Sayaka Ichii, photos II

I couldn't fit all the image sin one post, so here are the remaining two:

Sayaka Ichii, photos

Not much to say in this post.
Except I found some new images of Sayaka Ichii modeling for a magazine. And a random photo:

Asaoto

Asaoto was a web page with a lot of detailed old school stuff about Hello! Project. It hasn't been updated since 2005, and for the last year (at least), the site has 'been under maintenance. I think the site never will go back up again. I managed to save a review of Morning Musume and Heike Michiyo's mini album, 'Morning Cop'. It is all in Japanese.



モーニング刑事(コップ)。

Zetima
EPCE-5006
1998.9.30.
※“モーニング娘。＆平家みちよ”名義
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収録曲

1. だけど愛しすぎて (Mix for Screen)
* 作詞： 牧穂エミ
* 作曲・編曲： はたけ
2. おねがいネイル
* 作詞・作曲： つんく
* 編曲： 前嶋康明
3. ヨロシク！
* 作詞・作曲： つんく
* 編曲： 須藤豪
4. 恋のABC
* 作詞・作曲： つんく
* 編曲： 山内薫
5. 強くならなくちゃ…ね
* 作詞： 牧穂エミ
* 作曲・編曲： はたけ
6. 抱いて HOLD ON ME！ (Sexy Long Version)
* 作詞・作曲： つんく
* 編曲： 前嶋康明


平家みちよとモーニング娘。主演による映画『モーニング刑事(コップ)。』の挿入曲を集めたミニアルバムです。

まずは映画のオープニングを飾る「だけど愛しすぎて」。平家みちよによる力強いロックナンバーです。平家のボーカルは結構張りもあるんですが、ちょっと真正直すぎるかな。優等生のロックという感じです。やっぱロックは不良のモノだよねえ。“Mix for Screen”とありますが、オリジナルを聴いたことがないのでどう違うのかは分かりません。ごめんなさい。

二曲目は平家みちよとモーニング娘。の共演による「おねがいネイル」。シャッフルのリズムにのった爽やかな感じの一曲です。イントロ・間奏のブルースハープが印象的。サックスセクションのバックリフはなかなかカッコイイです。話すような歌い方とかいろいろやっていて楽しいのですが、コーラスワークはいたってシンプルで、ちょっと物足りないかな。

続いてはモーニング娘。による軽快なロックンロールダンスナンバー「ヨロシク！」です。楽しそうに歌っているのが伝わってきますね。中澤姉さんの「ヨロシク！」は巻舌入ってて迫力ありますね。編曲を手掛けたのは須藤豪。“テケテケ”のエレキやらオルガンやら楽しいオケになっています。

そして「恋のABC」。モーニング娘。による16ビートのミディアムナンバーです。ブラスセクションをフィーチャーしたちょっと古臭いオケが、逆にかっこいいですね。ただ音域的に低域のこの曲、歌いきれてない印象です。サビのコーラスも不安定、ちょっといただけませんね。楽曲的には結構いいと思うんですが、歌うのは難しいのかな。

続いて平家みちよによる「強くならなくちゃ…ね」。スタンダードなミディアムバラードです。一曲目の「だけど愛しすぎて」もそうですが、やっぱり歌い方が真面目すぎる気がするなあ。もっといろいろやっていいと思うんですが、プロデューサーのはたけの趣味なんでしょうか。平家の人柄なのかもしれませんが…。低域の音程が甘いのがちょっと残念。

さて最後は映画のエンディングにも流れた「抱いて HOLD ON ME！ (Sexy Long Version)」。比較的オリジナルに忠実なリミックス版です。ただそれ程出来がいいという感じはしませんね。イントロから前半なんかはいい感じですが、もっとオリジナルの雰囲気をかえてしまうようなリミックスのほうが面白いと思うなあ。そこらへんはいろいろ事情があるのでしょうね。

全体的に見ると、残念ながらやっつけ仕事の印象は拭えません。一曲一曲にはイイところもたくさんあるのですが、イマイチ統一感がありません。一つの作品というよりは企画モノという感じですね。
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personnel

だけど愛しすぎて
ピアノ：平家みちよ
ギター／ピアノ／プログラミング：はたけ
ドラム／ボンゴ：樋口宗孝
ベース：寺沢功一
バックグラウンドボーカル：牧穂エミ
おねがいネイル
Wurlitzer／プログラミング：前嶋康明
ギター：稲葉政裕
ハープ：八木のぶお
サックス：山本拓夫
サックス：本田雅人
サックス：包国充
ヨロシク！
プログラミング：須藤豪
ギター：高橋諭一
恋のABC
プログラミング：山内薫
ギター：稲葉政裕
強くならなくちゃ…ね
ギター／ピアノ／プログラミング：はたけ
ドラム：CARMINE APPICE
ベース：TONY FRANKLIN
バックグラウンドボーカル：牧穂エミ
抱いて HOLD ON ME！ (Sexy Long Version)
プログラミング：前嶋康明
ギター：GEMI TAYLOR
バックグランドボーカル：つんく
マニピュレーター：常見和秀

Aya Ishiguro and Sayaka Ichii

Looks like Ishiguro and Ichii stumbled upon each other while being guests at different (?) tv-shows taped at the same location.
They both blogged about it, and I made an attempt at translating what they had to say about it.


From Ishiguro's blog:


今日の番組収録
At today's tv program recording

行ってビックリ
I got a surprise

ななぁ～んと
whaaat?!

紗耶香と一緒でした～
I met Sayaka

今9歳の長女がまだお腹にいた時に
My oldest daughter, now 9 years old, was　yet　in my stomach the last time (I saw Sayaka)

家に遊びに来てくれた以来だからガーンガーンガーンガーン
I invited her and her kids to come playing at my place


約10年ぶりとかじゃないかな！？！？
have it been 10 years since I saw her last time?!?!?


超久しぶりっ！！！！
it's been a long time


お互いにママってのが不思議だねぇ(笑)
We're both mothers , isn't it a miracle (laugh)


お仕事してるとにひひ
working blablabla

ホントに色んな出逢いがあるよ～音符音符音符
really various meetings - note note note

10年ぶりのツーショットでしたチョキチョキ
It's been 10 years, (someone) took a photo of the two of us, click click



From Ichii's blog:


『幸せ結婚相談所』の収録でした
It was the recording of "happy marriage office"

とうとう再会果たしたよ
We reunited at last

彩っぺ～ドキドキドキドキドキドキドキドキドキドキドキドキドキドキラブラブ！
Ayappe throb throb throb throb love love

きゃーっ！
waaaaa

ひさしぶりーっ！音譜
so long ago notes (wazzup with these kanji's???)

彩っぺ、ほんと久しぶりに会った。
I haven't seen Ayappe in such a long time

久しぶりに話したら、やっぱり
We havent spoken in long time, really

昔と変わらず優しくウェルカムしてくれたよ。
The old days was a gentle welcome

お互いの子供たちの話もして、
We both have kids, that is what we talked about

なんだか不思議な感じ。
A little strange feeling

でもすんごい懐かしいっ。
but wow natsukashii (notalgic memories/fond memories)

嬉しかったなぁ。
I was so happy

今度近々一緒にプライベートでもって
this time it wont be as long utnil we see eachother again. we have a playdate.

約束したよ黄色い花
we promised! yellow flowers (a proverb maybe?)

彩っぺ、今日は久しぶりに会えて本当にうれしかった。
ありがとう。
Ayappe. I was happy really that we met today after such long time.

また連絡するねにひひにひひにひひ
again we are in contact

////////////

I just wanna stress the fact that I know very little Japanese. You get the gist of it, but translations may be wrong. To sum it up, they were happy seeing each other again, it's been a long time, they have a playdate cause they are both moms now.

Michiyo Heike's graduation ceremony

Many people seem to think that Heike Michiyo didn't get a graduation concert. But she did!
It was held over two days in November of 2002, and is called "Heike Michiyo Hello! Project sotsugyou Live". But UFA never released it on dvd. I don't think there were any tv broadcast of it either.



I was reading a blog comment from someone who was a fan back in the days, the blog being rather old. Dating back to 2002 when the concert was held. The person who posted this wrote (from what I understand) his comments and thoughts about her graduating, how I felt about the show and the songs, what she said in the MC's and what the set list was.



I don't understand half of the post, but from what I understand Heike had a slide show with pictures of her life from being a child, student etc.
She was also talking in one of the mc's that H!P all started with her and morning musume and how big H!P has become. And despite changes, always support the members you like.

Melon Kinenbi and Inaba Atsuko was also present on stage (before the encore), giving their regards to Heike now that she was leaving.





The set list for the show was:
ai no chikara (8th single)
furimukanai de (from her 1st album)
kekkyoku Bye Bye Bye (9th single)
sotsugyou ～Top of the world～ (2nd single)
Propose (10th single)
akai tsuki (from her 1st album)
murasaki shikibu (11th and final single)
tsuyoku nara nakucha (from the mini album for Morning Cop)
myself (from her 2nd album)
dakedo aishisugite (4th single)
kiiroi osora de BOOM BOOM BOOM (cover of kiiro5's shuffle song)
daikirai (3rd single)
anata no yume ni naritai (5th single)
One room natsu no koi monogatari (7th single)

encore:
the rose (cover of the same song by Bette Midler)
scene (6th single)
get (1st single)

He ends the post with:
Micchi!! Thank you for a wonderful live!!

(and quoting "myself")

Ｗａｋｅ　ｕｐ　ｆｏｒ　ｍｙ　ｄｒｅａｍ!!
Ｓｔａｎｄ　ｕｐ　ｆｏｒ　ｍｙｓｅｌｆ!!

Original post

I think this was a nice post and I wish I could understand it all. But it is nice to see she had devoted fans who really liked her and her music.

Michiyo Heike

Amasugita Kajitsu posted this on his/her blog a few years ago.
Seeing Koharu graduate MM (what was that about) and MK disbanding I am kinda fed up with HP right now.. Kinda miss how it was.

"In 1997, a man named Teruda Mitsudo (a.k.a. Tsunku) and his buddies from the band Sharam Q held an audition. This audition was a search for a new female vocalist. In the final round of the audition, which was shown on Japanese television program ASAYAN, there were six people. Only one won.

Who would have known that the five losers would be more popular than the winner, Heike Michiyo?

What would happen if Michiyo turned out to be a bigger hit than the other five (now known as Morning Musume)? How many singles would she sell? What would her music style evolve to? Would she release photobooks? Would she have mostly 30-40 year old male wotas for fans, or mainly 15-25 year old women? Would she even be an idol? How many generations would Morning Musume get, and what would Hello!Project be, if it existed? All that, and more…

To begin, let’s address her music style. It is not at all like Hello!Project. Some of her music has more of a rock influence. The song “Daikirai,” which can be found on Pucchi Best 1, comes to mind. You can really tell during the pre-chorus and chorus. Michiyo’s voice sounds wonderful and powerful here, as always.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyw18VPz9uE

Of course, Michiyo released pop-ish songs as well. “Kekkyoku Bye Bye Bye,” her 9th single, is an example.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRn1rCpFXUc

How many of her singles would Heike sell? Well, I think that if she had turned out to be more popular than Morning Musume, today she could sell about 75,000 – 80,000 copies per single with the right promotion. During her “Golden Age,” she would probably have similar numbers to Morning Musume (anywhere from 600,000 to 1 million copies).

Outside of singles and albums, Michiyo could do four tours a year, like the Hello!Project artists do. (editors note: After leaving HP she went on two tours a year until she had her baby) Keep in mind, they’re being managed by the same people: Up-Front Agency and Tsunku.

As for photobooks, I don’t think she would release a ton, like Maki or Rika or Aya or Natsumi. I’d assume she’d have three by the end of this year, as she would be less of an idol, and more of just a musician. They probably wouldn’t be bikini photobooks either (or would have only a few bikini shots), but they would still be mature. I could see it similar to Honda Ruru’s “Cosmos” PB, which you can download here.

Why that style, you ask? I think it would go more with her overall style and the fact that she wouldn’t be an idol. Well, she would be an idol, but not 100% idol. Idols are more of an “everything,” acting, dancing, singing, modeling, being a fashion leader, the whole deal. I couldn’t see Michiyo doing all of that, just singing (and maybe a little acting). Another part of being an idol is having a really catchy personality, like Reina’s “Yankii” personality, Hitomi’s tomboy personality, and Kemeko’s Obasan personality. I don’t think Michiyo would create a personality for herself; she didn’t have one while she was still working.

What would Morning Musume be today?

Morning Musume wouldn’t be in a very happy situation, I hate to say. Assuming Tsunku was giving more promotion to Heike, he wouldn’t try as hard to promote them as he did in real life. They would sell their 50,000 copies of Ai no Tane, have a #1 single after that, and then be nearly forgotten. Due to lack of success, they would only get 3 generations. Each generation would bring two more people, and Magical Gocchin wouldn’t audition. The group would disband in 2004, their last album only selling 1,500 copies.

…How depressing. XD

On the flip side, Morning Musume could have done great as well! They could have been a huge success, just like they really did turn out to be. They could build up slowly, and on their seventh single (with Gocchin!) sell a million copies. There certainly could be eight generations of Musume idols today.

And Hello!Project as a whole? I don’t think Hello!Project as we know it would be established. Yes, Michiyo and Momusu would do things similar to H!P, but only because the same guy was managing them. There would be no Hello!Project kids, no Aya, no shuffle units. (Maybe shuffle units. But more unlikely than likely.)

So which situation would be more beneficial to us fans in the long run? If you’re a H!P kids fan, you probably like things the way they are. If you like Michiyo, then success to her all the way. As for me, I would be happy with either. BUT, I would perfer things the way they are now. I like Morning Musume more than any other artist out there, and I like the way things have happened. Plus, I still get to enjoy what music Heike Michiyo put out, regardless of how much (or how little) it was.



Permalink
5 Comments »

1.

Radicalpatriot said,

February 13, 2008 at 8:47 pm

Herein lies the strength and staying power of Morning Musume: The group does not relay on a single star, or a small group of singers. It is a concept, a brilliant concept, and different girls carry this banner over time. But the excellence is always there. The Hello Project Winter 2008 Awards Show on Jan. 26-27 at Yokohama Arena was the most stunning pop music event ever. It is the end result of what has to be the most revolutionary idea ever in pop music, not only in Japan, but anywhere. Not only Morning Musume, but the surging junior units, Berryz Koko, C-ute; the incredible spinoffs like Bouno! It’s all nothing short of absolutely spectacular. Tsunku’s acts put everything else in the world to shame. He has done it; this is the best music companyh on earth — sound, motion, color, attitude, just greatness in the voices and on the legs of the super-awesome Morning Musume and Hello Project. May it reign forever on earth and in heaven beyond.

Yaguchi being a bit nostalgic

At Yaguchi's blog you can find a bunch of pictures from her celebration of New Years eve.
She celebrated it with a lot of old school girls; Nakazawa, Maeda, Iida, Natsumi, Ishikawa, Yoshizawa, Tsuji, Inaba Atsuko and none less than Aya Ishiguro!

She felt a bit nostalgic, and did some "photoshoots" of 1st gen musume, 2nd gen musume, original tanpopo and tanpopo+ishikawa.
Apparently she tried to re-create the cover for their debut single, but couldnt quite remember the pose. Their debut single was released almost 12 years ago!





Nice to see them all together :D

Translations of Yaguchi's blog can be found at hello-online.org