“Records I Couldn’t Let Go Of” #Sutereco – First Edition
The Records I Couldn’t Let Go #1 – Rumania Montevideo – Still for your love
For the first edition of my #Sutereco project, I featured Rumania Montevideo’s “Still for your love.” I’ve never collected records just for the sake of owning them; I vividly remember playing this one several times at JPOP events.
It wasn’t for financial reasons, but due to living arrangements, I had to part with most of my records. Struggling to fully accept this, I started #Sutereco as a way to process my frustration and turn it into something positive.
To my surprise, this project has sparked discussions on social media, with people sharing their perspectives or questioning the genre classification of certain tracks. I even received DJ invitations, which I never expected!
トーニャさんがブログに書いてたルーマニアモンテビデオの曲、愛内里菜と三枝夕夏によるカバーも良いんだよな
— キムラヤスヒロ(鳩) (@fdrbdr) February 10, 2025
What does the above post mean?
“Tonya blogged about the Romanian Montevideo song, and the cover by Rina Aiuchi and Yuka Saegusa is good.”
Diving into the World of Being Artists
Despite calling myself a Being fan, there are plenty of artists and songs I never properly followed—especially since I haven’t kept up with Detective Conan, which is practically a sin for a Being fan. This led me to check out “Still for your love -rearrange version-” by Rina Aiuchi & Yuka Saegusa—I was so intrigued that I ended up buying it.
The lead track “100 mono Tobira” was a Conan OP, featuring a rare five-vocal unison with Aiuchi, Saegusa, and Sparkling☆Point. Seeing multiple artist names together reminded me of ZYYG, REV, ZARD & WANDS featuring Shigeo Nagashima (with Maki Ohguro, Fusanosuke Kondo, Daria Kawashima, Shinichiro Ohta, Yuichi Ikuzawa, and Quncho). That kind of crossover is always exciting.
The rearranged versions of “Still for your love” and “Nazo” have an uptempo rock feel, seemingly designed to match the lead track. “Nazo -rearrange version-” has a half-shuffle groove reminiscent of Tomoyasu Hotei’s “Bambina”, while “Still for your love -rearrange version-” has a straightforward beat, more aligned with the lead track. I never imagined “Still for your love” would be rearranged into something resembling melodic youth punk, almost like Mongol800—it was a real surprise.
What Does “IN db” Mean?
I’ve always been drawn to Yuka Saegusa IN db’s visuals and music, but I never questioned the meaning of “IN db”. Upon researching, I learned it stands for “Yuka Saegusa within db (decibel).” The name and band structure evolved over time, so if you’re interested, I recommend checking out Wikipedia.
Long Titles & Nostalgia
Many of Saegusa’s song titles are quite long:
君と約束した優しいあの場所まで (Kimi to Yakusoku Shita Yasashii Ano Basho Made)
眠る君の横顔に微笑みを (Nemuru Kimi no Yokogao ni Hohoemi o)
ジューンブライド～あなたしか見えない～ (June Bride Anata Shika Mienai)
雪どけのあの川の流れのように (Yukidoke no Ano Kawa no Nagare no You ni)
飛び立てない私にあなたが翼をくれた (Tobitate Nai Watashi ni Anata ga Tsubasa o Kureta)
明日は明日の風の中…..夢の中 (Ashita wa Ashita no Kaze no Naka… Yume no Naka)
These remind me of B’z’s “AinomamaniWagamamani Bokuhwa Kimidakewokidutukenai”, WANDS’s”Ai wo Kataru Yori Kuchizuke wo Kawasou”, Being artists’ tendency toward poetic titles, and even classic Japanese pop ballads.
“FULL JUMP” & Unexpected Discoveries
Rina Aiuchi has many great songs, but what stands out most to me is “FULL JUMP”, which had a special duet version with Giants baseball player Tomohiro Nioka. At the time, my reaction was: “Wait… Nioka!?” I remember owning the CD, but I can’t seem to find it now.
And speaking of discoveries…
Tracksuits (track jackets)!
While searching for that CD, I stumbled upon a promo photo of Aiuchi wearing a track jacket. As someone who runs 「tracktop girl」, a portrait site dedicated to women in tracksuits, I was both thrilled and embarrassed that I had forgotten about this detail. Looks like I’ll have to buy it again!
