Classic Japanese albums have been accompanied by some memorable cover art. The front of Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Solid State Survivor shows the band in Red Army outfits, drinking with a Chairman Mao-type character and what looks like a call girl, who on the back are revealed as a pair of dolls. The concept was the band’s own and the photography was by Masayoshi Sukita, who also captured David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust phase.

Courtesy of Alfa Records

Jacks
Jacks no Sekai
1968

This album features four paisley-shirted mop tops who turn their backs on the Group Sounds explosion, which was then at its peak, and create a cult classic that’s also Japan’s first psychedelic rock album. At a time when most of his peers were copping licks from The Beatles and The Ventures, frontman Yoshio Hayakawa was penning nihilistic torch songs that, while unsuccessful commercially, have since influenced everyone from The Stalin to Yura Yura Teikoku. If Hayakawa’s guttural voice is restrained on his lyrically hard-edged signature song, “Karappo no Sekai,” elsewhere he ratchets up the intensity, coming on like a maniacal, half-drunk sage on “Uragiri no Kisetsu,” egged on by Haruo Mizuhashi’s blazing guitar. Disbanding after the release of the group’s second album, Jacks no Kiseki, Hayakawa embarked on a fitful solo career, but this was his crowning achievement. David Hickey is an editor for The Japan Times. He regrets that no one chose an album by Mikami Kan, Murahachibu or Maher Shalal Hash Baz for this feature

Toru Takemitsu
In an Autumn Garden
1973

Composed by classical music composer Toru Takemitsu for a gagaku (traditional Japanese court music) orchestra, In an Autumn Garden is a rare instance of successful collaboration between East and West. Melodies that dance and fade into one another sound modern and avant-garde, somewhat like Western classical music of the period, while deliberate silences called “ma” in traditional Japanese music maintain tension throughout the slow-moving piece. In an Autumn Garden is a cross-genre exploration into sound, space and time that challenges listeners on both sides of the globe. Isaku Kageyama is a member of taiko drumming group Amanojaku

Yonin Bayashi
Isshokusokuhatsu
1974

With echoes of Pink Floyd’s arty psychedelica yoked to the hard rock essence of Deep Purple, Yonin Bayashi’s debut album Isshokusokuhatsu was a historic moment in Japanese rock. The LP’s 16 short tracks are magical, brimming with technique and energy for an effect that is miraculous. The strange illustration of a monkey hanging from an elephant trunk on the cover and a fantastic picture scroll by lyricist Yasuo Suematsu invite the audience into the dream world of a child, where sound effects like ping-pong balls ricochet off the listener’s consciousness. The title track offers ideas and humor that belie the year it was released. Yonin Bayashi’s style is oriental rock—a uniquely Japanese approach that Westerners would be hard-pressed to duplicate. It’s this Japanese exoticism that led me to music in the late ’70s, and I was lucky enough to become a new member of the band when they regrouped again in the ’80s! Hoppy Kamiyama is a veteran avant-garde musician and producer

Tatsuro Yamashita
Spacy
1977

Still at the forefront of Japanese pop, singer Tatsuro Yamashita’s second album, Spacy, had the melodies, lyrics, arrangement and a danceable beat to give it a universal appeal that hasn’t faded over time. Any Japanese can hum his songs, which stand alongside those of collaborators Miwa Yoshida, Ponta Murakami, Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto. With the nostalgic feeling of slipping on a favorite pair of shoes, Spacy still makes you feel as if you were listening to it every time for the first time. The album has an easy, pop feel, but surprises with its depth. My favorite track is “Dancer.” The strength of its lyrics goes without saying, and with its thrilling, interwoven drum ‘n’ bass introduction—you’ll be enchanted by just one phrase. Yoshi Horino is a DJ with Shibuya FM

Yellow Magic Orchestra
Solid State Survivor
1979

Created in the mid ’70s, YMO was supposed to be a once-only studio experiment in fusing classic Oriental musical forms with state-of-the-art technology. The response, however, ensured that Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi were able to sustain quarter-century careers out of it. Somewhat under-celebrated, YMO were influential in the creation of electronica, although the commonly used descriptive term “a Japanese Kraftwerk” devalues their contribution. The album I chose is Solid State Survivor, which epitomizes YMO’s rigid, almost mathematical compositions, played out at a high tempo with complex layers and playful rhythms. There’s a slight innocence to the freedom of the album, and today it swaggers with a retro-coolness, managing to be worthy dancefloor material and experimental at the same time—something that is often a struggle for modern producers. Standout tracks are “Rydeen” (see Kirin TV ad) and “Technopolis,” a fun and bouncing four-to-the-floor fanfare that Les Rythmes Digitales, to name but one, owe credit to. James Coulson works at Metropolis and collects vinyl

Shoukichi Kina and Champloose
Blood Line
1980

This album introduced a generation of Japanese music fans to Okinawa’s rich musical tradition, as interpreted by the brilliant and eccentric Kina. Two of the songs, “Hai sai Ojisan” and “Subete no Hito no Kokoro ni Hana wo” (“Flowers for Everyone’s Hearts”), are undisputed Japanese classics. Check out Ry Cooder’s beautiful slide guitar solo on the latter tune, usually known simply as “Hana” and one of the most widely covered Japanese songs ever. Steve McClure is Billboard magazine’s Asia bureau chief and the author of Nippon Pop (1998), the first English-language book on Japanese pop music

Dreams Come True
Greatest Hits
1997

Japanese pop music doesn’t really push my buttons. The cogs of the industry here grind the life and soul out of music until all that is left is frothy, airless pap. Ayumi Hamasaki, the queen of J-pop, makes me want to bellow at my TV when she flaps across the screen. But the great Dreams Come True almost make up for the aural damage inflicted by the Hamasaki clones. Entrancing hooks and seamless arrangements help explain why they’ve become the ABBA of Japan (with album sales of 30 million), but the band’s real secret weapon is singer Miwa Yoshida, who has a set of pipes that would blow Anni-Frid Lyngstad or Agnetha Fältskog back to Sweden. Now past their ’90s peak, their Greatest Hits package is the group at its pre-drugs-bust prime. David McNeill is a correspondent for the London Independent newspaper and a former DJ

YotsUkaido Nature
VIC Tomorrow
1998

I’m not sure if it’s my all-time favorite record, but VIC Tomorrow at least qualifies as my favorite hip-hop album. It’s one of the initial releases from now-defunct Guntez Records, which was started by Club Harlem, when hip-hop was still very underground in Japan. This joke-y rarity is full of unintelligible rhymes, but is informed by astonishing production that still stands up today. The group would later become favored house production unit Forces Of Nature, which played at last year’s Fuji Rock Festival. Sebastian Mair has been a music industry consultant in Japan for over 10 years and is also a cultural officer (music) at the Canadian Embassy

Yura Yura Teikoku
Me no Car
1999

The gritty grrrl power of Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her taught me
to love J-rock, but it was Yura Yura Teikoku who convinced me I could love it without the crutch of English lyrics. Formed in 1989 by singer-guitarist Shintaro Sakamoto, the Tokyo-based group hit their stride in the late ’90s. With bassist Chiyo Kamekawa and drummer Ichiro Shibata on board, Yura Yura Teikoku stepped back from the brink of prog-rock excess and forged a sound whose psychedelic leanings are tempered by a pop sensibility. Retro without sounding calculated, Me no Car covers all the bases. The delicacy of opener “Uso ga Hontou Ni” is kicked aside by “Zukku ni Rock,” while ’60s-flavored “Hachi to Mitsu” counterbalances the squall of “Gozen 3-ji no Fuzz Guitar.” Songs like the 23min title track have led some to call Yura Yura Teikoku a jam band, but proof that granola isn’t part of Sakamoto’s diet can be found in his dark lyrical imagery. Long may their freak flags fly. Former Asahi Shimbun music writer Wayne Gabel now gets his J-rock fix in New York

Hikaru Utada
First Love
1999

The fact that it’s the biggest album in Japanese history (with an estimated 10 million sold) is enough to make First Love noteworthy. Sales figures alone are rarely a guide to quality, but the album’s distinctive R&B-flavored pop and Hikki’s versatile voice also managed to launch a new era for J-pop. Aged just 16 and bilingual thanks to her international schooling, Utada’s sound was honest and mature, but above all she had a certain kind of soul. “Automatic” was for Utada what “Holiday” was for Madonna: a catchy pop tune imbued with optimism and sincerity, tangible in every note of her voice. Well-crafted simplicity marked now-standard tracks like “Time Will Tell” and “Give Me a Reason,” while the spine-tingling title track wooed a nation. Many have lined-up to replicate her, but none have come close to her early sophistication. Robert Poole is director of Something Drastic Artist Management

Dry & Heavy
Full Contact
2000

There is little doubt that Dry & Heavy is the most crucial and successful roots reggae band to have emerged from Japan, and their signature album is Full Contact. With drummer “Dry” Nanao and bassist “Heavy” Akimoto laying down a gripping riddim, the vocal team of Likkle Mai and Ao shine. Mai contributes the sweet and soaring singing while Ao chats up the mic in accomplished Jamaican MC fashion. The album contains the crossover hit “Dawn is Breaking” which, in addition to being a great track with a killer hook, made it on to mainstream Japanese radio in the summer and fall of 2000. Rob Schwartz is a Metropolis contributor, freelance journalist and owner of Dynastic Records

Love Psychedelico
The Greatest Hits
2001

Like most, I use to be (and still am a little) clueless about Japanese music—but I know what I like. At first encounter, I couldn’t really relate to any of it. Coming from Canada, the music scene here was literally on the other side of the world. But I came to Japan for one reason, and that was music. If Monkey Majik was to be any good, we needed to study the scene. This is when
I found out about Love Psychedelico, the perfect introduction. The band consists of a female vocalist, Kumi, and a brilliant guitarist, Naoki, who met in 1997 while studying at a university in Tokyo. What drew me in were Kumi’s unconventional mix of Japanese and English and Naoki’s twangy guitar riffs. It was just cool—not what I’d expected at all, though they’d already sold a few million records and taken Japan by storm. What I respect most about Love Psychedelico is that they came out with a fresh sound, and are still experimenting. They’ve released three albums, the sly and misleadingly named The Greatest Hits in 2001, Love Psychedelico Orchestra in 2002, and Love Psychedelico III in 2004, and I still have and listen to them all. Blaise Plant is a member of Monkey Majik

UA
Dorobo
2002

Neither soul siren, avant-garde artiste nor J-pop idol, it was obvious that UA had broken the quavering, kawaii mold when she emerged from Kansai in the mid ’90s. Since debuting with the club-friendly beats of 11, she has made standout albums of electronica, rock, and most recently jazz. Although it’s hard to choose a favorite, I’ll take her album Dorobo (“Thief”), which pairs the songstress with two of the country’s most innovative contemporary electronica producers, Rei Harakami and Asa-Chang. The lead-off track, “Kiyoku Soshitsu” (“Memory Loss”) is slow-burn future-blues, followed by “Senko” (“Flash of Light”) on which UA is accompanied by Asa-Chang’s tabla drumming for an unusual outing that touches on everything from Indian classical to folk music.
The mood on Dorobo is understated, sometimes to the point of being somber; UA’s rounded voice fills the foreground, an expressive instrument that touches even those who don’t understand her lyrics. DG

Miso-soup
Miso-soup
2006

Miso-soup is the debut album from four Japanese boys who live deep in East London. They’d existed as an improvisational band, and started recording in their own warehouse studio in 2004—but it wasn’t until last November that Miso-soup was finally released in Japan. From jazz to rock, dub to noise, the album is a careful blend of experimental and inimitable sounds. The strong, original rhythms, grounded in Japanese soul and topped up with an East London vibe, makes this one of my favorite albums. Since it has a bit of an Occidental feeling too, Miso-soup could also make a good point of departure for foreigners to begin their explorations into Japanese music. But then again, maybe not! Naoka Fukumoto is a music promoter with Kontacto

Shibusashirazu Orchestra
Shibu-Zen
2006

Blending ethnic rhythms, ska, Latin, traditional Japanese enka, prog-rock and jazz all in one superbly funky pot, Shibusashirazu (“never be cool”) Orchestra has been one of Japan’s leading underground musical phenomena for nearly two decades. With a flexible lineup ranging from a few to 30 members (including a handful of theatrical dancers)—all top-class musicians—they are renowned for their spectacular concerts, playing at all kinds of venues and performing over 150 shows a year. This anthology is a perfect place to take a peek into the wild carnival ride of one of Japan’s most original and perhaps most outrageous jazz groups today. To top it off, they do it all with a great sense of humor and amazing improvisation, creating a groove that will certainly make you want to go crazy, if not make you go out and buy all their albums. Shinpei Fukuzumi works for record company P-Vine

Kenichi Asai
Johnny Hell
2006

Kenichi Asai is one of Japan’s most admired and inspired rock artists. He’s released dozens of catchy and atmospheric songs in various incarnations including rock ‘n’ roll trio Blankey Jet City in the early ’90s (classic track: “Skunk”); with guitar rock unit The Sherbets (classic track: “Grape Juice”); as punk rockers Jude (pronounced “yuda,” classic track “Silvet”); experimentally in Ajico (with UA, classic track: “Utsukushii Koto”); and recently again as a solo artist. A best-of album would showcase his many songwriting gems, all with that expressive high-pitched voice morphing from fast rap-style verses into sweet melodious choruses. But with shades of mid-period Bob Dylan, David Bowie, The Damned or The White Stripes, and featuring his tuneful pop guitar riffs over distortion and heavy bass, Asai’s latest solo album Johnny Hell is a great introduction to his many styles. The standout singles “Way” and “Kiken Sugiru” (“It’s Too Dangerous”) are balanced by some great, retro-soundtrack-style album tracks. Jon Lynch publishes Juice magazine and runs Roppongi Stereo Lounge

The “Best Japanese Albums” contributors spin these tracks and much more Japanese music at “Saiko: A Contemporary Japanese Music Showcase.” Stereo@Flower, June 4. See club listings for details.

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