Southern All Stars
Biography
There's no underestimating Southern All Stars — the band's commercially savvy blend of pop/rock that can be ironic, sentimental, or just plain erotic has made them a fundamental staple of the Japanese music scene comparable to the Carpenters in the U.S. or even the Beatles in Britain. Southern All Stars have sold over 47 million records and scored dozens of chart-toppers, and they placed number one in the prestigious survey of the most influential Japanese artists comprised by HMV Japan in 2003 — a testament to their long-running popularity, which by that time had only grown during the three decades they had been around.. Southern All Stars were born out of a music club at the Aoyama Gakuin University, attended by one Keisuke Kuwata, an aspiring vocalist and guitarist. In the beginning, which dates back to 1975, Kuwata went through a bevy of names such as Onsen Anma Momohiki Band and Piston Kuwata & the Cylinders, but finally settled on Southern All Stars (a mix of "Fania All-Stars" and "Southern rock," shortened to Sazan or SAS) after bassist Kazuyuki Sekiguchi and keyboardist Yuko Hara — the future wife of Kuwata — joined the group. Their first serious career move was participating in the Yamaha EastWest ‘77 musical contest; Kuwata won the best vocalist award, and the band acquired Hiroshi Matsuda (drums), Hideyuki Nozawa (percussion), and Takashi Omori (guitar), as well as a gig with Victor Entertainment. Southern All Stars debuted in 1978 with the single "Katte ni Sindbad," which eventually climbed to number three, partly boosted by the band's extravagant live shows; they came across as a comedy band on the first two singles, but proved their musical worth with the ballad "Itoshi no Ellie" (1979), which became one of their signature songs and was even covered in 1989 by Ray Charles (for a Japan-only release). The debut album Atsui Munasawagi was released in 1978, followed by 10 Numbers Carat (1979), which was rushed by the label, leading Kuwata to dismiss it later as "trash." Still, the band's popularity was established by this point, and all of its full-lengths from Tiny Bubbles (1980) onward topped the Oricon.
Top Albums |
1. Umi No Yeah!..
| 2. Ballad 3 - T..
| 3. Peace & ..
| 4. Ballad '77-'..
| 5. Ballad 2 '83..
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6. Kamakura
| 7. Southern All..
| 8. Stereo Taiyo..
| 9. Kirei
| 10. 10 Numbers C..
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11. Killer Stree..
| 12. Nude Man
| 13. Sakura
| 14. Young Love
| 15. Namida No Um..
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16. Tiny Bubbles
| 17. Atsui Munasa..
| 18. Ninkimono de..
| 19. Yo Ni Man-Yo..
| 20. Tokyo Victor..
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Top Songs |
| Name | Album | Time | Price | |
1. | Tsunami | Ballad 3 - The Album of Lov.. | 5:12 | $1.29 | |
2. | Tokyo Victory | Tokyo Victory - Single | 5:09 | $1.29 | |
3. | Kono Aoi Sora, Midori - Blue in Gree.. | Kono Aoi Sora, Midori - Blu.. | 4:26 | $1.29 | |
4. | Sutekina Yume Wo Kanaemasho | Sakura | 5:09 | $1.29 | |
5. | Tojin Monogatari (Raxamen no Uta) | Sakura | 4:23 | $1.29 | |
6. | Bakusho Island | Sakura | 4:08 | $1.29 | |
7. | No-No-Yeah / Go-Go-Yeah | Sakura | 5:38 | $1.29 | |
8. | Heiwa No Ryuka | Umi No Yeah!! | 3:24 | $1.29 | |
9. | Ai No Kotodama - Spiritual Message | Umi No Yeah!! | 5:42 | $1.29 | |
10. | Koi No Jackknife | Umi No Yeah!! | 4:38 | $1.29 | |
11. | Taiyo Wa Tsumi Na Yatsu | Umi No Yeah!! | 4:12 | $1.29 | |
12. | Moon Light Lover | Umi No Yeah!! | 4:53 | $1.29 | |
13. | Anatadake Wo - Summer Heartbreak | Umi No Yeah!! | 5:14 | $1.29 | |
14. | Manpie No G-Spot | Umi No Yeah!! | 4:15 | $1.29 | |
15. | Sonna Hiroshi Ni Damasarete | Umi No Yeah!! | 3:09 | $1.29 | |
16. | Suteki Na Birdie (No No Birdy) | Umi No Yeah!! | 5:09 | $1.29 | |
17. | Erotica Seven | Umi No Yeah!! | 4:01 | $1.29 | |
18. | Sayonara Baby | Umi No Yeah!! | 4:55 | $1.29 | |
19. | Namida No Kiss | Umi No Yeah!! | 4:46 | $1.29 | |
20. | Shulaba-La-Bamba | Umi No Yeah!! | 5:02 | $1.29 | |
21. | You | Umi No Yeah!! | 4:31 | $1.29 | |
22. | Manatsu No Kajitsu | Umi No Yeah!! | 4:40 | $1.29 | |
23. | Wasurerareta Big Wave | Umi No Yeah!! | 3:09 | $1.29 | |
24. | Minna no Uta | Umi No Yeah!! | 4:17 | $1.29 | |
25. | Umi | Umi No Yeah!! | 4:11 | $1.29 | |