CIRCUS TOWN

ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Released in 1976 after the breakup of Sugar Babe, CIRCUS TOWN was Tatsuro Yamashita’s first solo album and an unusually ambitious debut. Rather than recording entirely in Japan, Yamashita split the sessions between New York and Los Angeles, testing his harmony-rich songwriting against first-rate American studio musicians and two very different rhythm-section traditions. The contrast is audible across the album. “CIRCUS TOWN” and “WINDY LADY” carry a sharper, more urban attack, while “LAST STEP,” “CITY WAY,” and “Natsu no Hi” reveal the softer soul and West Coast side of his writing. At this stage Yamashita had not yet developed the dense self-controlled studio system associated with his later records, so CIRCUS TOWN is especially valuable for hearing him react directly to outside musicians and arrangers. The experience also provided technical and production knowledge he would quickly bring back into his Japanese sessions. More than a youthful first step, the album is the point where Yamashita’s fascination with American soul, rhythm-and-blues, vocal harmony, and studio craft was transformed into the foundation of his solo career.