Greetings and salutations Hivers. Today let's go into another Evening Groove / Three Tune Tuesday post.

As always, thanks to @ablaze for making this series. Lots of people participate in it! Follow the tags to find a ton of good music recommendation.

Today I have an 80s hit for you, then two completely different Japanese hits: one a pop hit from a TV show and another jazz perfection.

Let's go!

Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science

If there is one 80s tune that I can turn to again and again and again and it never gets old, this would me that song. With most songs, there are always times when you're just not in the mood, but with this one as soon as I hear the first few notes, I just have to listen to the entire thing. Released in 1982, this single peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

I play this for my son often and he enjoys it too.

If you enjoyed that, here's a presentation Dolby did in 2018 where he talks about the making of the song → here

Earth Protection Force - Brave Love, Tiga

So I was looking for videos for the music I picked for this post when my son walked in. He asked why I was looking for music videos and I told him it was for this post. He insisted that I have to include "the Ultraman Tiga ending song". He loves this song. If you don't know Ultraman, he is the most popular superhero in Japan. He's an alien who merges with a human. When monsters show up, as they always do, the human transforms into Ultraman who beats them, There is a new Ultraman every year who looks slightly different (but basically the same) and has slightly different powers (but basically the same). The 1997 Ultraman, Ultraman Tiga, is his favorite for some reason. One of my students gave me a memory card with all the episodes so I showed them to my son when he was only 4 or 5. I guess that was the best time to make an impression, because although he loves the new Ultraman every year, he is always talking about Ultraman Tiga.

Anyway, this was the closing song to the show. It was sung by Earth Protection Force (地球防衛団, Chikyū Bōei-dan), which was a one-time group formed just to record this song. They did a pretty good job. The song has some nice harmonics.

Anyway, there you go. My son's pick.

Oh, if you are wondering what they are saying, here are the lyrics.

Takeshi Inomata & Sound LTD - Take Five Blues March

If you are any kind of a jazz fan, I assume you know Dave Brubeck and the classic Take Five. If you haven't, shame on you. It's honestly one of the best jazz hits out there. Now, take the greatness that is the original and amp it up even more, and that is what we have here. I really dig the interpretation of the classic. I don't know anything about the group that recorded it. It just showed up in my YouTube recommendations one day and I fell in love.

If you enjoyed that, let's do another from him as a bonus. Here is Theme～Mustache. Every time you thing you know where it's going, he changes things up. A great listen! Be sure to listen all the way to the end for a surprise theme.

So what's your favorite?

David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku.