About

One of the finest albums of the era, First Light’s tightly wound pop/AOR is an album that spawned the start of a trailblazing three-album trilogy. Despite the enduring life First Light has, its creation was a complete stroke of luck.

Then 21 years old, Matsushita was told by a senior musician that Nichion Studio had recently installed a new 16-track recording console. Invited to participate in a test recording, he recorded “September Rain,” one of the album’s stronger tracks.

The enduring success of September Rain led to the opportunity for Matsushita to record his debut album. Up to this point, Matsushita was an arranger and session musician, recording on albums like Mai Yamane’s Tasogare, another great record. Matsushita had his big break, but it also meant that he worked tirelessly on First Light.

Taking advantage of the 16-track digital recorder, Matsushita’s multi-tracked vocals are slathered all over First Light. Floating and ethereal, they accentuate the late-night magic that the record oozes.

Listen closely and you’ll hear very distinct Western influences all over. Unlike his contemporaries like Tatsuro Yamashita and Hiroshi Sato who both got their sound splashing cash and recording albums with American musicians, Matsushita preferred to remain in Tokyo and use his ears to his advantage.

Even the style of the album’s production is conceptually similar to Steely Dan. Matsushita hired purely studio musicians to participate in the recording — none of the names have any major solo careers. Compared to Taeko Ohnuki, who has Sakamoto, Shimizu and Hosono all lined up like ducks in a row, First Light’s roster looks bleak until the needle’s in the groove.

Unlike other albums of the era, First Light remains conceptually rooted in itself. While albums from Tatsuro Yamashita and Toshiki Kadomatsu have very obvious filler tracks, First Light is well, almost perfect. — (via The Medium)

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— Reissued in orange coloured vinyl
— Vinyl cut from 2025 96kHz/24 bit remastered audio

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Label: Warner Music Japan
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo, Orange Vinyl
Reissued: 2026 / Originally Released: 1981
Genre: Electronic, Jazz, Rock, Funk / Soul
Style: Prog Rock, Jazz-Rock, Fusion, AOR

File under: Japanese Pop
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