I'd seen Anzen Chitai （安全地帯）for the first time on a video performing this atmospheric song....their signature song. It's classic Anzen Chitai....relentless electric guitars backing the near-operatic voice of Koji Tamaki（玉置浩二）. And Tamaki stood out as this dark mysterious type who kinda reminded me of a Japanese saturnine version of David Bowie as The Thin White Duke (yeah, maybe I'm reaching here but just humor me). Talent and model-level looks....what more could you want for a leader of a band?
"Wine-Red no Kokoro"(Wine-Red Heart) was a go-to song at my old karaoke haunt of Kuri in Yorkville back in my university days in the mid-80s; Yorkville is a fancy quarter in downtown Toronto. Someone was always singing it at least once every visit...along with a lot of their later hits. And their 4th single was indeed a hit....it was their first No. 1 after it was released in late 1983 and eventually became the 2nd-ranked single for 1984. It was included on their second album, "Anzen Chitai II", released in May 1984.
I can definitely understand the Davis Bowie comparison, as I felt exactly the same after hearing this song and then watching the video. The way Koji Tamaki gives emphasis on certain syllables, and his overall timber are very reminiscent of Bowie. As for the rest of the song, classic Anzen Chitai, one that never gets old.
ReplyDeleteHello Miguel and thanks for your comments. Yeah, both Bowie and Tamaki had charisma in spades, and both actually had some hidden sense of humour, too, although I think Tamaki was goofier.
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