 Teardrops
are a band with a pedigree: leader Fujio Yamaguchi, along
with guitarist Shinichi Aoki, were key members of the legendary Murahachibu,
and the rhythm section of Kazu Nakajima and Kouhei "Big Beat" Sase were
fresh from The Fools. As if the membership didn't clue you in,
Teardrops play off the gloriously sloppy churn of "Exile" era Rolling
Stones, but filter it through a hazy, almost dub reggae style that
breathes a shambling new life into the proceedings.
The "Exile" comparison runs deep. I have to admit I always thought the
most holy of Stones albums was a bit overrated, being short on strong
tunes as compared to "Sticky Fingers" or "Beggars Banquet," instead
getting by on its admittedly stupendous vibe. Saying "Teardrops" is a
better album than "Exile" would be irresponsible in the extreme...no
album can get out from under those kind of expectations, personal
reservations notwithstanding...but I will say it takes the best
elements of that LP and supports it with catchy, more fleshed out songs
that in many ways make it, for me, a more satisfying listen. The
forward momentum isn't as hell bent for leather as that Stones effort,
but there's an undeniable joie de vivre to the proceedings, the same
kind of party atmosphere that seems simultaneously on fire and terribly
hung over at the same time. It's a feeling many have tried to capture,
most without much success, but Teardrops make it their own.
"ヒッチハイク" ("Hitchhike") sets the stage with a minimum of fuss: it's
little more than a rewrite of Chuck Berry's "Memphis" with a loose,
last call atmosphere. But all complaints of originality aside, it
sounds like a Hell of a party. "死ぬまでドライブ" ("Shinumade Drive")
follows up by grafting the Peter Gunn theme to CCR's "Green River" and spinning
it into a dark blues raveup, with ghostly harmonica and swamp guitar as
Yamaguchi's raspy vocals croak from the bottom of a well. Next, "運命の糸"
("Threads Of Fate") runs "All Along The Watchtower" (the Hendrix
version, not Bob's) through the same treatment, adding a cautiously
uplifting chorus and absolutely sets it on fire, climaxing in the sort
of contained frenzy that transcends its obvious inspirations.
After all the dark burn of the first side, side two is a considerably
lighter affair, opting for brighter tones and tighter, poppier
structures that nonetheless retain the album's bleary view:
"ジェットコースター" ("Jet Coaster") is almost dancable. Speaking of which,
"レター" ("Letter") takes the lackadasical funk of "Emotional Rescue" and
replaced Jagger's disinterested reading with joyful shouts, falsetto
backing vocals, and a sense of joy that's distinctly missing in the
Stones track. The album gets downright sweet with "ピッカピカダイヤモンド"
("Shiny Diamond,") with Yamaguchi and backup singers shouting
"okuretai!" ("I wanna give it to you!") with unfeigned enthusiasm. It's
true you can hear a smile in someone's words when they speak, and in
"Shiny Diamond" it sounds like everybody had ear to ear grins plastered
on their faces. It's unexpectedly joyous, especially when it whips
itself into a sweat soaked frenzy every bit as uplifting as "Threads Of
Fate" was menacing. It album proper ends with "グッ・モーニン" ("Good
Morning,") a happy reggae tune with children's vocals (!) and a
surprisingly optimistic demeanor. With the album's comfortably foggy
sound, it sounds the morning in question is the sun coming up on a
particularly good all night party: it might be morning, but it's time
for bed, alarm clock in the final few seconds be damned.
All this talking up I'm doing isn't just my personal take: "Teardrops"
caught on with the public as well in its initial 1987 release, first
coming out on Yamaguchi's Sex imprint before being picked up by Toshiba
EMI. It's seen its share of reissues as well, and is currently
available in a somewhat strange double CD deluxe edition that takes the
original album ("Hitchhike" through "Good Morning") and puts it in the
middle of the first disc, appending three songs on either end and
screwing with the balance somewhat. But that issue is archival, not
artistic, and "Teardrops" is yet another lost classic that is ripe for
discovery.
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Available through Amazon Japan
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