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21 september 2018

Some eighties nostalgia with Rebecca

 

 

I had never heard of the band, but Rebecca was apparently hugely popular in the eighties, both in Japan and abroad. I find the music a bit cheesy, like a rip-off from Madonna in her ‘Like a Virgin‘ days, but noisier.

The singer, Nokko (real name Yamada Nobuko), looks and behaves like Madonna’s character in ‘Desperately seeking Susan‘, a rebellious delinquent with a knack for superfluous clothing.

But I never developed a taste for Madonna, I like this a lot. Nokko yells rather than sings and although the music is not original, it definitely breathes more authenticity than Madonna ever had.

And then there’s the crackling energy. Nokko is a ball of lightning, fretting and strutting on the stage, sweating, yelling, having fun, not paying too much attention to the purity of her notes, just blurting it out.

Irresistable. I listen to the band’s 1985 album Rebecca IV: Maybe Tomorrow a lot. It’s on Spotify. Enjoy! (PB)

Japan, Music
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