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1
Tatsuro Yamashita – For You
Tatsuro Yamashita's 1982 album is the genre's benchmark for sound: crisp funk guitar, bright horns and his own stacked backing harmonies, all recorded with obsessive care. Sparkle, with its famous opening guitar riff, is the place to start, and Music Book shows the softer, more melodic side. Choose it if you want one album that defines what city pop sounds like.
2
Taeko Onuki – Sunshower
Taeko Ohnuki's 1977 album, with arrangements partly by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Stuff drummer Chris Parker in the band, is early city pop with a jazz-fusion feel. Her cool, slightly detached voice floats over sophisticated chords and tight grooves. Tokai, with its urban mood, and Summer Connection are the tracks to start with. Choose it for the genre's more understated, artful roots.
3
Toshiki Kadomatsu – After 5 Clash
Toshiki Kadomatsu, a singer, guitarist and producer, made dance-floor city pop, and this 1984 album is driven by heavy slap bass from Tomohito Aoki, programmed drums and sharp synth-funk arrangements. It is the most club-ready record here. Choose it if you like 1980s boogie and funk and want city pop with more muscle than shimmer.
4
Minako Yoshida – Flapper
Minako Yoshida has one of the strongest soul voices in Japanese pop, and this 1976 album, with contributions from Haruomi Hosono and Eiichi Ohtaki, is a key early record of the scene. It moves between funk, soul and ballads, and her voice keeps it unified. Yume de Aetara, written by Ohtaki, is the track to start with. Choose it for city pop's soulful, pre-1980s beginnings.
5
Miki Matsubara – Pocket Park
Miki Matsubara's 1980 debut opens with Mayonaka no Door (Stay With Me), the song that went viral decades later, and the rest of the album is better than most people expect. She was barely out of her teens, but her rich, smoky voice handles brisk pop, jazzy mid-tempo songs and ballads with ease. Choose it if Stay With Me is your entry point and you want more in the same mood.
6
Mariya Takeuchi – Variety
Mariya Takeuchi wrote every song on this 1984 album, her return after a break following her marriage to Tatsuro Yamashita, who produced and arranged it. Plastic Love is the internet's favourite city pop track, but the album also shows her range as a writer of bright pop songs and warm ballads; Mou Ichido is the next track to hear. Choose it to meet the songwriter behind the viral hit.
7
Anri – Timely!!
Anri's 1983 album, produced by Toshiki Kadomatsu, is city pop at its sunniest: shimmering synths, bouncing bass and big hooks about summer romance by the sea. Cat's Eye was the hit, but Windy Summer and Shyness Boy are the tracks that fans of the genre's online revival tend to love. Choose it for an upbeat, seaside-drive album.
8
Haruomi Hosono – Philharmony
The outlier. Haruomi Hosono, bassist and Yellow Magic Orchestra member, made this 1982 solo album with early samplers, building playful songs from snippets of voice and sound. It sits at the experimental edge of the scene rather than in its glossy centre. Choose it if you want to hear the electronic side of the same Tokyo musicians who played on city pop records.
9
Makoto Matsushita – First Light
Guitarist Makoto Matsushita, later a member of the fusion band AB'S, made this 1981 solo album, and it is the closest city pop gets to American West Coast AOR. Smooth jazz chords, soft vocal harmonies and electric piano dominate. Love Was Really Gone is the track to start with. Choose it if you like Steely Dan or Michael McDonald-era Doobie Brothers.
10
Junko Ohashi – Magical
Junko Ohashi is the powerhouse singer of the scene, with a big, gospel-influenced voice, and she often worked with the funk band Minoya Central Station. This album puts her in front of a hard-grooving rhythm section and horns, so it is the most soul-forward record on the list. Choose it if you like belting vocals and tight funk.
11
Meiko Nakahara – Friday Magic
Meiko Nakahara made bright, danceable city pop with disco and Latin touches, and this album is one of her most fun. Brass, percussion and bouncy bass lines sit under catchy, kayōkyoku-style melodies. Choose it if you want city pop for dancing rather than late-night driving, and a singer who has become a favourite of crate-diggers.
12
Piper – Summer Breeze
Piper, led by guitarist and singer Keisuke Yamamoto, made breezy summer pop with fusion-trained guitar playing. This album is relaxed and melodic, with clean guitar lines and soft synths over easy funk rhythms. Choose it if you like the instrumental craft of city pop and want something mellow from start to finish.
