There is no doubt at this point that Tatsuro Yamashita is a staple in the world of classic Japanese pop music, and for very good reasons. The amount of classic tunes and hit songs that the man has been able to put out during all his career, while still maintaining a level of consistency a relevance to this very day, is nothing short of impressive. However, before he went to build that status with a considerable amount of iconic releases that are considered classics of Japanese music, Tatsuro had an intriguing, somewhat rough, but very productive start. Tatsuro left his university studies in order to pursue his musical career, at first being part of the "Add Some Music To Your Day" quartet, which lead to some years full of financial struggles. Breaking up with his first band, after one independent debut covers album that sold poorly, but that called the attention of Ginji Ito and Eiichi Otaki, he would join with other friends in order to form his first professional band, Sugar Babe, that would be taken under the wings of Ito and Otaki on their recently opened label Niagara, participating as background vocalists in the final Happy End concerts, and them opening their own concerts leading to the release of their debut, and only, album Songs in 1975. The style of music that Sugar Babe presented was something rather unconventional for Japanese pop music at the time, with a big influence from occidental music, and building up an entire personality upon that idea.
Sugar Babe's album was an excellent collection of eleven tracks that felt timeless due to Otaki's production, with the band as a whole bleeding in talent and passion for their music, with the main prominent figures, Yamashita himself and a young Taeko Onuki, presenting ideas and strengths that would be expanded in their solo works. Songs wasn't very successful at first, being mostly recognized in the underground music scene at the time, but years later after its release, and due to the use of songs as part of some popular media, it would be recognized as one of the most important releases of modern Japanese music due to it being the proper landmark of Japanese pop trends that would be expanded years later, while also being the proper start of City Pop as a musical aesthetic that would be relevant for years.
Despite the fact that the band was still recognized in the underground music scene as something special and full of potential, the sales of the album were certainly not as great as it was expected, with the album itself receiving some rough critiques at the time. This, paired with Yamashita's own financial struggles at the time, lead to him working as guest musician and songwriter for other artists, slowly getting recognized as a talented artist in both of those fields (most important parts of Sugar Babe itself were handled by Yamashita, with him taking the lead in handling the arrangements for the album, as well as adapting all the ideas of the members into one cohesive sound, ending up in great results and making him realize that he had a passion for those aspects of music production), working with artists such as Yumi Arai, Mayumi Koruki, and Minako Yoshida. Eventually, Sugar Babe broke up due to natural causes of the artists seeking to expand their solo career, even though they all admitted to be somewhat scared of diving into the world of music under that point of view.
Yamashita saw himself on almost a "dictator" role on his time with the band, with him arranging most of the instrumentals and helping with the production (even taking that role on other collaborations with artists, such as what happened in Niagra Triangle's debut), but he decided to put his musical ability to the test and was determined to record his first solo album abroad, where he worked with professionals and where other people would be the ones to arrange his music. However, due to the fact that Sugar Babe didn't achieve the status of being a recognized or popular name at the time, Tatsuro found it hard to find a label willing to take him in order to fulfill this rather expensive request. Thankfully, RVC's Riuzo Kosugi trusted on Yamashita's talent after watching Sugar Babe's farewell concert, deciding to take him under his wing in order to release his first solo production, with Yamashita's conditions that it should be recorded in the United States. Yamashita got to the US for the first time in his life, and due to budgetary reasons, recorded his first solo album facing many complications in both New York and Los Angeles, finally releasing his solo debut album, Circus Town, that same year of 1976.
The recording and production of Circus Town was a difficult challenge for Tatsuro, in many different aspects. Being only twenty three years old, it was his first time abroad, and his first time working in such a pressuring and professional environment, but it was also his first time clashing with the cultural differences, including the racial and economic issues that were very present at the time. It meant not only a challenge to his moral convictions, but it also played a big role with the way he handled his musical styles and how he expanded his musical influences and interests to an even broader spectrum (being assured that his pop influences were of top quality, but also being introduced to the rock scene and making him realize that he had many more possibilities in that aspect). He was very nervous, but he was able to push forward with the support of the drummer Alan Schwatzenberg (famous for being part of Mountain, as well as working with big names such as Frank Sinatra and Jimi Hendrix), and of engineer Joe Jorgensen on the New York sessions. The album was on the verge of being cancelled due to issues in the Los Angeles sessions, where the initial recording members didn't meet up Yamashita's standards, and replacing the guitarist and bassist in order to fulfill the recording, finishing the album and leading to a very enjoyable debut project.
Circus Town as a whole reflects the many things going through Tatsuro's life at that point. It is a varied album, gathering compositions that were meant for Sugar Babe, as well as adapting his frustration and uncertainty on something creative and worthwhile. The sound of the album is something up to a professional standard, with the orchestral arrangements, background vocals, and the rest of the instrumentation having a distinct polished and clean feeling, almost as if it was expanding the main basis found on Songs, even if the sound from the New York and Los Angeles sides end up having some differences. It is not a perfect album, since it lacks a complete focus that ties the entirety of the project together (mainly due to the fact that the sessions took place on different work atmospheres), but it does present a lot of ideas that Tatsuro would expand in the future of his career on different and interesting ways, being the initial seed that shows the potential that Tatsuro had as a talented performer and songwriter. Each side has its strengths and weaknesses, and it all makes up for a short eight track-thirty six minute experience that ends up being truly enjoyable, engaging, and even impressive all the way through.
Both sides seem to have their distinct execution, and the New York side simply gives a strong start to the entire album, with the self titled opening track. Circus Town, the self titled track written while being inspired by New York, is a good example of the production style, the performances, and the execution of the tracks present on the record. Using what is known as a very universal motive for a circus theme, the track leads a very upbeat, laid back, and well structured piece; with the wonderful and powerful Yamashita vocals being supported by the rest of instruments (with the drums being one of the highlights due to how precise they feel in the final mix), as well as the background vocals appearing throughout the track, being very charming in how they sound. The differences with the previous Yamashita related projects jump out to light from the very beginning. The orchestral arrangements give so much life to the track, and they feel very grand, well arranged, and clean in the final mix, with layers of detail at some sections, being complemented by the minor trumpet segments leading up to the introduction of the sax. Mixing and production have a certain way of being executed, with instruments subtly changing in volume, but making up for a very charming and enjoyable opener. It is not necessarily a brilliant track, but it does set the tone on a fantastic way, and shows the potential that Tatsuro would have if he were to arrange the instrumental on this spirit on future projects.
Right after this, the main highlight of the album takes the spotlight and shines due to how well executed it feels, being not only the best track on this record, but also one of the most intriguing, engaging, groovy, and memorable Tatsuro tracks from his early period. Initially meant to be part of Sugar Babe's studio catalog, having been played live in multiple occasions during their last concerts, Windy Lady was instead used as part of Tatsuro's debut album, mainly due to the fact that it had a lot in common with the "American inspired" topics presents on the songs. This track has a big inclination towards a Chicago rhythm and blues sound, with the big presence of the bass in order to lead to the inclusion of the wind instruments and the smooth orchestral arrangements. With six minutes of length, a wonderful sax interlude by Manhattan Jazz Quintet's George Young, the subtle and layered strings, Alan's precise drumming, and Yamashita's mellow and passionate vocals; Windy Lady does not drop the tone, mood, or quality for one second. It certainly is a gem in the way it is arranged, performed, written, structured, produced, and mixed; with all the right elements positioned in their respective place, with nothing needed to me removed or added into the final product. A Yamashita masterpiece, and a proof that his potential was still to be exploited in so many different ways, with him being able to tackle different styles of musical tones within the same album and still managing them to have a consistent and coherent interaction in the tracklist (with that being the main factor for his albums being very enjoyable listens front to back).
The tone is contrasted once again with Minnie, something that tries to go towards the jazz/big band spectrum, tackling a melancholic and saddening mood, with the piano taking a bigger importance in what is being presented, while the mix introduces a simple acoustic guitar on the opposite channel, building up the tone and structure from that point. More and more elements are introduced with the progression of the song, from an electric guitar, the string arrangements, the trumpet parts, and even a small flute in the background at one point. A mellow ballad that doesn't really stand out that much due to the time it takes to present all its themes, but that still manages to be calming and enjoyable, a nice contrast that adds to the pacing of the album. That same tone, style of arrangement, and overall execution of a track is present in the closer of this first side, 永遠に, a cover of a song that Yamashita wrote for a Minako Yoshida album. All elements present on Minnie, including the mellow tone although somewhat more melodic and almost bossa nova inspired with the different percussion elements, while also having nice details adding a more complete feeling to the track (such as a harp being used in some segments). As a whole, these last two tracks have their appeal, they have their focus and structure, but it is quite different to the opening tracks that preceded them. While not being quite as memorable, or as fleshed out as they could be, they still feel calm, engaging, and incredibly enjoyable, closing the first side on a sweet way.
The Los Angeles side starts off on a nice way with Last Step, once again a cover from another song Yamashita wrote for Minako Yoshida, this time going towards a Motown style of music. It is a nice track, but it doesn't really stand out all that much regarding the things it seems like wanting to achieve, but still carrying the professional feeling regarding the arrangements. Things like the boy's choir feel somewhat out of place, and it doesn't vary much from the initial melody throughout the length of the track. It would be later be covered on an electric guitar rendition on Yamashita's live album Joy, showing the true potential that the track could achieve under the right focus. Right after this, City Way and 迷い込んだ街と come in as the highlights of this second side. Two tracks with a very similar tone, execution, and instrumental ideas, but having enough differences for them to be able to stand on their own (most notably with City Way having a bigger electric guitar presence interacting with the main keyboard melody, having a solo right at the end, while 迷い込んだ街と focuses more on the interaction between two different keyboards, with a solo interlude that really stands out on this second side). They are both fun, upbeat, almost summer like oriented, well structured songs (once again being early examples of trends that would be rather common on City Pop and Japanese pop songs a few years later, and it really is something to be heard in order to understand why the formula works so well).
Finally, the closer of this second side, as well as of the entire album, comes in the form of 夏の陽, tackling a rather unconventional musical style for Tatsuro at that point. Tatsuro himself declared that this was something outside of his comfort zone, and it would be something different even to what would come in future releases. This is a track dedicated and inspired in what Tatsuro thought would be associated with Los Angeles (just like Circus Town was for New York as an opener to the entire project), with that mental image being expressed through the prominent piano playing of John Hobbs, being very in line instrumentally with what was seen on the last two tracks of the New York side, but being executed on a more positive and focused attitude. It certainly is nice for what it is, even if it ends up feeling a bit out of place compared to the rest of the album, but it still works as a sweet, almost mellow, closer, with Tatsuro showing his great vocal range while being complemented by the vocal choir that follows behind him.
Circus Town, and the story of how it came to be, might not stand among Tatsuro's most brightest, varied, or polished projects; but it is a landmark on his career, an important stepping stone that showed a man that was passionate about moving forward with his music, regardless of the difficulties that he seemed to be facing until that point. It was Tatsuro's first time working on an unknown, pressuring, and professional environment, where he faced difficulties while recording the songs, almost leading him to leave the project entirely, but still pushing forward with his vision, and gaining confidence on his songwriting, but more than that, gaining new influences, experiences, ideas, and ambitions that he would expand on future albums. Without that visit to the US, that opportunity given by the RVC and RCA label companies, he wouldn't have gotten an appreciation for rock or jazz, that would eventually lead to the releases of Spacy, Ride on Time, and many other classic records across his career. It all had its roots here, on this somewhat short album that shows a lot of potential and dedication rather than fleshing out ideas to their fullest extent.
And despite it not being completely fleshed out or layered, it still offers a consistent and coherent experience, having some stylistic choices to offer some sort of variety, despite them not being pulled off all that well. The production aspects of this record are certainly its main strength, with Tatsuro offering some great vocal performances, and it is all mixed on a very balanced and gorgeous way, offering a refreshing and welcoming sound throughout all the album. It still has some of Tatsuro's best moments of his early career, most notably with Windy Lady being an iconic and essential song from his catalog, as well as offering a highly enjoyable and engaging experience, with both sides offering something to the listener in their own particular way. He would expand these ideas in the future, but it all had its origins here, and that is certainly something to appreciate in the long run.
It is a very sweet, passionate, lively, and welcoming experience; and it certainly is worth a try for anyone looking for a colorful album. A circus of joyful and lovely experiences.
Overall Rating: 7/10
Favorite Track: Windy Lady
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