Ongaku Cafe (The ’90s): Morning Musume – First Time (July 1998)

As a first album for Morning Musume, it’s a good album. And the fact that “Summer Night Town” has done well on the Oricon Charts, I look forward to seeing if Morning Musume can keep it up for their next single. “First Time” is recommended!

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GROUP: Morning Musume (モーニング娘。)

TITLE: First Time (ファーストタイム)

LABEL: Zetima

CATALOG #: EPCE-5002

DURATION: 44 Minutes

RELEASE DATE: July 18, 1998

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Reviewed back in 1998

I have been watching the Japanese variety show “ASAYAN” and seeing how they try to find and start up new talent.

We have seen TK and Cozy Kubo with “d.o.s.” (Dances of Sound) and their failed experiment with L.I.S.

But this time around, it was Sharan Q’s turn to create his own group with a talent search for his “Josei Rokku Vocalist Audition” and the result was Morning Musume.

When they first debuted, it was only five female members (Nakazawa Yuko, Ishiguro Aya, Iida Kaori, Abe Natsumi and Fukuda Asuka) but now it has since
grown to eight with the addition of Yaguchi Mari, Yasuda Kei and Ichii Sayaka.

When they first debuted with “Ai no Tane”, I had a sense that this group had the potential to be the next big female group since Onyanko Club, moreso when they released “Morning Coffee”.

While there was the Tokyo Performance Doll which featured Shihohara Ryoko and Ichii Yuri (East End x Yuri), it was during the time where female groups were not as popular (while the opposite was different for the the Johnny’s groups as SMAP, TOKIO and later V6 were doing very well).

Sure, SPEED is very hot right now but they along with MAX and other groups from the Okinawan Actors School are more about R&B songs, dance choreography and not sugary idol sweetness.

But there is something I see with Morning Musume that quite possibly, they may be the next big thing.

For their debut album “First Time”, the album kicks off with “Good Morning”, an upbeat, piano-driven track.

The second track is “Summer Night Town”, the group’s second major label single. When I caught a glimpse of the music video on the music shows, loved
the way it showed off the group’s choreography but I really enjoyed the song for it’s vocal arrangement and edgy idol presentation.

The third track “Do ni ka Shite Doyobi” (Do Something about Saturday) is a pretty fun track because its ‘70s style of arrangement. I love this song!

The fourth track features the group’s first major label single “Morning Coffee”. I love the song, especially the stylish music video!

The fifth track is “Yume no Naka”, a jazzy track featuring breezy and beautiful vocals!

The sixth track is “Ai no Tane”, the group’s first single when they were an Indie group, but a song also featured on the “Morning Coffee” CD single. The song that pretty much introduced Japan to Morning Musume via Asayan.

The seventh track is “Wagamama” and is the rock-inspired track on the album. While the eighth track “Mirai no Tobira” is the beat-driven track. It’s an
OK track but tends vocals tend to sound a little off or buried at times.

The ninth track is “Usotsuki Anta” and my favorite non-single track on the entire album. I love the vocals in this track! Catchy, addictive and a lot of fun!

The album ends with the sad ballad, “Samishii Hi”, which is an all-piano track.

As for the album, the album features a 30-page booklet with lyrics and a photo of each member individually and as a group.

Overall, as a first album for Morning Musume, it’s a good album. And the fact that “Summer Night Town” has done well on the Oricon Charts, I look forward to seeing if Morning Musume can keep it up for their next single.

“First Time” is recommended!

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