A great bit of Japanese soul from the end of the 80s – and one that's got a surprising connection to Prince as well – given the man himself wrote some of the tracks, and also appears on the record himself! Apart from Kahoru's Japanese vocals, the Prince tracks are totally Prince numbers – in that he wrote, produced, and performed all the instrumentation – on both "Mind Bells" and "Bliss" – which were then topped by vocals from Kahoru – in a way that's a totally great blend of city pop modes and Prince's funky groove! Other tracks are pretty great too – and feature arrangements that are equally soulful – on titles that include "Dreamer", "Wild Generation", "In The Rain", "Time The Motion", "Silent Blue", and "Everything's All Right". LP, Vinyl record album

There's plenty of popping here – great little grooves, recorded with the jazzy finish that makes the 70s material of Tatsuro Yamashita so great! The vibe here has all the warmth and sophisticated groove of Fantasy Records in the late 70s – maybe a bit of Wayne Henderson/At Home influence in the way that jazzy elements are used next to soulful vocals from Tatsuro – and presented in a way that's never too overdone, too polished, or commercial. Yet the set, which is a live one, also has all the careful precision of Yamashita's studio work – that quality that also marks the 70s live work of Earth Wind & Fire, who are every bit as great on stage as behind the glass. Titles include "Hey There Lonely Girl", "Space Crush", "Windy Lady", "Paper Doll", "Candy", "Marie", "Circus Town", and "Solid Slider". LP, Vinyl record album

The Japanese scene had plenty of great artists in the 70s, but few were as fantastic as Tatsuro Yamashita – a singer who effortlessly captures some of the more soulful currents of the American scene at the time, has a way of forging a really universal groove! The production, instrumentation, and arrangements are top-shelf – in the more soulful side of the AOR spectrum, but not nearly as too-polished as chart hits of the year 1980 – and certainly served up with all the right sort of warmth in the instrumentation, which continues to create all sorts of jazzy currents throughout! Tracks include "Silent Screamer", "Rainy Day", "Clouds", "Kissing Goodnight", "Door Into Summer", "Ride On Time", and "Daydream". LP, Vinyl record album

A great look at a key moment in the Japanese scene – an early 70s stretch when musicians were going for a style that was warmer and more intimate overall – which would then lead to all the big changes in music to come, but in very surprising ways! Gone are the more postured rock modes and Anglo-aping styles of the previous decade – and in their place are more confident, personal styles delivered in this mix of acoustic and electric instrumentation that maybe echoes some of the sophistication of the early 70s Cali scene, but which has a very unique approach overall. Most music here is from the first few years of the decade – and titles include "Beautiful Song" by Hiroki Tamaki, "Hitoribotchi" by Niningashi, "Gingatetsudo No Yoru" by Ken Narita, "Man In No Ki" by Takashi Nishioka, "Kawa" by Hiroki Tamaki, "Anmari Fukasugite" by Tokedashita Galasubako, and "Kaze Wo Atsumete" by Happy End. LP, Vinyl record album

A record that picks up on a very particular strand of Japanese music in the 70s – and one that's maybe not even fully described with all the evocative words in the title! The sounds here are leaner and more open than work you'd know from the city pop years – but also not like Japanese rock of the late 60s, and maybe not even like some of the bigger names of the 70s who crossed over to American audiences. Instead, the whole package is very creative and inventive – certainly with currents of psych and soul, but often moving into territories that really defy easy categorization – as if these Japanese artists feel free to pick and choose whatever they want to put in the mix! The sound is great, and the album is a treasure trove of discoveries – with sounds that include "Aoi Galasu Dama Blue Glass Ball" by Yoshiko Sai, "Have You Smoked Gauloise" by Hiroshi Kamayatsu, "Jikan Wo Koero Go Beyond Time" by Tadashi Goino Group, "Omae You" by Jun Fukamachi, and "Hachigatsu No Inshow Augusts Impression" by Momotaro Pink. LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique selection of Japanese reggae tracks from back in the day – and work that's very different than sounds from both the underground scene in Kingston, and the big wave of reggae hits on the major labels! The pace of many of these cuts has them moving in almost a lovers rock sort of mode – easygoing, warm, and with lots of soulful touches – often served up with instrumentation that echoes some of the city pop generation as well, although maybe a bit more down to earth, given the genre! You might almost think of these tunes as city pop reggae variants – mostly with female singers in the lead – and titles include "Hittin Me Where It Hurts" by Marlene, "Johannesburg" by Junko Yagami, "Coffee Break" by Miharu Koshi, "Tsukikage No Nagisa" by Miki Hirayama, "Music" by Chu Kosaka, "Lazy Love" by Izumi Kobayashi, and "Tenkini Naare" by Lily. LP, Vinyl record album

That's a great 80s sense of design on the cover, and the album's got a nice sort of 80s vibe too – a bit more drum machine beats, basslines, and keyboards than work by some of the jazzier city pop artists of the time – a mode that really seems to bring out the best in the vocals of Tomoko Aran! The tunes are sometimes upbeat, but the best ones have a great midtempo groove – nicely soulful, with Tomoko's vocals gliding along the top in a very catchy style – so much so that you might forget that unless you understand Japanese, you won't understand the lyrics of the tunes. Don't let that stop you, though – as the album's a gem from this golden age of Japanese pop – with titles that include "Body To Body", "I'm In Love", "Lonely Night", "Hannya", "Yesterday", "Midnight Pretenders", and "Baby Don't You Cry Anymore". LP, Vinyl record album