Kangaroo: Difference between revisions

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Added overview and reworded formation and 1983, probably need more sources.
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| origin            = ???, Tokyo, Japan
| origin            = ???, Tokyo, Japan
| genre            = {{hlist|Jazz Fusion|}}
| genre            = {{hlist|Jazz Fusion|}}
| years_active      = 1982–1986
| years_active      = 1982–1987
| label            = {{flatlist|
| label            = {{flatlist|
* Victor
* Victor
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}}
}}


Kangaroo


==Overview==
Kangaroo (カンガルー, Kangaruu) was a Japanese Jazz Fusion and later City Pop band lead by ???. They were commonly known by the infamous nickname "Japanese Shakatak". They released 4 albums with a constantly shifting style before dissolving in 1987.
==History==
==History==
===Formation (1982)===
===Formation (1982)===
In ??? 1982, they formed, based out of Yokohama. They decided to participate in the Yamaha music contest EastWest '82<ref name=":0">https://www.discogs.com/release/10402417-Various-East-West-82-Live</ref>. They played Taruikasu, written by Ikuko<ref name=":0" />. They won and were entered into the followup contest Light Music Contest '82, where they played Taruikasu again.<ref name=":1">https://www.discogs.com/release/27504675-Various-Light-Music-Contest-82-Live</ref>  They did not win, losing out to ???, but they still were able to receive a record deal. Both competitions received a vinyl release,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> marking the first recordings of the band.
In 1982, keyboardists Hitomi Maseki and Ikuko Aragaki, guitarist Keiichi Hidaka, bassist Toshiro Mitsuda, and drummer Masashi Hasegawa, all based in Yokohama, formed Kangaroo. At that time, Yamaha hosted music competitions that had a precedent of both competitors and winners receiving record deals and becoming accomplished artists. The new nationwide Light Music Contest served as the final contest where the best bands of all of the regional Yamaha music contests fought for a top prize at a luxurious resort in Nemu. Last year, the prize was an album recording sessionn in LA, awarded to the winners Early Byrds. So in August of 1982, Kangaroo competed in Yamaha's EastWest '82<ref name=":0">https://www.discogs.com/release/10402417-Various-East-West-82-Live</ref>. They played one song, Taruikasu, which was written by Ikuko<ref name=":0" />. They won the contest, receiving the grand prix award and two best keyboardist awards, and were entered into Light Music Contest '82. They played Taruikasu again.<ref name=":1">https://www.discogs.com/release/27504675-Various-Light-Music-Contest-82-Live</ref>  They did not win the contest, losing out to fellow fusion band Olieve's Step, but Hasegawa was given the best drummer award. Both competitions received a vinyl release,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> marking the first recordings of the band. Winning EastWest was their first step towards notoriety and set them up for their debut album on Victor's Invitation label.


=== Meeting Shakatak (1983) ===
=== Meeting Shakatak (1983) ===
In March, somehow, they opened for Shakatak's first Japan tour, but only in Tokyo and Yokohama<ref name=":2">Adlib 1983-07</ref>. For unknown reasons, their sound took quite a turn from Taruikasu. Their sound was now much closer to Shakatak, and they were dubbed "Japanese Shakatak", for better or for worse. Meeting with Shakatak also resulted in Bill Sharpe and Roger Odell writing Love the Night Away on their first album, Steppin'. At the time, they had an average age of 23<ref name=":2" />, and had a noteworthy gender split compared to other fusion bands.
In March, somehow, they opened for Shakatak's first Japan tour, but only in Tokyo and Yokohama<ref name=":2">Adlib 1983-07</ref>. For unknown reasons, their sound took quite a turn from Taruikasu. Their sound was now much closer to Shakatak, and they were dubbed "Japanese Shakatak", for better or for worse. Meeting with Shakatak also resulted in Bill Sharpe and Roger Odell writing Love the Night Away on their first album, Steppin'. At the time, they had an average age of 23<ref name=":2" />, and had a noteworthy gender split compared to other fusion bands.


On March 10th, they started recording their first album, originally set for release in July<ref>Adlib 1983-04</ref>. While recording their first album .  
On March 10th, they started recording their first album, originally set for release in July<ref>Adlib 1983-04</ref>. While recording their first album . On 1983 21 August, on Victor's Invitation label, they released their debut album, Steppin'. Steppin' was somewhat rushed, and added vocals and strings, distorting the original vision of what Kangaroo was.  


They first started appearing in live houses in MONTH.
In MONTH, They first started appearing in live houses in MONTH.


After Steppin', they received some fanfare and stuff 👍. They opened for Shakatak's next Japan tour in November and December with a 30 minute set, aiming to avoid a bad impression by unfamiliar Shakatak fans<ref name=":3">Jazz Life 1984-02</ref>. The tour final at Nakano Sun Plaza was released as both an album and laserdisc, but without any mention of Kangaroo. Magazines often covered this tour under some variation of Shakatak vs Kangaroo. Notably in this tour, they added two vocalists, Midori Fukuhara and Emi Kuwazawa. This tour helped Kangaroo refine their craft and prepared them for a better stage presence and their next album. They also spent the entire tour with Shakatak even offstage. Roger Odell also wrote lyrics for Gemini, but they weren't included on the album.<ref name=":3" />  
 
 
In November and December of 1983, they joined Shakatak's next Japan tour as the opening act. Notably on this tour, they added two vocalists, Midori Fukuhara and Emi Kuwazawa. Kangaroo's set only lasted 30 minutes, and aimed to avoid a bad impression by unfamiliar Shakatak fans<ref name=":3">Jazz Life 1984-02</ref>. They used these sets to improve their stage presence and refine their craft. Behind the scenes, they spent the entire tour with Shakatak both on and off stage. Roger Odell also wrote lyrics for Gemini, but they weren't included on the album.<ref name=":3" /> The tour final at Nakano Sun Plaza was released as both a Shakatak album and laserdisc, but without any mention of Kangaroo. Magazines often covered this tour under some variation of Shakatak vs Kangaroo.


=== Visual Live (1984) ===
=== Visual Live (1984) ===
In January, right after finishing the tour, they went to the studio with their new vocalists and recorded Nice! Nice!! Nice!!!. Nice!^3 was later released on 1984 April 21.  
In January, right after finishing their tour with Shakatak, they went to the studio with their new vocalists and recorded Nice! Nice!! Nice!!!. Nice!^3 was later released on 1984 April 21.  


Around 1984, they submitted a demo tape to Mitsubishi for their music to be used in a commercial, but they were turned down for not being famous enough despite having TV and event appearances.<ref>Kitagami: https://discord.com/channels/943690289695055932/1067674618346864741/1067699036213215242</ref>
Around 1984, they submitted a demo tape to Mitsubishi for their music to be used in a commercial, but they were turned down for not being famous enough despite having TV and event appearances.<ref>Kitagami: https://discord.com/channels/943690289695055932/1067674618346864741/1067699036213215242</ref>

Revision as of 18:51, 3 March 2026

Kangaroo (カンガルー)
Kangaroo Roppongi Pit Inn .
Kangaroo Roppongi Pit Inn .
Background information
Origin???, Tokyo, Japan
Genres
  • Jazz Fusion
Years active1982–1987
Labels
  • Victor
MembersHitomi "Aja" Maseki 柵木ひとみ (Keyboard)
Ikuko "Ikko" Aragaki 新垣郁子 (Keyboard)
Keiichi "Bon" Hidaka 日高恵一 (Guitar)
Toshiro "Toshi" Mitsuda 松田俊郎 (Bass)
Masashi "Pochi" Hasegawa 長谷川正志 (Drums)
Past membersMasayuki Tanaka 田中政行
Yoshiaki Tsukahira 塚平喜昭
Akira Ninomiya 二宮朗
Toru (Susumu) Ohya 大矢亨
Shiro Yajima 矢島史郎
Atsushi Makiuchi 牧内淳
Kazuyuki Morishita 森下一幸
Haruhiko (Harukichi) Yamamoto 山本治彦
Kimiyoshi Matsumoto 松元公良
Toshihiko Sahashi 佐橋俊彦
Masayuki Muraishi 村石雅行
Kenichi Mitsuda 光田健一
Websitegoogle.com


Overview

Kangaroo (カンガルー, Kangaruu) was a Japanese Jazz Fusion and later City Pop band lead by ???. They were commonly known by the infamous nickname "Japanese Shakatak". They released 4 albums with a constantly shifting style before dissolving in 1987.

History

Formation (1982)

In 1982, keyboardists Hitomi Maseki and Ikuko Aragaki, guitarist Keiichi Hidaka, bassist Toshiro Mitsuda, and drummer Masashi Hasegawa, all based in Yokohama, formed Kangaroo. At that time, Yamaha hosted music competitions that had a precedent of both competitors and winners receiving record deals and becoming accomplished artists. The new nationwide Light Music Contest served as the final contest where the best bands of all of the regional Yamaha music contests fought for a top prize at a luxurious resort in Nemu. Last year, the prize was an album recording sessionn in LA, awarded to the winners Early Byrds. So in August of 1982, Kangaroo competed in Yamaha's EastWest '82[1]. They played one song, Taruikasu, which was written by Ikuko[1]. They won the contest, receiving the grand prix award and two best keyboardist awards, and were entered into Light Music Contest '82. They played Taruikasu again.[2] They did not win the contest, losing out to fellow fusion band Olieve's Step, but Hasegawa was given the best drummer award. Both competitions received a vinyl release,[1][2] marking the first recordings of the band. Winning EastWest was their first step towards notoriety and set them up for their debut album on Victor's Invitation label.

Meeting Shakatak (1983)

In March, somehow, they opened for Shakatak's first Japan tour, but only in Tokyo and Yokohama[3]. For unknown reasons, their sound took quite a turn from Taruikasu. Their sound was now much closer to Shakatak, and they were dubbed "Japanese Shakatak", for better or for worse. Meeting with Shakatak also resulted in Bill Sharpe and Roger Odell writing Love the Night Away on their first album, Steppin'. At the time, they had an average age of 23[3], and had a noteworthy gender split compared to other fusion bands.

On March 10th, they started recording their first album, originally set for release in July[4]. While recording their first album . On 1983 21 August, on Victor's Invitation label, they released their debut album, Steppin'. Steppin' was somewhat rushed, and added vocals and strings, distorting the original vision of what Kangaroo was.

In MONTH, They first started appearing in live houses in MONTH.


In November and December of 1983, they joined Shakatak's next Japan tour as the opening act. Notably on this tour, they added two vocalists, Midori Fukuhara and Emi Kuwazawa. Kangaroo's set only lasted 30 minutes, and aimed to avoid a bad impression by unfamiliar Shakatak fans[5]. They used these sets to improve their stage presence and refine their craft. Behind the scenes, they spent the entire tour with Shakatak both on and off stage. Roger Odell also wrote lyrics for Gemini, but they weren't included on the album.[5] The tour final at Nakano Sun Plaza was released as both a Shakatak album and laserdisc, but without any mention of Kangaroo. Magazines often covered this tour under some variation of Shakatak vs Kangaroo.

Visual Live (1984)

In January, right after finishing their tour with Shakatak, they went to the studio with their new vocalists and recorded Nice! Nice!! Nice!!!. Nice!^3 was later released on 1984 April 21.

Around 1984, they submitted a demo tape to Mitsubishi for their music to be used in a commercial, but they were turned down for not being famous enough despite having TV and event appearances.[6]

Starting in July 1984, Kangaroo started making headlines again as they started a new innovative concept. They stacked a grid of 12 27 inch TVs behind them, showcasing videos to go along with the 21 songs they performed. This received a lot of magazine coverage and helped separate them from Shakatak.

Disk (1985)

Likely as a move to further separate themselves from Shakatak, they changed their sound and it SUCKS!!!!

Switching to City Pop (1986)

Disk sucked so they switched again, but this album also SUCKS!!! This album sucked so much that they never played again. Very sad!

File:EarlyKangaroo.jpg
Kenso at a cultural festival live performance in 1976 during Shimizu's third year in Kanagawa Sagamihara Prefectural High School.[7]

Members

File:KangarooMemberTimeline.png

Discography

Since 1982, Kangaroo has released 4 studio albums, no live albums or live video recordings, no archival albums, no compilations, and 500000 singles.

English Title Japanese/Alternate Title Release Date Album Type
Steppin' ケンソー 1983/08/21[8] Studio Album
Nice Nice Nice ケンソー Ⅱ 1984/04/21[9][10] Studio Album
Disk ケンソー Ⅲ / KENSO(Ⅲ) 1985 Studio Album
Music For Unknown Five Musicians イン・コンサート 1986/02/21 Studio Album

Live Performances

Hard Rock Era 「県相 / 喧騒」 (1974-1979)

Title Date Most Recent Album Location
Summer Concert August 10th, 1976 Pre-debut Sagamihara Youth Hall
Sagamihara Sakura Festival 1976/1977 Pre-debut Unknown Location
Kamimizo Noryo Summer Festival 1976/1977 Pre-debut Unknown Location
Studio Live 1979 Pre-debut Sagamihara High School

Old Kenso 「ケンソー」 (1980-1989)

Title Date Most Recent Album Location
Studio Live December 1981 Kenso Kanagawa Dental University
Silver Elephant Live (with Aquapolis) April 25th, 1982 Kenso Silver Elephant
School Festival October 1982 Kenso Tokyo College of Music
School Festival November 1982 Kenso Kanagawa Dental University
Silver Elephant Live (with Aquapolis) April 3rd, 1983 Kenso II Silver Elephant
Shinjuku Loft Live (with Fromage) May 16th, 1983 Kenso II Shinjuku Loft
Silver Elephant Live July 24th, 1983 Kenso II Silver Elephant
Silver Elephant Live August 1983 Kenso II Silver Elephant
Silver Elephant Live January 15th, 1984 Kenso II Silver Elephant
Last Live 1984 April 30th, 1984 Kenso II Silver Elephant
Silver Elephant Live August 25th, 1985 Kenso III Silver Elephant
Music For Unknown Five Musicians September 4th, 1985 Kenso III Roppongi Pit Inn
Silver Elephant Live March 18th, 1987 Music For Unknown Five Musicians Silver Elephant
Sleeping Show for Kenso March 22nd, 1987 Music For Unknown Five Musicians Roppongi Pit Inn
Silver Elephant Live July 17th, 1988 Self Portrait Silver Elephant
Roppongi Pit Inn Live November 27th, 1988 Self Portrait Roppongi Pit Inn
Roppongi Pit Inn Live December 10th, 1989 Sparta Roppongi Pit Inn

Yume No Oka Band (1990-2003)

Title Date Most Recent Album Location
Roppongi Pit Inn Live October 14th, 1990 Sparta Roppongi Pit Inn
Silver Elephant Live October 10th, 1991 Sparta Silver Elephant
NHK-FM Session '91 October 26th, 1991 Yume No Oka NHK Studio 505
Club Quattro Live (with In Cahoots) December 19th, 1991 Yume No Oka Club Quattro
Ishibashi Music Live February 1st, 1992 Yume No Oka Ishibashi Music
Live '92 February 29th, 1992 Yume No Oka Roppongi Pit Inn
Zaiya Live August 3rd-4th, 1995 Sora Ni Hikaru ~ Early Live Vol. 1 Silver Elephant
Zaiya Live '96 August 22nd, 1996 Zaiya Live On Air West
In The West September 14th, 1997 Zaiya Live On Air West
Esoptron Live Tour 1999 August 3rd, 1999 Esoptron Shinsaibashi Muse Hall
Esoptron Live Tour 1999 August 5th, 1999 Esoptron On Air East
Esoptron Live Tour 1999 August 14th, 1999 Esoptron Sagamihara Green Hall
25th Anniversary Concert April 30th, 2000 76/77 On Air East
Progfest 2000 Rehearsal August 19th, 2000 Hitoku-sei Shinsho Shibuya NEST
Progfest 2000 September 1st, 2000 Hitoku-sei Shinsho La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts (USA)
Live 2002 June 26th, 2002 Fabulis Mirabilibus De Bombycosi Scriptis On Air East
Roland Sound Spark 2003 January 25th, 2003 Fabulis Mirabilibus De Bombycosi Scriptis Amlux Hall

Modern Kenso (2003-present)

Title Date Most Recent Album Location
Sagamihara High School 40th Anniversary Live October 31st, 2003 Fabulis Mirabilibus De Bombycosi Scriptis Sagamihara High School
Ha-Re-Ki Live 2003 November 2nd, 2003 Ha-Re-Ki Club Citta'
Chilling Heat August 15th, 2004 Ha-Re-Ki Club Citta'
Off to the USA June 26th, 2005 Ha-Re-Ki Club Citta'
NEARfest 2005 July 10th, 2005 Ha-Re-Ki Zoellner Arts Center (USA)
Utsuroi Yuku Mono Live October 22nd, 2006 Utsuroi Yuku Mono Club Citta'
Kenso at Live Spot RAG May 4th, 2007 Utsuroi Yuku Mono Live Spot RAG
Kenso 2007 Live (Workshop & Live) May 27th, 2007 Utsuroi Yuku Mono Yokohama Arena Sound Hall
2008 Kenso at Kyoto RAG July 20th, 2008 Utsuroi Yuku Mono Live Spot RAG
Persistence Pays Off August 17th, 2008 Utsuroi Yuku Mono Club Citta'
Keep On Going On! August 15th, 2009 Kenso's Guide To Making Progressive Rock Music Club Citta'
Uchinaru Koe Ni Kaiki Seyo December 4th, 2011 Kenso Aid ~ A Boy In Solitude Club Citta'
Kenso Complete Box Fan Event December 30th, 2012 Kenso Complete Box Silver Elephant
New Release And 40th Anniversary Live August 17th, 2014 Uchinaru Koe Ni Kaiki Seyo Club Citta'
Traveller Of Eternity ~ Our Decade ~ Kenso Final Chapter Part 1 November 12th, 2017 Uchinaru Koe Ni Kaiki Seyo Club Citta'
Life Must Go On Nevertheless ~ Kenso Final Chapter Part 2 November 3rd, 2019 Traveller Of Eternity ~ Our Decade Club Citta'

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://www.discogs.com/release/10402417-Various-East-West-82-Live
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.discogs.com/release/27504675-Various-Light-Music-Contest-82-Live
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Adlib 1983-07
  4. ↑ Adlib 1983-04
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jazz Life 1984-02
  6. ↑ Kitagami: https://discord.com/channels/943690289695055932/1067674618346864741/1067699036213215242
  7. ↑ http://www.asahi.com/area/kanagawa/articles/MTW20180510150230001.html
  8. ↑ Adlib 1983-09
  9. ↑ Adlib 1984-05
  10. ↑ Jazz Life 1984-05
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