About

One of the most influential compilations from the king of city pop himself. Yamashita might have played a major role in the revival of City Pop, but he also played a major role in its creation. One of the first groups to explore this sound in the mid 70s was a band called Sugar Babe, whose sole album, 1975’s Songs, became one of the blueprints for the genre. This group, led by none other than Tatsuro Yamashita himself, never achieved popularity in a musical landscape still dominated by the folk-rock and hard rock of the early 1970s, breaking up one year later in 1976. Sugar Babe’s jazzy, Steely Dan-inspired, melodic soft-rock seemed to be just a hair too ahead of domestic tastes. However, RCA records apparently saw something in the young Yamashita, signing him to a multi-album deal as a solo artist.

Yamashita would go on to record six studio albums for RCA, with his 5th album Ride on Time becoming the runaway smash hit of 1980, topping the charts and saving a musical career he reportedly almost abandoned. 
This compilation album consists of Yamashita's songs mostly included on his previous six albums ranging from Circus Town to For You. The only song not included in any album is Amaku Kiken na Kaori which is only released as a single and a re-recording of Funky Flushin'. According to Yamashita, "Greatest Hits" is just a mundane joke that I thought of as a western music lover." The original album release included Yamashita's biography, discography, and various photographs in the form of a booklet.

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Label: Air Records, Ariola
Series: Tatsuro Yamashita RCA / Air Years Vinyl Collection
Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered
Reissued: 2023 / Original Release: 1982
Genre: Jazz, Funk / Soul, Pop
Style: Boogie, City Pop, Disco, Funk, Jazz-Funk, Soul

File under: Japanese Pop
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