like the solo at the beginning of the song, is a one-of-a-kind solo that sets the mood of the song.

Recommended song: “THIS IS ALL I HAVE FOR YOU”

This rhythm reminds me of Steely Dan. Tight and groovy. You would think it was a New York sound until you hear the Japanese vocals.
You can hear a great synthesizer solo in this song. The solo of early passages covered from the last part of the vocal is sung expressively with skillful manipulation of pitch bends and modulations. It gives the song a different touch from Matsushita's guitar solo. I urge you to listen to this solo. According to the album credits, the synthesizer player is Haruo Togashi, and it’s noted that he uses an Oberheim synthesizer.

Musicians, albums, and recommended songs featured in this issue

• Artist: Makoto Matsushita, Haruo Togashi
• Album: First Light
• Song titles: “ONE HOT LOVE”, “THIS IS ALL I HAVE FOR YOU”
• Instruments used: Oberheim synthesizer

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