A cool anime soundtrack from the 80s! LP, Vinyl record album

Wicked soul from 70s Japanese singer Tatsuro Yamashita – recorded in New York and LA, and done with some excellent backings that rank with the best American soul from the time! The New York side was produced and arranged by Charlie Calello – who brings in some great jazzy moments to the set, using Pat Rebillot, Randy Brecker, and Jon Faddis to play on the tunes – almost giving the record a Crusaders-ish groove at times. The LA side was arranged by Tatsuro himself – and has a style that's similar, but with more backing vocals that slide in and out of the mellow Free Soul-styled rhythms. There's some really great numbers on the set, even if you can't understand the Japanese lyrics – and titles include "Windy Lady", "Circus Town", "Minnie", "Last Step", and "City Way". LP, Vinyl record album

A totally wonderful compilation – and a fantastic way to dip into the world of Japanese city pop – a genre that most of us missed back in the day, in large part because most of these records never made it to the record racks in the US! As fans know, the movement was a huge crest of creative activity in Japanese music – a way of refining some of the best modes begun in the 70s by artists like Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto (both of whom have a hand in some of the tracks here) – and mixing in some of the long love of American soul, funk, and jazz that had been brewing up for years. There's definitely a lot of soul inspiration on these cuts, even though lyrics are in Japanese – and the music also has some nice electric fusion moments too – although more of the sounds are from beats, keyboards, and basslines. Titles include an early cut by Pizzicato Five, "Boy Meets Girl" – plus "Love Sick" by Mari Iijima, "Pub Casablanca" by Osamu Shoji, "Tropical Love" by Teresa Noda, "Scandal Night" by Miharu Koshi, "Heartbeat" by Miho Fujiwara, "Tonkachi" by Atsuko Nina, "Bewitched" by Naomi Akimoto, "A Soka" by Susan, "Suiyoubi Madeni Shinitaino" by Yukako Hayase, and "Business Man (part 1)" by Makoto Matsushia. LP, Vinyl record album