To be more accurate, this article is not on the EP of the Scooters. Rather, it is on the exhibition titled Be My Baby: Mitsuo Shindo Retrospective held at the Setagaya Literary Museum, for which the Scooters (ザ・スクーターズ) dedicates the theme song.
Mitsuo Shido (信藤三雄, b.1948-) is one of the most influential art directors in Japanese pop culture. As well as the works for Flippers Guitar and Cornerius, his art works for Pizzicato Five definitely have marked an era generally characterised as the one of Shibuya-Kei (渋谷系).
[The model of the photo is Kaho (夏帆)]
For a long time since they have appeared, compact discs are generally regarded as "a minified version of vinyl." Againt such treatment, Mitsuo Shindo has continuously pursued the art design for a compact disc as a unique material. Of course, because of pervading digital distribution, the age of music CD is now nearing an end; as a result, the works of Mitsuo are going to be a almost solitary achievement.
Oh, the title of this weblog "How unfashionable to buy music CDs today" is a citation from a song "Don't Listen to Idols Only" (「アイドルばかり聴かないで」) written by Yasuharu Konishi (小西康陽), the main member of Pizzicato Five, with which Mitsuo worked for the art direction. So, I am convinced this article should be written here.
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Well, now for the EP.
The Scooters, of which Shindo Mitsuo is the leader, debuted in 1982. Although once dessolved in 1984, they have restarted musical activities since 2012. They stick to the 1960's hip style so that it is sometimes said as "Tokyo Motown sound."
It is also an expression of their style that the special songs limited for the exhibition are sold as a vinyl with an additional CD.
- ビーマイベイビー（Be My Baby）
- かなしいうわさ（Sad Rumor）
The titles of the two songs seem to be named after the standards of the Ronnets and Marvin Gaye, respectively; "Sad Rumor" is the well-known Japanese translated title of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine."
While "Sad Rumor" is a song written by Yasuharu Konishi and included in the album of 2012, "Be My Baby" is an original "theme song" written by Mitsuo Shido, Hideyuki Takahashi and Ryo. For the song Michiru Hoshino (星野みちる) also joins as a narrator. To gert the EP, you have to rush into the exhibition now. Go!
