One of the key records that really helped cement the strong reputation of Tatsuro Yamashita in the 70s – served up with the kind of standout material that easily made him one of the most soulful Japanese singers of his time! Yamashita arranged and produced the whole set, which has these warm jazzy backings that include some early keyboard work from Ryuichi Sakamoto – and Tatsuro has an ear for well-produced grooves that almost rival some of the best Cali soul of the period, save for the fact that his lyrics here are all in Japanese! Titles include "Bomber", "Monday Blue", "Love Celebration", "Follow Me Along", "2000 Feet Of Rain", "This Could Be The Night", and "Paper Doll". LP, Vinyl record album

A notorious EP from Japanese actress Kaoru Kuroki – who both bares herself on the cover, and on the songs within! The approach is a bit like city pop from the time, but with a style that's a bit more fluid – as the leadoff track is an electric take on a famous folk melody, followed by an erotic poem written by Kaoru and set to music! There's also a bit more of an erotic current through the other tunes too – and titles include "The Age Of Innocence", "A Love Note For You", "Chinatown Love", and "Birth From Time". LP, Vinyl record album

The very first album from long-running Japanese singer Akira Kushida – a set that bursts out with the word "soulful" on the cover, and definitely follows through with its promise! Given that Akira sings in Japanese on many cuts, the sound isn't exactly the same as James Brown on King Records – but it's also clear that Kushida draws plenty of inspiration from American soul, which is also reflected in the arrangements, not just the raspy style that he brings to the lyrics! There's definitely a fair bit of English on the record – and the vibe is maybe a bit like some of the blue-eyed soul styles of the UK mod scene, served up on titles that include "Vecchio Sam", "For The Love Of A Woman", "Cry Like A Baby", "Forgive Me My Love", and "Lonesome Sad & Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

A great mixture of organic ideas and electric sounds from Japanese pioneer Hiroshi Yoshimura – a set that follows the cycle of "green" through a progression of really lovely little instrumentals – somewhere between the minimalist experiments of Brian Eno in the late 70s, and some of the other Japanese electronic music of the time – but with this special quality that really makes the album a cut above the rest! The overall style is a bit hard to peg – this isn't electronic rock or computer pop, but it's also not highbrow minimalism better – a really special set of sounds on titles that include "Sleep", "Sheep", "Creek", "Feel", "Green", and "Teevee". LP, Vinyl record album