{"product_id":"makoto-matsushita-first-light-coloured-vinyl","title":"Makoto Matsushita – First Light (Coloured Vinyl)","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne of the finest albums of the era, \u003cem\u003eFirst Light\u003c\/em\u003e’s tightly wound pop\/AOR is an album that spawned the start of a trailblazing three-album trilogy. Despite the enduring life \u003cem\u003eFirst Light\u003c\/em\u003e has, its creation was a complete stroke of luck.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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 \u003cem\u003eFirst Light\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTaking advantage of the 16-track digital recorder, Matsushita’s multi-tracked vocals are slathered all over \u003cem\u003eFirst Light\u003c\/em\u003e. Floating and ethereal, they accentuate the late-night magic that the record oozes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eListen 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven 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, \u003cem\u003eFirst Light\u003c\/em\u003e’s roster looks bleak until the needle’s in the groove.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike other albums of the era, \u003cem\u003eFirst Light\u003c\/em\u003e remains conceptually rooted in itself. While albums from Tatsuro Yamashita and Toshiki Kadomatsu have very obvious filler tracks, \u003cem\u003eFirst Light\u003c\/em\u003e is well, almost perfect. — (via The \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@velvetmotel\/makoto-matsushita-first-light-f9085bcc7f73\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eMedium\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e—\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— Reissued in orange coloured vinyl\u003cbr\u003e— Vinyl cut from 2025 96kHz\/24 bit remastered audio\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" style=\"border-radius: 12px;\" data-testid=\"embed-iframe\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/6iHAKqapZLwgw9yIrVgsUT?utm_source=generator\u0026amp;si=cbb61af0a644418a\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e↓\u003cbr\u003eLabel: Warner Music Japan\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo, Orange Vinyl\u003cbr\u003eReissued: 2026 \/ Originally Released: 1981\u003cbr\u003eGenre: Electronic, Jazz, Rock, Funk \/ Soul\u003cbr\u003eStyle: Prog Rock, Jazz-Rock, Fusion, AOR\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFile under: Japanese Pop\u003cbr\u003e⦿\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Warner Music Japan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47935971524766,"sku":"494367443854","price":60.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0584\/5434\/3838\/files\/51B-iz4eASL-_UF1000-1000_QL80.jpg?v=1783146520","url":"https:\/\/theanalogvault.com\/products\/makoto-matsushita-first-light-coloured-vinyl","provider":"The Analog Vault","version":"1.0","type":"link"}