Carlos Toshiki and Omega Tribe (Part 3)

We had left you on your hunger with Part 2 talking about the arrival of Carlos Toshiki and the first 2 albums with the formation 1986 Omega Tribe. Following the departure of Kurokawa, the group is renamed Carlos Toshiki and Omega Tribe, because we are already in 1988, and that the “1986” begins to get old…

Down Town Mistery (1988 album)

The trio continues their work and a new album will be released: Down Town Mistery. The album comes in two versions: “Daylight Version” and “Night Time version“. The difference between the two is the mixing (and some arrangements), the 1st being mixed by Eiji Uchinuma and the 2nd by Shimizu Kunihiko. The Night Time version is usually preferred, but we will let you make your own opinion.

Daylight / Night Time 

During the production, a chorist named Joey McCoy it gets the attention of producers. This American is not unknown in the world citypop, indeed he also participated in albums and tours of ANRI. We had already talked about it on our article on black culture, and we will dedicate an entire article to it as well. Joey McCoy officially joined the band as the 4th member on July 1, 1988 during the concert in Okinawa.

1st July 1988 – Joey McCoy is presented as an official member

Reminder of the official members:

• Carlos Toshiki (カルロス・トシキ) – Vocals
• Joey McCoy (ジョイ・マッコイ) – Vocals/Piano/Keytar
• Takashima Shinji  (高島 信二) – Guitar
• Toshitsugu Nishihara (西原 俊次) – Piano

We will notice on this live moreover the presence of additional musicians :

• Marty Bracey (マーティー・ブレイシ) – Drums
• Wornell Jones (ウォーネル・ジョーンズ) – Bass
• Tetsuya Osaka (大阪哲也) – Piano (who played with S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe for the live FIRST FINALE)
• Teruo Goto (後藤輝夫) – Saxophone

These musicians will accompany Carlos Toshiki & Omega Tribe on their live performances until the last concert.

Reiko by Joey McCoy

Opportunity is even offered to Joey McCoy sing a single as lead singer. Reiko was released in November 1988, in both a Japanese and an English version. The arrangement is much more synth-pop. The single in Japanese comes in the top 15 and the English version in the top 78.

Reiko – (Single – November 1988)

Be Yourself (Album – 1989)

The following album is in continuity, with however a will of renewal and musical explorations. The production is very good. It’s Eiji Uchinuma which we find in the mix.

The album tube is Aquamarine No Mama De Ite ( ⁇ ), which will be used for the Japanese series (Drama) “Dakishimetai!” ( ⁇ !…I Wanna Hold Your Hand).

Bad Girl (Album – 1989)

Bad Girl is out 8 months later Be Yourself. The musicality continues to evolve in a direction in accordance with its time, with arrangements a little different than the previous albums.

The eponymous title Bad Girl’s is the most iconic track on the album.

Joey McCoy also has a more prominent role in singing including ヘミングウェイに逢える海 (Hemingway ni aeru umi).

Natsuko (Album – 1990)

Natsuko it will be the last album of Carlos Toshiki and Omega Tribe. We find there Time Is An Illusion /Toki Wa Kagero (時はかげろう) and Automation (sung by Joey McCoy). The album is definitely more pop. Among the critics heard, the order of the songs and the cover, which differs from the previous album, with a drawing rather than a photo, and a summer/beach theme relegated to the background.

A little sitcom sketch from the 80s!

Ah the 80s and its sitcoms !! Like Al Bundy’s dans Married two Children, Carlos Toshiki and Omega Tribe they tried the comic sketch. The result is friendly, offbeat, but above all unexpected!

In reality, this sketch is the opening of the clip for the song Tokiwa Kagerou (時はかげろう)

Final Tour

On 14 December 1990, after a performance of “Kimi wa 1000%” on Music Station”, the band announced that it would separate after a final tour. The tour took place from February 21, 1991 to March 16, 1991, and after the last performance at the Nissin Power Station, the group has separated.

Some images exist of this live

A live album from one of the performances, Shibuya Public Hall was published under the title The Graduate Live on 10 april 1991.

Carlos Toshiki, a solo career

Like its predecessor Sugiyama Kiyotaka, Carlos Toshiki he began a solo career until 2000 (He still had a record to make contractually anyway). It will eventually consist of a total of five albums.

The first concert of Carlos Toshiki solo :

Carlos Toshiki returns to Brazil

In 1995, Carlos Toshiki suffers from a herniated disc and, after an operation, he decided to return to Brazil in 2000 to recover, retiring from music. He had no intention of continuing in Brazil. He became a restaurateur, managing his parents’ restaurant, before deciding to pursue a career in biotechnology and start working in a seed company. During his time as a restaurateur, he appeared on the Japanese show “Anohitohaima!“in 2000.

In 2012, he began attending a university at Brazil to study the biotechnology. He eventually managed to develop heat and disease resistant garlic, which would otherwise have prevented its growth in Brazil. Nearly 100% of locally produced garlic seeds have been reported to be purchased from the company Carlos Toshiki who is described as one of the “great specialists in garlic” of Brazil.

Kimi Wa 1000% sung in Brazilian portuguese!

We can not date this live, but in view of the video quality, probably between 1995 and 2005

Carlos Toshiki and B-EDGE

In 2017, Carlos Toshiki joined group B-EDGE. Carlos Toshiki has already played with his musicians, indeed, the drummer (Marty Bracey’s) the bassist (Wornell Jones’s) and the Saxophonist (Goto Teruo), are the ones we see on the live videos of Omega Tribe between 1986 and 1991. They are not credited on studio albums, as the drums and bass are entirely electronic. (1986 is indeed the year when MIDI-like driver software Steinberg Pro-24 they generalize)

He will record a compilation in 2018 : Carlos Toshiki & B-Edge Nova Nostalgia :

Carlos Toshiki will continue to come regularly to Japan for concert series, with various musicians (including those of B-EDGE), but simply under the name Carlos Toshiki

Publications similaires :

1986 Omega Tribe (Part 2 : Carlos Toshiki) Omega Tribe (Part 1 : Sugiyama Kiyotaka) Junko Ohashi : Tribute and retrospective From Motown to Japan : Black Music in Japanese Disco/Funk Makoto Matsushita : a discreet pillar of city-pop Who are you Yoshino Fujimal ? ANRI, the princess of city-pop Why Tatsurō Yamashita isn’t on Spotify ?