How to Listen to Music

■ How to Listen to Music

In How to Listen to Music, Naoki Tachikawa selects 100 albums from 1975 and 100 from 2021.

These include many songs that I have never listened to or don't know, so I check these one by one.

At the same time, I was excited to also see a lot of songs that I would definitely include if I were doing the selection.

Cornering Mr. Tachikawa when he visited the Okinawa International Movie Festival, I ran my thoughts by him.

Tachikawa's selection for 1975, when he was 26, starts with Syd Barrett.

Why?

"Because I liked him."

The bass line from "Gigolo Aunt" echoes in my head even now.

"It's that sort of song, isn't it."

The work lacks photos of album jackets. Might that be due to copyright issues?

"Actually, it's not clear where the rights reside."

David Bowie.

A photo exhibit was held in Kyoto.

During a P-MODEL live performance at Circus & Circus in front of Ginkakuji around 1980 or so, a slender foreigner in a hunting cap sat next to me.

"That's Bowie," I realized.

A commotion arose during the performance.

Maybe he was in Kyoto to shoot a shochu advertisement.

Perhaps he met Tachikawa-san back then.

Pierre Barouh.

His album Le pollen was produced by Mr. Tachikawa.

Japan was full of energy back then.

"1981. That was when energy was highest."

I liked the song "M.de Furstenberg" by Vivre, and even looked for the park in Paris.

Brigitte Fontaine.

Comme à la radio carries a strong tone of The Art Ensemble of Chicago. I'm torn between it and its predecessor Brigitte Fontaine est... folle! Barouh was a part of both albums.

I went to see her 1988 performance in Japan.

"Did it. Unfortunately, though, it lacked power."

Bryan Ferry.

His set at the Budokan apparently recalled Last Year at Marienbad.

"Bryan grinned like 'a magician doesn't reveal his tricks,' but I guess he hit the nail on the head."

Long ago, I drove from Paris in search of Marienbad in the Czech Republic.

Then there are also a lot of artists like João Gilberto, The Kinks, and Talking Heads, who should be included but aren't.

"Because the work is about selection. Selecting is hard."

In this era of exploding information volume, the ability to select may prove more important than the ability to create.

A DJ selects, combines, and expresses. That's the sort of ability.

"Someone who readies Costello the night before and listens to him while commuting, and someone who listens via streaming services, are fundamentally different people."

"Earphones make you inward-looking. Music should vibrate in the air and be listened to in the open."

"Music is something that connects people. It should be listened to together."

These are words to treasure.

We are flooded with information.

There are people who hate a mess and always keep things neat around them.

"Serge was like that. He always kept his desk neat."

Gainsbourg was a neatness freak! I wanted to see that with my own naked eye.