"THE B-SIDES"
A week or two before I left Japan in early December 1978, I bought a Pink Lady greatest hits cassette which included the ten top of the chart hits from “Pepper Keibu” to “Chameleon Army” Laing with four or so other songs I wasn’t at all familiar with, but liked nonetheless. It wasn’t until some twenty years later that I came to realize those four unfamiliar songs were b-sides of the famous songs PL fans know and love so well. In the early 2000’s as I managed to get my grubby mitts on the original 45’s via auctions, I had an opportunity to familiarize myself with the songs on the other side of the great 22, some of which stood on their own as great songs that could’ve charted, that’s how much I liked them. I’m surprised it took this long for me to get around to doing a review of all the b-sides, but hey, better late than never, so, here we are, and here we go!
“Your Toast Girl” (b-side of “Pepper Keibu”) was a frenetic, energetic, fast paced power pop number that got you hooks into you from the opening stanza and doesn’t let go until the very end. Not many b-sides had their own dance routine, but this one did, I’ve seen Mie and Kei perform YTG on the Let’s Go Young DVD and it was terrific. Next was “Pink Apple” (b-side of “SOS”), which was dialed down considerably but was a sugary sweet tune with a simple but charming melody that just made you smile when you heard it. Some pounding drums at the start introduced you to “Mystery Man With A Pipe” (b-side of “Carmen ‘77), a sharp and sassy song with a finger snapping beat. From pounding drums, we go to snarling guitars to lead off “Papaya Corps” (b-side of “Nagisa No Sindbad”) that helped carry one away with a catchy sort of pop tune that was part of what made Pink Lady so popular. “Run Away Lady” (b-side of “Wanted”) could be seen as the reverse of the a-side where it’s the woman who was on the run. Another favorite which got some love with two videos was “Lady-X” (b-side of “UFO”) was a downright tart and fast moving soft rock song that also got it’s hooks into you and held you fast. Next up, we slow down with “Accessory” (b-side of “Southpaw”) which swallows you up with lots of sweet refrains that puts you in a nice place. “Catch Lip” (b-side of “Monster”) was, I thought, appropriately named because it was a prototypically catchy pop tune that provided a nice change of pace from what was on the other side. “Super Monkey” (b-side of “Tomei Ningen”) was more than just a cute song, it was actually a TV show Mie and Kei starred in. How about that? Next was my all time favorite b-side, “Dragon” (b-side of “Chameleon Army”), a stunningly powerful rocker that, in my opinion, could’ve been an a-side, that’s how great it was. Then came “The Bell Rings If Something Happens” (b-side of “Zipangu”), a stylish, keyboard heavy song.
A rare live track on a single was “Hello Mr. Monkey” (b-side of “Pink Typhoon”) a song Mie and Kei covered during the legendary ‘78 Jumping Summer Carnival which had originally been done by European pop trio Arabesque and was a hoot. Speaking of a hoot, there’s “Nami Nori Pirates”, called a U.S. version of the faster paced a-side, though it wasn’t sung in English, the hoot was that The Beach Boys sang backing vocals which made it awesome in its own right. Want another cover? That would be “Walk Away Renee” (b-side of “Kiss in the Dark”), an absolutely charming remake of a song made famous by Left Banke, then redone by The Four Tops, I’d say the Ladies more than held their own with their version. This was followed by “Adam and Eve Super Love” (b-side of “Monday Mona Lisa Club”), a real neat and funky soft pop number that left you tapping your feet. “Dearly” (b-side of “Do Your Best”) begins slow and mellow, then ramps up to another foot tapping and pleasant song I found to have been rather nice. “Secret Paradise” (b-side of “Agiri Giri”) starts of light and airy, then transforms into a dynamic soft rock song that really held my interest, then comes “The Chushingura ‘80 (b-side of “World Hero History”), a slick pop tune that had a sound that was so straight out of the 1980’s, it wasn’t funny, as a fan of 1980’s music, this song holds a special place for me. “By Myself” (b-side of “Utakata”) was a slow paced and mellow song that was full of all sorts of charm and left you feeling warm inside. “A Corsage of Cattleyas” (b-side of “Fame”) was a true ballad in every sense of the word, anyone who thinks Mie and Kei couldn’t handle songs that touched your heart, this song will convince you they can. “Amenic” (b-side of “Last Pretender”) was just as incomprehensible as the lead song while “Fascination Is Most Beautiful” (b-side of “OH!”) was a memorable and moving ballad, a perfect way to close out the other 22.
I found the b-sides to have been entertaining, featuring frothy pop, power pop, soft rock, even a couple of ballads thrown in for good measure, a fun mix of songs that made for good listening. So used as I was to the 22 songs up front, I originally missed out on some great music on the flip side, but, I’m glad I discovered the b-sides which gave me even more of a reason to love the stuff Pink Lady put out all those years ago.
