Tell Me You Love Me / Tatsuro Yamashita - On The Street Corner 1 (1980 - 2000) Album Review

Tatsuro's first four years of his solo career were a rough path due to the many criticisms he received, the almost non-existent attention from the mainstream, and the label losing hope on his music across many different points from 1976 to 1978. From his participation with Sugar Babe to all of his solo work, Tatsuro had slowly proven himself as a prolific and talented pop artist, but there were choices that simply lead to his career not moving forward on the reception it received. This was mainly due to him nor the label not putting out any singles in promotion of his work, leading to him getting frustrated and almost considering on quitting his solo career, something which was expressed on his Go Ahead!, his third studio album, which was treated as his last. However, Bomber, a single from the album released in early 1979, can be credited as being the one track that revived, or more like properly started, his solo career, while at the same time reigniting the flame of his creativity and passion. This polyrhythmic funk driven track would find some considerable success on dance clubs, and would slowly lead to Tatsuro having much more focus on a concrete tone and atmosphere for his future albums, with a first glance at this new era of Tatsuro being present in the form of 1979's Moonglow. 

The album turned out to be one of his most consistent and coherent projects up to that point (even though it still contained some loose moments on the second side), holding a considerable amount of some of his best material, and including a number of singles that would slowly put him as a rising name on the Japanese charts (with singles like Let's Kiss The Sun being used along side other previous songs from his catalog as promotion material that worked wonders to attract audiences to his new work). But Tatsuro's slow evolution wouldn't stop there, with the success of Moonglow allowing him to have more budget and more freedom for the recording of his fifth studio project. His live shows would start proving as incredibly popular, expanding to national tours, contrary to the limited Tokyo shows he was used to giving, presenting new ideas and tracks that would receive a great reception, hinting at a more effective and powerful new project. This would culminate on the release of both the single Ride On Time and the album of the same title in 1980, with these releases jumping straight the #1 position on the charts, catapulting his career to the place it always deserved. Ride On Time presented his most focused work up to that point, holding some of the best, and most memorable and timeless works of his entire catalog, showing both a very stable and promising lineup that met his artistic expectations, as well as Tatsuro finally finding a songwriting and recording process that truly worked wonders for him. It allowed him to be loose with what he wanted to do in studio, as well as being very effective by debuting ideas onstage and improving them with every show until their final studio version. 

Ride On Time would be the culmination of years of hard work, and it would finally allowed him to get rid of all the limitations that he had on his creative projects, letting him stand on a position where he was free to do what he wanted on studio. 1980 was finally Yamashita finding success on his work, so he decided to take a break from studio until 1982, but before that he got to release one more project that tackled a style that he had showed interest in since very early on in his career. It is no secret that the man's biggest influence were always US pop songs from the 50's-60's, mostly inclining to the surf rock /pop spectrum, but also Doo Woop and Acapella music. Yamashita already had a knack at both of these style into one album with his unofficial project with friends in 1972, Add Some Music To Your Day, but that major influence never really seemed to wear off. All of these influences would be complemented with other ones, but they would eventually evolve into their own thing, and they would always make a presence on Tatsuro's albums. Spacy had somewhat more surf rock/pop inspired arrangements and atmosphere, specially on its second half, and this would eventually come in full form with the release of Big Wave in 1984. As for the acapella arrangements, these would first appear on a very focused aspect on the "It's A Poppin Time" album with the track Marie being a proper attempt at creating this particular style of music, while the appearances on studio records would manifest in the form of Overture and Nightwing, the short openers for Go Ahead! and Moonglow (as well as having a presence being combined with a mellow piano in Ride On Time's closer おやすみ), but a full record tackling this style of music was something yet to be seen from the artist.

It was obvious that the artist aspired for more on that small world that seemed somewhat distant from his usual material, but that at the same time had managed to become a staple on his records, something that added an extra layer of personality to something that already had a lot of attitude on its own. Of course, it was a well known fact that these solo acapella tracks were a hobby for Tatsuro, but they had also managed to become part of his live shows, be it as small interludes and then becoming full fleshed covers that offered variety within one show. With time, the amount of these tracks started to grow, and with the success of Ride On Time, Yamashita simply felt like making a full Doo Woop covers album just for the fun of it, as something that sort of symbolized the union between old and new styles and fans into one small and charming project, leading to the release of On The Street Corner on 1980. In many ways, this was a very special record for Japan at the time. Mainstream audiences had little to no knowledge about musical styles that were popular on the west, so a full acapella/doo-woop focused project was almost like a breath of fresh air (even leading to Yamashita needing to explain what it actually was on several interviews), and a more than novel introduction to the genre. The album received a small, yet still considerable, amount of attention, which would lead to sequels being released in 1986 and 1999, with this first entry being re-released and complemented with each new entry in the series. The 2000 edition of the album, rightfully titled On The Street Corner 1, can be considered as the most complete and proper experience (with the inclusion of two bonus tracks that make up for the full original tracklist that was intended for the album, being placed right at the middle), and it is accepted as such by Tatsuro himself. 

All that being clarified, what exactly is the value in On The Street Corner? Is it an essential listen for any Tatsuro fan? Well, the record itself was just a collection of small and silly covers that Tatsuro himself did as a hobby on the side of his main career. It is the most literal "solo"  album from the man, mainly because he is the one that performs most vocal duties, with some small exceptions in tracks like Close Your Eyes (where Minako Yoshida appears in background vocals in order to add some flavor the experience and even then, the 2000 reissue includes a different version of the track itself, titled All Tatsuro Version, where Tatsuro just fulfills Minako's roles himself, and simply making up for a more charming version of the track), and other small duties like the finger snapping and the feet tapping being fulfilled by all the members from the main Ride On Time lineup, as well as presenting the first official collaboration with Mariya Takeuchi. There are no original tracks to be found here, just a simply collection of love letters to the influences that lead Tatsuro to start with his musical career, ranging from Chuck Willis, Phil Spector, Nolan Strong, and even composers like Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The entire album carries one consistent atmosphere and tone from beginning to end, and Tatsuro doesn't really go wild on the vocals, it all stays in spirit of the calm and laid back acapella/doo-woop approach to the songs. All that being said, this album simply doesn't have anything else going to its favor. 

Once you've heard the opener, you've heard every single track that can be found on the record. Some tracks are pulled off on a better way (with the main highlights being the bonus version of Close Your Eyes and the more upbeat and charming Remember Me Baby), others simply fall on a very forgettable middle ground (mainly due to some aspects of the song not being executed all that well, with tracks like Gee and Drip Drop being examples of some somewhat awkward approaches to the acapella arrangements), but overall it all stays on practically the same spirit. The production and mixing are somewhat off, but really intriguing, with some sort of echo effect being applied to the vocals while other elements stay clear at the same time, making up for a particular sound that honestly just fits the experience on a very nice way. It is not a polished or completely well throughout experience, but that was not the intention, this really wasn't a proper studio album from the man (and in any case, with the original length and approach it would fall more into being cataloged as an EP). It was simply a way for Tatsuro to take a break and just enjoy himself doing what he liked to do as a way of passing time on a more professional way, and that laid back and relaxed feeling is expressed on the album. 

Unessential? Definitely, it is one of the absolute definitions of "for big fans only". 

Pointless? From an outsider's perspective, yes. But Tatsuro really earned the chance and possibility to make these sort of projects possible. It is certainly a well deserved break from years of looking to have this sort of freedom, with all the hard work finally paying off, allowing the man to release a record such as this, sharing his love for music with the world. The man would keep on delivering amazing music throughout his entire career, and he would keep earning the right to take breaks the way he saw fit, and the On The Street Corner series is the definition of that. 

If there was one word to define this project with, it would be "charming". It is not mediocre or terrible, but rather sweet, and extremely charming, making up for a record that may not be as memorable as most of his material, but that works really well for what it is. It offers a very enjoyable experience that just bleeds of love and respect towards the influences that shaped Tatsuro into what he would end up becoming on his own. Just a pleasant experience that finished before one expects it to. 

Overall Rating: 6/10

Favorite Tracks: Remember Me Baby / Close Your Eyes [All Tatsuro Version]

With A Fire In The Heart / Tatsuro Yamashita - Ride On Time (1980) Album Review

 

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Favorite Tracks: Ride On Time / Silent Screamer / 夏への扉 / Daydream

Tatsuro Yamashita's professional music career had been faced with some very rough barriers since it officially started in 1974. From Songs to Moonglow, and even with the wonderful double album live experience of "It's A Poppin Time" in early 1978, Yamashita had been practically staying ahead of its time within the Japanese pop scene. Songs can, and it usually is, credited as the birth of City Pop and the new wave of Japanese pop that was prominent during the 80s, starting a trend of drifting towards an occidental approach of pop and soft rock, giving it a personality of its own, as well as fleshing out instrumental ideas to their fullest extent with the talent, the charm, and the energy of all the people involved in the performances. Songs had a huge importance in the way things would evolve from that point onward, with most artists involved with the record managing to get involved in other groundbreaking and important projects years later. Tatsuro's career drifted to his solo aspect, as well as starting to get recognized as a talented arranger and guest musician working with other artists and labels. By the time 1976 came in, Circus Town presented a significant challenge for him, and despite the somewhat mixed recording experience, proceeded to introduce him to a new technical style of writing music by partiture, as well as expanding his tastes to jazz, funk, and rock. 

While his first debut showed an artist with a lot of potential, but a lot of space for improvement, Spacy offered a much more complete, polished, and well crafted view at what Tatsuro was able to do with his music in 1977. He had wasted no time applying all the things he learned on the US, and proceeded to gather a fantastic range of talented musicians and artists that would help him to fulfill his artistic vision, delivering a consistent and coherent experience that invited the listener to a lot of re-visiting in order to truly dive in to the layers of detail provided on his work. The sad thing relied on the fact that reception towards these two albums were not notable, ending up in poor sales that barely made up for the budget invested in such a recording, with Yamashita relying on his live shows to make up for that part of the income and try to move forward (with the idea of releasing a live album being presented to him, ending up on Its A Poppin Time, a beautiful and masterful live archive that truly showed the range of influences, talent, and onstage dominance that Tatsuro and his band carried in order to make up for great performances that tried to flesh out ideas to their fullest and loosest extent). All his musical efforts and collaborations up to that point had been worthwhile, unique, and very well made; but it simply wasn't enough to get over the rough times that Yamashita was facing with his solo career.

Rough criticism, poor reception from the mainstream, and a label that was pressuring him to get a hit incoming simply took a toll on Yamashita's mindset and the attitude towards his work. The main issue relied on both the reception from the mainstream, as well as the fact that the man didn't really do much when it came to promoting his music and try to generate a reputation outside of a small, yet very impressive, circle. His underground fanbase was loyal and slowly moving forward, but most of it was condensed in Tokyo, as well as Yamashita having a considerable reputation among professional and big music artists at the time, with Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Eiichi Otaki being the most notable ones (with projects like Pacific, a collaboration with Hosono and Suzuki, in 1978 being the thing that kept a glimpse of hope in both Tatsuro and the label that he would eventually rise in popularity, letting him record more albums), being the ones that recognized him as an artist with a lot of potential, and whose music had a lot to deliver if given the opportunity to get immersed on it. But that doesn't sell records, it doesn't let the man or the label get much income, and it certainly isn't enough to keep a career floating, specially with the rough criticism and almost non-existent attention from the mainstream, leading to anyone getting frustrated about the direction of their solo career.

Yamashita took a pessimistic attitude by 1978, and was completely certain that his third solo album would be the last, with him already determined to continue as an anonymous producer and songwriter for other artists, taking the liberties to simply try things out without getting them to make sense in the context of a full album, ending up in the release of Go Ahead! later that year. And that frustration transcribes very well to the album, offering a very unfocused record, that dived into a considerable range of genres, approaches to songwriting, tones, and even different production and mixing styles between tracks, making up for an inconsistent experience in the whole scheme of things, with some of his most forgettable material up to that point. However, Tatsuro is Tatsuro, and while the album could have been much better, it still provided with fantastic songs that stole the spotlight and served as proof that the man was still able to craft pop masterpieces whenever he wanted.  And even then, Go Ahead! turned out to be a turning point for Yamashita's career as a whole. Since he decided to experiment a little with different genres, songs like Paper Doll and Let's Dance Baby had a big appeal in a groovy and upbeat style of pop and soft rock, being practically "single material". In fact, Let's Dance Baby was decided to be used as a single a few months later, but the B side of the single, also a song from the album, would be the start of Yamashita's rise in popularity during that period. Bomber was simply a perfect and unique pop track for the Japanese mainstream scene at that time, becoming a considerable hit on dance clubs at the time, leading to the mainstream starting to get familiar with Tatsuro Yamashita as a prominent artist that had a discography, and that was able to offer catchy and engaging songs such as that one within his catalog.  

If it wasn't for Bomber, a one of a kind attempt at making a polyrhythmic funk song, Tatsuro's career would have been completely different. The funk and loose, but still technical approach, the songwriting, arrangement, solos from the talented members involved, the catchy melodies, the slapping bass, and the memorable vocal performance from Tatsuro made for a perfect pop song, an essential track from the artist, that would be the spark to reignite the passion of the artist, who wasted no time and started drifting towards that style of music for his next solo album. A second single was released a couple of months later, with Let's Kiss The Sun taking over and being a considerable hit, with The Whispering Sea serving as the B side, promoting both his upcoming and previous albums. Glimpses at the style of the new project were starting to be displayed on his live shows, ones that were starting to expand outside of Tokyo (even getting to his first national show), taking members from the Go Ahead sessions along and making up for some popular performances in Osaka (where he got the assurance that his music could captivate audiences outside of his local underground fanbase, receiving some fantastic reception and changing his pessimistic attitude), that inspired Yamashita to take a more upbeat tone and musical style that resonated more with the atmosphere of those times. Yamashita's manager, and only person who supported his decisions within the label, Riuzo Kosugi started AIR, his own independent label inside of RVC/RCA, as a place where artists could develop freely and without pressure, and he took Tatsuro as the first artist to be allied with that part of RVC, leading to the release of Moonglow, his fourth studio album, in 1979. 

At that point, most things Tatsuro had been tackling with his music started coming full circle, with more concise ideas, making for a much more coherent and consistent ideas on an album. Moonglow was the result of a new inspiration that was represented on a very specific atmosphere, with tracks that ranged from various styles and genres, but that still kept the initial tone set from beginning to end. In many ways, Moonglow was his most consistent work up to that point, with an A side that was simply flawless in many aspects, presenting some of his most engaging and varied work, with tracks like Funky Flushin', Storm, and Full Moon being definitive stand outs from the experience. The B side was somewhat weaker, but that still presented the man and his band having evident fun in the recording sessions with tracks like Taxi Driver, and that also kept including some of his absolute best material, with the closer Let's Kiss The Sun being the definitive highlight of the entire album. This would be the start of an important and prolific era for Tatsuro, where his works seemed to be inclined to either a specific atmosphere or a specific concept in order to be fleshed out throughout and entire project. In order to complement these records, Tatsuro's singles would become important part of his income, with a lot of songs being released fairly frequently in promotion of his new material, while the label also helped with getting an audience with small projects like the Come Along compilation, gathering attention for both new and old material from the artist, increasing his fanbase and presenting a new stable and prosper era for him in his creative aspects. 

But why go through all this history in order to get to an specific album? Well, Moonglow was the start of a new era for Tatsuro, and while it still was a fantastic and important turning point for him, it wasn't the culmination of either the new approach at crafting an album nor the musical peak of the artist. Nevertheless, it did allow Tatsuro to start polishing his craft even more, with the new world of single releases opening a lot of new doors for him. Evidently, Tatsuro didn't stop at that point, and he kept pushing forward with new ideas, as well as polishing the newly acquired funk style with bittersweet atmospheres he had been executing on his last couple of records. In early 1980, Tatsuro started a series of iconic tours under the name "Ride On Time Concert '80", across all of Japan, proving a big success for the direction of his career (along side the somewhat unofficial release of Come Along being popular on record stores) by having an incredibly positive reception of the new material that debuted during that tour. He was starting to gather attention, but there was one single that immediately catapulted his entire career to a new level. No time was wasted, and a couple of months later, the Ride On Time single was released as a teaser in promotion of his upcoming new album, along side Moonglow's Rainy Walk as a B side, and the single jumped straight into Japan's top 10, being a one of a kind hit that can be pinpointed as the moment where Yamashita's career took a vital turning point into his future. Tatsuro kept collaborating with different artists, as well as giving some of the most iconic live performances of his entire career (with the Hayama's Ride On Time concert being one of his most fondly remembered due to the conditions it took part in), kicking a tour that would continue until 1981. In the middle of that tour, Yamashita's fifth album, Ride On Time, was released, immediately jumping at #1 on the charts, and cementing Tatsuro as a promising and talented artist recognized all over the country.  

Due to Moonglow achieving some considerable success, Yamashita got access to a more considerable budget, as well as cementing a very stable lineup for his live performances and his studio sessions (presenting the iconic lineup of Jun Aoyama on drums, Hironori "Koki" Ito on bass, Kazuo Shiina on guitar, Hiroyuki Namba on keyboards, and the wonderful Minako Yoshida on backing vocals; as well as having the honor of presenting a range of guest artists in order to complement the main instrumentals for each song), both of these reasons being vital as to why the album came out the way it did. The first track, いつか (SOMEDAY), kicks thing off on a great way, already showcasing the well crafted and arranged instrumentals that this new era presented for Yamashita's music. It is a track that uses the style of writing of Sugar Babe, with each instrument having a distinct and separate rhythm pattern that makes up for one coherent melody once played together, but that has a bigger focus on the technical aspects and the interactions between all the elements. Ito's bass is as prominent as ever, following the spirit of the funk basslines present as important parts of Tatsuro songs, with Namba's keyboards being important part of the atmosphere, with even a brief synth solo courtesy of guest Hiroshi Sato to keep the track dynamic and engaging, while the guitars and drums simply keep track of the main beat on a great way. Yamashita slowly starts to unveil his vocals on a very calm performance that increases on his range and ability with the progression of the song, being supported by Minako's impressive backing vocal arrangements, captivating with the reprise of the main chorus right at the end, giving space for Tatsuro's vocals to slowly capture the main spotlight. SOMEDAY, just like Full Moon on Moonglow, sets the atmosphere and presents the main characteristics that will be expanded throughout the record, and it starts a momentum that is carried with all the tracks on their particular way, maintaining the tone but keeping the arrangements and performances dynamic and engaging.

That is slowly the case with DAYDREAM, the second track on the album (quoted by Yamashita as being Minako's songwriting masterpiece, and also used as the B side to the main single that was My Sugar Babe), setting a much more upbeat melody due to the drums being the subtle key element of the song, very simple and effective at marking a particular beat where all the instruments are built upon. New elements are introduced while others are absent, most notably the trumpet arrangements replacing the backing vocals at giving a very well wounded atmosphere to the vocals and the instrumentals as a whole, with even solo sections where the tone and atmosphere is embraced and carried in a wonderful way. Just like many other tracks, this is done with a live setting in mind, and it definitely shows, specially with the way Tatsuro's vocals start to unveil their true potential, being much more concise and varied in their performance, specially between the interaction from verse to chorus, as well as the instrumentals being sort off loose in the way they are structured, but still providing for a very tight, engaging, and memorable performance. A somewhat more laid back track, but definitely a good build up and expansion of the ideas and aspects of the production and mixing, slowly leading into one of the true highlights of the album. 

The album wastes no time, and the laid back tone is immediately contrasted with an explosion of energy and intensity in every main aspect. SILENT SCREAMER might as well be used to encapsulate the entire energy of the 80's on one single, polished, engaging, energetic, and explosive track. Once again, a companion track to the polyrhythmic funk style started in Bomber and expanded in Funky Flushin', with a different and unique approach this time around. The powerful and loose bass lines are the soul of the instrumentals, but the rest of the instruments don't stay far behind in taking the spotlight. The drums make their presence be noticeable by providing a powerful beat, as well as stablishing the main bridge between different sections, the keyboards are slightly more simply in their composition, serving more as the key aspect of the atmosphere, fulfilling that role on a subtle way. The wonderful production and mixing achieve a perfect balance where nothing stays too far behind, and everything shines to its full potential, with the guitars taking as much of a spotlight as the bass across the song. One guitar helps  to set the main rhythm, much like the keyboards and drums, while the second one makes its appearance at  the two fantastic and explosive guitar solo segments, with the second one serving as an outro where the interaction between dual guitars simply provide for one of the most memorable and engaging instrumental segments on any Tatsuro track. Tatsuro's vocals just flesh out on this song (with the fantastic backing vocals being introduced halfway through in order to make for a more complete experience), presenting his fantastic range at full power, punching the listener with every verse and chorus that comes along, climaxing at the end segment where his vocals simply explode on an incredible way. A track full of passion, personality, energy, and an incredible chemistry between all of those involved. Providing for one of the most impressive and unique tracks of his entire discography, and serving as one of the highlights of an already fantastic album. 

However, the main dish, the main highlight, and the most important piece of the entire album, and one of the most essential tracks on Tatsuro's entire catalog, comes as the closer of the first side in the form of the memorable and timeless title track. The track found here is a re-recording somewhat different to the single version, but it is the definitive way to experience such an accomplishment. This is it, the key moment of the album, the piece where every single aspect of the man's songwriting, arrangement, and performance comes together for a one time achievement. The main mellow keyboard melody with a simple drum kick, accompanying Yamashita's passionate vocal performance, leading into the main shift in tone in the chorus, where the funk like bass and the energetic guitar are implemented to a better extent, with none of them taking the spotlight but instead working as one. The song keeps building up introducing new elements with each verse, from to the wonderful soul like background vocals to the powerful saxophone, which also leads to a spectacular solo segment. The buildup from chorus to chorus is simply unmatched, with the song as a whole being the culmination of years of hard work, resulting on one of the most iconic and polished songs from Tatsuro's entire career, and the definitive peak of his fifth studio album. The main song works amazingly, but the experience is climaxed and carried on with the small acapella reprise of the chorus that simply tops everything off in a fantastic way, closing up one of the best sides on any pop album to ever be released. The studio version of Ride On Time is a fantastic song, a pop masterpiece that is the perfect blend between melancholy, passion, and an upbeat energy. A timeless track that just knows what to do and how long to do it, and reason enough to simply dive into such a fantastic album. 

Ride On Time's first half is a constant buildup of tone, atmosphere, and emotion through four distinct tracks, each with their own style and musical approach, but all of them sharing the same personality and charismatic attitude that only Tatsuro is able to provide. It continues with the trend of his work being much more focused and fleshed out, while also expanding its horizons with new ideas and concepts implemented on a fantastic way. This side alone is a definitive highlight of Tatsuro's entire career, but the rest of the album doesn't stay too far behind, keeping up with this being his most consistent and coherent album up to this point. 夏への扉 starts the second side on an excellent way (also being the proof that concepts for the album were a long time in the making, with this song being the result of a lot of onstage trial and error), using all the elements seen on Ride On Time on its own groove, but shifting the tone towards something much more laid back and relaxed. The funk like spirit on the bass leads the melody once again, but both the vocals and the instrumental are calm, with a song that seems to focus more on the lyrics than anything, and this being evidently the case considering the emotional and somewhat nostalgic tone on the lyrics, with the main vocals following that tone on their own particular intonation and spirit. The tempo, arrangements, and performances themselves appear to be nothing out of the ordinary, but the way every element complements each other is simply magnificent, as well as doing so within what seems like a very common structure, but that really is something of its own, a way to give every single member its own space to breathe and shine. The guitar is very prominent, while the synth and bass dance with each other beautifully while being glanced by the drums and the fantastic vocal layers. The trumpet solo adjusts itself on a perfect matter, and Tatsuro's vocal performance is simply on par with the main highlights of the album, presenting something fairly enclosed within his vocal range, but doing so on the most sentimental way possible. A very sweet, personal, and incredibly captivating track that sets up the tone and focus of the second side, inclining towards something much more mellow in spirit. What a perfect follow up to an already wonderful experience.

The emotion and passion on the vocal performances, as well as the more laid back and calm atmosphere and tone on the arrangements, is followed right away with My Sugar Babe, the second single of the album, also being very popular among fans and the mainstream public. As the title might imply, this is a track that Tatsuro wrote in memory of his time with Sugar Babe, taking a very melancholic/ballad like spirit, and pulling it off on a fantastic way. The chemistry between the keyboard and the guitar, these being the key elements for the melody, is something truly unique (with even a small solo segment between the two of them that just ends up tying everything together), with the drums and bass being the ones to set the beat on a subtle way while staying in the background. Tatsuro's vocals are not on full display here, they don't go overboard with their powerful range, but they don't have to, His vocals here have as much impact as any of the previous tracks, mainly because of how much emotional and passionate his performance ends up being, having as much impact as his most energetic performances, and making up for something truly charming (specially with small details such as himself doing the background vocals for the track). This particular laid back, calm, and mellow atmosphere is carried on to Rainy Day. This is perhaps the weakest moment on the album, but it stays in line with the rest of the experience, still offering a good track that keeps up the pace and the consistency, and serving more as an extension of Rainy Day than anything else. It has a bigger focus on the melancholic piano, which suits the title and the atmosphere on a great way, but still presenting Yamashita's passionate vocals (also using himself as the background vocalist for the entire experience), and the rest of the instruments following along with it, with some suiting rain recordings introduced right at the end.

雲のゆくえに (initially written and arranged to be part of Minako's new studio album, but the track debuted first on Tatsuro's live shows and on this album) picks up the pace, but still follows the calm atmosphere, having much more in common with the opener of the second side than anything else (as well as following along the trend of Tatsuro making songs inspired on his experiences and influences from the US, with this one being somewhat a knock to the R&B Chicago scene on Aoyama's drums, with the bass following more on a slight funk style), with the most noticeable things here being Tatsuro's vocal perfomance, the captivating saxophone solo that appears right at the end, and guest Hiroshi Sato setting the atmosphere with his subtle keyboards. Finally, おやすみ comes in as the most straight forward track on the entire album, closing up the entire experience on a very particular and unique way. An overlooked gem on his discography, with a mellow piano that sets the atmosphere along side Tatsuro's emotional and hard hitting vocals, with the only other element used being the synth implemented along side the fantastic background vocals recorded by the man himself. It is a very short track, but it doesn't need to be much longer, presenting a vocal performance as emotional as the one on My Sugar Babe, being the farewell of the entire experience, wishing goodnight to everyone that had the pleasure of sitting through the entire album. 

Ride On Time is a very special record. It was the result of the constant hard work from a man that faced some rough times for both his career and the confidence on his own talent for a considerable amount of years. It presents one of Tatsuro's most varied, dynamic, passionate, and engaging projects; being one of the most consistent albums to be found on his catalog. It sets a particular atmosphere and focus that is approached on different ways across the album, sometimes presenting a very funk driven spirit, others simply laying back and going for a more hard hitting emotional tone on the performances, but always keeping the main tone that drives the entire experience on a very coherent way. The first side alone can be pinpointed as one of the pinnacles of his entire career, with a collection of four tracks that have a lot to offer individually, but that as a whole build up and present old and new ideas that are executed on a tremendous way due to the incredible chemistry of the lineup for the album, as well as the notably higher production and mixing values that Tatsuro had access to for this record, resulting on masterpieces like Silent Screamer and the re-recording of the title track (with just these two tracks alone being excuse enough to check this album on full).

For You might be the more popular record, but Ride On Time was the vital turning point that allowed that experience to be even possible for Tatsuro's discography. It was the first notable success on his entire career, debuting at number one on the charts, with some amazing singles following along, cementing Tatsuro as a promising and talented artist that just seemed like having a bright future ahead of him (and eventually fulfilling those expectations on a great way). Ride On Time was not an album that got where it got just for the inclusion of the memorable and iconic title track. It is the result of a constant evolution from the artist in refining his own formula, being an extension of the most prominent ideas seen on his work, as well as the structure and tone presented on the previous album, while also implementing new formulas into the mix, making up for one of his most dynamic, varied, and engaging releases. A pop bonanza that grabs influences from a lot of different places and implements them in a particular atmosphere, providing some of Tatsuro's most memorable and perfect arrangements, compositions, and performances. A personal and creative statement that is full of soul, passion, and emotion from beginning to end.

Yamashita finally narrowed down a way to carefully track a coherent experience. His somewhat loose, but still prolific, studio experimentation got translated to a live setting, where the man expanded concepts for individual songs with each new concert on the Ride On Time Concert '80 tour. And this was also done by getting a much more stable and talented lineup that met his expectations (initially presented in the title track single), instead of relying on the big all-star set of guests that he got for previous albums, and only presenting a handful of guest artists for very specific moments (with Hiroshi Sato being the most notable of these inclusions). It is true that artists like Hosono and Sakamoto were important to the execution of songs from Yamashita's catalog, but this magnificent lineup, their particular chemistry and bombastic performances, were the reason why Ride On Time came out the way they did, and all these artists deserve their respective credits:

Jun Aoyama on the precise, simplistic, and energetic Drums 

Hironori "Koki" Ito on the amazing and essential Bass 

Kazuo Shiina on the rhythmic Guitar with its memorable solos

Hiroyuki Namba on the atmospheric and mellow Keyboards 

Minako Yoshida on the fantastic vocal arrangements and the beautiful backing vocals

And of course

Tatsuro Yamashita on main vocals, guitar and other instruments, production, arrangements, and being the SOUL of the entire experience.

Ride On Time is an album full of creativity, personality and emotion, being a celebration of his entire career with songs that thank those who helped him start this route as well as having fun and exploding in energy with other tracks. A timeless journey that invited anyone that is willing to just get lost on the charming and captivating soundscapes that it has to offer.

If the words "beautiful and sweet" could be represented with one album, this would be it, and I really can't recommend it enough.

RIDE ON TIME Light Your Heart To Overflowing Joy / Tatsuro Yamashita - Ride On Time / あまく危険な香り(1980 - 2003) Single Review

 

Ride On Time, for any Tatsuro Yamashita fan, or for any devoted Japanese pop fan in general, is a song that simply needs no introduction. It is one of the most essential songs to come out of Japan in the 80s, a one in a lifetime achievement, that had a lot of relevance for both Tatsuro's career, as well as for the slow rise of the new wave of Japanese pop that would take the 80's by storm. 

It  is a song that came out after years marked by a rough path for the artist, years where he faced rough criticisms, almost no attention from the mainstream, and an artistic frustration where he was aware of the passion he invested into his music, but that didn't seem to give anything in return. The man wasn't inspired or moved forward due to a desire for fame or money, he simply wanted to put his own compositions to everyone's reach, elaborating it the way he saw fit, diving into many genres, but always holding a same spirit and energy regardless of the tone or atmosphere. Tatsuro Yamashita delivered an incredible amount of quality projects, collaborations, and albums from his early days with Sugar Babe in 1974 to the fantastic creation of Moonglow in 1979, leading to the man getting a loyal underground fanbase in Tokyo, as well as being respected and admired by many musicians at the time, from big names like Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto, to some aspiring and talented artists like Minako Yoshida and Mariya Takeuchi. He was unfairly criticized for creating music that was just ahead of its time, just for it to eventually be revered and hold as great pieces of music that were full of timeless songs where the passion for a craft was above anything else. Anyone could go in further detail (I know I have) about how each one of his albums has their own pop masterpieces to offer, or even how the  Ride On Time album is just a fantastic achievement for Tatsuro. But that sort of in depth look just wouldn't do justice when applied to the Ride On Time single alone, to the sheer beauty and perfection that the song holds in every aspect possible. 

A song where the iconic Jun Aoyama, Hironiro Ito, Kazuo Shiina, and Hiroyuki Namba lineup was first introduced, making up for a hell of a debut track. From the powerful piano melody the small addition of details with the use of percussion instruments, a simple guitar, the emotional, yet upbeat, saxophone, or the already iconic and legendary funk driven basslines that complement every other aspect, making up for one of Tatsuro's most, if not THE most, memorable and polished instrumental arrangement that can be found on his entire career. But the cherry on top, the thing that makes the entire song work the way it does, are Tatsuro's powerful vocals (as always supported by Minako's great background vocals), with that incredibly memorable chorus that just bleeds of emotion and passion. Every element that appears on the song is just in the right place, used at the right time, making up for a very captivating, layered, and memorable experience; something that only few can declare as to having achieved on their musical career. An important song for the artist, the culmination of years of hard work and rough paths, being his first top 10 single, and catapulting his career to a higher level, starting a new bright and prolific decade for his music. It would go down as a definitive pioneer of City Pop in the mainstream, as well as stablishing pop as a relevant force during a time where rock seemed to be overshadowing it completely. 

First released with Moonglow's Rainy Walk, and then reissued in 2003 with あまく危険な香りdue to the song being used on a new TV show at the time, and even though both of those songs are still great classics form the master himself, they simply do not get to the level that Ride On Time sets with just four and a half minutes. But, the definitive way to experience this single is with the 2003 issue, with  あまく危険な香りbeing the most powerful and captivating single out of the B-sides that accompanied the album, also being used for a TV show but at first put on the Greatest Hits! album in 1982, making up for an almost flawless experience along side the main highlight of the release (with a fantastic piano solo at the middle of the song, being very mellow and sweet in atmosphere, and definitely being a gem within the man's catalog). The karaoke versions of both songs are also very much appreciated, letting anyone admire the detailed craft of all the layers that went into arranging both tracks so that they came out conveying a rather simple, yet engaging, rhythm. But more than that, it comes with the amazing and beautiful acapella short version of Ride On Time, iconic for its inclusion on the album version, but being able to be appreciated in full glory within this release. Ride On Time would lead to wonderful music being released, all still maintaining the spirit of the artist, and excellent tracks were released before it came to be; but this is just one of those special songs, special occasions in history that just deserve to be admired and appreciated on its own. 

It is simply a song that has to be heard in order to be completely understood. A timeless song, that does not know age or context, full of passion and emotion, feeling as fresh, powerful; perfect now as it was for thousands of people in 1980. The heart of Tatsuro Yamashita, can be found in this track, his most important release, inviting anyone to get invested on the captivating melody that it has to offer. It is just something beautiful, and I truly doubt it will ever stop being as such in decades or centuries to come.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Up and Down. On and Off. North to South. And That's The Idea / Tatsuro Yamashita - Come Along (1980) Album Review

By the time 1980 came around, Tatsuro Yamashita's career finally started to see better days, after six years of a rough path that he had to get through in order to progress with his solo music career. At the time he was already a recognized a respected name within the music community, due to his many contributions and collaborations as a songwriter and producer, working with a range of both big names and flourishing artists in the Japanese pop scene of the late 70s, while also gathering a loyal underground fanbase in Tokyo, mostly present since the Sugar Babe days in 1974. But that wasn't enough to get a solo career going, with projects that used a considerable budget in meeting the requirements of Tatsuro regarding who to use for the sessions and how to produce and mix the final product, barely making up with the poor sales, and relying on the energetic live performances for any sort of considerable income. At the same time, he received harsh criticisms and was almost completely overlooked by the mainstream, which lead to points on his life where he was seriously thinking on abandoning that part of his profession. It was something truly unfair, specially considering the quality content that he had constantly been putting out since his work with Sugar Babe, with albums that were ahead of their time in style and writing (with the artist showing a slow evolution and refinement of the formula with each new project), being overlooked at first, but eventually becoming recognized as masterpieces that panned the way for the new wave of Japanese pop in the 80s. 

Songs introduced a wonderful record that set to normalize the use of occidental influences of pop and soft rock in order to create something that had a lot of personality in the collection of varied, dynamic, and captivating tracks that formed part of the album, practically stablishing itself as the first city pop album, and an important project for the world of modern Japanese music. After a couple of solo works with female artists and a small collaboration with Eiichi Otaki and Ginji Ito in Niagara Triangle, Yamashita challenged himself by traveling to the US to record his solo debut album Circus Town, releasing it in 1976. It was a record with a bunch of excellent highlights, but that showed more potential than anything else, leaving a lot to be desired in the way it was structured. But it would still be an important experience for the artist, mainly because it introduced him to a new style of writing music by partiture, as well as an introduction to jazz, funk, and rock, that he would waste no time in applying to his own music. In 1977, Spacy was released, being an ambitious project that gathered a collection of all star musicians that met the expectations of Yamashita, but also being somewhat more focused on its atmosphere and execution, leading to a track that, despite not being perfect, showed a lot of masterpieces that were written for a live setting (that being proved with the release of the wonderful double live album "It's A Poppin Time" in 1978, a record released in order to recover some of the budget spent on the recording of Spacy, showing the wonderful performances able to be given onstage, as well as portraying the artist and his songs in full glory), but that still held the passion and emotion on their studio form. 

Criticism and almost non-existent mainstream attention were rough on Yamashita, who slowly started to become more pessimistic and bitter about his solo career, thinking of his third studio album as the last one of his career, therefore taking liberties with its recording, ending up in the unfocused and disjointed Go Ahead! in late 1978. It was something varied, presenting Yamashita trying out genres he always wanted to give a formal try at, but being his most inconsistent record up to that point. But still, it was Tatsuro himself, and some of those "experiments" payed off on a great way, specially with him founding his first singles in the form of "Let's Dance Baby", but more importantly, the danceable, funky, and insanely memorable "Bomber". He would finally start getting noticed by audiences outside of his underground fanbase, with dance clubs using the track and spreading his name as a prominent artist, with Tatsuro finding a love on that particular style of funk, deciding to further develop that style on his next album (while also having his first national concert, with him finding out that his music could certainly be a sensation outside of Tokyo). It all culminated on the wonderful Moonglow (released on the independent AIR label, founded by Riuzo Kozugi as a much looser part of RVC/RCA), a record which presented his most focused, well polished, and carefully crafted project up to that point, with a specific atmosphere and tone developed throughout all the songs, expanding on ideas that were somewhat aimless in previous projects. Moonglow delivered some of his best material in general, with masterpieces like Storm, Full Moon, Funky Flushin' and Let's Kiss The Sun taking the spotlight, providing with a range of great singles that would be the start of what the artist would expand in future projects. Each record Yamashita had been involved in as a performer and arranger had something to give to the listeners, and even though not all of them were completely polished or focused, they all had pop masterpieces within their tracklist, something that mainstream audiences would slowly come to discover with Tatsuro slowly breaking into the mainstream.

Due to the slow rise in popularity with multiple singles being put out, with Bomber and rising hits like Let's Kiss The Sun, Funky Flushin' and Full Moon, the label started looking at this as an opportunity to get some income by getting Tatsuro's previous works more well known, but something had to be done in order to promote those efforts. Originally, without Tatsuro being completely aware of it, RVC/RCA started to pair the Let's Kiss The Sun single with other selected songs from all four studio albums that had been put out until that point, on a small compilation under the name of Come Along. This was initially done in order to be presented on record stores in promotion of the artist's work, where it became an unexpected success, gathering attention and interest in Tatsuro's work all over Japan, more specifically having a big break on places like Osaka and Kansai, and leading to new fans soliciting for this work to be properly and widely released. However, Tatsuro refused to this, mainly because he didn't want his music to be taken as simple background music, for quite a long time, only accepting such a project to be released on cassette form. It wouldn't be until 1984, with Tatsuro changing to Alpha Moon records, that it would be properly released on CD and vinyl, along side its second volume, starting to accept that such a work would be a good move for his music to be widely accepted and enjoyed by multiple people. 

And even though that 1984 reissue would be the one to be more properly spread between fans, although the second volume would be something much more concise and hard hitting, the 1980 original version compilation certainly was an important release for Yamashita's career. This is mainly due to the fact that even if it was used as background music for record stores, its presentation and selection of tracks proved to be very captivating for many listeners who would start getting invested in the four albums that were already available for anyone to buy. And the way it was presented is truly important as to why it is a very charming, immersive, and just enjoyable record to listen to. All the various tracks make up for a sort of concept album, with the tracks being presented in Hawaii's Radio K.I.K.I. by a very charismatic and charming DJ that simply wants to put his favorite tracks from Tatsuro Yamashita's studio catalog (as the DJ himself states, it simply is a "Collection Of Great TATsuro yaMAshta Masterpieces", that will "work in our body first, and your mind later", also being a fantastic way to describe his music to a new public). And as a very specific collection, and even exclusive version, of tracks, it really is a fantatstic way to get introduced to some of Tatsuro's best work.

As a whole, the way the album flows between tracks with the whole radio setup is simply superb, but what about the songs themselves? Well, the selection of tracks is very nice, starting out with Bomber, Tatsuro's most important and popular song at the time, being the clear opener. The tone changes on a very sweet way with Let's Dance Baby, the classic couples romantic song from the same album, as well as it being the original A side of that single. A very curious abridged version of Solid Slider, that despite not having the effect and charm of the original version (with some odd transitions between sections, particularly from the main lyrics to the guitar solo) still gets the job done, keeping the original spirit and atmosphere that made it so memorable. Lets Kiss The Sun is the only song of Moonglow found here, which is understandable, because the album was built to support it, and it certainly feels like the main centerpiece of the album, being as fantastic as always. After that, it simply is a matter of selecting songs from the artist's first three album, arranged on a very sweet way, with small acapella transitions from Yamashita covering songs like Dream A Little Dream of Me, and even putting a snippet of This Could Be The Night. So, in a very broad spectrum, here is what can be found:

Circus Town: Last Step, Circus Town, Windy Lady

Spacy: Solid Slider (what seems to be a single version), Love Space, 素敵な午後は

Go Ahead!: Bomber, Let's Dance Baby, Follow Me Along, Paper Doll, 潮騒

Moonglow: Let's Kiss The Sun

Come Along is not a perfect record. This is mainly because this isn't really a "greatest hits" compilation, it wasn't made with that idea in mind, but it is something that flows surprisingly well, with some very charming and captivating interludes that mimic the radio setup perfectly, even with minor transitions from side a to side b that work wonders to get immersed in the atmosphere. Katsuya Kobayashi (an actual Japanese radio DJ that simply has a superb and delightful English accent) does a fantastic job at introducing and adding small descriptions to most tracks, and there are curious things that appear here that any Tatsuro fan will surely appreciate as a whole. On the second side, Mariya Takeuchi is introduced as part of the whole DJ radio show gimmick (courtesy of being a new artist on the RVC label), playing as a 17 year old high school student, who calls to confirm that all her classmates are crazy about none other than Tatsuro Yamashita himself. But outside of that there is the exclusive and charming radio K.I.K.I. jingle, the reporter who can't communicate in the beach, the sound of waves crashing placed between tracks, and even some exclusive Tatsuro acapella renditions that work wonders as transition pieces; just small bits and details that make for a more joyful and enjoyable listen.

As for the tracks selected, the material from Go Ahead! is the main focus here, mainly because most of the first singles came out from that album, but there is a good selection from the rest of Tatsuro studio projects, with Moonglow being the only one to not receive the same treatment (although this being compensated on the second volume). Overall the selection of tracks helps anyone who is new to the artist to get an idea of the changes in style, production, and approach to songwriting that happened from 1976 to 1979, and it is all simply delightful in the way it flows. A little piece of Tatsuro's history that came out at the right time, when the artist was just getting out from some rough times, representing a brighter and more warm future for him, promising a lot more great music that he would end up delivering. But those first records are still as essential as what came next, and Come Along certainly celebrates that on a very sweet way, full of personality and energy. It turned out to be an important project for Tatsuro because it captured the interest from new audiences, just as it was intended to do. And in that same spirit, this is simply a great entry point to the artist's discography, very nice in spirit and presentation, and certainly a taste of what a full album from him could truly be like. 

Simply something beautiful and highly enjoyable to listen to, regardless if you are new to the artist or not.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Favorite Track: 愛を描いて −Let's Kiss The Sun− / Love Space

Listen To My Guitar! / Tatsuro Yamashita - Moonglow (1979) Album Review

 

Tatsuro Yamashita's professional music career had been faced with some very rough barriers since it officially started in 1974. From Songs to Spacy, and even with the wonderful double album live experience of "It's A Poppin Time" in early 1978, Yamashita had been practically staying ahead of its time within the Japanese pop scene. Songs can, and it usually is, credited as the birth of City Pop and the new wave of Japanese pop that was prominent during the 80s, starting a trend of drifting towards and occidental approach of pop and soft rock, giving it a personality of its own, as well as fleshing out instrumental ideas to their fullest extent with the talent, the charm, and the energy of all the people involved in the performances. Songs had a huge importance in the way things would evolve from that point onward, with most artists involved with the record managing to get involved in other groundbreaking and important projects years later. Tatsuro's career drifted to his solo aspect, as well as starting to get recognized as a talented arranger and guest musician working with other artists and labels. By the time 1976 came in, Circus Town presented a significant challenge for him, and despite the somewhat mixed recording experience, proceeded to introduce him to a new technical style of writing music by partiture, as well as expanding his tastes to jazz, funk, and rock. 

While his first debut showed an artist with a lot of potential, but a lot of space for improvement, Spacy offered a much more complete, polished, and well crafted view at what Tatsuro was able to do with his music in 1977. He had wasted no time applying all the things he learned on the US, and proceeded to gather a fantastic range of talented musicians and artists that would help him to fulfill his artistic vision, delivering a consistent and coherent experience that invited the listener to a lot of re-visiting in order to truly dive in to the layers of detail provided on his work. The sad thing relied on the fact that reception towards these two albums were not notable, ending up in poor sales that barely made up for the budget invested in such a recording, with Yamashita relying on his live shows to make up for that part of the income and try to move forward (with the idea of releasing a live album being presented to him, ending up on Its A Poppin Time, a beautiful and masterful live archive that truly showed the range of influences, talent, and onstage dominance that Tatsuro and his band carried in order to make up for great performances that tried to flesh out ideas to their fullest and loosest extent). All his musical efforts and collaborations up to that point had been worthwhile, unique, and very well made; but it simply wasn't enough to get over the rough times that Yamashita was facing with his solo career.

Rough criticism, poor reception from the mainstream, and a label that was pressuring him to get a hit incoming simply took a toll on Yamashita's mindset and the attitude towards his work. The main issue relied on both the reception from the mainstream, as well as the fact that the man didn't really do much when it came to promoting his music and try to generate a reputation outside of a small, yet very impressive, circle. His underground fanbase was loyal and slowly moving forward, but most of it was condensed in Tokyo, as well as Yamashita having a considerable reputation among professional and big music artists at the time, with Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Eiichi Otaki being the most notable ones (with projects like Pacific, a collaboration with Hosono and Suzuki, in 1978 being the thing that kept a glimpse of hope in both Tatsuro and the label that he would eventually rise in popularity, letting him record more albums), being the ones that recognized him as an artist with a lot of potential, and whose music had a lot to deliver if given the opportunity to get immersed on it. But that doesn't sell records, it doesn't let the man or the label get much income, and it certainly isn't enough to keep a career floating, specially with the rough criticism and almost non-existent attention from the mainstream, leading to anyone getting frustrated about the direction of their solo career.

Yamashita took a pessimistic attitude by 1978, and was completely certain that his third solo album would be the last, with him already determined to continue as an anonymous producer and songwriter for other artists, taking the liberties to simply try things out without getting them to make sense in the context of a full album, ending up in the release of Go Ahead! later that year. And that frustration transcribes very well to the album, offering a very unfocused record, that dived into a considerable range of genres, approaches to songwriting, tones, and even different production and mixing styles between tracks, making up for an inconsistent experience in the whole scheme of things, with some of his most forgettable material up to that point. However, Tatsuro is Tatsuro, and while the album could have been much better, it still provided with fantastic songs that stole the spotlight and served as proof that the man was still able to craft pop masterpieces whenever he wanted.  And even then, Go Ahead! turned out to be a turning point for Yamashita's career as a whole. Since he decided to experiment a little with different genres, songs like Paper Doll and Let's Dance Baby had a big appeal in a groovy and upbeat style of pop and soft rock, being practically "single material". In fact, Let's Dance Baby was decided to be used as a single a few months later, but the B side of the single, also a song from the album, would be the start of Yamashita's rise in popularity during that period. Bomber was simply a perfect and unique pop track for the Japanese mainstream scene at that time, becoming a considerable hit on dance clubs at the time, leading to the mainstream starting to get familiar with Tatsuro Yamashita as a prominent artist that had a discography, and that was able to offer catchy and engaging songs such as that one within his catalog.  

If it wasn't for Bomber, a one of a kind attempt at making a polyrhythmic funk song, Tatsuro's career would have been completely different. The funk and loose, but still technical approach, the songwriting, arrangement, solos from the talented members involved, the catchy melodies, the slapping bass, and the memorable vocal performance from Tatsuro made for a perfect pop song, an essential track from the artist, that would be the spark to reignite the passion of the artist, who wasted no time and started drifting towards that style of music for his next solo album. A second single was released a couple of months later, with Let's Kiss The Sun taking over and being a considerable hit, with The Whispering Sea serving as the B side, promoting both his upcoming and previous albums. Glimpses at the style of the new project were starting to be displayed on his live shows, ones that were starting to expand outside of Tokyo (even getting to his first national show), taking members from the Go Ahead sessions along and making up for some popular performances in Osaka (where he got the assurance that his music could captivate audiences outside of his local underground fanbase, receiving some fantastic reception and changing his pessimistic attitude), that inspired Yamashita to take a more upbeat tone and musical style that resonated more with the atmosphere of those times. Yamashita's manager, and only person who supported his decisions within the label, Riuzo Kosugi started AIR, his own independent label inside of RVC/RCA, as a place where artists could develop freely and without pressure, and he took Tatsuro as the first artist to be allied with that part of RVC, leading to the release of Moonglow, his fourth studio album, in 1979. 

Moonglow was simply the payoff of all the sour and rough buildup that Yamashita's career had experienced up to that point of his live. While his previous albums had some loose intentions, lead more with a spirit to try new things with his songwriting, Moonglow seemed like a refinement of a formula, of many formulas in fact, of various elements used in previous albums, used on a much more appropriate way. A project carried with a clear mindset, intention, tone, and attitude in mind, offering a good range of styles that varied between songs in order to not feel repetitive. All the tracks that were part of the album were structured to have coherence with one another in order to make an engaging, memorable, straight forward, and well crafted listening experience. The all star cast of guest musicians is brought back once again, and it is all done with much more specific parts in mind. It was more conscious of the tempos, the arrangements, and the elements used for each song, applying ideas from previous albums and adapting them to a more upbeat and polished focus of being captivating and able to be reproduced and fleshed out on a live setting (being the first album where all the songs would appear live at one point), doing it all with a similar length and a similar amount of songs as his previous efforts, and having a worthwhile experience front to back. 

夜の翼 (Nightwing), the first track of the album has a lot in common with the Overture from the previous record, almost as if it were an extension of the ideas presented there, but its use and flow towards the next track is executed on a much better way. A sweet, calming, and well performed solo acapella-dowoop track that sets up a very specific mood, being a blend between something mellow and upbeat, where Yamashita just keeps slowly fleshing out his interest on this style of song with a charming track to open up the album. The proper opener of the album comes right after in the former of 永遠のFull Moon, the track that would be used as the first single under the AIR label. It is a very simple song in spirit, tone, and execution, but it simply is a fantastic and sweet opener for such an experience. It is very reminiscent of the mellow songs on Spacy, with the string arrangements, the minor percussion instruments almost at the end, and even a saxophone solo midway through. It builds upon simple rhythms stablished from the interaction between the guitar, bass, and the drums, with the keyboards making an apparition along side the backing vocals for the chorus, adding small details with the progression of the song. The main thing carrying the track are Yamashita's passionate vocals, already contrasting most of the attitude and approach seen on the previous album, and it all blends together really well within the simple structure for each individual element being used. It is simply a charming, beautiful and engaging opener, reinforcing the tone and atmosphere stablished with the overture, being very sweet in spirit and definitely making itself be one of the highlights of the album.

That particular atmosphere and tone is slightly changed and adapted to Rainy Walk (a track that would be more recognized for being the B side to the wonderful Ride On Time single a year later), conveying a similar sensation regarding the simplicity of the track overall, and it is understandable why this is the case. All elements that appeared on the previous track appear once again, with the only exception of this being the saxophone, but having the trumpets to fill up the space instead, but the rhythm is much focused on a soul and almost technical style (Haruomi Hosono, Hiroshi Sato, Yukihiro Takahashi, and Masaki Matsuraba are the reason of why this is the case, following Yamashita's arrangement taking a different perspective of the tone and song structure seen on the Full Moon). It is a very captivating track, where Tatsuro himself takes upon the role of background vocalist, reinforcing the mood conveyed by his vocals and carrying the track on a very good way. After this, the tone is finally contrasted with the mellow and unfairly overlooked Storm, once again being a expansion from ideas on previous albums, this time being what it looks like a Monday Blue executed right (with even the same exact members involved in the creation of that track appearing here once again). It is a heavily emotional track influenced by Chicago's soul scene, with the way every instrument gets handled having the intention of coming off in the smoothest way possible. Everything is where it has to be, the subtle bass lines, the simple guitar, the simple yet effective drum beat, Yamashita's mellow and calm vocals, with the string arrangement being complemented by a harp. It all builds up towards the wonderful solo section for string, sax, and guitar, just to then return to the main motive, reinforcing the atmosphere with the wind recordings, slowly carrying itself towards an ending that fades out in the distance, repeating that calm, but yet hard hitting, chorus. Certainly a memorable and engaging experience, and one of Tatsuro Yamashita's finest pieces, a true masterpieces that takes its time to flesh out as much as possible and present a wonderful and easy going climax that calms the soul and startles the emotions.

All of a sudden, the tone is heavily contrasted with Funky Flushin', the last track from the first side of the album. This is, without a doubt, another great highlight from this project, mainly due to the fact that it serves as a sort of spiritual successor of Bomber, embracing and diving into the upbeat, technical, and energetic style of funk that brought Yamashita's career to better days. Tatsuro was well aware that replicating what Bomber did was next to impossible, so he simply decided to drift the focus into making a track that carried the original spirit on it's own particular way, focusing more on the rhythm and melody structure and arrangement, inclined towards a more easy going pop style, rather than on building a polyrhythm approach to only a handful of elements on the track. The bass is still a prominent element on the track, with a thick bass line that carries the melody, but the mixing allows for the guitar, drums, and trumpets to complement it on a fantastic way, with the upbeat vocals (both from Tatsuro as well as Minako on the background) carrying things on a very energetic way. Whereas the bass took the spotlight in Bomber, here the guitar takes equal attention, specially for it being the instrument to get granted the fantastic solo section. And even regarding the song structure it is something dynamic and engaging, with a tropical like percussion section that leads into the last part of the songs, where Minako's vocals set the main melody, slowly getting complemented by the rest of instruments, building up an incredibly catchy and groovy bit that closes up with Tatsuro's vocals getting incorporated in the mix in order to finally fade out completely. All the elements that form part of Funky Flushin' simply make up for a song that bleeds of joy and a high spirit, closing up the first side on a fantastic way. This A side of the album is arguably the most balanced, polished, and consistent collection of songs found on any Tatsuro studio album, and maybe any of the albums on his discography, up to that point. The tracks flow right into each other very smoothly, they all have their particular approach in tone and musical style, offering five tracks that are dynamic in their execution, as well as offering a sense of variety that doesn't feel disjointed at any point. It serves as both a proof and a statement from Yamashita about how he wanted to keep moving forward with his music, providing his own view point on certain styles, approaching his influences with his own personality, building up great songs that had a focus and a reason to use the elements they placed on the mix, knowing what artists to use and how to use them. The second side might not be as well executed(while still providing with incredible pop masterpieces), but this first side is an achievement on its own, and a more than perfect reason to check the album on full.

The second side wastes no time in continuing the funky tone and approach with a slight twist in the form of Hot Shot. It still is a funk driven track, very much in the spirit of Bomber and Funky Flushin', but with the difference of the guitar being the dominant instrument that leads the rhythm and the melody throughout the entire song. It was a song inspired by a style seen on the US mainstream rock scene at the time, with bands like Eyesley Brothers being the main source of influence for the way the song ended up being structured, being a combination of various grooves and rhythms in order to create something that was a highlight of its own. It is a very upbeat song, where the guitar compositions certainly stand out, but mainly due to their interaction with the bass, drums, and specially Tatsuro's energetic and adequate vocals. It is by far the most simple song instrumentally in the album, and in most of Yamashita's career, but that barebones use of few elements to make a straight forward, energetic, and engaging track certainly works to its favor, with a killer and catchy rhythm that simply captures the attention of the listener through all its duration, making up for another highlight of the album and a great way to open the second side. After that point, the album seems to drift towards a couple of more conventional tracks for Yamashita, but they are still executed on a nice way, and still carry coherence and consistency within the album. The tone is contrasted with Touch Me Lightly, also being an extension of some ideas presented on Go Ahead! (being another song written for the The King Tones, just like "Let's Dance Baby" turned out to be, but having a bigger focus on expanding and condensing the tone present on Monday Blue), but executed on a much more focused and direct way, ending on a very calm and mellow track, with the keyboard and the bass taking up the spotlight once more. The title gives away the focus and atmosphere of the track, its something passionate, emotional, one of the man's most romantic songs up to this point of his career, certainly serving as a nice contrast in almost every aspect to the energetic and groovy Hot Shot. It is not particularly outstanding or all that well executed, but it is still a very enjoyable song within the tracklist, certainly a nice change of pace, and something sweet that just captivated throughout all its length. 

Sunshine−愛の金色− follows right after, carrying on the calm and relaxed style in the atmosphere and instrumentation, but building up on a more upbeat spirit, with a more work and focus put onto the rhythm and tempo. This is embraced with the keyboards and the simple bass lines being the most notable and important elements on the instrumentals, ending on a track that conveys a groovier feeling in both melody and song structure (with things like the background vocals and the minor percussion elements adding to this atmosphere, making for a more complete experience that complements Tatsuro's vocals on a great way). It is not something particularly outstanding, but it is a nice simple track, that achieves all that it sets out to accomplish, being well executed on a lot of aspects, being a composition that would benefit more from a live setting than anything else. The funk aspects are brought back once again with Yellow Cab, which can be pointed as the most unconventional and intriguing track of the entire album. Based on an experience from Yamahita regarding a small accident on a taxi while he was recording Circus Town in New York, this track conveys a very fun spirit, groovy, loose, and free on the way its executed, taking many liberties in order to add to the fun aspect of the track. The guitar, with its respective solo, bass, keyboard, and drums all complement each other in order to achieve a particular feeling and tone, which ends up being charming to say the least, with a very particular vocal performance from Yamashita. It doesn't aim to be a masterpiece, taking many liberties, specially right at the end with the vocals being modulated as a sort of outro (or in the live performances, where members exchanged their instruments in order to come up as a very good time having fun onstage), but even then it doesn't feel out of place and it does feel like a nice addition to the album.

Finally, the last song comes in changing the pace and picking up a more focused spirit overall in the form of the masterful 愛を描いて -Let's Kiss the Sun-. This is, without a doubt, the definitive highlight of the album, a fantastic closer that serves as a culmination of everything that Yamashita had presented so far in this project. A somewhat mellow spirit in the atmosphere and tone stablished by the main keyboard, but complemented and contrasted at the same time with a more funk driven instrumentation, with a powerful bass line that presents the second part of the melody, while Yamashita's vocals just shine all around, with a wonderful and catchy chorus as the cherry on top, where all the elements come together as a sort of passionate musical and sentimental celebration. It is a beautiful track, where all the pieces simply fall in the right place, ending up in something that has to be heard in order to be fully understood, inviting the listener each time in order to get lost in the layers of carefully pieced details that make up for a fantastic experience. A musical statement from an artist that looked to move forward with his passion, looking to end up achieving all the things that lurked on his mind, pushing through many barriers and finally having positive results going his way. One of Tatsuro's best songs, a song as perfect, charming, captivating, and powerful as the name that represents it, serving as the culmination of a rough journey, paying off as the wonderful conclusion to an already great album. A sunshine of melodies that just engage anyone willing to get lost on its calming and memorable soundscapes. 

Moonglow is a fantastic album. It presents Tatsuro Yamashita on a new era of looking to accomplish any of his musical ideas in a much more focused and polished way, where all his ambitions and influences culminated on something of his own, pushing through with iconic songs that formed part of wonderfully crafted albums. Contrary to most of his previous solo work, this would be a much more consistent, coherent, and fleshed out project, with a particular tone and approach in mind, represented beautifully by the title of the album. Without a doubt, it is a drastic jump from something as unfocused and inconsistent as Go Ahead!, and it presents an artist that wants to achieve something much bigger, ending up in some of Tatsuro's most unique and incredibly captivating masterpieces. Somewhat mellow, emotional, and calm in atmosphere but still glowing on a lively way with the help of some upbeat, carefully crafted, and engaging instrumentals; it all makes up for a varied, dynamic, and absolutely engaging album. 

A collection of ten tracks that were structured on a way where the flow just feels natural, with every one of them being polished in their own individual aspects making up for an experience that just engages the listener from beginning to end, providing Tatsuro's most consistent solo work up to that point. Without a doubt, Moonglow has some of Tatsuro's best material up to that point, and some of his masterpieces in general, while also setting up the tone and approach that would be taken for much bigger efforts in the future. It is the proper start of his golden era, one of his best achievements in composition, songwriting, arrangements and overall performances; all tied together with a beautiful and balanced production and mixing that is as dynamic as it is suiting depending on the tone. A mix of funk, disco, soul, and rock spread throughout all its tracks, with every song having its own personality and way of being executed, while still holding a coherence with one another. 

It is not a perfect album, since it takes some liberties on tracks where the main spirit is simply having fun or polishing an already known formula, but the first stretch of songs, from Nighwing to Funky Flushin', is simply perfect. The A side of the album is, without a doubt, some of the best and most memorable pop material to come out of the 70s in general, a fantastic and captivating collection of pop masterpieces that just have all their elements in the right place, with each one taking a slightly different musical and atmospheric approach, that is made possible due to the delightful performances of everyone involved. But even then, the rest of the album still has a lot to offer, with the definitive highlight being the energetic, passionate, and amazing closer that is Let's Kiss The Sun. From the mellow and engaging opening of Nightwing transitioning to the charismatic, optimistic and lovely Full Moon; the hypnotizing, patient, calm, and etherial masterpiece that is Storm, the explosion of joy on the infectious rhythm on Funky Flushin' and Hot Shot, to even the fun, charming and peculiar Yellow Cab. The record presents a collection of highly enjoyable and polished material that only a master like Yamashita was able to provide. The album is just a trilling experience that is varied but consistent in mood, serving as a statement that Tatsuro did have the energy and the potential to move forward with his career regardless of the relatively poor sales of his work up to 1978, starting a new era of prosperity and self improvement, where his music was finally starting to be appreciated as the fantastic art that it truly was. 

A burst of talent, and passion; as bright as the sun and as emotional as the moon. 

Overall Rating: 9/10

Favorite Track: 愛を描いて -Let's Kiss the Sun / Storm / 永遠のFull Moon / Funky Flushin'

Your Stars Will Shine In Heaven / Tatsuro Yamashita - Go Ahead! (1978) Album Review

Yamashita was a pioneer at implementing trends that would become staples of the new wave of pop that would take over Japan in the 80s, being already ahead of its time with his first two solo albums in the 70's, and even with his work with Sugar Babe and Niagara Triangle, but throughout all that early period, the reception towards his work was very rough. Songs, in 1975, can be considered as the first City Pop album, presenting a unique blend of pop with soft rock, coming up with a very polished and layered album where Tatsuro found his love for arrangements and music production, but even with a single released, the band wouldn't be able to be properly recognized at the time. He then followed in 1976 with his solo debut, Circus Town, where he challenged himself musically by recording the album in the US, where he learned how to be selective with the musicians he picked for his music, expanding his musical influences to jazz, funk, and rock; but more importantly, learning a new, more professional, way of writing music with partitures. Circus Town was a mixed bag, a first try at some new ideas, as well as presenting wonderful tunes that represented his slow evolution on a great way, but he would look to refine all those aspects with his future records, wasting no time in implementing his new knowledge into his next solo project, leading to the release of Spacy in 1977. 

Circus Town received poor sales and harsh criticism, leading to a rough relationship with both critics and the label, but the only thing that pushed him forward was his desire to work on his solo music. For his second album, he gathered an all-star cast that was up to his standards, and proceeded to record the album that for many would be the proper start of his career. It was something much more technical and methodical in the instrumental approach, with a big jazz and funk influence, but it was still catchy, easy going, and memorable, with Yamashita's vocals being the soul of the performances on a very dynamic, varied, and polished production where giants like Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto worked on more than willing to make up for a great experience. Spacy was not perfect, it was essentially built to show its true colors on a live setting, but it would be the proper start of Yamashita's career, setting up ideas and approaches to songwriting that would find themselves expanded on future releases. But despite having this cast, the sales were not as expected, barely making up for the big budget that went with recording the album the way Tatsuro wanted, and even then the money would come mostly from the concerts that were given on small venues in promotion of the album (these were highly regarded and respected by those who attended, and they lead to the idea of recording two of these gigs in order to make a live album and try to recover some budget, leading to the fascinating and wonderful double album of "It's A Poppin Time" in 1978, showing Tatsuro with a high charisma accompanied by talented performers, including a young Ryuichi Sakamoto on keyboards, and expanding ideas from his solo albums, as well as showcasing new material). But even then, it wasn't enough.

Tatsuro Yamashita seemed to have reached the lowest point of his entire solo career by 1978, and it appeared as if his solo career was almost coming to an end. It is not like he was doing bad financially, mainly due to the fact that working with big names in the Japanese music industry at the time, while also being recognized as someone extremely talented by those names as well, led to him being a very popular and respected musicians who worked without giving out his name as a producer and songwriter with other artists and labels. The main issue relied on the solo aspects of his professional music career, where sales were poor and mostly restricted to Tokyo for both of his studio albums, and specially his double live record, leading to problems and restrictions with RVC/RCA at that time. The music that Tatsuro was working on had a big range of influences, coming from almost exclusively occidental sources, and it was mainly focused on a particular and varied pop aesthetic that had both incredible and polished instrumental arrangements that were complemented by Yamashita's memorable and impressive vocal performances. However, this was not popular in the mainstream, being mostly attacked by critics at the time, and its positive reception was only restricted to a very loyal underground fanbase, as well as all the professional artists he worked with, but that, as well as the fact that he had not released any single in promotion of his work, was not enough to get a career floating. 

There were still minor glimpses of hope that still made the label stick with Tatsuro, with them knowing very well the quality of his music, as well as looking at related projects where he participated doing well on sales and slowly building up his status as a widely recognized artist (with the 1978 Pacific project, an instrumental collaboration made with Shigeru Suzuki and Haruomi Hosono being one of the main things that lead to Tatsuro still being hold as an artist with a huge potential). Despite all that, Tatsuro started to feel as if the rock and folk world in Japan was changing abruptly, entering to a new age that seemed like it had no reception for artists with a love for pop music such as him, thinking that he would had to quit playing his solo music in both live and studio settings. That way of thinking, plus being well aware of the poor reception that the music he worked really hard on had, led to him getting a pessimistic mindset that his third studio album would be his last one. His way of thinking, stablished in Spacy, started to get affected (plus having a variety of rough times with him trying to stablish his own office), with him deciding to work loosely on concepts to finish this third album, thinking that he would quit his music and venture on becoming a full time producer and composer for other artists, there simply was no high spirit or will to finish an album properly, and it all culminated on the release of Go Ahead! in late 1978. Due to that, recording sessions and songwriting for his new project were unfocused and all over the place, unlike the ones for Spacy, leading tracks that dived into different genres and approached different styles that Yamashita simply felt like trying out, and that is the simple factor that lead to this being a mixed bag of an album, having some great and hard hitting tracks, while others could evidently need to be properly fleshed out to achieve their full potential.

It all starts with Overture, a small acapella introduction that was slowly expanding Yamashita's desire to dive deep into these kinds of recordings (with a first proper try with the recording of Marie for the live album). It mostly starts developing Yamashita's trend of developing multiple choruses and segments just using his vocals, and it does serve the purpose of opening up the experience on a short, charming, and sweet way, setting up the tone and atmosphere of the album. This is followed by Love Celebration, the first track of the album, starting with a simple drumbeat to then give place to the groovy main rhythm lead by the bass. Songs for the album were dragged from many places, and this one was no exception, being a scrap from an abandoned project for Linda Carriere produced by Haruomi Hosono, aimed to be a mix between the musical styles of Chicago and Miami, making up for rhythm and blues segments, as something much funkier and disco driven. Instrumentally wise it all flows really well, being a wonderful track that is engaging with the main rhythm, leaving space for small solos and the implementation of string, trumpet, and background vocals that complement the track's atmosphere, fleshing out throughout the track. The main step back are Yamashita's English vocals, they are not horrible, they still hold the charm and passion of his work, but it certainly doesn't end up mixing all that well in the final product. It is a good opener, a nice track to follow up in setting up the mood of the record, but it could have been polished to an even further extent.

Let's Dance Baby takes over, being one of the early highlights of the album, and also being an important track in Yamashita's discography. Along side Bomber, this would be released as the first single in Yamashita's solo career, in promotion of Yamashita's fourth album "Moonglow" months after the release of "Go Ahead!", and while Bomber would be the first main hit, this would also receive an equal amount of attention, leading audiences to slowly take notice of Tatsuro's previous projects and slowly leading to the jump in popularity that he would experience in 1979 and 1980. It was originally written as part of three songs composed for The King Tones, with only two of those being used and Yamashita using this remaining one for his own solo project. It is a very captivating, catchy, and sweet track that really serves well as a memorable and catchy single, with a calm instrumental that engages due to the way its presented, with the keyboard being the main element that makes everything work upon the cowbell beat set in the beginning. Tatsuro's vocal performance, along side the wonderful background vocals, all integrate really well with the instrumental and make up for a great song that does know how to set the tone throughout all its length. Just another lovely masterpiece by the master himself. 

However, this short and sweet song is immediately contrasted with the rather lengthy and mellow Monday Blue, a long ballad that tries to flesh out its ideas, but ends up feeling as lasting more than it should. The main melody is carried by a wonderful interaction between Yamashita, Shuichi Murakami on the drums, Akira Okazawa on bass, Hiroshi Sato on keyboards, and Tsunehide Matsuki on guitar; creating a wonderful and lovely dynamic between all the members, ending up on a very mellow and well executed melody, supported by extra layers thanks to the inclusion of strings and similar elements, such as a harp, that just add to the atmosphere. Up to the four minute mark, with Sato's fantastic and calm solo, it all flows very well, but it feels as if lasting more than it should, fleshing out for another three extra minutes, when it could have perfectly faded out after the first solo, having stablished everything already, only to be repeated on the second half. Still, a beautiful melody that engages and certainly has a lot to offer to the listener. That melancholic tone is embraced even more with the mellow keyboards and vocals present on the beginning of ついておいで , misleading the listener into what seems like another mellow approach at songwriting, but suddenly, and wonderfully, shifting tone into something much more upbeat and funky, very reminiscent of songs on Spacy, with a killer bassline and a trumpet solo that just end up stealing the show. It was written to try and integrate a rhythm style popular on the US around that time, with both verse and instrumental parts having distinct melodies, but interacting very well between each other, complementing into something that really shines for being very unexpected and engaging. 

The second side opens with Bomber, a one of a kind song on Yamashita's career, being an experiment from the artist at trying to write a polyrhythmic funk song, while also trying to record a track with new artists (being written by Hiroshi Uehara and Akihiro Tanaka, and having Hiroyuki Naniwa and Kazuo Shiina as guest musicians), that would eventually become a part of the Moonglow recording sessions, ending up on a very unusual masterpiece that would be the key element for how both Yamashita's career and creative optimism would see hope in the future. This track is simply iconic at this point among both Japanese pop fans, and specially Yamashita fans, mainly due to Akihiro Tanaka's impressive, groovy, and explosive slapping bass that takes over the entire track.  It was released as the B side of the Let's Dance Baby single, but an inverted version of the release started to become popular among Osaka's disco establishments, mainly due to having a very danceable and catchy melody present throughout all its length. It is a very straight forward track on the song structure, but it is executed on an excellent way, with a mix where all the elements simply complement each other very well, leading to Tanaka's bass solo and both Riingo's guitar solo segments being the payoffs to what was already a rewarding build off, with Yamashita's wonderful vocals adding to the already powerful spirit found here. This track, although rather unique in approach and instrumental execution, would be the turning point of Tatsuro's career, with him inclining towards this style of funk on following projects, and being the spark to reignite his creative flame. There is simply nothing more to say, an essential pop track, insanely well performed and memorable, and the reason why Tatsuro's career kept providing excellent music throughout the years. A bombastic explosion of joy and talent, and a more than enough excuse to check this album all the way through.

潮騒 follows up shifting the upbeat mode to something much more mellow in spirit, trying to emulate the structure and chord progression of a Todd Langren song. In many ways, it would serve as a sudden contrast to something as engaging and explosive as Bomber, as well as being something that almost feels out of place within the record, even having classic waves crashing as the outro even when they don't really have a reason to be there. It is far from being a bad song, but it does fall more into the category of "the enjoyable mellow/ballad like B-side that works well for what it is, having no elements outside of the comfort field of the artist and that gives not much to talk about, but that simply contrasts the explosive main highlight of the A side of the single" (which in fact, would be the case, being used as the B-side to the masterful Let's Kiss The Sun a year later). The tone is once again contrasted with the second main highlight of the album, Paper Doll, and one of the odd decisions take by the label in regard of their moves with Yamashita's solo career. This was a song that was intended to be used as a single in the early part of 1978, but the label rejected it thinking that it would not have a warm or successful reception from the mainstream, therefore never being used in that form and being one of the reasons for Yamashita's pessimism during this time. It is somewhat understandable, considering that it is not as upbeat or engaging in dancing as Bomber, but it is still something catchy with the way the instruments are arranged and performed, with a calm Yamashita providing a soft and calm guitar solo and vocal performance. It was not released as a single, but it was popular on concerts, being able to be expanded with improvisation, specially in the solo segment, and it already made an official debut appearing as part of "It's A Poppin Time". A simple, groovy, catchy, and relaxing tune that simply lasts what it has to last, offering a very satisfying and engaging listen.

The last two songs found here are some of the most intriguing in approach, but they also stand out for being the weakest and least memorable songs on the record. This Could Be The Night shifts the mood once again, and even the production and mixing aspects, towards something almost radically different in tone, tempo, atmosphere, and arrangement. It is a cover from a Phil Specter song, with Yamashita doing almost all of the instrumental work, while he is joined by Ryuichi Sakamoto playing a Polymoog Synth giving out the main element that leads the tone and atmosphere of the track. The little bells being used, along side the synth and the production aspects of the song, certainly give off a simple and direct version of a Christmas track (also considering that the album was released on December), but it is really out of place compared to what was seen before, specially with the production aspects seen here (particularly on the vocals, even shifting in the mix for something much clear at one point at the end), something repetitive and of an almost odd quality, with the only particular things to remember being the use of the Polymoog and the simple instrumental performances provided by Yamashita. And finally, 2000トンの雨 comes as the closer of the entire album, being something that almost seems to follow along with the production aspects of the last song, but having more in common with previous songs on the album. Apparently, this track's lyrics would be re-written along side the instrumental arrangements into Space Crush, a live song featured on It's A Poppin Time, and one could certainly see some aspects being similar, but also concluding that the live track is simply the most engaging and well executed version. However, it is something sweet and passionate on its performing, but nothing particularly unique coming from Yamashita. Curiously, it would still become a sort of small classic among some fans of the artist, specially due to it being used on some love films as a main theme. A simple and short track that works very well on being sweet and calming, with some solo segments that do add to the atmosphere, and a very charismatic vocal performance, closing up the album on a nice way. 

Go Ahead! is a curious record. Curious in the sense that it is an important album for Yamashita, but it certainly has more value on it's significance to Tatsuro's career more than on being a carefully crafted or polished masterpiece of a project. On the one hand, it almost marked the end of Yamashita's solo career, with a frustrated artist finding himself pessimistic about the reception of his music, having the resources and the talent, but lacking the income to let him push his creative vision even further. On the other hand, it would be the spark to reignite his artistic mindset, with Bomber particularly (used along side Let's Dance Baby as the first singles of Yamashita's career just some months later in 1979 in promotion of his fourth album, and finding itself as the artist's first notable hit on his career), being the turning point that would lead him to record more funk driven, danceable, catchy, groovy, and technical tracks that just worked on composition, arrangement, and performance; culminating on the release of Moonglow and Ride On Time just some time later. But on second hand, it would be a mixed bag of some incredible tracks, some nice and engaging ideas, and some loose attempts that end up feeling almost completely out of place within a 10 song project. 

In many ways, Peter Sato's album cover depicts perfectly the main problems that this album has. It is a colorful and vibrant experience, just like any other Yamashita project is, but something just doesn't end up being completely right. Upon closer look there simply is a lot going on, with some random strokes and odd decisions being made on some aspects, becoming a little messy or even a little off putting in the final product (the reason why Yamashita is depicted smiling like that will always be a mystery to us mere mortals). Go Ahead!'s main issue is the inconsistency found within the album, but it certainly reflects the frustration and attitude of the artist during that point. The first side holds some sort of consistency and coherence, while the second side simply takes liberties and drifts away towards small little experiments of melodies, chord progressions, arrangements, and production aspects that Yamashita simply felt like wanting to try out; resulting on some of the best songs of his entire career, as well as some of his most forgettable and uninteresting material. It is not a horrible album, and it is not a mediocre experience either. There are a lot of things to take away from the album, with Bomber and Paper Doll being more than enough reasons to check this album on its entirety, and there are evident ideas that would be greatly expanded on future albums, finding its roots here, executed to a better or worse extent. It is still an enjoyable album, and certainly something that would give place to something much more worthwhile and well crafted in future projects. 

Despite Tatsuro being frustrated and pessimistic about it, the album still manages to push through with some masterpieces, and it really is worth it to go ahead and check this experience front to back. 

Overall Rating: 7/10

Favorite Track: Bomber / Paper Doll