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Steve McClure

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Steve McClure

Steve McClure has lived in Tokyo since 1985. Formerly Billboard magazine’s Asia Bureau Chief, he now publishes the online music-industry newsletter McClureMusic.com.

For Steve McClure's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Apr 3, 2002

Still chasing their dream

And then there were two . . . Dreams Come True keyboard player Takahiro Nishikawa's announcement on March 24 that he had left the pop trio wasn't all that surprising. For a long time Nishikawa had been very much the odd man out in the DCT lineup, especially after his involvement in a car accident a few years back made his continued presence in the group rather uncertain.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Mar 27, 2002

Groove is in the House

Ambitious is the word that comes to mind when looking at the publicity material for the inaugural New York-Tokyo Music Festival. Scheduled to take place in the Big Apple May 23-26, the event will feature live performances by a variety of Japanese artists, including Towa Tei, Ken Ishii and Mondo Grosso.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Mar 20, 2002

Come back, come back wherever you were . . .

As part of its continuing effort to promote J-pop overseas, Sony last week released an album in the United States titled "Japan for Sale 2," which is a great all-around introduction to Japanese music.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Mar 13, 2002

I take it back, gladly

When writing recently about Seiji Ozawa's very successful "New Year's Concert 2002" album, I made a passing reference to his "nasally voiced" nephew, Kenji Ozawa.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Mar 6, 2002

Be true to your old school

Suddenly, it's hip to be trad. Japanese traditional music is now in vogue, as artists such as Chitose Hajime, Hiromitsu Agatsuma, the Yoshida brothers and Shinichi Kinoshita strike a chord with music fans looking for something more rootsy and down-home to listen to than run-of-the-mill J-pop.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Feb 27, 2002

Signs of the times

Is the world ready for Hikki?

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Feb 20, 2002

And that really burns me up

If, like me, you do a lot of your work at home, I imagine you may like to listen to music as you labor through a translation, write a story or put together a PowerPoint presentation. And you probably find it convenient to listen to CDs on your computer.

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Feb 13, 2002

Nimaime wa so-so, baby

I hate to say it, but Love Psychedelico has succumbed to the dreaded "second-album syndrome" with "Love Psychedelico Orchestra," which was released Jan. 9. It's not a bad album -- in fact it has some great songs, like the opening track, "Standing Bird," which features a wonderfully infectious keyboard riff, and "O," a fast-paced rocker. There's also more acoustic stuff than on the duo's debut set, "The Greatest Hits," which varies the band's sonic palette a bit.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Feb 6, 2002

We've got high expectations

A while back, I was whingeing about how Japan needs a music awards show that has more popular input. Well, the good folks at MTV Japan have done something to help remedy that problem. On May 24, it will host the first-ever MTV Video Music Awards Japan.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Jan 30, 2002

Going Ga Ga Ga for Ozawa

Ozawa is doing well on the charts these days. Not Kenji Ozawa, the nasally singer whose popularity I cannot fathom, but his uncle, classical conductor Seiji Ozawa. The elder Ozawa's "New Year's Concert 2002" album entered the music-industry trade paper Oricon's Jan. 28 album chart at No. 9, marking the first time a classical album has made it to the top 10 of the Japanese album charts.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Jan 23, 2002

Forgiven but not forgotten

A standard and horribly cliched J-pop ritual is the public confession of guilt by performers who have done various naughty things -- much like politicians who temporarily drop out of sight after being found on the take or caught rigging elections. The most recent example is SMAP member Goro Inagaki, who has apparently been "rehabilitated" after taking a leave of absence from the male idol group.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Jan 16, 2002

If at first you don't succeed

Teen idol Ami Suzuki is apparently on the verge of making a comeback after disappearing from the J-pop radar more than a year ago.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Jan 9, 2002

Two looks back and three worth looking forward to

Akemashite, etc. . . . Before I do anything else, I'd like to thank NHK for providing me with my yearly dose of enka on the 2001 edition of "Kohaku Utagassen (Red and White Song Contest)."

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Dec 26, 2001

Tower's pop fire flickers?

A lot of people in the music biz -- not to mention regular music fans -- were shocked by reports that surfaced last week to the effect that all or part of Tower Records' Japanese operations will be sold.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Dec 19, 2001

Shed a tear, pass the hat

What a Drag Dept.: Two well-known music mags, FM Fan and Indies Magazine, are calling it quits after their December issues. Falling advertising revenues are why their publishers, Kyodo News and Rittor Music, respectively, have decided to shut them down.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Dec 12, 2001

Cute girls. Snarling guitar. Strong hooks. A pounding beat. What more do you need?

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Dec 5, 2001

The man with the plan

Jack Matsumura is a man with a mission: to turn Nippon Columbia, Japan's oldest label, into a profitable, hit-making record company once again.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Nov 28, 2001

Catching up with Yoko

Question: Who is the most famous Japanese personality in the world?

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Nov 14, 2001

Like Sheena, only happier

Like many people, when I first heard Hitomi Yaida's music, I immediately thought: Aha, Ringo Sheena Lite. With her high-pitched, keening voice and energetic, guitar-based pop-rock style, Yaida certainly has a lot in common with Sheena, that twisted pixie.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE

Nov 7, 2001

Here, there and everywhere

Even though you may not recognize the name Tamio Okuda, you've probably heard his music. Okuda is the Svengali behind the extraordinarily successful female duo Puffy, and his love for and deep knowledge of '60s and '70s rock comes through loud and clear with every Beatles riff and classic chord pattern in Puffy's songs.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.

The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces

By Stephen Mansfield

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

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