Text & Photo: Akiko Inoue
The 1970s in Japan can be described with many words, such as the political era and hippie culture, and it was a time of rapid developments in society, including the Yodo-go hijacking and the Asama Sanso incident. Now, "70's Vibration! YOKOHAMA," which focuses on Japanese music and pop culture in the 1970s, is being held at Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No. 1, with a lineup of exhibitions, live shows, and other events.
The 1970s in Japan brought rapid change in many fields against the backdrop of rapid economic growth, but it was a treasure trove of pop culture, especially music, that continues to this day. After the turbulent 1960s, Japanese pop music moved from GS to the era of singer-songwriters. These were called New Music and City Pop, and formed the basis of AOR, which later became beloved by many DJs as Japanese classics, and continues to this day.
This time, we will report on the exhibition "70's Vibration!", which offers a multifaceted look at the 1970s, a period of great change in the flow from the 1960s to the 1980s, with valuable content.
A recreation of Minami Aoyama's legendary record store "Pied Piper House"!
Taking its name from the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the Pied Piper House was opened in 1975 by Masatoshi Iwanaga and others on Antique Street in Minami Aoyama. It was then taken over by the second-generation owner, Yoshiro Nagato, and for about 14 years until 1989, it was a record store that earned the trust of many musicians and music fans. Famous musicians such as Tatsuro Yamashita, Taeko Onuki, Haruomi Hosono, Shigeru Suzuki, Eiichi Ohtaki, etc. visited the store as customers, the store appeared in the classic 80s book "Nantokaku, Krystal" (written by Yasuo Tanaka), and Pizzicato Five was formed by young pop music enthusiasts who gathered at the store... and many other anecdotes have made Pied Piper House a legendary record store.
This time, the "Pied Piper House" will be reproduced for a limited time at the exhibition venue.
Inside the store. The original sign is still in use.
You can actually purchase the CDs, and it seems to be a huge success every day. There are also special goods made for this event, so be sure to check them out.
There will also be a "YMO Musical Instrument Exhibition" and a display of Eiichi Ohtaki's personal belongings!
This is the "YMO Musical Instruments Exhibition," which displays a variety of valuable materials, including instruments used on YMO's world tours from 1979 to 1980, as well as archival photographs.
The instruments on display include the ARP Odyssey used by Haruomi Hosono, the Music Man Stingray bass guitar, the Moog Poly Moog Synthesizer Model 203A, which was Ryuichi Sakamoto's main instrument at the time, and a set of acoustic drums used by Yukihiro Takahashi.
The Yamaha YD-9000 drum kit, and the gigantic modular synth Moog IIIC (nicknamed "Chest of Drawers") of Hideki Matsutake, said to be the fourth member of YMO, are all reproduced in working order, and together with the costumes and archival photographs, the atmosphere of those days is vividly brought back to life.
In addition, the exhibition of Eiichi Ohtaki's personal belongings included his favorite jukebox, the back covers of all his "Niagara Moon" albums, the shirt he wore on each of those back covers, and in a glass case, pamphlets and tickets for "Long Vacation" were all on display. It's become rare to see a jukebox these days, but as it belongs to Eiichi Ohtaki, the song selection is also of interest. One song that caught my eye was Ueki Hitoshi's "Sudarabushi." By the way, although it is unrelated to the exhibition, Ueki's version of "Niagara Moon" is included in "Ueki Hitoshi Music," which was produced by Otaki.
An exhibition of "rock photography" overflowing with the heat of the 1970s - Masayoshi Sukita, Joji Ide, Shoichi Sakomizu, Masashi Kuwamoto
Next, we will introduce an exhibition by four photographers who captured the 1970s.
The photos by Ide Joji, who recorded events such as the Nakatsugawa Folk Jamboree, Jindaiji Rock Festival, and Hakone Aphrodite, show the hippie atmosphere of the time. Shortly after Woodstock in the United States in 1969, outdoor rock festivals began to take place in Japan one after another. The heat of those festivals was palpable.
Additionally, the exhibition features live performance photos by Sakomizu Shoichi that were taken from the stage, photos by Kuwamoto Masashi that capture the original scenery of the city at the time and behind-the-scenes shots of the artists, and artist portraits by Sukita Masayoshi, a pioneer who pioneered the genre of "rock photography" and is known for his portrait of David Bowie. These four pieces allow you to feel the 1970s vacuum-packed in their own way.
As a side note, Masayoshi Sukita's solo exhibition is being held at the Hakone Open-Air Museum. If you're interested, please check it out.
Masayoshi Sukita Photo Exhibition "Flashback"
Unraveling the 70s and 80s through artwork
In the space where various artworks symbolizing each year from 1970 to 1980 are displayed, centering on record jackets, you can follow the images of each year in a digest and see the transitions. Centered on music, the exhibition crosses genres such as theater, film, and manga, and on the monitor at the back of the central aisle, a video is displayed that gives a quick overview of the social background of the 1970s. Each of the fragmented images you have had up until now will come together.
Monitor at the back of the central aisle. 1970 was also the year that pedestrian precincts began!
There will also be a well-stocked section focusing on the 1970s in Yokohama, the location of this year's event.
"70's Vibration! YOKOHAMA," where you can see, hear, and experience the vibrations of the 70's, will run until September 13th (Sunday).
During the period, there will be a variety of events, including a live performance by the "Peg Project Band" consisting of Tadashi Kosaka, Yoshitaka Minami, Shigeru Suzuki, Rei Obara, Gota Yashiki, and Yuta Saito (@Red Brick Warehouse No. 1, 3rd floor hall), and a live performance by Ryoko Moriyama, Taeko Onuki, and Michiko Shimizu called "70's Vibration! YOKOHAMA Special Project - Welcome to Time Travel" (@KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre Large Hall). For more details, please see the related events below or visit the official website.
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