Japanese — In Stock
A special section of Japanese language records -- city pop, J-pop, and other styles unique to the culture of Japan!
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(Items 1 – 85 of 85)
Super Fuji Discs, Early 2000s. Used ... $9.99
Previously unreleased material including soundtack work and live recordings. CD
(Sealed copy!)
Super Fuji Discs (Japan), Late 1990s/Early 2000s. Used ... $11.99
Three film soundtracks from Morio Agata, including the animated film Red Elegy. CD
(2013 Japanese pressing – still sealed!)
Disco Beats (Japan), 2023. New Copy ... $15.99 23.99
One of the coolest, most unusual books we've ever had on rare records – a set that's shaped like a pic sleeve 7" single, and which offers up page after page of listings of rare Japanese disco singles! As the title promises, the book has a strong focus on the b-sides – cuts that ... (Books, Japanese) read more Book
Atlantic (Japan), 1972. New Copy 2LP Gatefold (reissue)... $42.99 59.99
A massive double-length set from Flower Travelin Band, and one that really marks their growth over the previous records – as the combo serve up a mix of live and studio tracks that easily demonstrate just why they were such an important force on the Japanese scene at the time! There's a ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
P-Vine (Japan), 2024. New Copy ... $18.99 24.99
Studio Ghibli's never sounded so cool and contemporary – as Grey October Sound serve up a second great assortment of famous themes from animated features – all done with the definite lo-fi approach promised in the title! The tunes are familiar, but the approach is nicely different than ... read more CD
P-Vine (Japan), 2023. New Copy ... $29.99 36.99
One of the coolest projects so far from Grey October Sounds – a set that has all the crispy beats and laidback vibe of previous records, but which also focuses on themes from anime as well! There's plenty of tunes from the world of anime, but they're nicely changed up with the ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Great Japanese pressing – with obi!)
P-Vine (Japan), 2022. New Copy ... $29.99 39.99
A really cool take on the sounds of Studio Ghibli – one that brings classic melodies from the famous animated features into play with the production talents of Grey October Sounds – who delivers the goods with all the low-fi elements promised by the title! The approach is instrumental ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Nice Japanese pressing – with obi!)
Sixty/Lawson (Japan), 1986. New Copy (reissue)... $29.99 49.99
A really lovely album from Yukako Hayase – a set that's a bit different than some of the other releases of the city pop era, as it seems to have more of a European influence overall! The quality's a bit hard to peg, but we definitely hear elements of French work of the time – ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
Innocent (Japan), 2021. New Copy ... $32.99 39.99
Really wonderful Fender Rhodes work from the great Ino Hidefumi – working this time around with vocals on most tracks, and in a way that seems to underscore the soulful elements in his music even more than before! As with his instrumental albums, the tunes are often nice and lean – ... (Deep Funk, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
Innocent (Japan), 2024. New Copy ... $37.99 43.99
We've loved the music of Ino Hidefumi for years – and over the years, he just seems to get better and better – growing from a keyboardist with a love for spare grooves, into a singer who's got a surprising way with a tune! This set may well be Ino's strongest vocal outing to date ... (Deep Funk, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
Pony Canyon (Japan), 1980. New Copy (reissue)... $34.99 54.99
We're not entirely sure what Blendy means – but the set's a great showcase for the lovely vocals of Junko Hirotani, who's set up in backings that often have a nicely slinky groove! The set's got a bit more warmth than more electronic sets to come on the Japanese scene – mixing AOR ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese pink vinyl pressing – with obi!)
Pony Canyon (Japan), 1979. New Copy (reissue)... $44.99 54.99
The debut album from Japanese singer Junko Hirotani, and a set that seems nicely poised between two generations – with some warmer, more intimate moments that recall acoustic work from earlier on in the 70s – blended with other cuts that have some of the bolder city pop styles that ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese blue vinyl pressing – with obi!)
Polydor/Universal (Japan), 1977. New Copy (reissue)... $24.99 48.99
An album with a very striking cover, but which features music done for the more warm-tinged program Mu – a 70s drama represented here by a really great range of different themes! The mix of modes is great – one tune might have a playful Fender Rhodes solo, another a more serious koto ... (Soundtracks, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Great Japanese pressing – nice and heavy, with obi!)
Continental/Lawson (Japan), 1990. New Copy (reissue)... $39.99 48.99
Back in the 80s, Mayumi Itoh was as much of a star on the TV screen as she was a singer – but she definitely shows here strengths here in the latter department on an album of soulful city pop from the start of the 90s! The arrangements are all by Hero, and the set's got this easy-stepping ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(First time on vinyl – and a very nice Japanese pressing!)
Blow Up/Lawson (Japan), 1977. New Copy (reissue)... $28.99 48.99
A really unique album from the 70s scene in Japan – the debut of singer Makoto Iwabuchi, who works here in a very unusual groove! Makoto gets help on the set from members of Moonriders, and the set features some arrangements from the great guitarist Shigeru Suzuki – who also plays on ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
Ultra Vybe (Japan), Mid 1970s. New Copy ... $11.99 14.99
Rare work from an unusually-titled TV show – the Japanese program that was also known as Doberman Cop! The music's from 1980, but it's got a sweet 70s feel throughout – lots of the wah-wah guitar, heavy keyboards, and jazzy touches you'd find in American cop show work from the early ... (Soundtracks, Japanese) read more CD
East World/Universal (Japan), 1987. New Copy (reissue)... $41.99 49.99
Asami Kado's a really lovely sort of singer – one who's got a voice that's completely captivating, even beyond the boundaries of language – light, almost airy, but with more than enough force to really kick in the more catchy elements of these tunes! The great Yukihiro Takahashi ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Heavy Japanese pressing – with obi!)
East World/Universal (Japan), 1988. New Copy (reissue)... $41.99 49.99
The lovely vocals of Asami Kado get some great help here from producer/arranger Yukihiro Takahashi – known for his work in YMO and other project, and really a great force for directing the energy of the set! There's a strongly unified quality that makes the whole album great – catchy ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Heavy Japanese pressing – with obi!)
East World/Lawson (Japan), 1987. New Copy (reissue)... $28.99 48.99
A really soulful set from the great Kimiko Kasai – a Japanese jazz vocalist that you might know from her famous 70s albums, including her classic collaboration with Herbie Hancock – stepping out here in a nicely different style that really opens up her vocals! Kimiko produced the set ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
Kimiko Kasai with Herbie Hancock —
Butterfly ... LP Columbia/Be With (UK), 1979. New Copy (reissue)... $41.99
A legendary pairing of talents – as Japanese jazz singer Kimiko Kasai works alongside Herbie Hancock – in a setting that's very much on the soul side of the spectrum! Both Herbie and Kimiko started out with a straighter jazz sound in their early years – but by the end of the 70s, ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
Aardvark/Fuji (Japan), 1974. New Copy (reissue)... $39.99 49.99
A really cool early project from the legendary Haruomi Hosono – a set that's got a very unique vibe that's all its own! At points, the record almost feels like a soft rock treasure from the A&M Records label from a few years before – but with Japanese language vocals – but at ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Great pressing – heavy vinyl and cover, and obi!)
Wave/Lawson (Japan), 1986. New Copy (reissue)... $36.99 54.99
A really cool album from the Japanese scene of the 80s – one that's much more experimental and creative than some of the city pop material of the time – with a shifting style of music that really keeps things interesting! Ryuichi Sakamoto helped with the first track on the set, which ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
Yotsuo Koyama & His Tokyo Mandolino —
Romantic Japanese Mandolins ... LP Capitol, 1965. Very Good+ ... $4.99
... LP, Vinyl record album
(Mono rainbow label pressing. Cover has light ringwear and a 4-inch split in the bottom seam.)
Lawson (Japan), 1984. New Copy (reissue)... $28.99 48.99
Really beautiful work from Junko Kudou – a singer who's also heck of a songwriter, and works here on a set of material that's all her own! The style is a nice change from some other city pop modes of the 80s – a deeper, richer sense of feeling that almost imbues the music with some of ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
Lawson (Japan), 1975. New Copy (reissue)... $34.99 54.99
A sparkling 70s Japanese album from Mayumi Kuroki – and a set that's got some famous help from Tatsuro Yamashita, who brings a nicely soulful vibe to a few cuts here! The record also has a bit of a contribution from Akiko Yano – but it's clearly Mayumi who's the main attraction – ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Nice Japanese pressing!)
Express/Universal (Japan), 1970. New Copy (reissue)... $19.99 39.99
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 ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Great Japanese pressing – with obi!)
Sony/Lawson (Japan), Late 60s. New Copy Gatefold (reissue)... $42.99 53.99
A totally wonderful little record that's every bit as sexy as you might guess from the cover – and which also has some of the groovy French elements you might expect from the title! The set's got this slinky, erotic vibe that's almost in Serge Gainsbourg territory – save for the fact ... (Vocalists, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
Sony/Lawson (Japan), Late 60s. New Copy Gatefold (reissue)... $42.99 53.99
A set that's definitely all woman – thanks to the sexy sounds of Monica Lassen on vocals! The singer works at a wordless level here – breezily scatting alongside these slinky, jazzy lines from The Sounds – a Japanese group who've clearly drunk deep from the well of bossa nova and ... (Vocalists, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
Columbia/Lawson (Japan), 1982. New Copy ... $39.99 49.99
A jazzy bit of city soul from Yoko Maeno – a singer who's got a style that's partly like some of her Japanese contemporaries, and partly in a breathier mode – maybe a bit in territory that's like Jane Birkin and some other French singers of the 70s! The tunes have a nicely slinky vibe ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Nice Japanese pressing – with obi!)
Mad 13 (Japan), 2023. New Copy 2LP ... $9.99 54.99
The album's great cover image is an homage to the Death Wish soundtrack by Herbie Hancock, and Mantle references 70s funk group Mandrill in his name – but the sound here is very different than either of those two references might make you expect, more in a contemporary hip hop vein, but ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
Pony Canyon (Japan), 1983. New Copy (reissue)... $44.99 54.99
Masaki Matsubara's a guitarist, but the sort who likes to add in soulful vocals now and then – very much in that strong mixture of instrumental and vocal fusion styles the Japanese scene was helping to pioneer in the 70s! Here, the singer is Jesse Barish – an artist we don't know from ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Nice Japanese clear vinyl pressing – with obi!)
See Saw/Pony Canyon (Japan), 1983. New Copy (reissue)... $38.99 48.99
Miki Matsubara has a great sense of balance here – working in a style that moves effortlessly between quirky, upbeat pop tunes – and other numbers that have a more intimate, personal quality! There's a mix of modes that uses some of the 80s elements you'd expect from her cover image, ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese red vinyl pressing – with obi!)
Haruka Nakamura —
Aoi Mori III ... CD Todai (Japan), 2024. New Copy ... $32.99 35.99
Beautiful music in a beautiful package – a series of ambient tracks created for use in the amazing Tsutaya Shoten bookstores in Japan – often very special spaces of creative enjoyment, and in this case set up with the concept of a forest! The music is electric, but very organic – ... read more CD
(Comes in a cool package – an oversized book-like slipcase.)
Denon (Japan), 1987. Used ... $19.99
Philips/Lawson (Japan), 1978. New Copy (reissue)... $39.99 48.99
A totally cool record from Akio Niitsu – a late 70s effort that's a bit before some of the more electronic work of the 80s scene in Japan – and a set that almost feels like a bridge between earlier prog and later electro pop! The tunes are short, but instrumental – and have a ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
Great Tracks (Japan), 1990. New Copy 2LP (reissue)... $49.99 59.99
Great mature work from Junko Ohashi – a set that's done well into her long run as one of the best Japanese singers of her generation – working here in modes that really show just how much she's grown as an artist! Most of the tracks are written by Ken Sato and Machiko Ryu – who ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Heavy 2LP pressing – with obi!)
Great Tracks (Japan), 1988. New Copy 2LP (reissue)... $49.99 59.99
It's definitely 1988 on this album from Junko Ohashi – as the singer's making use of a lot of the best currents that had been showing up in American soul of the time – especially the early years of the new jack generation who mixed in heavier beats with R&B-styled production! Junko' ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Heavy 2LP pressing, with obi!)
Philips/Lawson (Japan), 1979. New Copy (reissue)... $41.99 49.99
Beautiful work from Junko Ohashi – working here in this flowing style that's almost a mix of Japanese mainstream pop and American soul currents – all of which send the album over the top! Junko's always had a richer sound than some of her contemporaries – and here she sparkles ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Very nice Japanese pressing!)
Denon (Japan), 1982. Used ... $6.99 9.99
Great vocal work from this hip Japanese singer – with small combo backing that includes keyboards from Toshiyuki Daitoku, bass from Cecil McBee, and drums from Billy Hart – plus tenor on one track from Yasuaki Shimizu! Titles include "Freedom Jazz Dance", "Slow Hot ... (Vocalists, Japanese) read more CD
(Out of print.)
We Want Sounds (UK), 1970s. New Copy ... $16.99 19.99
Japanese pianist Yuji Ohno started out in jazz, but soon had a role in so many different styles on his scene during the 70s – arranging for singers, doing soundtrack material, and serving up work in a whole host of different contexts – many of which are included in this mighty nice set! ... (Jazz, Japanese) read more CD
Warner/Lawson (Japan), 1981. New Copy (reissue)... $38.99 49.99
Really lovely work from Yuki Okazaki, a singer with a sound that's nicely upbeat, in ways that kick in beautifully next to the 80s production of the music! The lyrics are in Japanese, but there's almost more of a European style of production to some of the tracks – maybe because Yuki can ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
Pony Canyon (Japan), Late 1970s. New Copy (reissue)... $34.99 54.99
A really sweet set from the Japanese scene of the 70s – a record that has lead vocals from the lovely Kyoko Omiya, and backings by the group Orange – who do a nice job of mixing soulful and jazzy currents in the music! There's a warmer, more fully-formed quality here than some of the ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese orange vinyl pressing – with obi!)
Bellwood/King (Japan), 1977. New Copy (reissue)... $42.99 49.99
A really unusual album – put together by a variety of actors in the Toei studios in Japan – working here as a surprisingly strong collective of singers on a variety of offbeat tunes! Part of the strength of the set comes from the arrangements – handled by Jun Sato and Ryuichi ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Heavy Japanese pressing – with obi!)
Record Collector (Japan), 2020. New Copy ... $22.99 24.99
A well-done guide to the legendary years of city pop music in Japan – and one that's got way more than the hundred albums hinted at by the title! The book follows the format of other Japanese disc guides – with images of key records in the genre, mostly presented in full color – ... (Books, Japanese) read more Book
Rhythm Republic (Japan), 2009. Near Mint- 2LP Gatefold ... $199.99
... LP, Vinyl record album
(180 gram vinyl. Cover has minimal wear, lightly bumped corners, and a promo sticker in back.)
Toshiba/Universal (Japan), 1972. New Copy Gatefold (reissue)... $40.99 49.99
Stunning sounds from the Japanese jazz scene of the 70s – one of those key records that show how the scene was really moving forward with older jazz formats, and definitely finding new voices and styles in the process! The New Herd group here has nothing to do with older American big bands ... (Jazz, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Beautiful Japanese pressing, with obi!)
Pony Canyon (Japan), 1974. New Copy (reissue)... $44.99 54.99
Chie Sawa may only be 23, but she's got a great way with a groove – working here with these very cool arrangements from Makoto Yano that seem to echo some of the cooler currents in French pop in the early 70s! Given the lighter style of Chie's vocals, the blend is very nice – and the ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Great pressing – with obi and insert!)
Yazuaki Shimizu —
Kiren ... LP Palto Flats, 1984. New Copy ... $20.99 23.99
A really unusual album from the Japanese scene of the 80s – a set that was unissued at the time, but which is right in line with the other groundbreaking music of Yazuaki Shimizu! At some level, there's echoes of the instrumental experiments of Ryuichi Sakamoto going on here – but at ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
Atlantic/Lawson (Japan), 1978. New Copy (reissue)... $39.99 46.99
A really cool keyboard set from the Japanese scene of the 70s – a record that's nicely nestled in a space between some of the fusion work of the time, and some of the ambient work to come! At some level, the record is neither – there's not really a jazz combo on the record, but Osamu ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
Invitation/Lawson (Japan), 1980. New Copy (reissue)... $32.99 54.99
A wicked bit of Japanese soul, and a rare album done by an American singer who was working on the scene at the time! Shoody sings in English throughout, with a soulful style that's wonderful – mixing her own great vocals with jazzy backings in a level that's a bit like some of the Japanese ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Nice Japanese pressing – with obi!)
Bellissima (UK), 1995. Near Mint- ... $16.99
Excellent work from this important Japanese group of the 90s – and a set that focuses much more on the instrumental side of their work! There's also some nice remix work by folks like Nobukazu Takemura and Palm Skin Productions, both of whom add some great touches to the Silent Poets own ... (New Grooves, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese pressing, on Toys Factory.)
Masayoshi Takanaka —
Insatiable High (180 gram gold vinyl pressing) ... LP Kitty/Universal (Japan), 1977. New Copy (reissue)... Just Sold Out!
A real gem from that key moment in Japanese fusion when some of the nation's best artists were hopping over to the American scene – cutting records like this, which often beat the American soul fusion scene at its own game – thanks to the help of a big array of all-star players! ... (Jazz, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Great Japanese pressing – with obi!)
Masayoshi Takanaka —
Takanaka (180 gram red vinyl pressing) ... LP Kitty/Universal (Japan), 1977. New Copy (reissue)... Just Sold Out!
A key Japanese fusion album from the 70s – done at a time when the scene was really on fire with electric jazz elements, and making some of the most soulful fusion records on the planet! Guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka is clearly the star of the scene – and handles arrangement and ... (Jazz, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Great Japanese pressing – with obi!)
Alfa/Great Tracks (Japan), 1978. New Copy (reissue)... $40.99 49.99
An album with a dreamy cover image, but one that comes across with a nicely down to earth vibe – really well-crafted arrangements from Hiroshi Satoh, who does a great job of shaping the music for the vocals of Yoichi Takizawa! There's a number of fusion players in the lineup – ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese lime green vinyl pressing – with obi!)
Big Beat (UK), 1960s/1970s. New Copy ... $11.99 18.99
Blazing 60s & 70s string-shredding mastery from Japan's great guitar instrumentals guru Takeshi Terauchi – whose playing matches the greatest 50s & 60s rock guitar gurus in both dexterous ability and pulpy mood setting! Takeshi put his own unique spin on the chugging styles of the ... (Rock, Japanese) read more CD
Also available Nippon Guitars – Instrumental Surf, Eleki, & Tsugaru Rock 1966 to 1974 ... LP 19.99
Takeshi Terauchi —
Nippon Guitars – Instrumental Surf, Eleki, & Tsugaru Rock 1966 to 1974 ... LP Big Beat (UK), 1960s/1970s. New Copy ... $19.99 28.99
Blazing 60s & 70s string-shredding mastery from Japan's great guitar instrumentals guru Takeshi Terauchi – whose playing matches the greatest 50s & 60s rock guitar gurus in both dexterous ability and pulpy mood setting! Takeshi put his own unique spin on the chugging styles of the ... (Rock, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
Also available Nippon Guitars – Instrumental Surf, Eleki, & Tsugaru Rock 1966 to 1974 ... CD 11.99
Toyokasei (Japan), 2024. New Copy ... $36.99 44.99
An excellent funk group from Japan – one who pick up some of the fuller horns of the Stax Records or Afro Funk generations, mix it with some leaner rhythms at times – and also make a strong nod towards contemporary funk modes as well – but all without sounding like anyone else at ... (Deep Funk, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
Polydor/Lawson (Japan), 1987. New Copy (reissue)... $28.99 48.99
American audiences know Tamlyn Tomita for her role in Karate Kid 2, but here she's a great singer on on a Japanese city pop album from the 80s – singing both English and Japanese, which makes for a nice change from the usual album of the time! The tunes are soulful and catchy, even when you ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Great Japanese pressing!)
Teichiku/Jamdung (Italy), 1982. New Copy (reissue)... $22.99 29.99
One of the most unusual chapters in the career of The Wailers – a set that has the group backing up singer Joe Yamanaka – an artist born in Japan, but with Caribbean roots – and one who's famous for his earlier time in the Flower Travellin Band! The set was recorded at Tuff Gong, ... (Reggae, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
Columbia/Wild Honey (Japan), 1972. New Copy ... $41.99 49.99
Very early work from Tatsuro Yamashita – an artist most folks know for his groundbreaking soul music in the second half of the 70s in Japan – but one who starts out here in much more of a rock basis overall, with an especially strong influence on most of the tracks from legendary Beach ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Great Japanese pressing – and very limited!)
Denon/Lawson (Japan), 1976. New Copy (reissue)... $29.99 49.99
A really cool record from the Japanese scene of the 70s – one that mixes traditional instrumentation with some high fidelity recording styles – then adds in just the right dash of contemporary elements too! The set's not as all-out funky as others like it from the time, but does rise ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
Great Tracks (Japan), 1992. New Copy (reissue)... $30.99 49.99
One of the most personal albums we've ever heard from Akiko Yano – a really lovely set that has her working mostly with just piano alongside her vocals – which creates a sense of intimacy that really sets the record apart from some of Yano's other projects! If you've ever thought that ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Heavy Japanese pressing – with obi!)
Midi/We Want Sounds (UK), 1981. New Copy (reissue)... $31.99 34.99
A Japanese electro pop masterpiece from Akiko Yano – done with lots of help on production from Ryuichi Sakamoto, and lots of musical help from other members of YMO too! Yet the set's got a very different vibe than Sakmoto's music and that of his group – maybe more tuneful, at a level ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
Midi/We Want Sounds (UK), 1978. New Copy ... $16.99 19.99
An early album from Japanese genius Akiko Yano, and one that features some key contributions from American jazz and fusion players – in a lineup that brings some surprisingly funky touches to the record too! Akiko's vocals and unique song structures still have all the charms you'll know from ... read more CD
Alfa (Japan), 1979. Near Mint- Gatefold ... Just Sold Out!
The second album from Harumi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi, not as much of an electro groove filled affair as the first, but still a great batch of quirky techno-electro Asian pop with lots of great bubbling synth touches! 8 tracks in all including "Behind The Mask", ... (Rock, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Later Japanese pressing with 12 tracks in a gatefold cover.)
Toshiba/Universal (Japan), 1971. New Copy (reissue)... $29.99 49.99
Not nearly as primitive as you might guess from the title – and instead, a heady batch of electric funk from the Japanese scene at the start of the 70s! The album's got a heavy dose of percussion at the bottom – drums and more, interwoven with lots of electric guitar in the rhythms ... (Jazz, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Heavy Japanese pressing – with obi!)
Columbia/Cinedelic (Italy), 1976. New Copy (reissue)... $29.99 34.99
An incredibly cool use of the koto – that stringed Japanese instrument that got some great reworking in the 70s, thanks to hip records like this! The instrument is set up here amidst some sophisticated larger arrangements – in a way that almost takes off from some of the Dorothy Ashby ... (Jazz, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Limited edition pressing, with obi!)
Columbia/Cinedelic (Italy), 1976. New Copy (reissue)... $29.99 34.99
A deceptively groovy record – one that, like the other two in this hip series, hides some very cool sounds behind a relatively unassuming cover! Toshiko Yonekawa plays the Japanese koto, but the setting here is very different than the spare, folksy mode of earlier koto records – as ... (Jazz, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
Columbia/Cinedelic (Italy), 1976. New Copy (reissue)... $29.99 34.99
One of the coolest Japanese albums of the 70s to blend classic instrumentation and contemporary elements – a record that's got plenty of the koto promised in the title, but which also serves up the music with a wonderfully rich vibe throughout! The style is more in sophisticated soundtrack ... (Jazz, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
Columbia/Great Tracks (Japan), 1974. New Copy Gatefold (reissue)... $35.99 54.99
A 70s classic from Izumi Yukimura – a key Japanese cultural figure who was known as much for her work on the screen as for her recordings as a singer! Here, Izumi sings the music of Ryoichi Hattori, but with some help from younger talents who really open up the groove – including ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Comes with a bonus poster!)
Alfa/Sony (Japan), 1980s. New Copy 2LP ... $48.99 54.99
A totally cool look at a totally cool label – the early home of YMO, and an imprint that was host to some of the coolest Japanese music in the 80s! Some of the artists on the Alpha label were already rising stars by the time the company launched in 1980 – but they found a new outlet ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Great Japanese pressing – with obi!)
Great Tracks (Japan), 1990s. New Copy 2LP Gatefold ... $54.99 64.99
A deep dive into the Japanese scene of the 90s – featuring music at a point when things were really moving past some of the more familiar city pop styles of the decade before! The cuts here have all sorts of great elements coming in – a bit of an influence from R&B sounds from both ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
(Very cool Japanese pressing – one pink record and one blue – divided up into girls and boys!)
Universal (Japan), 1980s. New Copy ... $46.99 52.99
A well-done collection of city pop gems from the Japanese scene – filled with key cuts that you might not be likely to track down in their original pressings! The work here is all from the farther reaches of the Universal music catalog – work that originally appeared on Kitty and other ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
Toshiba/Universal (Japan), 1961. New Copy ... $24.99 49.99
All-star jazz from the Japanese scene of the early 60s – a record that's almost in the Verve Records jam session or JATP style – as it features some of the greatest players on the Japanese scene of the time, coming together on some really long tracks that take off in a beautiful way! ... (Jazz, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
Ace/BGP (UK), 1970s/Early 80s. New Copy 2LP Gatefold ... Just Sold Out!
Disco grooves from a source you might not expect – the Japanese scene of the 70s, which was home to a surprisingly strong array of records that were perfect for the clubs! In retrospect, maybe the music's not such a surprise – given that 70s Japan was also a hotbed of electric fusion, ... (Funky Compilations, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
Various —
New Rock & Underground ... CD Ultra Vybe (Japan), Late 1960s/Early 1970s. New Copy ... $11.99 14.99
Japanese cinema was going through a lot of changes in the late 60s – and Japanese music was too, especially in the realm of rock music, which was feeling a heavy influence from the psych, hard rock, and prog undergrounds of the Anglo world! These two great cultural shifts meet here nicely ... (Soundtracks, Japanese) read more CD
Time Capsule (UK), 1970s. New Copy ... $39.99 44.99
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 ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
Various —
Nippon Girls – Japanese Pop, Beat, & Bossa Nova 1966 to 1970 ... CD Big Beat (UK), Late 60s. New Copy ... $11.99 18.99
Groovy, moddish, magnificent and sunny girl pop from The Land Of The Rising Sun – pummeling drums, jumping arrangements and groovy vocals from the mid-to-late 60s Japanese scene! This is fantastic stuff, any kitch or novelty appeal you might be expecting is kind of muted by the exceptional ... read more CD
Time Capsule (UK), 1970s. New Copy ... $39.99 44.99
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 ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
Various —
Pacific Breeze 3 – Japanese City Pop, AOR, & Boogie 1975 to 1987 ... LP Light In The Attic, Late 70s/Early 80s. New Copy 2LP ... Just Sold Out!
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 ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
We Want Sounds (UK), Late 70s/Early 80s. New Copy 2LP Gatefold ... $34.99 36.99
Beautiful grooves from the Japanese scene – most of them from a time when its singers and musicians were leaning heavily on influences from American funk and soul, and turning out some wonderful music of their own! Lyrics on most tracks are in Japanese, but there's a really universal vibe to ... read more LP, Vinyl record album
180g (UK), Late 60s/1970s/Early 80s. New Copy 2LP Gatefold ... $40.99 45.99
An essential collection of work from the Japanese scene of the 70s – as set that really gets at the "something special" that made jazz from this generation so unique! Japanese musicians were early adopters of American modes – and the scene had great bop recordings from the ... (Funky Compilations, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
180g (UK), Late 60s/1970s/Early 80s. New Copy 2LP Gatefold ... $41.99 44.99
A wonderfully wide-ranging look at the more unique aspects of Japanese jazz from the 60s onward – a set that mixes together spiritual tracks, bossa nova, and some surprisingly soulful tracks too – all from records that were only ever issued in Japan! If you've heard the great first ... (Funky Compilations, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
180g (UK), 1970s. New Copy ... $29.99 34.98
A fantastic document of the lost funk legacy of 70s Japan – music that's often different than the jazz and pop work of the decade that sees greater reissue, and which shows a very strong influence from the American scene! The rhythms here are wonderful – sometimes in the best funky ... (Funky Compilations, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
180g (UK), Late 70s/Early 80s. New Copy ... $29.99 34.99
Japanese club music from the disco years onward – but a set that's got a very universal appeal in the rhythms! The vocals are mostly in Japanese, but the arrangements, production, and instrumentation here resonate strongly with the best that New York or Philly had to offer during the disco ... (Funky Compilations, Japanese) read more LP, Vinyl record album
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