いま読まれてます
About 42 years ago, on July 25th, 1982, an album was scheduled for release but ultimately shelved due to various circumstances. This lost work was titled “BOY” which was the second album by singer-songwriter Yoichi Takizawa (1950-2006). After being locked away for over 40 years, this “illusory” album finally saw its first global release date on December 18th, 2024. It was available on both CDs and vinyl records.
Yoichi Takizawa “Endless Summer(Kagirinaki Natsu)1982 Mix”
However, this “tragedy of being shelved” had not been only under misfortune. Here, we unveil the superb journey of this “miraculous city pop album” and its key track “Endless Summer(Kagirinaki Natsu)” rediscovered in the Reiwa era.
Original source (2024/09/25):
https://www.mag2.com/p/news/616321
Prologue: A Cassette Tape My Mother Bought
It all began in 1982.
One day after I just started first grade, my mother bought a cassette tape at a local record store called “Harp” which was run by an elderly couple in our neighborhood shopping district. Since then, we had played this cassette tape which said “Best One ’82 Hi-Fi Set The Complete Collection” (1982/Alfa) on the label in our kitchen for almost 2 years.
My mother listened to it while cooking, washing dishes, and doing other housework everyday. For my younger brother and me, it was like a lullaby. Unsurprisingly, we memorized most of the songs from this cassette tape.
The physical cassette tape. Best One ’82 Hi-Fi Set The Complete Collection
When my mother was a student, she was a huge fan of the folk group “Akai Tori”(Red Bird) which was known for their hits like “Tsubasa wo Kudasai” and “Takeda no Komoriuta”. She even formed a band with her friends which was called “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolves” and was a vocalist of her band.
Akai Tori “Tsubasa wo Kudasai”
My mother admired Junko Yamamoto who was the vocalist of “Akai Tori”. After “Akai Tori” disbanded, Junko formed the new vocal group “Hi-Fi Set” with the late Toshihiko Yamamoto, and Shigeru Okawa. Naturally my mother followed their works as a big fan. For instance, the popular song “Graduation Photograph(Sotsugyo Shashin)” by Yumi Arai(Yuming) was originally performed by Hi-Fi Set.
Perhaps she relived her youth and bought the best edition cassette tape of Hi-Fi Set. Since that day, their harmonies transformed our kitchen from an old-fashioned style such as in the period of Japan’s rapid economic growth into a mature atmosphere of sophisticated urban areas.
This photo was taken in 1980, and you can see my mother doing housework in our kitchen and one-year-old my younger brother disturbing her. We put a cassette deck on the right side.
This cassette tape had “Graduation Photograph(Sotsugyo Shashin)”, “Central Freeway(Chuo Freeway)”, “The Afternoon Seawall(Umi wo miteita gogo)” and “Rain Station(Ame no Station)” written by Yuming, including one bossa nova-style song starting with its flowing strings. This bossa nova-style song was titled “Memorandum” and it featured haunting lyrics by Rei Nakanishi, such as “A pitiful bird with broken wings”.
Single Edition “Memorandum” by Hi-Fi Set in 1977
I couldn’t forget especially “Memorandum” because it made a big impact on me. Though I was only seven years old then, it was possible for me to understand that this song was about lost love and had beautiful melodies and harmonies.
Hi-Fi Set “Memorandum”
In hindsight, this encounter was the beginning of something miraculous.
A reunion with “Memorandum” after nearly 40 years
Ten years later in 1992, I was looking for the Hi-Fi’s CDs at a local CD store “Shinseido” to have a reunion with “Memorandum”. I could listen to my memorable songs on my cassette tapes at home but had to rewind and go back to the start every time. I wished to have listened to “Memorandum” on CDs. However, it’s been quite a while since I encountered this song for the first time so I had to give up my desire.
The best-of CD album “Best Selection Hi-Fi Set” (1990/ALFA)
Their best-of CD album bought from the store did not include “Memorandum”, and their other album “THE DIARY” (1977/Toshiba EMI) which featured this song was not in stock either. My “search” had to end at that point.
Before and after this “search”, I was addicted to the label mates “YMO” which were led by Haruomi Hosono who named “Hi-Fi”. And the languid melody of “Memorandum” gradually faded into oblivion from my mind.
28 years passed, and around 38 years after the first time hearing “Memorandum”, the “miracle” happened.
The accidental opening of Pandora’s box
Influenced by the global city pop boom that had started a few years earlier, I once again began listening to songs by Tatsuro Yamashita, Mariya Takeuchi, and Taeko Onuki. In 2020, as part of Alpha Music’s 50th anniversary project, Hi-Fi’s music became available on streaming services, and I reconnected with their songs after a long time.
In the current era, my memorable songs could be listened to anytime, anywhere, freely. I immediately played “Memorandum” from their album “THE DIARY”, and my vague memories of elementary school came rushing back vividly as soon as I just listened to the intro. The lyrics, the voice, and the melody—everything came back to me. For a while, I replayed the song multiple times and immersed myself in those memories.
Then, one question crossed my mind.
Who exactly composed this song?
I usually didn’t think much about the creators while listening to music, but for some reason I suddenly thought about it this time.
Late at night, I searched about the composer online with my smartphone, and quickly found the name.
Yoichi Takizawa (滝沢洋一).
It was the first time I have seen this name.
Upon further searching online, there was very little detailed information about him, and even his Wikipedia page didn’t exist. Surprisingly I discovered that a self-cover version of “Memorandum” which was sung by himself existed. That version was uploaded on YouTube.
Yoichi Takizawa “Memorandum”
I thought “What a beautiful voice”.
I was instantly captivated by the composer’s own version of “Memorandum” which carried a touch of sadness.
Then, another question crossed my mind.
Who exactly was this Yoichi Takizawa?
This occurrence marked the beginning of long and deep “search” days. It all started late on December 21st, 2020, when the door to “the Age of Wind” opened.
The “miraculous album” has no flops
On the morning of December 22nd, 2020, I went out for my daily morning jog. As I ran through the hilly streets in Narimasu Tokyo, I listened to “Memorandum” sung by Yoichi Takizawa. This was because I realized that Mr. Takizawa’s album had also been available on streaming services at the right time just like Hi-Fi.
According to information on the internet, I found out that Yoichi Takizawa had passed away on April 20th, 2006, at the young age of 56.
His only album “Leonids no kanata ni”(1978) was released on October 5th, 1978, just after the release of Hi-Fi’s “THE DIARY”. The arrangements for all the tracks were done by the late Hiroshi Sato who was a keyboardist well-known for having been invited to join YMO by Haruomi Hosono, but he declined.
Yoichi Takizawa “Leonids no kanata ni” (1978)
That lone album “Leonids no kanata ni” is considered by some music enthusiasts as “a symbol of city pop albums” and “a miraculous record”. Also I found out that it became available on CD in July 2015 for the first time. At that time, it was exclusively sold online through Japan’s Tower Records and Sony Music Shop. However, by December 2020, it had sold out and was being resold at high prices on online auctions.
Yoichi Takizawa “Leonids no kanatani”
Upon listening to it on streaming services, it turned out to be as rumored. All of tracks including “Memorandum” were fantastic. As a Tower Records employee mentioned, I was sure that every song was a recommendation, and there were no flops.
【#渋谷citypop通信】滝沢洋一/レオニズの彼方に。オリジナルのアナログはシティ・ポップでも屈指の激レア盤！佐藤博によるアレンジと一流プレイヤーたちの演奏も文句なしだが、全曲がレコメンドといってもいいほどの天才的作曲センスが冴える隠れた逸品！ pic.twitter.com/rrAXHJZjJP
— タワーレコード渋谷店 (@TOWER_Shibuya) May 23, 2019
It was hard to believe that such a wonderful album hadn’t even been available on CD until 2015.
As I was still searching on the internet, it turned out Mr. Takizawa had composed over 100 songs for talents, idols, and singers.
I thought “This is an incredible discovery”. Although I didn’t have any particular plans to announce it, I decided to compile a complete list of Mr. Takizawa’s compositions out of pure curiosity. I began creating it using Google Spreadsheets, making it accessible to anyone who wanted to see it.
The more I researched, the more I understood the vast range of Mr. Takizawa’s music. Based on this list of compositions, I also started creating playlists on Apple Music and Spotify.
This could be the discovery of an extraordinary composer!
This feeling gradually turned into “certainty”.
AMY “Party Night” (1983)
Masae Ohno “X’ MAS NO NATSU” (1983)
Kay Ishiguro “Smell of Camel” (1984)
Yumi Seino “YOU & I” (1981)
Kaoru Hirose “Information Love” (1982)
Kaoru Sudo “Mayonaka no Shujinko” (1983)
Hidemi Ishikawa “Kumori nochi tokidoki hare” (1984)
Iyo Matsumoto “Dokuritsu sengen” (1985)
Hideki Saijo “Ao ni Nare” (1987)
I was surprised to learn that Mr. Takizawa had not composed only for Alfa Music-related artists like Circus and Bread & Butter, but also for Beat Takeshi(Takeshi Kitano), Hideki Saijo, Kyoko Koizumi, Iyo Matsumoto, and Hidemi Ishikawa. I started to wonder whether I should search about Mr. Takizawa’s background more deeply.
“Would there be people interested in reading an article about this elusive singer-songwriter and composer who’s unknown to anyone other than music enthusiasts? Are music writers even aware of Mr. Takizawa’s works and evaluating them?”
I was uncertain about these anxieties throughout 2020, and these thoughts had continued into the start of 2021.
The evaluation from a music writer helped me make up my mind
Who made the first CD release of the lone album “Leonids no kanata ni” happen in 2015? It was a music writer Toshikazu Kanazawa who led the recent city pop revival. Kanazawa spent over 10 years working towards its CD release since he had introduced this album in a book he edited back in 2004.
Kanazawa is a leading authority in the city pop reappraisal movement, and known as having supervised many projects, including the “Light Mellow” series in which he selected songs by his unique perspective.
Toshikazu Kanazawa
If such a talented person like him has evaluated this album and made this release happen, it is obvious that the quality of this album is warranted. However, if I could find one more person who had evaluated Mr. Takizawa’s work, I could determine to pursue an interview…
Just as I was hesitating, a post appeared on social media. It was a post by another music writer Ryohei Matsunaga who is also a driving force behind the city pop revival:
ビートたけし「CITY BIRD」をアルファ50周年サイト「ALFA50」でプレイリスト作るときにいただいた出版管理楽曲リストで見つけて驚いた。作者の滝沢洋一が作家契約していたからか。しかし、この曲でのたけしの歌唱はすばらしい。日本のイアン・デュリーとなる道もあったとすら。https://t.co/je4h5WwrnF
— 松永良平 / Ryohei Matsunaga (@emuaarubeeque) January 24, 2021
When I first heard “CITY BIRD” composed by Mr. Takizawa and sung by Takeshi Kitano, I certainly thought it was a good song. However, it hadn’t been a hit, and it was only included on the album and the single’s B-side. I couldn’t judge whether it was musically superior if someone listened to this song.
Beat Takeshi(Takeshi Kitano) “CITY BIRD”
If people like these two who are known by people not familiar with music like me highly evaluate Mr. Takizawa, it’s clear that I must seriously interview this composer Yoichi Takizawa.
This post confirmed my decision. At this point, my will was made up.
The Unveiling of the “City Pop Miracle”
On January 25th, 2021, I started an interview regarding the phantom singer-songwriter and composer Yoichi Takizawa. The search began with virtually no detailed books or online articles, not even a Wikipedia page.
First of all, I started to search on various media to gather a lot of information even if it’s small bits of information. Simultaneously, the complete list of compositions was continually updated, and little by little, information started to come together.
The most surprising discovery was related to the band Mr. Takizawa had formed before his debut.
On May 14th, 2013, the drummer of Tatsuro Yamashita’s band, the late Jun Aoyama and the bassist Koki Ito announced for the first time that they had been part of the Mr. Takizawa’s backing band during a radio program called Radio Japan’s “Ito Koki and Aoyama Jun’s Radikantropus 2.0”.
Through an online search, a transcript of the radio talk show was found and I learned this fact.
The reason why I surprised was that “RIDE ON TIME” by Tatsuro Yamashita who now represents the global city pop boom, his album “FOR YOU”(1982 / Air) and “Plastic Love” by Mariya Takeuchi who sparked the boom were known as the tracks of the rhythm section of Aoyama and Ito.
Tatsuro Yamashita “SPARKLE”
Tatsuro Yamashita “FOR YOU” (1982)
Mariya Takeuchi “Plastic Love”
In the same program, I was surprised it was revealed that Hiroshi Shinkawa had also participated as a keyboardist in that backing band. Because I knew that Shinkawa was a music arranger who had arranged numerous city pop tracks, including the 1986 Omega Tribe and La Mu led by Momoko Kikuchi, which have recently been reevaluated during the city pop boom.
Shinkawa was known for arranging numerous city pop tracks, including those for the 1986 Omega Tribe and La Mu, led by Momoko Kikuchi, both of which had recently been reevaluated during the city pop boom.
Additionally, it was discovered that Motoaki Makino, a legendary guitarist who had long been active in the band of the U.S. Grammy-winning blues harmonica player Sugar Blue, had also been part of Mr. Takizawa’s backing band.
I learned that Mr. Takizawa had played a pivotal role in launching their professional careers and was one of the founders of the current global city pop boom.This led to the thought, “This is someone who must interview for more detailed stories from former members”.
Mr. Takizawa’s backing band was named “Magical City”. Aoyama and Ito testified about the band name and its activities on the radio program, so their bandmates’ presence has been known .
Later, it was discovered that this radio program was broadcast just seven months before Aoyama’s sudden passing at the age of 56, the same age as Mr. Takizawa.
Around 1975, with members of Magical City at the Ikuei Dormitory in Ichigaya. The man on the left with the hat is Mr. Takizawa. At the top center is Makino, at the bottom is Aoyama, with Shinkawa on the right. This photo was taken before Ito joined the band. (image by Mr. Takizawa’s family)
Takizawa Yoichi and Magical City:
- Yoichi Takizawa(Vocals, Lyrics, and Composition) : March 9, 1950 – April 20, 2006
- Jun Aoyama(Drums) : March 10, 1957 – December 3, 2013
- Koki Ito(Bass) : February 19, 1954 –
- Hiroshi Shinkawa(Keyboards) : July 26, 1955 – January 8, 2025
- Motoaki Makino(Guitar) : February 11, 1956 –
Afterward, when I reached out to Ito’s office via his website to request an interview, Ito proposed “Why not make it a roundtable with everyone?” This allowed for interviews with Shinkawa and Makino as well. Since it was during the COVID-19 pandemic, the interviews were conducted remotely.
Additionally, I could contact Mr. Takizawa’s family through social media, and they kindly agreed to the interview.
Furthermore, Kanazawa and Matsunaga who played the key roles to reevaluate the city pop, selected two of their favorite Mr. Takizawa’s tracks for the interview.
With interviews from former band members, Mr. Takizawa’s family, and music writers, a deep article was sure to be created. I have started these interviews with uncertain steps but I had already reached a point of no return.
Before the interviews, I submitted a proposal to the online news site “MAG2 NEWS” to write an article covering the life and musical activities of Takizawa Yoichi. On March 23rd, 2021, the proposal was approved by the executive in charge at the time.
At this point, there was less than a month until Mr. Takizawa’s 15th death anniversary on April 20th but I had definitely decided to publish the article at this date.
The words “CITY BIRD” engraved on a gravestone
This feature article was based on the song “CITY BIRD” by Takeshi Kitano which was praised by Matsunaga as “wonderful” for its vocal quality, and I decided to compose this article of Yoichi Takizawa’s music career and life, framing the narrative around the time before and after the song’s creation.
The prologue offers a brief overview of the current global boom in city pop, a genre of Japanese music from the 1970s and 1980s.
During a roundtable discussion with the former members of Mr. Takizawa’s backing band, they chronologically looked back on what he’s done for “connecting people” and the musical traces they left behind.
(From top left)Hiroshi Shinkawa, Koki Ito, and at the bottom Motoaki Makino
They also introduced their songs that they provided to others and shed light on the growing reappraisal of his works in recent years.
The article also highlights songs Mr. Takizawa provided to others, shedding light on the growing reappraisal of his works in recent years.
I was struggling to transcribe the roundtable discussion and family interviews on time, so I used my waiting time for cancellations at a driving school and continued transcribing them with my phone while my hands were getting cold every morning at 5 AM.
Towards the end of the investigation, the liner notes for Mr. Takizawa’s final single, Sunday Park (1982 / Warner Pioneer), revealed the existence of “BOY”, a “phantom” second album that had been shelved just before release despite its recording being completed.
Yoichi Takizawa “Sunday Park”
At the end of this interview, I found out the presence of the phantom second album “BOY” which was shelved right before its release even though it was already recorded, according to the notice published on a liner note of Mr. Takizawa’s last single vinyl “Sunday Park”(1982/Warner Pioneer).
Yoichi Takizawa “Sunday Park”(1982)
The notice about the release of “BOY” published on a liner note of “Sunday Park”
I learned that the multi-master tape for this music album was saved at Warner by hearing from Yoshikazu Ozawa of Warner Music Japan’s Warner Hybrid Strategic Japanese Music Division, introduced by Mr. Kanazawa. However, it was also discovered that the mixed master tape remains missing. As a result, content related to “BOY” was included in the article.
Photo of Mr.Takizawa during the recording of “BOY” in the fall of 1981 (image by Mr. Takizawa’s family)
Mr. Takizawa’s family told me that his gravestone is engraved with the words “CITY BIRD”, the title of a song he composed for Takeshi Kitano. These words were inscribed to represent Mr. Takizawa himself, who likened his identity to that of a “bird of the city”.
On April 11th, which was nine days before the article’s publication, Mr. Takizawa’s family allowed me to participate in the 15th memorial visit to Mr. Takizawa’s grave as the final stage of the research. After we prayed in front of his gravestone and flowers were laid, I took a photograph of his gravestone from atop.
I decided the article’s epilogue was concluded with the introduction of a photograph of his gravestone bearing the inscription “CITY BIRD”.
On April 20th, 2021, at precisely 9:00 AM, the first-ever feature article on singer-songwriter and composer Yoichi Takizawa was successfully published on MAG2 NEWS.
The Birth of a Music Writer “Ryusei Miyakodori”
The article received significant attention, with many sharing it across social media. However, the most notable reactions came from those within the music industry.
Toshikazu Kanazawa mentioned the article in his blog, stating:
Even music magazines that regularly feature big-name artists rarely dedicate this much effort to an obscure artist on the verge of being forgotten.
This is a must-read for city pop enthusiasts and fans of Japanese music gems.
Yoichi Takizawa ~ A Bird Soaring Through the Sky of City Pop
Additionally, Mr. Ryohei Matsunaga, who contributed to this article, sent the following email:
Ryohei Matsunaga
“The article was far more detailed and compelling than I had imagined. I’m a bit concerned that my lighthearted tweet might feel out of place in contrast, but it’s an honor to have been involved in any capacity. If you don’t mind me asking, is the author, Ryusei Miyakodori, actually Mr. ●● (Miyakodori’s real name)?”
The response to this inquiry was as follows:
“As you correctly guessed, Ryusei Miyakodori (City Bird & Leonids) is a pen name created solely for this article. If I have opportunities to write about Yoichi Takizawa, I might use this pen name again.”
A reply from Matsunaga arrived again:
“Let’s make sure this article reaches as many readers as possible. It truly deserves the attention.”
About a month and a half after the article’s publication, another email from Matsunaga arrived:
“Thank you for involving me in the Yoichi Takizawa article. Related to that, I’d like to consult with you about something. Would it be possible for you to have an interview with me as Ryusei Miyakodori?”
As a writer for Alfa Music’s official “note” series, Mr. Matsunaga seemed interested in spotlighting Mr. Takizawa as part of an article related to Alfa Music, the company with which Mr. Takizawa had a composer’s contract.
“I think it’s impossible to work on an article about Mr. Takizawa as much as your contents, but I was thinking that it is not good if Alpha don’t tell the public about him as a company which produced him. It would be alright if we talk on zoom or in person. I will be looking forward to your reply after considering it.”
After this opportunity from Mr. Matsunaga, I started to write “Wikipedia” about Mr. Takizawa by myself. I contained my achievements through the interviews and connected to a link of my article as a source.
In a certain month of 2021, the first in-person meeting with Mr. Matsunaga took place in Ikebukuro. The experience and the interview article were later published on Alfa Music’s official “note”.
https://note.com/alfamusic1969/n/n3deeda79845c
Perhaps my enthusiasm conveyed to Mr. Matsunaga during this meeting, he let me accompany to an interview with two former Alpha Records producers, Tsuneo Ariga and Toshikazu Awano. Through this connection, anthologist Takayuki Hamada introduced me and I became a writer of the series related to Mr. Takizawa on Alfa Music’s official “note” —under the pen name of the enigmatic music writer, Ryusei Miyakodori.
The decision was made to continue research on Mr. Takizawa. Because I wished to create a copy of books about my interview work and his achievements someday.
After that, I published an article about topics such as his sole lifetime album “Leonids no kanata ni”, the elusive second album “BOY”, and numerous works he composed for idols and singers. Interviews were also conducted with former staff members of his music production company and artists he discovered.
The connections formed through the initial article about Yoichi Takizawa and City Pop eventually led to greater miracles in the future.
The Miracle of Discovering “Unreleased Demos”
The story dates back to May 2021, six months before the start of the Alfa Music official “note” series.
Through an introduction by Atsushi Kanaya, the owner of the live music izakaya “Kaze ni Fukarete” in Ōmori, Tokyo, I could contact with Nobuo Ishizaki, the former house engineer at Warner who had recorded the elusive second album “BOY”.
Due to the connection with Yutaka Iori, the Warner director who had overseen the planning of “BOY”, the name of the engineer was identified.
Yutaka Iori during the recording of “BOY” 1982 (image by Mr. Takizawa’ s Family)
Communication with Iori was not achieved online but through letters. In the beginning, I couldn’t get in touch through Facebook, and no email address could be found. Altogether, I sent a letter to the address of Iori’s company and he responded by email.
Information from Iori revealed that Mr. Ishizaki, a house engineer at Warner, had been responsible for the recording of “BOY”. A photograph found on the website of the live music izakaya led to the discovery of Ishizaki’s whereabouts.
The shelved second album “BOY” by Yoichi Takizawa had been scheduled for release on July 25th, 1982.
In the autumn of the previous year, 1981, this album was reportedly produced during a week-long recording camp at the Izu Studio in Itō, Shizuoka Prefecture. This studio, celebrated as Japan’s first resort-style recording facility, served as the setting for the album’s creation.
This photo was taken in front of the accommodations at “KITTY Izu Villa” near the Izu Studio. Takizawa sitting in the center.
All recording and mixing work had been completed, and preparations for the album’s release were well underway, including the June release of the lead single “Sunday Park”.
However, the album failed to pass an internal selection meeting at Warner-Pioneer and its release was officially postponed.
Yoichi Takizawa’s “BOY” jacket concept (image by Mr. Takizawa’ Family)
Shortly thereafter, the album’s director Mr.Iori left Warner, leading to “BOY” being entirely shelved.
I was wondering if there were issues with the album’s content arose, but Iori shared the true reasons behind the shelving decision:
There was absolutely nothing wrong with the work itself. At that time, Warner-Pioneer was undergoing a shift toward inexperienced and haphazard marketing practices. After employees affiliated with Watanabe Productions left, decisions on album releases were often made without properly listening to the music, instead relying on factors like the presence of TV commercials or the size of the artist’s management company.Although the project had been passed on the planning meeting, I failed to realize how much the structure of the selection meetings had changed, and that oversight was my responsibility.
The year the shelving of “BOY” was ironically decided in 1982, was also the year of a fateful encounter with “Memorandum”.
During the recording camp of “BOY”. On the right, holding a bottle and joking around, is Mr. Takizawa. The man with the brown glasses in the center is Hirofumi Tokutake, responsible for the arrangements. Behind him, with a towel around his neck, is Nobuo Ishizaki. In the foreground on the right, seated in a chair, is Yutaka Iori. (image by Mr. Takizawa’ Family)
I found Nobuo Ishizaki, the engineer for the ill-fated album “BOY”, and asked him where the missing mixed master tape was. However, he answered on the phone:
“I did handle the mixing, but I don’t know the location of the master tape.”
This response brought disappointment, as it meant I had to start searching for this tape again. However, Mr. Ishizaki continued:
“I do remember giving an open-reel tape copied from the mixed master tape of ‘BOY’ to Mr. Takizawa.”
Following this conversation, I immediately sent an email to Takizawa’s family, asking:
“Would it be possible to check if any open-reel tapes are stored at your home? My apologies for the inconvenience.”
After a while, a reply came from Takizawa’s family:
“We found them. They had been buried in moving boxes for years, so we hadn’t noticed.”
It was reported that multiple open-reel tapes had been stored at Takizawa’s home. Finally, I could find a large amount of unreleased recordings, including materials from the Magical era.
Unfortunately, the copied tape of “BOY” handed over by Mr. Ishizaki had deteriorated significantly and could not be used as a master. Although, I could find many invaluable tapes from before “BOY”. The phrase “when one door shuts, another opens” seems fitting for this situation.
This remarkable find provided clear insights into their activities that Mr. Takizawa and his backing band members had engaged in during that time.
Some of the Discovered Tapes
I didn’t want to keep these amazing recordings in moving boxes, so decided to start a new series related to Yoichi Takizawa and the back band “Magical City” for MAG2 NEWS where I had published my first article. This series would definitely be articles where you could listen to the discovered sound sources.
Over three articles, the series would center around the song “Kagirinaki Natsu” (Endless Summer), provided to Hideki Saijo, and I wrote about the story of Mr. Takizawa and his five band members, in addition to testimonies from people involved with the song.
The final article in the series was published on March 5th, 2024, marking the 40th anniversary of the release of Hideki’s album “GENTLE・A MAN”, which featured “Kagirinaki Natsu,” and I concluded the series.
The Discovery of the “City Pop Boom Pioneer” and the Miracle of the Song “Kagirinaki Natsu”
Through two Yoichi Takizawa series for Alfa and MAG2 NEWS, I met one american.
This led to meeting an American man, DJ Van Paugam, who played a pivotal role in the global city pop boom and was captivated by the song “Kagirinaki Natsu”, composed by Yoichi Takizawa for Hideki Saijo.
Van Paugam
Van Paugam is active as a DJ from Chicago, Illinois, and introduced Japanese city pop to the world by mixing it and sharing it on YouTube for global music fans.
I learned about the truth through his blog and articles on international music-related websites.
Van Paugam had posted his first city pop mix on his personal YouTube channel in 2016. By January 2019, his channel had over 90,000 subscribers, and the total views of all his videos surpassed 2 million.
However, in 2019, Van Paugam’s channel received a copyright infringement warning from the Recording Industry Association of Japan, and on February 14 of that year, his YouTube channel was permanently deleted which means his account was banned.
Van Paugam lost his channel because he spread city pop too early, and by the time the global city pop boom occurred, no one remembered his name.
The YouTube channel of Van Paugam, archived on the Internet Archive (account deleted in 2019). It is clear that, as of 2017, his videos had already gained many views.
Currently, Van Paugam continues to play city pop at bars and restaurants in Chicago. Also, he created a special website for Hideki Saijo’s song “Kagirinaki Natsu” composed by Yoichi Takizawa. Upon learning of this, I was astonished by this “coincidence.”
Van Paugam’s official website: Special page for “Kagirinaki Natsu”
There was a composer who recorded pioneering city pop songs with his bandmates in the 1970s, yet never found commercial success and passed away. On the other hand, there is a DJ who was involved in the global city pop boom but had his YouTube account banned.
It seems no coincidence that these two individuals were connected by the song “Kagirinaki Natsu” by Hideki Saijo.
Hideki Saijo “Endless Summer(Kagirinaki Natsu)”
Thinking that this might be fate, I sent an email interview request to Van Paugam in March 2023. The following questions were asked:
- “Can I ask you why you were captivated by ‘Kagirinaki Natsu’ sung by Hideki Saijo?”
- “Is it true that you are a pioneer of the global city pop boom? If so, I’d like to hear what you think about the current worldwide phenomenon?”
- “If the elusive second album “BOY” from 1982, which includes Yoichi Takizawa singing “Kagirinaki Natsu”, were to be found, would you be interested in remixing it?”
Van Paugam not only provided thoughtful responses to my questions but also quickly agreed to remix the lost version of “Kagirinaki Natsu” sung by Mr. Takizawa.
Even after posting the interview article, our communication has continued online and I have awaited the remix track from him.
Thus, a long and thin line of “city pop connection” was formed between Chicago, USA, and Narimasu, Tokyo.
Our big project just began to move forward the talk event
On October 7th, 2023, upon an invitation from anthology specialist Takashi Hamada, I planned, organized a talk event titled “Mr. City Pop: The World of Yoichi Takizawa” at the book café “ESPACE BIBLIO” in Ochanomizu, Tokyo. The event was held to introduce Mr. Takizawa’s music activities with his collaborators.
Actual announcement for the talk event
Two days before the event, it was the 45th anniversary of the release of “Leonids no kanata ni”. The guest of honor was Toshikazu Kanazawa, a leading figure in the re-evaluation of Mr. Takizawa’s works. The event featured a discussion about the history of Mr. Takizawa’s career, particularly focusing on previously unreleased tracks.
Just before the event, a major fact was revealed. It turned out that talent and music enthusiast Chris Matsumura had once lived in the same student dormitory as Mr. Takizawa. This was confirmed through testimony from a former dormitory resident, Masayasu Takikawa, who had connected with Matsumura via social media.
Chris Matsumura is known for his vast collection of city pop and J-POP music, and he had often introduced Mr. Takizawa’s songs on his radio program.
The fact that Chris Matsumura and Mr. Takizawa had both lived in the same dormitory, despite having diplomatic parents and the timing not aligning perfectly, seemed too coincidental. This story was also shared during the event.
One of the attendees invited by Mr. Hamada was the producer who had overseen the CD release of “Leonids no kanata ni” under Sony Music Labels.
During the event, we published the audio source of valuable tapes which had emerged from Mr. Takizawa’s home for the first time and introduced his career and music history.Takizawa’s version of “Kagirinaki Natsu” was also premiered at the event.
After the event, the producer made an exciting proposal: “We would like to reissue “Leonids no kanata ni” on vinyl in the summer of 2024″. In addition, I could receive suggestions for other products.
Finally, our big project just moved forward. From here, the “dramatic developments” began.
“One blog” that had been left inactive
Going back to October 2022, a blog was discovered by a man who was likely a staff member at Mr. Takizawa’s music production company “House T”, which he ran from the 90s until his passing. The blog had been updated about 10 years ago.
A blog created by a former staff member of Mr. Takizawa’s music production company
On this blog, there was an entry recounting memories of Mr.Takizawa from the man’s perspective. It seems that the man had worked as a staff member in Mr. Takizawa’s karaoke business. At the beginning of the blog, the man shared how he met Mr. Takizawa and how he had learned of Mr. Takizawa’s passing through word of mouth.
“It’s been about 17 or 18 years now. Through a bandmate’s introduction, I met this person, Yoichi Takizawa, a singer and composer. I’ve heard that he passed away a few years ago. While I pray for his soul, I’d like to write down a few memories.”
The man also shared stories of the hardships Mr. Takizawa faced difficulties as a composer, including the pain of having carefully crafted songs rejected on his blog.
“‘I want to be a composer!’ When I said that, he replied, ‘Writing 20 or 30 songs and still having them rejected is common. Can you endure having your works, made with all your soul, end up like that?’ His words as an experienced person were heavy, but I was young, so I rebelled…LOL Now, I really feel it—Takizawa-san.”
An especially memorable part of the blog was the story Mr. Takizawa shared with the man about “red shoes”.
“I heard a lot of struggles from him. What I remember most is this: ‘In front of a shop window, my daughter said she wanted red shoes. But I couldn’t buy them for her. The past doesn’t help at all. Only the present matters.’”
Once a contracted composer with Alpha Music, Mr. Takizawa had written numerous hit songs for artists like Circus, Hi-Fi Set, Ayumi Ishida, and Bread & Butter. However, in 1982, his second album “BOY” was shelved due to a delayed release. By the late 80s, his work as a composer significantly decreased, and at one point, he even shifted his focus to running a pizza delivery business.
Mr. Takizawa during his time running a pizza shop
However, the man who wrote the blog shared his thoughts about how Mr. Takizawa had spoken negatively about his past as a composer, as if he had foreseen Mr. Takizawa’s reevaluation later on.
“Everyone, no matter who they are, only has ‘now’. But I think very few people are conscious that this ‘now’ is connected to the future.”
Mr. Takizawa probably never imagined that, nine years after his passing, his sole work “Leonids no kanata ni” would be released on CD for the first time, nor could he have dreamt that streaming services would make his music popular worldwide.
The future is the “accumulation of the past”, and the past is surely connected to the future.
This entry published on February 11th, 2011, exactly one month before the Great East Japan Earthquake, ended with the following words:
“It’s been over 10 years since I last saw you. I don’t even know where your family is now, and I haven’t been able to visit your grave. But I won’t forget. Rest in peace. Your songs will be sung forever.”
I felt that I needed to meet the man who wrote this blog and hear his story directly. Having worked with Mr. Takizawa and heard stories from him about his past, and then writing about Mr. Takizawa’s memory in the blog after his death, this man might have a different perspective on Mr. Takizawa. This intuition led me to believe that I might learn something new.
However, the man’s blog had been inactive for nearly 10 years. I didn’t have any information about him such as his address, phone number, even his name and email address. The only “lifeline” was that he had responded to readers’ comments on the blog about six years prior.
I thought “If I request an interview in the comment section, he might reply”.
Holding onto this slim hope, and on October 9th, 2022, I left a message in the comment section requesting an interview about Mr. Takizawa.
Three days later on October 12th, I got a reply from the man in the comment section:
“To T-sama, who is interviewing Takizawa-san. I’m not sure how to reply, but if you don’t mind, please share your email address in the comments. I promise it will remain private.”
I was excited to receive a reply from the blog’s author, after six years of inactivity in the comment section.
It seemed that he had mistakenly read my name as “Tochou” (the Japanese reading of my name). I left another message in the comment section with my interview request and email address, and waited for a response.
A week later, on the morning of October 19th, I received an email from the man.
“Thank you for finding my long-inactive blog post. I’ve already heard about the article featured on Takizawa-san from some old friends. It’s been about 30 years, but Takizawa-san was very kind to me, and if it serves as a memorial, I’d be happy to share what I know. However, I only know a few years from the “House T” era. Also, considering his family, there may be limitations or permissions needed for what can be shared. I look forward to hearing from you.”
The man’s name was Seiji Kobayashi. He lives with his family in Kanagawa now, and left far from the music world.
After sending my gratitude, I told him that I would like to meet in person to hear about Mr. Takizawa. On the 20th, I received another reply from him.
He was saying something shocking in a reply that:
“I have the DAT of the 2nd album “BOY”. It might be moldy and dead, but… I got it directly from Takizawa-san, and after hearing the background of the delays, he mentioned something like, ‘Though it took a long time, from now on I want to focus on nurturing younger talent.’”
The whereabouts of the long-missing mixed tracks for the “phantom 2nd album” were unexpectedly revealed.
Related: The Miracle of Yoichi Takizawa’s “Phantom 2nd Album” Brought by a Former Staff Member (Part 1)
The Digital Audio Tape That Slept for About 30 Years
Let’s revisit “BOY” again.
The phantom 2nd album “BOY”, which was supposed to be released in 1982 but was shelved, was meant to feature nine tracks, including the original version of “Kagirinaki Natsu” (Endless Summer), which was provided to Hideki Saijo in 1984 due to the release delay, and the self-cover version of “CITY BIRD”, which was provided to Takeshi Kitano in 1982.
“BOY” Tracklist
Side A
- Lonely Fireman
- Morning with Venus
- Soldier in Barefoot
- Anecdote (Instrumental)
- A Piece of Photograph
Side B
- Sunday Park
- City Bird
- Endless Summer -Kagirinaki Natsu-
- Ballad of Sea
The album was set to include airplay-style numbers, instrumental tracks, J-pop-style acoustic numbers, and ballads. It was meant to be an album filled with great songs by the pioneer of city pop.
The lineup of studio musicians who participated in the album was also impressive.
- Hirofumi Tokutake: Guitar, all arrangements (except for the instrumental tracks)
- Masahiko Rokukawa: Bass
- Yasuharu Nakanishi: Piano
- Hikohide Iyogi: Drums
- Hiroyuki Tanba: Guitar
- Sumiko Yamagata: Guest vocals
- Kayoko Ishu (now Kayo Ishu): Chorus, falsetto voice (other details under investigation)
All of the musicians were top-tier, and the prominent figures like Keisuke Yamakawa and Sonomi Ari took part in this album as lyricists. It had a wide variety of tracks, as mentioned above. However, for some reason, the mixed master tape of this album was not stored within Warner and remains missing currently.
Wondering if I was thinking that the album’s first release and distribution could ever happen, I began searching for the contact information of the director in charge at the time, Mr. Iori, and through this connection, I was able to trace the whereabouts of the engineer, Mr. Ishizaki.
I also found contact information for the musicians who had participated in the recordings, but I could not locate the whereabouts of the mixed master tape.
Would the release of “BOY” once again remain a “phantom” after all…? Just as I was beginning to give up, an unexpected email arrived from Seiji Kobayashi, a former staff member of Mr. Takizawa, who had written about his memories with Mr. Takizawa in a dormant blog.
It was suddenly revealed that a DAT (Digital Audio Tape) copy of the mixed master of “BOY” had been preserved.
Though Mr. Takizawa had been disillusioned with his artistic career due to the album’s release postponement, he had somehow secretly given a DAT recording of “BOY” to a staff member of his music production company about 30 years ago.
A photograph of DAT. image by: JPRoche, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
However, there were still challenges ahead. While Mr. Kobayashi confirmed that he had received the DAT from Mr. Takizawa and stored it somewhere at home, he could not remember exactly where he had put it.
There was also another concern regarding this DAT.
“I vaguely remember ripping the DAT of “BOY”, so I checked my external hard drive after several years, and I found the audio files. However, it cuts off after 14 minutes from the start. I don’t know why…”
When Mr. Kobayashi emailed me the MP3 file, indeed, the audio cut off after the first 14 minutes. It was possible that the DAT itself only contained 14 minutes of audio. If that was the case, the original version of “Kagirinaki Natsu” (Endless Summer) by Hideki Saijo, which should have been the 8th track, would also be impossible to hear.
There was no certainty that the DAT would even be found at Mr.Kobayashi’s home, and even if it were, it might be cut off after 14 minutes. It seemed like a dead end.
As days passed while hoping for the discovery and safety of the DAT, I got an email from Mr. Kobayashi.
“I’m looking for the DAT right now. I’m the type who can’t throw things away, so there’s a huge pile of old sources and things. I hope it’s not moldy. In a way, I’m glad I didn’t throw it away, for better or worse.
But why did Takizawa-san give me the DAT at that time? It’s like Takizawa-san is somehow working from heaven. I’ll contact you as soon as I find it.”
“I feel the same way” I thought, as I read his message.
I had found Mr. Kobayashi’s blog and managed to contact him through the comments section by chance, and by coincidence, he was unable to throw things away, had received the DAT from Mr. Takizawa, and miraculously, he hadn’t discarded it…
It seemed only natural to think that something unseen was at work.
“I believe the DAT will likely be found.”
There was no evidence to support it, but I was convinced.
Reflecting on the series of coincidences—encounters with Mr. Takizawa’s music, the miraculous release of his music on the 15th anniversary of his passing, and subsequent connections with those involved—I felt that the discovery of the DAT of “BOY”was meant to happen.
Several months passed, and one morning at 11:00 AM, I received an email from Mr. Kobayashi.
“I found the DAT of “BOY”.”
An image was attached to the email.
This is a actual DAT
The handwritten song titles by Mr. Takizawa and the label “BOY / Y. Takizawa” typed on a Tepra label.
The DAT had not been cut off at 14 minutes after all.
The long-lost 2nd album “BOY” is finally set to be released
In order to receive this tape, I visited Mr.Kobayashi, who lived in Kanagawa prefecture.
Through this meeting, He talked about stories from the past, including Mr.Takizawa’s plans to help singer-songwriter Jun Yamagami make his major debut under his own production, and the history of the band Mr. Yamagami and Mr. Kobayashi had been part of.
Jun Yamagami
Due to various misunderstandings, Mr. Yamagami and Mr. Takizawa became estranged, and later Mr. Yamagami debuted as an artist under Sony. Mr. Kobayashi introduced me to him, and through this connection, an interview was arranged for an official “note” series on Alfa Music.
【Related】“A beloved disciple” shares the true side of Yoichi Takizawa ①
【Related】“A beloved disciple” shares the true side of Yoichi Takizawa ②
After receiving the DAT of “BOY”from Mr. Kobayashi, I handed over the tape to the record company representatives a few days later.
After quality verification, it was unfortunately determined that this DAT could not be used as the master source. While the tape had not degraded, it appeared the audio was a copy of a copy from the mixed master tape, resulting in excessive hiss noise that prevented it from being used as the master.
However, the mixed audio from the DAT turned out to be useful. With this reference, it was decided to start fresh with the mixing process using the multi-master tapes that had been stored at Warner. Additionally, the “karaoke version” of open reel tape discovered at Mr. Takizawa’s home would also be used as a reference for the latest mix of “BOY”.
Mixing would incur additional costs. In order to release this album, someone would have to make a forward investment.
In March 2024, one hand was raised. Here is the comment by Akira Kumashige, CEO of Magmag Inc., which ran “MAG2 NEWS” platform where the initial article was published.
“The lost audio sounds interesting. Let’s do it!”
And so, after 42 years, the long-lost 2nd album “BOY” was set to be revived.
Mixing began in April 2024. Miraculously, the multi-master tapes, which had been “pickled” for 42 years, were still in pristine condition.
A freelance engineer Atsuhiro Sakamoto was chosen as an engineer for the mixing work with the recommendation of Yoshikazu Ozawa.
Atsuhiro Sakamoto (image by the official website of “Office Saionkoh”)
I was amazed when I looked at Mr. Sakamoto’s career.
“Currently Atsuhiro Sakamoto works as a freelance engineer handling mixes and mastering. He has contributed to recordings for artists like Elephant Kashimashi, Kyoko Koizumi, Spitz, BOΦWY, TUBE, Miho Nakayama, Shogo Hamada, Princess Princess, Seiko Matsuda, Unicorn, The Brilliant Green, and more. He has also worked on music recordings for movies and TV shows like ‘Abunai ‘Deka, ‘Bakayaro!’ and ‘Meiken Lassie’, expanding his scope of work.”
Mr. Sakamoto was undoubtedly a key figure in supporting Japan’s J-POP scene. The sound quality of “BOY” was thus guaranteed.
The best work, the best sound, and many involved parties made a way connecting to a miracle.
Yoichi Takizawa’s “BOY” and “Kagirinaki Natsu” were perhaps revived to be heard once again in the current Reiwa era.
Yoichi Takizawa “Endless Summer(Kagirinaki Natsu) 2024 Mix”
On August 14th, 2024, the official release of the “BOY” vinyl album was announced by HMV.
![[Photo] the vinyl album cover of “BOY”](https://www.mag2.com/p/news/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/LP_H1-copy.jpg)
[Photo] the vinyl album cover of “BOY”
Additionally, on September 24th, 2024, Sony Music Labels announced the CD release of “BOY”. It was also decided that the 8 tracks (excluding the instrumentals) of the “karaoke version” would be included as bonus tracks on the CD. The long-lost audio would finally cease to be “lost”.
the CD album cover of “BOY”
The release date for both the “BOY” vinyl and CD albums was officially set for Wednesday, December 18th, 2024.
【ご予約開始！】
滝沢洋一の幻の2ndアルバム『BOY』が40年以上の時を経て奇跡のリリース決定！※ご予約・詳細はこちら！※https://t.co/vZ5oK15HLs#滝沢洋一 #BOY #レオニズの彼方に #サンデーパーク #かぎりなき夏
— HMVレコード (@HMVrs_online) August 14, 2024
【#滝沢洋一】
＼12月18日CD発売／#シティポップ ・ブームで再評価が著しい滝沢洋一『レオニズの彼方に』のリリース後、1982年に発売が予定されたがお蔵入りとなってしまった幻のセカンド・アルバム『BOY』が12月18日CDにて発売⬇️商品詳細・ご予約はこちらhttps://t.co/KCQTQHEUBO pic.twitter.com/2DrXN1coJW
— otonano(ソニーミュージック公式) (@otonanoenta) September 24, 2024
The “real curtain” of this miraculous story is about to rise.
Yoichi Takizawa “Lonely Fireman(2024 Mix)”
Just as it seemed that DJ Van Paugam’s remix of Mr. Takizawa’s “Kagirinaki Natsu” might soon arrive, a message came from Van, announcing the completion of the audio;
“I have finally decided that I will present my work to you.
Because of how special his song is, and how honored I was to be allowed to remix, I took me a long time to make sure I thought it was okay.
I learned much about music through this experience. I think the process itself has made me more aware of the significance of the music, and how important it is.
I’m grateful for what I have been able to achieve, and how I am now more inclined to experiment with making music myself. The journey this song took my through during this Summer, makes it feel so much more impactful because of the circumstances. I pondered on the original song many times, in different hours of the day, and sometimes night as well.
Music changes according to situation. The spirit of this song will stay forever with me, because I feel the it was the song itself that discovered me, and not vice versa. ”
The first release of “BOY” after 42 years, along with the remix by the artist who sparked the city pop boom. I feel like this miraculous opportunity was granted by God, both for Mr. Takizawa, in heaven, and for DJ Van Paugam.
Yoichi Takizawa “Endless Summer(Kagirinaki Natsu) 2024 Van Paugam Remix”
This remix of Yoichi Takizawa’s “Kagirinaki Natsu” by DJ Van Paugam will be included as a bonus track on the CD version of “BOY” and will also be released as a standalone vinyl single (EP) on December 25th (C/W: Endless Summer 1982 Mix).
Yoichi Takizawa, Hideki Saijo, Magical City, and Van Paugam.
These seven artists’ “Kagirinaki Natsu” has truly began.
Yoichi Takizawa “Endless Summer(Kagirinaki Natsu) 1982 Mix”
*This “Endless Summer 1982 Mix” is not available on CD and LP, only on this EP Vinyl. If you are interested in purchasing EP Vinyl, please contact us using the form at this link.
https://thebase.com/inquiry/mag2-base-shop
Epilogue: The Birthplace of City Pop
Recently, city pop has been newly defined by the author Hitoshi Kurimoto, in his book “The Basics of City Pop Explained Through These 100 Albums”(Seikai-sha Shinsho), and music magazines.
This new definition asserts that “The origin of city pop is Sugar Babe.”
Until then, the widely accepted belief in the world of music criticism was that the pioneering act of city pop was “Happy End” (Haruomi Hosono, Eiichi Ohtaki, Takashi Matsumoto, and Shigeru Suzuki).
However, with the global city pop boom of recent years, a “redefinition” of city pop is taking place.
According to this new definition, the band Sugar Babe, formed in the early 1970s by Tatsuro Yamashita, Taeko Onuki, and Kunio Muramatsu, and their album “SONGS” (1975 / Elec), are considered the true origin of city pop.
SUGAR BABE “SONGS“
In the midst of this, on July 10th, 2024, an extremely rare album made by a 19-year-old Tatsuro Yamashita and his friends in 1972, titled “ADD SOME MUSIC TO YOUR DAY” (Surfing Rabbit Studio), was reissued on vinyl for the first time in 39 years, after its 1985 re-release.
![[Photo]The self-produced album “ADD SOME MUSIC TO YOUR DAY” by Tatsuro Yamashita and others (2024 reissue)](https://www.mag2.com/p/news/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/PXL_20240804_101204614.MP_.jpg)
[Photo]The self-produced album “ADD SOME MUSIC TO YOUR DAY” by Tatsuro Yamashita and others (2024 reissue)
This album is famous not only because it was the first recording ever made by Tatsuro Yamashita but also because it is the album through which Yamashita was discovered by Eiichi Ohtaki via Gingi Ito.
On the back cover of this self-produced album, the home address of Tatsuro Yamashita’s bandmate from middle school, Susumu Namiki, who provided the recording space, is written as “Surfin’ Rabbit Studio.” The address is concealed in the 2024 reissue, but the original 1972 version includes it.
Back cover of the album. The text “Itabashi-ku Akatsuka” (address of the recording location) is visible.
I was astonished when I saw the address on the original album, which was listed in an auction.
The reason for my surprise was that the residential area along the street where I jog every morning was precisely the location of that address. It was the very jogging route where I had first listened to Mr. Takizawa’s version of “Memorandum” while running up a hill.
Just a 4-minute run from my home was the place where Tatsuro Yamashita’s musical journey began, where the band name “Sugar Babe” was chosen, and where Tatsuro Yamashita and Taeko Onuki practiced their original songs.
Having accidentally encountered Mr. Takizawa’s music, I realized that I had been living in the “birthplace of city pop”.
When I shared this with Mr.Van Paugam, I received this reply:
“It’s uncanny that you lived in the vicinity of City Pop’s inception. Many coincidences mark our meeting and collaboration. It seems very auspicious.”
Chicago, USA, and Narimasu, Tokyo. The connection made through city pop has now, for the first time, been drawn in a straight line. (End)
Ending Thema
Yoichi Takizawa “Anecdote (2024 Mix) ” (1982)
Special thanks to :
Takizawa & Suzuki Family
Toshikazu Awano
Koki Ito
Hiroshi Shinkawa
Motoaki Makino
Kuriko Araki(Koki Ito office)
Yutaka Iori
Toshikazu Kanazawa
Ryohei Matsunaga
Takayuki Hamada
Yohiskazu Ozawa(TOKYO CITY POP)
Seiichi Fukui(Sony Music labels)
Satomi Morita(Sony Music Publishing)
ALFA MUSIC
Atsushi Kanaya
Nobuo Ishizaki
Van Paugam
Masayasu Takigawa
Jun Yamagami
Seiji Kobayashi
Manami Okuda (Magmag)
Tadashi Asano (Magmag)
Akira Kumashige (Magmag)