～この街。

This is the stuff of dreams~*!!….a modern J~pop group putting their modern take on such a classic by a legend in the genre! Moritaka Chisato goes pretty far back with me as I began listening, loving and collecting her complete discography whilst she was still a current artists beginning with her “Do the Best” album (then a current hit on the Oricon Charts) which then had me hooked =)♥.

C-ute’s “Kono machi” can be ordered @ Cdjapan

C-ute’s “Kono machi” can be ordered @ HMV Japan

Moritaka Chisato complete singles collection

It took a few years back then to complete but in time I was able to collect her entire CD single and album collection and while I was then currently purchasing every one of her new releases, in order to find her long out of print titles that was done via local used CD shop browsing and online second hand stores searches and requests. I could really go on and on about Moritaka Chisato right this instant but that do her a grave injustice as that’d be best left for and entirely separate post on a new day~. In short though, Moritaka~san’s career and song writing prowess as well as her live concerts played a major role in the shaping of the J~Pop world and how it’s progressed through the years, no doubt todays’ artists in some form or another are riding a wave of success which has been touched directly or indirectly by her many influences from  a career then of great longevity.

Moritaka Chisato complete original album collection

Moritaka Chisato DVD collection

(4 of her earlier DVDs are missing from my set)

~~~~~~~~~~~The Moritaka Connection~~~~~~~~~~~

In fact if you’ve been a Hello! Project fan for some time then you’ll surely know of the love Tsunku has had over the years for Moritaka~san as the Moritaka~H!P connection goes quite far back and not too long ago and most recently prior to C-ute’s latest single release, Maimichan performed a cover of Moritaka~san’s “Ame” which can be seen here. The connection though goes as far back as Minimoni covering Moritaka’s “Rock n’ Roll kenchou shozaichi.” while both Ayaya and Gocchin did covers of “watarasebashi”, my all time favorite Moritaka Chisato song and shortly thereafter Nacchi did a cover of “The Stress” which is also a single release by Moritaka~san. As you can see from a few photos above I went with the A Type single for C-ute’s “kono machi” and while it didn’t include the original pv version, there is here ‘another’ version and I’m figuring the upcoming Bluray release for C-ute’s pvs ( releasing March 20th!) will have the original version included, hope so! B sides too for C-ute’s single pay tribute to Moritaka~san as here the flip~side is the single “Ame” performed solo by Maimichan (aforementioned above with link) this being a studio version and on yet another version of C-ute’s single the offbeat single track “Hae otoko” can be heard as well….a most unusual and amusing if not anything else track =D…well it’s about a ‘fly man’…so yesssss use your imagination and actually if you watch the pv you won’t have too as there he is…..a giant fly man right smack dab in her pv! =O Somewhere Jeff Goldblum is smiling….

Before

…well that would be before he got into that darn time thingy and meshed grossly with a fly (゜Д゜;)！！！

After

And you know he can’t even blame Scotty for this one…no no..

after that,

Scotty having a ‘few’…..~~~ヾ(＾∇＾)

So without further ado/ or before Scotty falls out of his chair let’s begin with C-ute’s rendition and updated version of the classic “Kono machi” with both their ‘Another Edition’ version as well as their ‘Close Up Ver.”….

~C-ute “Kono machi” (Another Edition) version music video~

~C-ute “Kono machi” (Close Up Ver.) music video~

C-ute’s studio versions

~C-ute “Kono machi” mp3~

~Yajima Maimi “Ame” mp3~

“The Moritaka” album release

C-ute really did awesome with the vocals and their version while it being an entirely new arrangement is much more in the vein of Moritaka Chisato’s album version or “The Moritaka version” which appears on her album of the same name (“The Moritaka) which was released on July 10th 1991.

~Moritaka Chisato “Kono Machi (The Moritaka Version) mp3~

The arrangement here is much more ballad~like and in deep contrast to the original version……

Moritaka Chisato “Benkyou no uta” 3” CD single release

..which appears as the b~side to “Benkyou no uta” which was released on February 10th 1991. This can be perhaps attuned much more to C-ute’s ‘dance version’ of “Kono machi” which yes~ appears on an alternate single release of their “Kono machi” single. So many versions of their single that C-ute has, I so wish they’d include them all on a single disc….as getting so many versions of the same single can be so expensive =(…well an ongoing trend for pretty much most J~pop artists today =/. Here is Moritaka’s original single version which is titled as the “HOME MIX.”

~Moritaka Chisato “Kono machi” (HOME MIX) mp3~

The production here does have a heavy dose of dated written upon it, though in live atmospheres this song not only held a pre~encore status but it also remained as a fan favorite through the years, a melody which stands time…and more so a reasoning for C-ute’s cover~tribute.

Moritaka Chisato “Benkyou no uta” 3” CD single release (inner view)

Remember those cool 3” CD single cases? Originally (before the optional outer plastic jewel cases you could accessorize with an additional purchase) these sleek mini cases were designed so that fans could actually fold them into a single square shape! Above you can see the inside of one of these single releases and note the perforated line between disc holder and lyric holder here as that’s where the single case can be ‘folded’ to create a most miniature single case! Miss these 3” singles they really stand out in your collection as being your J-pop singles as they were the mainstay format for so many years back then! =)

Moritaka Chisato “Lucky 7 Live” and “LIVE ROCK ALIVE” DVD releases

Here are two live performances from Moritaka~san’s “LIVE ROCK ALIVE” and “Lucky 7 Live” respectfully…

~Moritaka Chisato “Kono machi” (LIVE ROCK ALIVE) live~

Note that this performance takes place towards the very ending of this concert and if you’ve ever watched any of her concerts in entirety you’ll surely appreciate the energy and dedicated effort she puts into every single minute onstage…and Moritaka~san’s vocals always so immaculate live! And the choreography, so poignant in its stature in time as the likes of AKB48 with AkiP’s love for the golden era reflect it so much with an amazing appreciation.

~Moritaka Chisato “Memories”/ Kono machi” (Lucky 7 Live) live~

I couldn’t resist including “Memories” as it leads into the performance of “Kono machi” here, as both are such beloved melodies and truth be told you’d be hard pressed not to love an entirety of her concerts as live bands are always present! And Moritaka~san not only is involved with the composing of her songs as she also is most active in their stage renditions as she regularly performs live on keyboards, drums, guitar as well as the occasional recorder…..that being reserved for “Watarasebashi”..Mm♥.

Watarasebashi

And speaking of “Watarasebashi” which is actually a real bridge over water in Japan, not only does it pay tribute at its site with a memorial to Moritaka’s heartfelt song (really! there’s an actual plaque there!!), it also as aforementioned was once paid tribute by none other than the immaculate talent which is Ayaya~♥.

~Matsuura Aya “Watarasebashi” (Studio Live)~

A lovely jazzy rendition, and have I said immaculate & Ayaya before?

“Watarasebashi”

by Moritaka Chisato

(“Watarase Bridge”)

Watarasebashi de miru yuuhi wo anata wa totemo sukidatta wa.
kireina toko de sodatta ne. Koko ni sumitai to itta.

You loved to watch the setting sun from Watarasebashi Bridge.
You said, “You’ve grown up in a beautiful town. I want to live here.”

Densha ni yurare kono machi made anata wa ai ni kite kureta wa.
Watashi wa ima mo ano koro wo wasurerarezu ikitemasu.

You would come to this town aboard a train to see me.
I live with the memories of those days in my heart.

Ima demo Yakumo jinja e omairi suru to anata no koto inoru wa.
Nagaigoto hitotsu kanau nara ano koro ni modoritai

Whenever I go to the Yakumo shrine, I still pray for you.
If one of my dreams came true, I should go back to those days.

Tokoya no kado ni potsun to aru koushuu denwa oboete masuka?
Kinou omowazu kaketakute nando mo juwaki totta no.

Do you remember the public telephone standing at the corner of the barber’s?
Yesterday I came to feel like calling you up and picked up the receiver many times

Konaida watarasegawa no kawara ni orite zutto nagare miteta wa.
Kitakaze ga totemo tsumetakute kaze wo hiichaimashita.

The other day I went down to the shore of the Watarase River and watched the water running down for a long time.
The north wind was so sharp that I caught a cold.

Dare no sei demo nai. Anata ga kono machi de
Kurasenai koto wakatteta no.
Nandomo nayan da wa. Dakedo watashi koko wo hanarete kurasu koto dekinai.

Neither of us is responsible for our parting.
I knew that you could not live in such a rural town.
Many times I thought over whether I should accompany you or not.
But I cannot live in a big city, leaving here.

Anata ga sukida to itta kono machinami ga
Kyou mo kurete yukimasu.
Hiroi sora to tooku no yama yama. Futari de aruita machi.
Yuuhi ga kireina machi.

You said you loved this town. Night has been coming.
The sky is getting dark, and I can only see the form of mountains over there.
Night is falling in this town where I walked with you.
Night is falling in this town where the setting sun is beautiful

This 3 track DVD remains as one of my most favorites and that along with Ayaya’s and perhaps Hello! Projects most impressive extra to date!..which is the bonus DVD included with her Naked Songs album…Ayaya, still the greatest vocalist Hello! Project has ever produced. You know it’s been years since her departure from the song/idol world and it’s beginning to certainly feel like in years to come we’ll have colorful arguments over whom is/was/was ever Hello! Projects’ greatest vocalist of all time just like Lebron…

…being compared to Jordan….

=D…of course they’re such different athletes in different times and I was so little when I saw Jordan that I can mostly only recount in vintage footage and video releases, although here I lived through the Ayaya era and thus I can honestly say that she is the greatest of Hello! Project vocalists ever, no questions asked, period. Yes Ayaya, simply the best.

~Matsuura Aya “Watarasebashi” (original pv)~

Simply beautiful, immaculate in vocals and arrangement~♥…..this music video too memorable.

ps. check out the amazing camera angles and the lengths to which this production team took their art~, just wow. And you really in retrospect get the feeling of how much this particular project meant in this time and moment, forever frozen here for our attention.

Moritaka Chisato “Watarasebashi”

From her concert “Lucky 7 Live” performed in ‘93.

~Moritaka Chisato “Watarasebashi” (live)~