Part of what makes Yagami Toll!!
YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT LISTENING TO THIS!!
Translation: Lola
Ohta Hiromi
-[Kokoro ga kaze wo hiita hi] featuring her hit song 'Momen no handkerchief', released in December 1975.(1)
-[12 page no shishuu] released in December 1976.(2)
-[Coquettish] released in July 1977.
-[Feelin' Summer] released in June 1979.
-[Ohta Hiromi no kiseki ~First Quarter~] released April 1999.(3)
How did you first get to hear her?
This time I'm talking about my idol, Ohta Hiromi-san who sang the song 'Momen no handkerchief'. I bought this quite some time ago, when I bought the 25th anniversary six-album box set. By now she's already at her 30th anniversary isn't she? She started out in the 70s, her debut was in '74 I think. I was in grade school, 6th grade when I first heard her. I'm sure that the first time I heard her was at a friend's house actually and I thought she was great right away, my idol. I was 12 years old when I was at that friend's house. I don't know who bought the album, whether it was my friend or his older sister but we were listening to it. As I said, the first time I heard her I was in the 6th grade. Around that time I was already listening to songs by Western bands(4) though. But when I first heard her, I felt I'd never heard anyone with a voice like that before, her voice was special. After noticing her voice I noticed the arrangements. And the music of course. Do you know Tsutsumi Kyouhei and Matsumoto Takashi(5)? They're known as the Golden Combo. But at that point they still weren't known as that yet. Matsumoto Takashi was part of the band 'Happy End'. He played drums for the band. Then I think around the time the band broke up that's when he devoted himself exclusively to lyric writing. This might be when he first began writing.
What are some memories associated with Ohta-san's music or why is it so close to your heart?
As far as my 6th grader self was concerned, she was an idol, THE idol. When I was in junior high......or maybe high school there was this show called 'GINZA NOW' right. Remember it had quite a few different hosts on it? And every weekday the show was on the host would change then if they were good they'd sort of graduate and become the main host's assistant. Anyway, I ended going to see a show with a friend. Because the concert was actually taking place at the Takasaki music centre, so we went. I didn't really go to many idol concerts but this was Ohta Hiromi so I had to go. She sang with Yamada Panda and as you know, Yamada Panda's the guy who plays the bass for Kaguya Hime.
Anyway as I said I had to go see the concert because it was my idol! She's still active now in her career and what's even more amazing is that in all this time she hasn't had any man-related scandals. But you know......she got married in her early thirties and she's a mother now so she took a little break to raise her kids. So in some ways I think the reason why she was able to make a comeback is because she didn't really have any problems or scandals to deal with. After that she put out an album for her children too called, [Donjarahoi], which featured covers of children's nursery rhymes. It was something her kids could listen to right. Now this six-album box set from her 25th anniversary came out in '99 I think. But now she's close to her 35th anniversary isn't she? Since her debut was in '74. She's still active now you know. Now...have you heard of Garo(6)? That guy Ohno Masumi-san was the vocalist for them. Anyway, him and the bearded guy from Kaguya Hime, Ise Shouzou-san, used to go around locally under the name 'Nagomi~zu'(7) with Ohta Hiromi-san and perform.
But as far as I'm concerned, Ohta Hiromi-san will always be my idol!
(1)The album title translates as "The day my heart got sick" and the hit song translates as 'Cotton handkerchief'.
(2)This album title translates as "A twelve page poetry collection".
(3)This album title translates as "Ohta Hiromi's Path ~First Quarter~".
(4)This may seem obvious but by Western bands he doesn't mean Country music he means bands from the West.
(5)Tsutsumi Kyouhei is a composer and Matsumoto Takashi is a lyricist. Both made many hit songs. Some of Matsumoto's recent hits include songs written for the Kinki Kids.
(6)Garo was a 70s three-piece acoustic rock group. The band broke up in December of 1975.
(7)The three of them formed an acoustic band and would go around Japan doing concerts called, 'acoustic night'.