Continuing on with my coverage of favorite songs from that very first j-pop mix I’d acquired years ago is a fierce little rocker called MANATSU NO AI YAI YAI by the super-cool vocalist known simply as BE-B!
Be-B had a very original vocal style that immediately stood out from the rest of the songs: Throaty and raspy with a definite rocker edge, the way she wailed and built up each bridge to the awesome “SHINING HEART!!!” climax, this song was definitely among the first j-pop songs I truly, truly LOVED!
The J-pop buyer at work let me borrow a few Japanese Music Specials from earlier that year, including the past Kohaku Uta Gassen and the Japan Record Awards. It was here I first got to see Be-B in all her rocking glory, singing a cool little tune called “Doumu~Kaze Ni Mukatte, and after that I picked up her greatest hits package (entitled, simply enough, Be-B Singles) What an awesome collection this was-Triple Gatefold Sleeves and all!
