CYCLE MUSIC #07
B.J. Thomas “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head”
B.J. Thomas “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head”
Music Cycles Around The World
#03 Hawaii
Macky Feary Band “Macky Feary Band”
In our new series Music Cycles Around The World, inspired by the idea of travelling the globe with a bicycle and a soundtrack, we explore the theme of “cities and music”. This is the third instalment. This time, in connection with the Honolulu Century Ride – held every year on the fourth Sunday in September and regarded as Hawaii’s second-biggest sporting event after the Honolulu Marathon, with many riders travelling from Japan to take part – I’ll be writing about some of my favourite music from Hawaii (though not the traditional Hawaiian kind).
The first thing that sprang to mind was the Macky Feary Band’s self-titled debut album from 1978 – a record I still treasure. Over thirty summers ago, a friend kindly passed on a second-hand Japanese pressing to me for what I recall was the princely sum of just 500 yen, and I remain deeply grateful. Listening to that masterpiece was the spark that ignited – decisively and irreversibly – my fascination with mellow island music from Hawaii.
Thinking back to that time, and letting the associations flow, I’d start with the first two albums by Kalapana, the band Macky Feary once belonged to. Then there’s Lemuria, formed by Kirk Thompson, and Babadu – whose wonderful Words To A Song (produced by Thompson and dedicated to Billy Kaui) and collaboration with Lemuria on All I’ve Got To Give remain standouts. I have a special fondness for the tender, acoustic “local AOR” of Lui and Tender Leaf, which still tugs at the heart. There’s Country Comfort, produced by MFQ’s Cyrus Faryar (who ran a coffeehouse in Hawaii), and compilation albums by various home-grown artists.
Add to that Cecilio & Kapono and Seawind, who also made their mark on the US mainland; singer-songwriters such as Ray Gooliak and Richard Natto; the sweet harmonies of Society of Seven; and the youthful energy of Summer and North Shore Appeal. And of course, Haruko Kuwana’s stunning cover of Macky Feary Band’s ultimate classic You’re Young, backed by Feary and his band themselves.
I’ve often played these tracks during DJ sets, and when I compiled the 2003 album Free Soul ~ Flight To Hawaii, they formed the core of my main repertoire.
Even among all these treasures, the Macky Feary Band remains the pinnacle. If you find yourself captivated by Audy Kimura’s romantic lens on Honolulu’s nightscape – the distant city lights glowing against the dusky sky like tiny stars trembling in the darkness – then I urge you to sink into the gentle embrace of their song A Million Stars. I think you’ll sense that Hawaii carries a certain, special sweetness in its air.
Macky Feary’s music holds the tang of a setting sun and the bittersweet ache of a rainbow stretched across the sky after rain. His voice is tender and wistful, like a sea breeze brushing your cheek, while the guitar work flows with the softness of ripples over sand. Within it all lingers the fresh scent of the ocean and the slow, luxurious murmur of waves drifting in and out.
♬Music Cycles Around The World STORAGE♬
#01 3rd Bass “Brooklyn-Queens”
#02 Catia “Saudade de Paris”
#03 Macky Feary Band “Macky Feary Band”
♬CYCLE MUSIC STORAGE♬
#01 The Style Council “My Ever Changing Moods”
#02 Cordelia “Play Pretend”
#03 Corinne Bailey Rae “Put Your Records On”
#04 Georgie Fame ”Happiness”
#05 Alulu Paranhos “Bicicletinha”
#06 Motoharu Sano “Angelina”
#07 B.J. Thomas “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head”
#08 The Smiths “This Charming Man”
#09 Dominic Miller “Bicycle”
#10 NewJeans “Bubble Gum”
#11 Tank and the Bangas “Smoke.Netflix.Chill.”
#12 Kraftwerk “Tour de France”
#13 Livingston Taylor “Don’t Let Me Lose This Dream”
#14 RM “Bicycle”
#15 Norah Jones “Christmas Calling (Jolly Jones)”
Profile
Toru Hashimoto (SUBURBIA)
Editor / Music Selector / DJ / Producer. Founder of Suburbia Factory. Owner of Shibuya’s “Cafe Apres-midi” and “Apres-midi Selecao.” Over 350 compilation CDs, including series like ‘Free Soul,’ ‘Mellow Beats,’ ‘Cafe Apres-midi,’ ‘Jazz Supreme,’ ‘Music With A View,’ and many others, have been curated, making him the world’s foremost selector. He oversees and produces music broadcast channels “usen for Cafe Apres-midi” and “usen for Free Soul” on USEN, wielding significant influence in Japanese music scene since the 1990s. In recent years, his ‘Good Mellows’ series with a focus on mellow chillout has gained great popularity both domestically and internationally.
Art Work＿yua
Post Date：2025.08.22
