Oddball Update – Page 19 – Chief Oddball writes about tech, games, cars and family life

SHO-CO-REVIEW 8: Snapshots

February 23, 2010October 7, 2011 Pooch

Snapshots, released June 21, 1995, is generally considered the album where Shoko Suzuki’s music went rock. Of course, this isn’t something on the scale of Dylan going electric, as Shoko had recorded rock songs as far back as her first album…and she would continue to showcase pop songs and ballads on her future works.

Paradoxes

February 17, 2010February 17, 2010 Chief Oddball 3 Comments

I haven’t really been sure what to think these past few days, as I’ve approached my thirtieth birthday. I’ve had a particularly hard time just facing the average workday recently, feeling as though my efforts are largely boring and devoid of purpose.

"Shoko Suzuki Sings Bacharach and David" Album Cover

SHO-CO-REVIEW 7: Shoko Suzuki Sings Bacharach and David

February 16, 2010October 7, 2011 Pooch

After the struggle of recording RadioGenic, Shoko Suzuki was ready to retire from the music business — even though she was only 28 years old and coming off her most successful year ever as a recording artist. Apparently, the credit for talking Shoko out of retiring is to be given to Takeshi Namura, who had become her A&R director during the recording of RadioGenic.

SHO-CO-REVIEW 6: RadioGenic

February 9, 2010May 8, 2012 Pooch

I’ve teased about this album a bit in my previous reviews; namely, that some serious stuff went down during this period in Shoko Suzuki’s career. In my review for Hourglass, I wrote that album was a bit of a turning point for Shoko musically, in that it was her first record with Hiroaki Sugawara and that you could hear traces of where her music would end up going.

Reconnecting

February 3, 2010February 3, 2010 Chief Oddball 3 Comments

I’ve been sort of shut-in lately…which is saying something, given that I work from home and already spend 99% of my time inside my house on any given day. After getting a cold early last week, even my daily walks ceased (the weather was cold and rainy too, by Florida standards).

SHO-CO-REVIEW 5: Hourglass

February 2, 2010October 7, 2011 Pooch

Hourglass, released on December 1, 1991, is a fairly important record in Shoko Suzuki’s career. First and foremost, it is the first record where she collaborated with Hiroaki Sugawara, who would play a key role in Shoko’s musical development over the next several years — eventually helping Shoko move away from the ballad/light pop style of her early work into a more ’60s pop/rock-based sound.

SHO-CO-REVIEW 4: Long Long Way Home

January 26, 2010October 7, 2011 Pooch 1 Comment

As part of my continuing series of Shoko Suzuki album reviews, here is a look at her album Long Long Way Home. This was Shoko’s fourth album, released on November 21, 1990 — just over eight months after Kaze no Tobira (and also her fourth album in just over 24 months).

Impressions: Star Trek Online (Open Beta)

January 23, 2010September 29, 2011 Chief Oddball 5 Comments

Star Trek and video games. Like many geeks, they’re two of my first loves, forged in my early years when bright colors and awe-inspiring, imagination-stoking stories were all I needed to be truly happy. So it should be no surprise that every time these two elements come together, I sit up and take notice.

SHO-CO-REVIEW 3: Kaze no Tobira

January 19, 2010October 7, 2011 Pooch

Weclome back to my ongoing series of Shoko Suzuki album reviews! This article concerns Shoko Suzuki’s third album, Kaze no Tobira, released March 1, 1990. Shoko’s previous album, Mizu no Kanmuri, featured a song that was used as an anime tie-in, which undoubtedly brought Shoko’s music to a wider audience; her profile would be further boosted with this album’s first single, “Station Wagon,” which was used as the theme music to the 1989 film adaptation of Banana Yoshimoto’s novel, Kitchen.

SHO-CO-REVIEW 2: Mizu no Kanmuri

January 12, 2010September 29, 2011 Pooch 3 Comments

It’s time for the second part of my epic Shoko Suzuki review-a-thon! Last time out, I briefly covered Shoko’s life before she became a musician, after which I delved into her first album (Viridian). This time out it’s her second album, Mizu no Kanmuri, released April 21, 1989.