RIDE ON TIME

The album that carried Yamashita into the mainstream, pairing explosive funk with luminous ballads and meticulous vocal architecture.

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FULL TRACKLIST

SIDE A

A1Someday5:46
A2Daydream4:27
A3Silent Screamer5:27
A4Ride On Time5:51

SIDE B

B1The Door Into Summer4:39
B2My Sugar Babe4:09
B3Rainy Day5:16
B4Clouds5:37
B5Kissing Goodnight1:34

RELEASE DETAILS

LABEL: Air Records
COUNTRY: Japan
FORMAT: LP · 33⅓ RPM
CATALOG NO.: RAL-8501
PRESSING: Japanese original

ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Released in 1980, RIDE ON TIME was the album that moved Tatsuro Yamashita from critical respect into the Japanese mainstream. The title song became a major hit after its use in a Maxell cassette campaign, and the album went on to give Yamashita his first No. 1 album. Yet its importance extends well beyond that breakthrough. The record preserves the rhythmic sophistication of his earlier work while presenting it in a brighter, more immediate form: funk, soul, vocal harmony, and carefully controlled studio pop are streamlined without being simplified. The first half leans toward energetic, rhythm-driven material, while songs such as “Rainy Day” and “My Sugar Babe” reveal a softer, more intimate side. Minako Yoshida’s lyrics remain an important part of the album’s emotional language, continuing the creative relationship that shaped much of Yamashita’s early solo catalog. RIDE ON TIME is therefore both a commercial turning point and an artistic bridge—the moment when Yamashita’s meticulous studio aesthetic proved it could reach a mass audience without sacrificing its musical detail.