Items12The creator’s order
  1. 1Tatsuro Yamashita – For YouTatsuro Yamashita – For YouTatsuro 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…0
  2. 2Taeko Onuki – SunshowerTaeko Onuki – SunshowerTaeko 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…0
  3. 3Toshiki Kadomatsu – After 5 ClashToshiki Kadomatsu – After 5 ClashToshiki 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…0
  4. 4Minako Yoshida – FlapperMinako Yoshida – FlapperMinako 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…0
  5. 5Miki Matsubara – Pocket ParkMiki Matsubara – Pocket ParkMiki 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.…0
  6. 6Mariya Takeuchi – VarietyMariya Takeuchi – VarietyMariya 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…0
  7. 7Anri – Timely!!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…0
  8. 8Haruomi Hosono – PhilharmonyHaruomi Hosono – PhilharmonyThe 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…0
  9. 9Makoto Matsushita – First LightMakoto Matsushita – First LightGuitarist 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…0
  10. 10Junko Ohashi – MagicalJunko Ohashi – MagicalJunko 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…0