Sing It Over Again / Tatsuro Yamashita - Joy (1989) Album Review

Overall Rating: 10/10

Favorite Tracks: Sparkle / Let's Dance Baby / メリー・ゴー・ラウンド / Ride On Time

If one thing can be said about Tatsuro Yamashita's career is the fact that regardless of the year, the musical eras/styles, the economical difficulties, the personal or creative struggles, or even the different limitations; the man has always been a wonderful act to admire on a live setting. Even if there weren't any new projects in mind, Tatsuro has been consistently presenting himself on different concerts and venues ever since the early Sugar Babe days in 1974, with every single year having its share of live presentations where the man just startled audience with the incredible charisma displayed onstage, while also having the help of a huge number of different talented lineups that even got to include giants like Haruomi Hosono or Ryuichi Sakamoto that met the expectations of the master himself and offered some memorable performances. His live reputation has always been something that fans looked up to, regardless of the underground Tokyo days or the full Japanese tours that came with the success of Moonglow and Ride On Time, but for the most part it is something confirmed by both the artist himself as well as the many people that had the fortune of witnessing him live. Of course, this is nothing new for those who are very much aware of the artist's musical vision, with the fact that he mostly writes his material with a live setting in mind, considering live performances as the true way to admire and experience his many compositions. Sadly, Yamashita's fantastic onstage reputation is something that can be confirmed by many, but it is not something that can be admired by those who don't have the fortune of looking at it in person. 

Tatsuro isn't a big fan of recording his many performances, it is somewhat of an old-fashioned vision of getting the real experience in person rather than admiring it from afar without having that personal intimacy with the music. That is not to say that there is no footage available whatsoever. As is to be expected by many artists with such a long career and with that many amount of releases, a number of live tracks/snippets have been released, be it with special reissues of a record/single or specially on the many radio/tv shows dedicated to the artist (considering that Japanese broadcasts have a tendency to do that sort of thing, also considering the big reputation that Tatsuro acquired over the years on his native country, both as a summer and Christmas figure, getting specific shows that are dedicated to play his music with some live extracts selected by the man himself, but these are very much something of their own, and they offer a completely different experience when it comes to try and admire the spectacle that Tatsuro offers onstage). But even then, the divulgation of this sort of material outside, and even within, Japan is something strictly regulated, with a big concern on copyright infringement, while also considering the mindset of the artist, making live footage in the form of unofficial broadcast recordings or bootlegs be something extremely hard to get outside of what was released officially. And if it is that way now, one can only imagine how much of a pain it was back in the 80's and 90's.

As it was mentioned before, the artist wasn't really a big fan of spreading live recordings officially in any shape or form, and that was a mindset kept ever since the early Sugar Babe and solo Tokyo underground days. From 1974 to 1976, with the different lineups of the first band the man was ever a part of, the Sugar Babe shows mostly remained on enclosed venues, with minor some TV appearances taking place every once in a while, so due to that relatively small following there wasn't a big concern on recording the performances. Even then, the band's reputation would have some dedicated fans that did appreciate the new musical ideas that were brought to Japan by the group, even if the critics and the mainstream didn't feel so warm towards them and taking years to fully admire the work that was being done, so there were bootleg recordings being spread from time to time. But nevertheless, it was the mid 70's, so personal equipment was not very good for the most part, ending up on most of these fan recordings having poor sound quality, but it was still something considering the fact that the band didn't really worry about having official live recordings (to the point where the different special editions of "Songs" would come with exclusive live tracks taken from fan bootlegs that were somehow acquired by Tatsuro and Eiichi Otaki at the time). But this mentality of not being concerned to record live gigs officially, or not releasing them on full that way, would certainly stay with the main figures of the group even after Sugar Babe parted ways in order to follow their own solo ambitions.

For those who are aware of Tatsuro Yamashita's story, from 1976 to 1979 there was a lot of struggle involved with his solo career, with a lot of financial, personal, and creative struggles that lead to very hard times, even to the point where the idea of leaving the career as a whole started to be a big possibility. Under the wing of RVC/RCA label as well as having the help of the wonderful Ryuzo Kosugi as a manager, producer, and close friend, Yamashita's iconic album run would take place, but it would do so after such a difficult time for the artist. The sales for 1976's Circus Town, 1977's Spacy, and 1978's Go Ahead! were relatively poor at first, being able to barely cover for the coast of the ambitious recording sessions that were invested by the label at the time, regardless of the slow artistic evolution that Yamashita brought with every record and how much he was being praised and respected by different important figures in the world of Japanese music at the time. These issues were mainly due to the fact that there were no singles promoting the albums, as well as being one of the pioneers on implementing western influences on a Japanese market, taking its time to gather a following and reputation within the mainstream, finally being recognized once the so called "city pop" movement started taking over in the beginning of the 80s. But until that point, Yamashita's following remained condensed on Tokyo's musical underground community, making his main source of income the many live shows and small record sales provided by these communities. 

It was all a slow but difficult evolution, from starting as an ambitious young man inspired by the likes of The Beach Boys to gathering experience while working in the US and acquiring a more technical style of writing and arranging his music, eventually being selective with the musicians he worked with, ending up collaborating with people such as Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Hiroshi Sato; to going on a pessimistic mindset where he just tried his hand at different loose ideas, eventually ending up on his first popular dance club and radio tracks such as Let's Dance Baby and Bomber. Even if the artist wasn't filling up arenas or stadiums, during those years the shows that he gave were all full of energy and charisma, building up his iconic live reputation even with such a small following. Of course, this would have stayed on the "mouth to mouth", but due to the poor sales of the big project that was the wonderful Spacy, Yamashita had to recover the money that had been invested. The solution came from none other than Ryuzo Kosugi, and what was proposed was basically a fast release in the form of Yamashita's first live album that would somehow make up for sales. This was supposed to be something quick, that didn't require a lot of effort in making, but Yamashita was, and will always be, a perfectionist, with 1978's "It's A Poppin Time" ending up being a very unique live album. 

What ended up being released was a very specific selection of two shows given at the "Pit Inn" that same year, offering a special mix of exclusive tracks only written and performed for a live setting and live renditions of some of the tracks from the two albums that had been released at the time, giving a glimpse at the energy and the style of the live performances that took place during that time.. The album itself ended up being an issue for the label itself, with Yamashita's exclusive track selection ending up on a double LP that would be hard to sell, but that thankfully would end up fulfilling its purpose thanks to the fans that were charmed by it. Every single track has something to offer, with the lineup that makes an appearance on the record gives their all regardless of the mood and style of the songs (with a young Ryuichi Sakamoto being part of these shows). From wonderful renditions like Love Space, Paper Doll, and Solid Slider; fantastic covers and exclusive tracks such as Space Crush, 時よ, and Pink Shadow; to jaw-dropping jam pieces like エスケイプ and You Better Run. It is without a doubt one of Tatsuro Yamashita's best releases, and despite it being somewhat overlooked, it is definitely essential for those who want to have a taste of the energy, passion, and unmatched charisma of the man's early live period; with the few people who were in attendance cheering and being excited for the wonderful music that was being played in front of them. 

But regardless of that, it seemed to be a one time deal, something that came as a promotion for his live persona instead of something absolutely essential for his discography (but so were the rest of his albums), and it didn't seem like the man was interested on trying such idea again. Of course, after the release of Go Ahead! (whose process was that of a pessimistic and messy mindset, with the artist planning it to be his last solo album), Yamashita was finally finding recognition on the mainstream with the small success of Bomber, kicking the first musical style of his that would become somewhat popular before his more renowned reputations. After this point the golden era of the artist's time with the RCA/RVC label would begin with the release of Moonglow, Ride On Time, and For You, presenting some of his best work and kicking him to the top of the charts with the success of the many singles that were released as well as presenting him as a summer/sea artist with his 1982 record, as well as presenting the artist's most iconic studio/live backup band lineup of Jun Aoyama, Koki Ito, Kazuo Shiina, Hiroyuki Namba and Minako Yoshida; making up for incredible performances that pleased Tatsuro's high expectations. It has been declared many times by both the artist himself as well as his many fans that during these times some of his most iconic presentations took place, with Tatsuro finally expanding to full tours across Japan instead of staying limited to Tokyo, ending up on things like the legendary Ride On Time Concert tour and the Sparkling tour, seeing the artist on a much more optimistic and positive mindset due to finally finding a stable point for both his personal and musical life. 

After that point, the man would end his contract, changing to the steady Moon Records label as well as starting an office of his own, creating a new era for his creative process ending up on more freedom regarding what he could do on studio. The man would keep releasing music and succeeding on the charts with every new record, regardless of the fact that his age was considered as "too old" for the industry. Records such as the unfocused yet captivating Melodies in 1983 (which would go down to become his biggest selling album along side his biggest selling single, presenting his reputation as a "Christmas" artist), the unexpected love letter to surf rock that was the Big Wave soundtrack in 1984, new technical and lineup transitions (with the departure of Kazuo Shiina and Minako Yoshida from the backup band) seen on the artist's jump from analog to digital recording equipment ending up on 1986's Pocket Music, and even his most personal and ambitious project with the wonderful concept album that was 1988's 僕の中の少年. Of course, during all those years Tatsuro kept on presenting himself live with the different "Performance" tours all across the 80's that would be guaranteed to be a big hit in sales, selling out on almost every show, as well as never letting down on the energy and the charisma of the performances that were given (even during the 1988-1989 tour in promotion of 僕の中の少年, which was very tiresome and complicated due to the difficulties that came with replicating some of the tracks of the album, which were just full of small details that Yamashita and company struggled to bring onstage with good renditions that sadly didn't live to the artist's expectations).

Sadly enough, there are no full official or even unofficial recordings that preserved these different concerts, with only some bits and pieces appearing on TV/Radio broadcasts as well as some small bootlegs that consisted mainly on a couple of tracks from time to time, but that wasn't to say that the shows given by the man weren't recorded whatsoever. As it was mentioned before, Yamashita wrote most of his material with a live setting in mind, and starting with the Japanese tours in 1979 and 1980 his writing process started to rely mostly on his live presentations (everything being performed was on a record or would eventually end up on a record, it was a way to test waters and see what worked and what didn't, with such things like the acapella interludes having their own place on releases like "On The Street Corner"), even ending up on most of the For You material being written onstage during touring, and it was something that would continue for years (with some minor exceptions, like during the transition from analog to digital on Pocket Music and 僕の中の少年). Due to those reasons the artist was constantly keeping recordings of his shows in order to revise them and looking what could be improved and what could be removed, with the man being extremely familiar with the material recorded all around the 80's. 

However, this particular process started to be tiresome during the 1988 tour, consisting on some specific tracks that just had too many details that were extremely hard to replicate live, leaving Tatsuro and company completely exhausted, ending up on the idea of taking things on a much simpler tone in future studio recordings and live tours. At that point, Yamashita started thinking about the fact that his live energy and charisma would drastically change with the years, with his career bordering the 16 year mark, making the artist reflect more about his position in life at that point. The solution to try preserving, and at the same time display, his live reputation on a way that would somehow make it justice was very simple to him: making a second live album, but even then, and as it was to be expected from Yamashita, it would be a very special and peculiar proposition. The artist could have very much released one particular full show on the form of a live album or a massive boxset with one selected live show from each year and call it a day, but Tatsuro really wasn't a fan of that western style of putting out live records. As it was mentioned before, he certainly had the mindset of a live performance being a unique experience, something that had to be witnessed in person in order to truly be appreciated, where the true essence of the artist could be truly admired on its full glory, thinking that a live recording would end up being impersonal and completely different from the real thing, but that was not to say that it couldn't be made special. A live concert was one experience, but a live album could be completely different one, and with the new technologies, refining the live recordings that were available could most certainly not be a big issue. In that vein, the idea of Tatsuro himself picking highlights from the many live shows given across the 80's came to be, making up for a very special live record that showed the musical onstage evolution of the artist while also providing for a seamless and timeless experience of its own, ending up on the release of 1989's JOY. 

JOY is a very special experience for anyone that appreciates Tatsuro Yamashita's work from 1974 to 1988. Instead of offering just one properly mixed or improve recording of a full concert, this is an album that goes through ten years of performances in no particular pattern in order to show the love and appreciation of the artist towards the music that he wrote and performed with all his heart throughout all that time touring around Japan. Yamashita was, and will always be, a perfectionist with his music on the way it was recorded and produced on its studio form, with almost every album session taking a lot of attempts, takes, and variants with every song in order to end up on something that pleased the man in almost every different aspect. In his own words, recording was a very creative effort that basically produced something out of nothing, or at least out of something that couldn't really be manifested as a physical thing, so Yamashita was very doubtful at first when it came to the elaboration of JOY, thinking of the idea of a live album as a very impersonal repetition of something that had already happened on its own space. But the thing with live recordings, specially the ones of his own, was that they were a completely different world, something that didn't have the stress of the studio but that still showed the man of his most pure musical form. Before taking part in selecting the tracks for the record, Tatsuro thought that he would need to improve or modify a lot of things from the tapes, but looking at them he realized that they were all in a perfect state, being the most truthful form of experiencing and admiring his music, only needing slight adjustments in the mixing in order to show a clean and coherent sound that could actually belong on a proper commercial release.

This is without a doubt Tatsuro's most essential release, specially taking into consideration the musical efforts he displayed with his many studio works, something that didn't really need a lot of improvements or re-recordings in order to show the artist on his most intimate, emotional, talented, and passionate form. As a result of the particular concept that was proposed for the record, the result is a very fine collection of soundboard recordings form the different 80's Performance tours, but to the point where the spirit of Yamashita just stays consistent and full of joy regardless of the year. To anyone that comes in clueless to the experience, the passing of time just can't be felt whatsoever. This is mainly due to the fact that Yamashita has always been both strict and dedicated with the patterns he follows for a live performance, with basically most of the main lineup not having drastic changes aside of the sad departure of Kazuo Shiina and Minako Yoshida, but still having the essential components of Koki Ito's bass and Jun Aoyama's drums throughout all that period. Tatsuro's arrangements are always very rhythmic, and the man is always focused on having musicians that fulfill his many expectations on the best way possible, ending up on some incredibly dedicated performances regardless of the style of music that was embraced depending on the era. When it comes to studio, many songs changed in arrangement or structure depending on what was trying to be achieved, but Yamashita stays with only one arrangement for every song in his live presentations, making ten years of concerts feel line one connected musical bonanza that just doesn't seem to age in any shape or form. 

JOY flows seamlessly in term of the source of the recordings to the point where it can feel just like one entire concert that had some minor cuts on some sections ending up on what might feel like "fade-in fade-out" transitions. Over the course of twenty one wonderful tracks, the listener is taken through more than two hours of a musical bonanza that just keeps on giving regardless of the song or the era. Instead of making a big live album out of a financial need, JOY is a conscious effort, something made by an artist that wants to show appreciation towards the fantastic performances he gave through his relatively long musical journey. It is a record of big proportions, at first edited for a double CD (with a triple vinyl edition released as a very limited analog production with a different tracklist due to the length of some of the tunes, needing to be rearranged in order to fit on their respective sides, but with Yamashita himself acknowledging the CD release as the true experience of his live album) that is held together by the fantastic quality of the recordings themselves, making up for an experience that doesn't waste a single second, starting as strong and energetic as possible from the first notes of Last Step until the final studio doo-woop/acapella number that is used as a closer. No sort of particular order is used in the structure of the record itself, which means that tracks placed next to each other can have eight years of difference between them, but the wonderful thing is that these differences are close to unnoticeable unless someone checks the date on some of the liner notes. 

If there is one thing to be said about JOY as a whole is that it is the definitive proof that Tatsuro Yamashita's music, and just the man himself, are completely timeless, mainly due to the pure passion that is poured on the onstage renditions of every single song. As it was to be expected, the whole experience as a whole is different from the one offered on "It's A Poppin Time", being less focused on the exclusive tracks and the technical improvisations (even though there are jams in-between a lot of the songs), and more on trying to offer the best renditions of every track. But even then, the atmosphere is different, because while the first album portrayed the passion and energy given in front of a relatively small public (with a very clean sound due to the location where the recording took place), JOY truly feels like a live experience, with Yamashita performing in front of a giant crowd, mostly on big open venues where the sound seems to bounce off at times, having that true live feeling on its ambiance. The songs that were chosen in the end were not picked at random either, being a very evident personal and thoughtful selection, with all tracks having a lot of emotion and passion on their performances and even on their placement on the timeline. 

JOY goes through fan favorites, personal/intimate picks, and some exclusive live covers that just offer the best insight to the wonderful world of Tatsuro Yamashita's compositions on a non-stop experience that is more of a love letter to the music itself more than anything else. Just looking at the selection of tracks shows the very careful nitpicking that happened during this process, with material from even Sugar Babe and Niagara Triangle appearing on the record (this was to be expected of course, knowing how much the artist loves this particular era of his career), with the only thing lacking in that particular aspect being the lack of Moonglow and Big Wave material, but otherwise offering a complete overview of the artist's entire career:

Sugar Babe - Songs: Down Town

Niagara Triangle Vol. 1: ドリーミング・デイ

Circus Town: ラスト・ステップ (Last Step)

Spacy: Dancer / Love Space

Go Ahead!: Let's Dance Baby

Ride On Time: Rainy Day / Ride On Time

For You: Sparkle / Futari / Loveland, Island

Melodies: メリー・ゴー・ラウンド

Pocket Music: The War Song

僕の中の少年: 蒼氓 / ゲット・バック・イン・ラブ (making a lot of sense that the ballads from the album were picked as the live recordings that would end up here, specially considering the fact that Tatsuro felt unsatisfied with the live renditions of most of the layered songs of the record during this particular tour)

Covers: プラスティック・ラヴ (Mariya Takeuchi's "Plastic Love") / La La Means I Love You (The Delfonics) / God Only Knows (The Beach Boys) / 恋のブギウギトレイン (Anne Lewis)
Singles / Others: あまく危険な香り/ おやすみロージー（Angel Babyへのオマージュ）

As it was mentioned before, the flow itself is very admirable, and if one really wants to dive into this particular experience it is very much recommended to check the main CD rips/tracklist (even though there are vinyl and cassette versions available, but the digital mixing/mastering on the CD release definitely ends up adding more to the experience as a whole). Every single track here has something of their own, something that makes them worthwhile for the listener, with some tracks just having very cheerful and grand reprises, while others are expanded through impressive jamming. Looking a the chronological timeline of the recordings it would look something like this:

1981-03-11: Dancer --- Love Space (Recorded at the Pit-Inn, the exact same location were these same tracks were recorded for "It's A Poppin Time")

1984-01-06: ドリーミング・デイ / Ride On Time

1985-02-24: メリー・ゴー・ラウンド --- Let's Dance Baby

1986-07-30: あまく危険な香り--- Rainy Day / The War Song

1986-07-31: Sparkle / Plastic Love

1986-10-09: Futari / Loveland, Island

1989-03-02: おやすみロージー（Angel Babyへのオマージュ）

1989-03-03: God Only Knows / 恋のブギウギトレイン

1989-04-06: 蒼氓  --- La La Means I Love You

1989-04-07: Last Step / ゲット・バック・イン・ラブ / Down Town

Connected To (---): Even though most of the tracks don't hold much chronological relation to each other, being tied together with the help of the "fade-in/fade-out" transitions, some of the selected songs do hold coherence with each other, sometimes transitioning directly into one another in many different ways, including some jamming, some small introductory speeches from Tatsuro, or even just a very sweet pause before continuing the mood with the next track.

JOY is something that shouldn't exist. By 1989 there just wasn't any demand for Tatsuro to make a live album, he sure wasn't in any difficult financial situation, his personal life was just as stable as ever, his musical vision had been satisfied with the release of an intimate concept album that was very unique for his catalog, and even if the 1988-1989 tour ended up being very tiresome for him and the musicians that participated it still made up for amazing shows that pleased audiences across Japan. But that was the thing, the artist was just about to move to another musical era within his studio work, and he was very much aware of that fact. As said before, the recording of 僕の中の少年 and its subsequent tour were very much something that drained the energy and creativity of Yamashita during that time, aside of the transition from analog to digital equipment, so the man was ready to take a step back in order to take upon a more simple style of writing music and performing it onstage, ending up on records like 1991's Artisan and 1998's Cozy. With that mindset, Tatsuro felt the need to somehow document the performances that he had given throughout the 80's, being possible due to the fact that one of his methods for improving arrangements was made by looking at recordings of his own concerts. The result was a two and a half hour long double album that included a personally handpicked tracklist of live renditions of songs that gave a fantastic look at the wonderful charisma and energy that Tatsuro Yamashita was able to display onstage. 

In many ways, JOY accomplishes a similar thing to what the wonderful "It's A Poppin Time" did in 1978 on its own way. Both are very similar in structure, with a specific selection of songs that were considered the best highlights of their respective performances by the artist himself, and even including an exclusive studio acapella track as the closer of the original experience. But while Tatsuro's first live album gave a look at the fantastic energy of an artist that performed for small crowds in the unground music scene of 1978's Tokyo with a mindset of ending his solo career due to poor record sales, JOY shows a man that accomplished the things he wanted in both his personal and artistic life performing in front of large audiences across Japan. On paper it might not sound like a big difference, but the atmosphere, the energy, the overall performances, and even the sound of the recordings with their particular echo are very much a thing of their own, offering an incredible experience that wastes no time whatsoever, making up for a non-stopping musical bonanza that explodes whenever it feels like exploding and gets calm whenever it feels to take things on a relaxed way. It is something that really has to be heard in order to be fully appreciated, and even if a person is not very familiar with the man's work, JOY does an incredible job at giving a full look at his discography. In many ways the album can be pointed at as the best compilation of Tatsuro's work until 1988, with the difference being that all the tracks are performed live. That is a very beautiful key point for the record, none of the songs are 100% similar to their studio counterparts, they are a thing of their own, each one having a thing that differentiates them completely from what might have been available on an album. 

To those who are unaware it might come as a big surprise the fact that this is a collection of different performances that can get to have years of difference between each other. Because if one word is able to truly describes the album and the music found within it is definitely "timeless". JOY knows no time or place, and it doesn't worry too much about being aware of those trivial facts, for it is simply a non-stop musical bonanza that just aims to provide a unique experience of its own rather than just a conventional live concert packed on album form. Yamashita always defined his process of songwriting and arrangement, his entire work really, as something written with a live setting in mind, considering his live concerts as the true way to experience his music. Of course, his policy against bootleg recordings and the illegal distribution of the official live broadcasts that happened from time to time doesn't allow people outside of Japan, or even those who are just not able to go to one of his presentations, to truly admire the man's songs the way they are meant to be. In that vein, trying to put a full concert on album form would be somewhat impersonal, just a very poor replica of the true potential of a full live gig, but Tatsuro's solution for all those small issues was truly something beautiful. Over the course of twenty one songs, the live album takes the listener through almost ten years of musical performances, but it does so on a very intimate and grand way, truly managing to offer a hell of a journey that just captivates the listener from beginning to end, showing the charisma, talent, and unmatched energy of the artist's live performances. 

Going into full detail about what every song has to offer would not be even close to making justice to what every single piece accomplishes on its own, for this is a record full of amazing and heartwarming moments from beginning to end. Everything that made Tatsuro Yamashita the artist he would end up becoming can be found here in many different styles, moods, and energies. It shows both his mellow side as well as his summer side on full splendor, but it also goes a step further by including songs that lead to the way he ended up being, doing something unique by offering a complete look at the person behind such beautiful music. From the fantastic and groovy jamming on メリー・ゴー・ラウンド or Dancer; the fantastic crowd participation on the extended chorus reprises of The War Song, 蒼氓, or Let's Dance Baby; the heartwarming and iconic introduction of the iconic RCA/RVC lineup on the end of the best rendition of Loveland, Island done by the man himself; Yamashita's love for his icon Brian Wilson on a delightful cover of The Beach Boys' "God Only Knows"; the artist offering a fantastic rendition of Plastic Love, the song he wrote as a wedding gift to his beloved wife, by making it something of his own due to his captivating vocal performance; the explosive onstage presence of Tatsuro's vocals being manifested on La La Means I Love You and 恋のブギウギトレイン; the amazingly passionate energy displayed on the renditions of Down Town, Sparkle, and Ride On Time; and many, many, other things that just appear throughout the different recordings. If the album included material from the fantastic Moonglow or the soundtrack for Big Wave, it would most certainly be a much more complete experience, but even then the exclusive material selected more than makes up for that fact.

For the people that followed the man's work since the very beginning, this is simply a musical delight in every way possible. Listening to things like a big crowd getting excited for tracks such as Love Space, which were severely overlooked at the time they came out, singing along and just going with Yamashita's unmatched charisma and onstage dominance is just something that has to be witnessed in order to be fully understood. It truly is the culmination of years of hard work, of an artist dedicated to polish his music as much as possible in every different aspect, making up for fantastic arrangements that just find themselves fleshed out to their full potential onstage. The sound quality on every single song is sublime, and it is something that really has no sort of shifts or changes across the record, with extremely clean sound sources that simply benefited a lot from the polish that they received on their digital mastering, adding even more to that precious and unmatched "timeless" factor. JOY is like no other live album. In many ways, it is a definitive proof of the talent, the passion, and the dedication that Tatsuro Yamashita had, and will always have, towards his music. But above everything else, JOY is a universe of its own, with each song being a world of its own, very distinct from each other while still holding a lot of coherence or consistency with one another. It goes to the point where the tracklist can be changed around or modified in many different ways and it would still make up for a consistent, coherent, and incredibly engaging experience. It is simply a collection of finest pieces that pop music has to offer. 

JOY was surprisingly successful back when it came out in 1989. It didn't go so far as taking the first places on the charts, but it positioned really well, pleasing many fans across Japan, and for very good reasons. The album was the ultimate statement from Tatsuro Yamashita, a passionate love letter in the form of a massive record that did not limit itself to show appreciation only towards his music, but also to himself, to all the accomplishments that had been achieved on his personal and artistic life. It went to the point where the massive double CD album was reissued in limited triple vinyl and double cassette editions, as well as being heavily promoted on national TV and radio, with some incredibly delightful TV spots that showed snippets of the actual video recordings where the audio for the songs were taken from (with some of these spots thankfully being preserved and made available for anyone to admire online, but this was such a curious thing considering the fact that some VHS tapes with some selected video recordings of some of the songs from JOY were also being released, making one wonder about the fact that a full VHS tape recording of the entire recordings perhaps could have made their way into Yamashita's catalog). But the release also marked the end of an era. It truly felt like the culmination of years of hard work on both a studio and live setting, and it came right after one tour full of complications in promotion of the artist's most ambitious and personal studio album. Following 1989, Yamashita would take a step back in many different aspects while taking upon a more simple style of recording on studio and performing onstage. In that sense, JOY was the appropriate farewell to that particular point of his life, providing for a very adequate overview of his entire career up to that point, and doing so on a very big and impressive manner. 

Yamashita kept on touring all across Japan, sometimes in promotion of his new material, others just on casual tours where he performed his music, but after the release of JOY the interest in making more live albums simply vanished. There were some live recordings released on reissues of his albums and on some of the singles that would come afterwards (and of course not overlooking the bonus disc on Ray Of Hope titled "JOY 1.5", offering a small collection of live performances from the 80s and 90s almost on the same vein as the one provided on the original double album experience ), as well as some bootleg recordings being available online, but always taken down due to the strict copyright policies of Tatsuro with his music. Massive collections of Tatsuro's work were released officially on things such as the Opus compilation, but never something that payed tribute to his live material. It is hard to tell if something like this record will be released down the road, but such thing is very unlikely to happen. But even if we are unable to experience a full concert he way it is intended, and even if an experience such as this will never be repeated again; JOY will always be here, feeling as fresh and captivating as ever.

For a big Yamashita fan such as myself, this is heaven, but I personally invite anyone who is interested to just get lost in the absolutely gorgeous soundscapes that can be found within this album. All the studio tracks selected find themselves with no flaws on their live counterparts, making up for a very unique selection of twenty one songs that just captivate the listener in their own particular ways, never wasting any second and never running out of things to offer, making up for a journey that is as timeless as it is wonderful and delightful. It truly is something that really has to be heard in order to be fully understood. Masterpiece doesn't even come close to define this record. JOY is a beautiful exploration of the wonderful universe that is the music of the one and only pop master, Tatsuro Yamashita. 

A delightfully charming and incredibly mesmerizing musical bonanza. It bleeds of passion and it screams with emotion, being as energetic as ever on both the upbeat and mellow moments. It is something that is just full of love, personality, talent, sentiment,  and, well, joy. Truly beautiful.