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Back to City Pop Introducing Masayoshi Takanaka
Masayoshi Takanaka, born in Tokyo in 1953, was one of the most influential musicians who shaped the city pop genre of the late 1970s and 1980s.
He began his professional career in 1971 by playing guitar and bass guitar in the prog rock band “Flied Egg” with Hiro Tsunoda and the late Shigeru Narumo. In 1972, he joined “the Sadistic Mika Band” as a guitarist.
In 1976, he released his first solo album, “Seychelles”. Throughout the late ’70s and ’80s, Takanaka continued his output, releasing over twenty albums and singles under Kitty Records. “Rainbow Goblins” released in 1981 became his signature album.
Takanaka has collaborated with several other musicians, notably Lee Ritenour, Santana, Narada Michael Walden, Sheila E. in both live acts and albums. In 2000, he formed his own personal record label, Lagoon Records.
Since then, he has energetically been carrying out nationwide tours in Japan every year; in November 2021 he celebrated his golden anniversary with the “Rainbow Goblins Final” concert at the Nippon Budokan.
(The photos featured here show the Takanaka album “An Insatiable High” in a promo pressing from 1977)
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