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'
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