Ponytail
Greeting Card
Express (Japan) 1976
ETP-72211 (LP) Insert
sleeve : VG+(SRW, many stains)
media : EX/EX(slight crackling noise in some parts)
This is the only full album released in 1976 by Ponytail, a female chorus duo consisting of Yasuko Kojima and Yuko Sakuraba. Originally a quartet, two other members left after their debut single (one of them being Raji), becoming a duo. Moonriders, with Kazuo Shiina as a member at the time, backed them, and Keiichi Suzuki and Moonriders arranged all the songs. The musical atmosphere is reminiscent of American pop and Motown sounds blended with oldies and soft rock, a style pioneered in Japan by Haruomi Hosono = Tin Pan Alley. It evokes the early works of Yumi Arai (later Yumi Matsutoya), but with Keiichi Suzuki's distinctive and excellent arrangements and Moonriders' solid performance, it turned out to be very high-quality pop. Among them, the most noteworthy track is B3, a Japanese translated version of Lesley Duncan's masterpiece, which was also excellently covered on Lani Hall's famous album "Sun Down Lady" (from Sergio Mendes & Brazil '70s) and has hundreds of other cover versions. Lesley Duncan herself reportedly described it as "exactly what I wanted." Regardless, it's a wonderful song where the silky voices of the two women, still innocent and charming, permeate the listener.
B2: Boku no Okurimono
B3: Love Song
B4: Minami no Shima