ALBUM REVIEW: Miss M by Mariya Takeuchi - 1980

The “M” embroidered sweater shown on the album jacket was woven by writer Osamu Hashimoto.

If you were introduced to City Pop for the first time, it was probably because of Mariya Takeuchi, specifically her 1985 hit single, Plastic Love, arguably the most iconic song in the genre. While Plastic Love happens to be most people’s favorite Mariya song, it’s not mine, as I’ve discovered that her catalog of music is much more diverse than what people are used to. A key example of this is her 1980 classic album, Miss M. Miss M is the fourth studio album by Mariya Takeuchi. What stands out most about the album is that the 1st half was recorded in Los Angeles, California along with musicians from the bands TOTO & Airplay at the height of their career, thus giving the album a more West Coast AOR sound.

THE HISTORY

The famous viral photo from the single version of Sweetest Music, Photography by Alan Levenson

The A side was recorded in California, USA , specifically at Monterrey Sound Studios in Glendale, which operated between 1979~1989. The studio was owned by producer Jack Daugherty, who happened to be a long-time producer of one of Mariya’s biggest musical influences, The Carpenters. The song arrangements were handled by David Foster and Jay Graydon, otherwise known as the band Airplay, they participated as session musicians as well. "LA Side" was joined by members of  TOTO  including Jeff Pocaro on drums, Steve Lukather on guitar, and David Hanggate on bass. On the other hand, the B-side is a "Tokyo Side" recorded in Japan from around June 1980, before the LA side was recorded. Some notable band members for the Japanese portion include the legendary guitarist Shigeru Suzuki (鈴木 茂), pianist & songwriter Nobuyuki Shimizu (清水信之), and bassist Kenji Takamizu (高水 健司).

Mark Jordan, David Hanggate, Mariya, David Foster, Jay Graydon, Steve Lukather, Jeff Pocaro

The album also features some well-known singers on backing vocals. Some notable people representing America include Bill Champlin from Chicago and Carmen Twillie who sang Circle of Life from the Lion King movie. Representing Japan we have AOR crooners Yasuhiro Abe (安部恭弘) & Tatsuro Yamashita (山下達郎), fellow RCA darling EPO, and the folk duo Buzz, formed by the older brother of Yellow Magic Orchestra member Yukihiro Takahashi (高橋 幸宏). 

THE MUSIC

THE LA SIDE

1. Sweetest Music: A rockin’ disco number written by David Lasley and composed by Peter Allen. Features a great guitar solo by David Foster.

2. Every Night: A light & mellow blue-eyed soul number in the vein of Bobby Caldwell, composed by Tatsuro Yamashita with lyrics by Alan O'Day.

3. Morning Glory: Following up the mood from the previous song, Morning Glory is the perfect song to wake up next to your loved one. Written & composed by Tatsuro Yamashita, who would later cover it in his own album, For You.

4. Secret Love: A smooth disco-tinged R&B tune with lyrics by Marc Jordan, that would fit in with Michael McDonald’s catalog.

THE TOKYO SIDE

Mariya with D.Foster & B. Champlin

5. Heart To Heart: A Carpenters style love ballad co-written by Roger Nichols. Ironically, it was given English lyrics and a new title, "Now.", when it was covered by the late Karen Carpenter in 1983, which happened to be her swan song.

6. 二人のバカンス (Vacation for Two): A fast-paced soft rock song that rivals Taking it To the Streets as the perfect AOR tune for speeding down the highway. With lyrics by Mariya Takeuchi and composed by veteran songwriter Tetsuji Hayashi (林哲司).

7. 遠く離れて (When You're So Far Away): Another R&B ballad, this time composed and written by Mariya herself, and arranged by Totsuka Osamu (戸塚 修).

8. 雨のドライヴ (Rainy Drive): Another good driving song but this time, it’s for a slow cruise through the city. The awesome piano work accompanied by Mariya’s crooning really set the atmosphere for a rainy night at a Jazz lounge.

9. Farewell Call: For the finale, we’re sent off with an arrangement that sounds like an homage to Karen Carpenter. It’s a pretty by the numbers ballad, but it fades off into a pretty cool guitar solo.

THE VERDICT

Production: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Vocals:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Arrangement:⭐⭐⭐⭐

Aesthetic:⭐⭐⭐⭐

Memorability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Composition:⭐⭐⭐⭐

My initial first listening of Miss M threw me for a loop, I wasn’t expecting to hear so many songs where Mariya is singing English and really good English at that! There’s a lot of reasons for City Pop fans to invest in getting Miss M as their first Mariya album. The English songs are perfect for people who’ve always wanted to sing along with their favorite City Pop artists but don’t have the time to learn Japanese. On top of that, the combination of both Japanese & American arrangements means there’s something for people who want to feel at home with the unadulterated West Coast sound, as well as people who enjoy the blend of East meets West found in J-AOR. Although it’s not anything groundbreaking for the genre, Miss M provides the perfect marriage of Japanese & American pop sensibilities that are fine-tuned with the help of the most iconic & prolific players in the genre.

If you'd like to learn more about Mariya's time in Los Angeles, Concert manager & Music Shopkeeper, Mutsumu Nakajima wrote an essay about his first-hand experience, with detailed play-by-play of the album's recording.

*If you enjoy my work, please consider supporting my research through Tee-Spring and/or Patreon, thanks!