It was through my love of CoCo that I purchased the mighty OTOMEJUKU MATSURI Concert Laserdisc, and it was through that festival that I got to know that OTHER Paradise GoGo powerhouse RIBBON, and it was this twin love that made me watch the disc over and over and over again. And of course, like any album where you like a couple of singles: if you play it enough, the other songs on the album become faves, too, and it was this repeated watching that made me love the other (i.e. one-song performers) acts in the concert, and that’s how I came to love the others like cutie Nakajima Michiyo and cool trio QLAIR.
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| Otomejuku Matsuri |
It was one of those concerts where you knew who was at the top of the pecking order, as group ribbon got two songs, CoCo got two songs PLUS two solo songs and other lesser acts like Sanae Horikawa, Hanashima Yuko and Michiyo Nakajima got only one...
Qlair was one of those groups that only got a one-song chance to captivate the audience, and in this capacity, they wholeheartedly succeeded! They came out, groovin’ to this catchy as heck song, and I for one, just LOVED it! This was a PONY CANYON outfit, and if there was ONE THING they knew how to do, it was produce adorable Idols with kick-ass songs!!! Man, I just loved the song, and really wanted to get a copy of it!
Unfortunately, by this time, all Qlair CDs were out of print, and I figured I had little hope in acquiring any of their albums or singles. But there seemed to be a glimmer of hope for me when the local Japanese CD shop BOOK-OFF in Shirokiya got a whole shipment of old and out of print used CDs and singles for sale. Besides making a KILLING with their ribbon stuff, I noticed that they had a lone Qlair CD called LES FILLES up for grabs. What were the chances of this one having that Ootomejuku song? Sadly, I never got to learn the name of the song (too much kanji for my then-just-starting-out Japanese) and so looking at the track listing in the back didn’t help any.
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| Les Filles |
I decided to take a chance, and purchased that Qlair CD right there. I knew it was a gamble, but I couldn’t help but hope that I’d gotten lucky and hit the right one. After all, Qlair didn’t have a whole lot of CDs to begin with, and so the percentage of this being the album that had that song seemed to lean towards my favor, right?!
When I got hope, I nervously put the Qlair CD in my stereo player, and excitedly hit the “play” button… I sat back and closed my eyes, hoping to hear that beloved song…the first song began, and though it was nice, it wasn’t it. Then the next song, and the next…before long, I was starting to lose hope as the CD neared its conclusion… and then, sadly, it ended. The song wasn’t on this album. Sigh.
Though the songs that WERE on the album were pretty catchy, I have to say that I was SO disappointed with it, that I just never listened to it again, and there it sat on my shelf, sadly neglected for years. It wasn’t until later when a friend expressed interest in older Pony Canyon groups like Qlair that I dug out the CD and presented it to him as a gift!
“Are you sure?” he appreciatively asked as I handed to CD over to him. I assured him that it was perfectly OK , and related my story of how I’d purchased it in hopes of having that Otomejuku song on it, and had pretty much scorned the album since. “But the other songs are good” I added, hoping he’d enjoy the CD like I never could.
A few weeks later, and I’m having lunch with the gang, and I ask my friend if he liked the Qlair CD. He enthusiastically said he loved it, but then slowly added, “But you know what? That Otomejuku Matsuri song you like?”
“The one I was hoping would be on the album?” I asked.
“Yeah, that one. Umm…you know…”he drawled…
“Yeah?” I waited.
“Um, that song IS on the album,” He finished.
HUHHHH?!!!!! What was he talking about?!!!!
We got into his car, and he put the CD in, and said, Isn’t this the Otomejuku song? He pressed PLAY, and HOLY CRAP! Track1 of the album started, and – DAMN!- It totally WAS the song!!!! ARE???? What The HECK?!!!
Well, what must have happened was that when I ’d listened to it that first, fateful time, I must have been so excited when I pressed the play button, that I pressed it TWICE, essentially FORWARDING the player PAST the Opening Track and straight to Track Two!!! And since I never listened to it again, It never had another chance to prove to me that it WAS the correct album!!! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Well, I let him keep the album anyway, since he was by then a big-time QLAIR fan, and I figured I’d just pick up another copy of Les Filles when I saw it. Keep in mind by the way, that throughout all of this, the song was always and only referred to as “That Otomejuku Song”. It was only with the introduction of the internet and YOUTUBE that I was finally able to learn just what the heck the song was CALLED!
Besides informing me that the treasured song was called HITOMI IPPAI NATSU and that it was Qlair’s very first single, Youtube offered up a whole slew of awesome and cute performances of the Pony Canyon trio singing on a bunch of various TV music programs, making my love for the song grow ALL OVER AGAIN!
Thankfully, by that time I knew about awesome site OTOKICHI PREMIUM, and was happily able to reorder that song for my very own!!! First the single, and then not only ws I able to re-purchase LES FILLES, I managed to get my hands on a rare FIRST EDITION with slipcase and booklet!
Qlair Are;
Imai Sachiko, Yoshida Aki, and my fave, super-cutie Inobe Hiroko
