Artisan | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 18, 1991 | |||
Studio | Smile Garage Onkio Haus Tokyo Fan Hitokuchizaka | |||
Genre | Japanese pop, R&B, soul music | |||
Length | 44:08 | |||
Label | MMG/Moon Records, Warner Music Japan | |||
Producer | Tatsuro Yamashita | |||
Tatsuro Yamashita chronology | ||||
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Artisan is the thirteenth studio album recorded by the Japanese singer-songwriter Tatsuro Yamashita. It was released in June 1991, led by a string of hit singles he produced. Artisan became his first album that was not released on LP. Like his 1989 live album Joy, illustration for a front cover of Artisan was drawn by Andre Miripolsky, who painted a cover art of Bette Midler's 1983 No Frills album. It debuted at the No. 1 on the Oricon, and spent 20 weeks on chart with sales of over 710,000 copies in total. In December 1991, the album won the 33rd Japan Record Awards for "Best Pop/Rock Album" and "Excellent Albums" prizes. [1]
"Endless Game" was featured as the theme for a TV drama Yūwaku aired on TBS in 1990. It was released as a single in April 1990, and became his third top-5 hit as a performer on the Japanese Oricon singles chart. Also in the same year, Yamashita contributed a song "Without You" for Debbie Gibson, which was issued as a Japan-only single and the bonus disc for Japanese edition of her third album Anything is Possible . Yamashita rewrote the song and recorded by himself, under the title "Sayonara Natsu no Hi". His rendition of the song was released as the second lead single for Artisan in May 1991. It gained a similar commercial success to its predecessor, though it couldn't reach the top-ten.
The lead-off track of Artisan is a song dedicated to the late Osamu Tezuka, a Japanese manga artist who died in 1989 ("Atom" is a protagonist for Astro Boy , one of Tezuka's most prominent works). In 1992, it was released as the fourth single from the album. He also sings of a painting Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway by J. M. W. Turner on the third track entitled "Turner's Steamroller" which similarly became a single. Fifth track of the album is a cover version of "New York is a Lonely Town", a song written by Anders/Poncia and recorded by their group The Trade Winds. Yamashita interpreted the mid-1960s U.S. top-40 charting hit, slightly changing the part of the lyrics. On the eighth track, Yamashita's spouse Mariya Takeuchi wrote the lyrics to his composition. Aside from "Mighty Smile", the couple wrote three songs together for Masayuki Suzuki's second solo album Radio Days in 1988. [2] Among them, Yamashita recorded "Misty Mauve" for Artisan, although it was not released until 2002 on his Rarities album. [3] The closing track of Artisan is a cover version of The Young Rascals' 1967 U.S. number-one hit. [4] It has been also the ending theme for Sunday Songbook, a weekly radio program that Yamashita has hosted since 1992.
All songs written and composed by Tatsuro Yamashita, except where indicated
Japan Record Awards | |||
Year | Title | Category | Winner |
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1991 (33rd) | Artisan [1] | Best Pop/Rock Album | Tatsuro Yamashita |
Excellent Albums | |||
Year | Album | Chart | Position [5] | Sales [6] | RIAJ Certification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1991 | Artisan | Japanese Oricon Weekly Albums Chart (top 100) | 1 | 710,000+ | Platinum |
2021 | Artisan (30th Anniversary Edition) | •Japanese Oricon Weekly Albums Chart (top 100) [7] • Billboard Japan Hot Albums [8] | 3 | — | — |
Year | Single | B-Side (or Double A-Side) | Chart | Position [9] | Sales | RIAJ Certification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | "Endless Game" | "The Theme from Big Wave" [Live version] | Japanese Oricon Weekly (top 100) | 5 | 180,000 | — |
1991 | "Sayonara Natsu no Hi" | "Morning Shine" | 12 | 185,000 | Gold | |
"Turner's Steamroller" | "Only with You" [Live version] | 30 | 38,000 | — | ||
1992 | "Atom no Ko" | "Blow" | 18 | 95,000 | — | |
1998 | "Blow" [Remix] | 88 | 2,000 | — | ||
Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalog number |
---|---|---|---|---|
Japan | June 18, 1991 | MMG/Moon | CD | AMCM-4100 |
CT | AMTM-4100 | |||
June 2, 1999 | Warner/Moon | CD | WPCV-10026 | |
August 18, 2021 | WPCL-13305 | |||
2xLP | WPJL-10143/4 | |||
Mariya Takeuchi is a Japanese singer and songwriter. Regarded as an influential figure in the city pop genre, she is one of the best-selling music artists in Japan, having sold over 16 million records, and has received several accolades. Her husband is Tatsuro Yamashita, a singer-songwriter and record producer.
Tatsurō Yamashita, occasionally credited as Tatsu Yamashita or Tats Yamashita, is a Japanese singer-songwriter and record producer, who is known for pioneering the city pop style of music.
"3 Natsu Natsu Mini Berryz" is the third studio album by the Japanese girl group Berryz Kobo. It was released in Japan on July 5, 2006. It's the group's third studio album, fourth non-single release, and fifteenth audio release overall.
"Without You" is a single by American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson. Written by Gibson and Tatsuro Yamashita, the single was released exclusively in Japan in 1990 by Warner Pioneer under the Atlantic label. It was featured in the 1990 TBS drama series Otoko ni Tsuite. Originally released as a stand-alone single, "Without You" was included as a bonus track in the Japanese releases of Gibson's 1990 album Anything Is Possible and 1995 Greatest Hits album. It was also included in her 2017 box set We Could Be Together and the 2021 Deluxe Edition release of her 1989 album Electric Youth.
Two You Four You is Tackey & Tsubasa's 2nd album to be released under avex trax. The album was released on November 15, 2006, over two and a half years after their debut album "2wenty 2wo", and contains a total of four previously released singles.
Genki o Dashite is the 1st track on Japanese actress/singer Hiroko Yakushimaru's 1984 debut album Kokinshū (古今集). It was written by singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi. Takeuchi recorded her own version of the song for her Request album, released in 1987. It was released as a single from the album in 1988.
Lullaby Singer is the 34th studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Miyuki Nakajima, released in November 2006.
Big Wave is the soundtrack album for the motion picture of the same name, produced and recorded by Japanese singer-songwriter Tatsuro Yamashita. It was released in June 1984 and peaked at No.2 on the Oricon Albums Chart for a 19-week stay. The album was heavily influenced by the songwriting and production of Brian Wilson. Its first half consists of original songs, with English lyrics by Alan O'Day, while the second is mostly cover versions of Beach Boys songs.
Melodies is the eighth studio album recorded by Japanese singer-songwriter Tatsuro Yamashita, released in June 1983. It was his first LP issued under the Moon Label which was distributed by Alfa Records at the time.
Treasures is the compilation album by Japanese singer-songwriter Tatsuro Yamashita, released in November 1995.
"Manatsu no Sounds Good!" is the 26th single by the Japanese girl idol group AKB48, released in Japan on May 23, 2012.
"Plastic Love" is a song by Japanese singer Mariya Takeuchi from her 1984 album Variety. Written by Takeuchi and arranged by Tatsuro Yamashita, the song was released as the album's third single on March 25, 1985. "Plastic Love" is a city pop song; its upbeat arrangement contrasts with "melancholic" lyrics that describe a woman who embraces a hollow, hedonistic lifestyle after being scorned by a lover. Upon its initial release as a single, the song was a moderate success in Japan, peaking at number 86 on the Oricon Singles Chart and selling around 10,000 copies.
Crimson is the tenth studio album by Japanese singer Akina Nakamori. It was released on 24 December 1986 under the Warner Pioneer label. The album includes original version of Eki.
Kotoshi no Natsu wa More Better is the 12th studio album by Japanese singer/songwriter Chisato Moritaka, released on May 21, 1998, by zetima. The album was produced by veteran musician Harry Hosono and features cover versions of two of his songs. In addition, it includes "Summer Beach", a re-recording of "Natsu no Umi" from Moritaka's 1992 album Rock Alive. The album was also the first album since Mite to be released on LP format. During the time of the album's release, One Up Music merged with YJ Sounds to form zetima, and the label's distribution rights were changed from Warner Music Japan to Sony Music Entertainment Japan.
"Watashi no Natsu" is the 18th single by Japanese singer/songwriter Chisato Moritaka. The lyrics were written by Moritaka and the music was composed by Hideo Saitō. The single was released by Warner Music Japan on April 10, 1993. The song was used by All Nippon Airways for their "ANA Okinawa" campaign.
"Natsu no Hi" is the 23rd single by Japanese singer/songwriter Chisato Moritaka. The lyrics were written by Moritaka and the music was composed by Hideo Saitō. The single was released by One Up Music on May 10, 1994. The song was used as the ending theme of TV Tokyo's variety show Asakusabashi Young Yōhinten.
Variety is the sixth studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi. It was released on 25 April 1984 through Moon Records. Variety is considered as Takeuchi's "comeback" album after being on hiatus since 1981, and is the first album entirely written by her. The album is produced by Takeuchi's husband, Tatsuro Yamashita.
"Single Again" is the 18th single by Japanese singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi. Written by Takeuchi and produced by Tatsuro Yamashita, the single was released through Moon Records on September 12, 1989.
Mirai no Theme/Uta no Kisha is the fifty-first single released by Japanese singer-songwriter Tatsuro Yamashita, released in July 2018. This work contains two songs by Tatsuro Yamashita for the film "Mirai".
For You is the sixth studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Tatsuro Yamashita, released in January 1982.
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