Tokyocht: Where City Pop and Yacht Rock Collide (But Don't Sink)

As I find myself dragged down by a Masters degree, I find myself with less and less time to put these together. That being said, I want to give this album the spotlight. It's really fucking smooth. Keiko Mizukoshi debuted in 1978 (though some sources place her in the music industry as far back as 1974), and began drifting from idol music towards the smooth musical production we find replete in yacht rock and city pop.  This hit its peak in 1982, with the recording of Mizukoshi's seventh album and first for Taurus Records, I'm Fine, recorded with Toto(!)        Above: "Jealousy" - One of the yachtiest Tokyocht songs I've found     Toto members David Hungate , Steve Lukather , David Paich , and Steve and Jeff Porcaro appear on the album , respectively keeping it smooth and bouncing on bass, guitar, keyboards, and drums. Percussionist Lenny Castro , second guitarist Dan Ferguson , and saxophonist Jim Horn round out the backing band. Background vocals a...

Haruko Kuwana's debut album Million Stars was recorded in Hawaii and Los Angeles in 1978. She had previously been a member of Ghost Town People, the backing band used by her elder brother, Masahiro Kuwana, on his debut album in 1976. The elder Kuwana, born in 1953, clearly built his repertoire in a post-Happy End Japan, where western musical stylings were paired more and more frequently with Japanese-language lyrics. Though clearly nowhere close to the boat itself, "Baka no Otoko no R&R" (lit: "Stupid Man's Rock and Roll") takes on a clear western musical identity — the blues. The younger Kuwana, soon to be known mononymously as "Haruko," similarly adapts her repertoire to encompass a multitude of Western musical genres  — notably disco, funk, soul, and of course, yacht rock.  Million Stars ' A-Side was recorded in Hawaii and produced by Mackey Feary , two years post-Kalapana (CAB: 1975's "The Hurt " — 45). In addition to Fe...