Love Trip (Takako Mamiya album)

Love Trip
Studio album by
Takako Mamiya
Released25 November 1982 (1982-11-25)
Recorded13 April to 28 August 1982
StudioKRS Studio, Tokyo
GenreCity pop
LabelKitty Records
ProducerGenji Sawai

Love Trip (stylized in all-caps) is a 1982 album by Kitty Records. It was the only album of Japanese singer Takako Mamiya (間宮 貴子, Mamiya Takako). Since the turn of the 21st-century, the album has been re-evaluated as a important part of city pop.

Production

Love Trip was released by Kitty Records on 25 November 1982.[1] It was the only album released by Mamiya,[2] who was previously part of Pao (alongside Sabine Kaneko and Yoshikazu Miura), a choral trio who released one single, "Yes (Say Yes)", through Eastworld in December 1978.[3] There are ten songs in the album, with five on each side.[4] Most of the songs were written by Etsuko Kisugi and Yoshiko Miura, with Gregg Oldron and Ichiko Takehana writing one each.[4] Akira Inoue, Mitsuru Kanekuni, Takao Kisugi, Katz Hoshi, Hiroyuki Namba, and Kazuo Shiina composed tracks for the album, while Osamu Shiomura joined some of the composers in arranging the music.[4]

Love Trip was recorded at KRS Studio in Tokyo from 13 April to 28 August 1982.[3] Genji Sawai produced the album,[5] while Kitty Group founder Hidenori Taga was executive producer.[3] Principal musicians included Hiroyuki Namba, Yoshihiro Naruse, Kazuo Shiina, Osamu Shiomura, and Yutaka Uehara,[6] and several of the instrumental performers had worked with Tatsuro Yamashita, as did Shiina himself.[5] FM Odawara personality Eiji Sawai said that there is no information about the album beyond the album recording and its credits, requiring assumptions to be made about its production.[1]

Additionally, Mamiya released a single for the titular track the same year as the album,[7] with "One More Night" as the B-side.[8]

Track listing

Cited from the liner notes and center label.[4]

Side A
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Love Trip" (stylized in all-caps)Etsuko KisugiKazuo ShiinaShiina 
2."Chinese Restaurant" (チャイニーズ･レストラン)
Katz HoshiHoshi 
3."Mayonaka no Joke" (真夜中のジョーク)Ichiko TakehanaHiroyuki Namba
  • Genji Sawai
  • Osamu Shiomura
 
4."Kanashimi wa Yoru no Mukō" (哀しみは夜の向こう)MiuraMitsuru Kanekuni
  • Shiina
  • Shiomura
 
5."All or Nothing" (stylized in all-caps)E. KisugiHoshiShiina 
Side B
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Nagisa de Dance" (渚でダンス)MiuraNamba
  • Sawai
  • Shiomura
 
2."One More Night" (stylized in all-caps)E. KisugiTakao Kisugi
  • Sawai
  • Shiomura
 
3."Morning Flight" (モーニング･フライト)MiuraSawai
  • Sawai
  • Shiomura
 
4."Tasogare wa Ginpaku no…" (たそがれは銀箔の･･･)E. KisugiAkira InoueInoue 
5."What a Broken Heart Can Do" (stylized in all-caps)Gregg OldronShiinaShiina 

Personnel

Credits adapted from 2012 re-release.[6]

  • Toshio Araki - brass (principal; part of Bikkuri Hourns)
  • Yukio Etoh - flute
  • Tetsuaki Hoashi - latin percussion (principal)
  • Katz Hoshi - chorus
  • Akira Inoue - keyboard
  • Mitsuru Kanekuni - brass (principal; part of Bikkuri Hourns)
  • Shigeru Kawashima - brass (principal; part of Bikkuri Hourns)
  • Shin Kazuhara - brass
  • Masato Matsuda - chorus
  • Tsunehide Matsuki - electric guitar
  • Shigeharu Mukai - brass
  • Hiroshi Narumi - chorus
  • Hiroyuki Namba – keyboard (principal)
  • Mitsuo Nagai - electric guitar
  • Yoshihiro Naruse - electric bass (principal)
  • Ohno Group - strings
  • Hitoshi Okano - brass (principal; part of Bikkuri Hourns)
  • Genji Sawai - brass (principal; part of Bikkuri Hourns)
  • Kazuo Shiina - electric guitar (principal)
  • Osamu Shiomura - brass (principal; part of Bikkuri Hourns)
  • Mitsuru Soma - flute
  • Satoshi Tamaki - chorus
  • Yutaka Uehara - drums (principal)
  • Etsuko Yamakawa - chorus
  • Tatsuji Yokoyama - latin percussion (principal)

Reception and legacy

Ynes Sarah Filleul of Tokyo Weekender noted that some of tracks, specifically the titular one and "Mayonaka no Joke", "oozed an aura of sultry, urban sophistication mixed with ennui."[7] Writing for Reminder, Sawai praised the album as "a tasteful work that eschews any hint of pop music", also adding that "the sound intertwines with Mamiya's vocals for a truly exquisite performance".[1] Yile Lin of Mezamashi Media said of the album: "Even if she could only make one album in her lifetime, if she could create such a perfect album, I think that would be fine".[9]

Rediscovery by the city pop scene

At the time of its initial release, Love Trip did not reach mainstream popularity or gain widespread attention,[2][7] not accumulating a high position on the Oricon Charts.[7] Mamiya never released another album or single, and she retired from music after her marriage.[7] Little information is known about Mamiya, with Filleul calling her "something of a mystery in city pop lore" and reporting that fans are still looking.[5][7]

Decades after its initial release, Love Trip came in high demand due to the rise of the city pop trend,[7] with "Mayonaka no Joke" becoming popular among DJs interested in Japanese music."[5] The album is considered a cult classic,[7] with Kayo Pops Channel noting that it "has become widely known as a symbolic rediscovery of the re-evaluation of city pop", citing the "urbanist-infused music and Mamiya's ennui-filled personality".[2] Sawai called "Mayonaka no Joke" worthy of being called the "model of city pop".[1] Kayo Pops Channel ranked the title track #49 on the 1980s ranking of the Top 100 City Pop Hits of the 70s and 80s.[2]

Re-releases

On 26 December 2012, Tower Records released an exclusive digitally remastered re-release of Love Trip;[6] it was the first time the album received a release since the 1982 original.[1] In 2014, Love Trip received a second re-release but with only 500 copies pressed; it sold out shortly after release and reportedly sold at auctions for high prices.[5] A third re-release was released in August 2019.[5]

The album saw two more vinyl re-releases, in August 2020 and August 2021 (the latter a deluxe edition),[10][11] as well as on coloured vinyl: pink in August 2023 and clear sky blue in April 2024.[12][13] It was also released on Super Audio CD and cassette tape on two separate occasions in 2022.[14][15]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Sawai, Eiji (6 July 2025). "幻のシンガー間宮貴子！まったく注目されなかった極上のシティポップ「LOVE TRIP」". Reminder (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 15 July 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d "70/80年代シティ・ポップの名曲ベスト100". Kayo Pops Channel (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 27 April 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  3. ^ a b c LOVE TRIP (liner notes). Takako Mamiya. Universal Music Japan. 2021. PROT-7123/4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ a b c d LOVE TRIP (liner notes, center label). Takako Mamiya. Kitty Records. 1982. PROT-7278.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ a b c d e f "80'sシティポップの至宝、間宮貴子『LOVE TRIP』のLPが待望の再発". Mastered (in Japanese). 22 May 2019. Archived from the original on 17 July 2025. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "間宮貴子、幻のシンガーが1枚だけ残したシティポップ極上盤『ラブ・トリップ』". Tower Records Online (in Japanese). 24 July 2019. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Filleul, Ynes Sarah (24 June 2025). "10 Surprising Facts About Japanese City Pop Icons". Tokyo Weekender. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  8. ^ LOVE TRIP (liner notes). Takako Mamiya. Kitty Records. 1982. 7DS 0023.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ "なぜ今、海外で人気？外国人マニアに聞く40年前の日本のシティ・ポップがバズる理由". Mezamashi Media (in Japanese). 22 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  10. ^ "間宮貴子 | アルバム『LOVE TRIP』アナログ盤が8月8日発売 | CITY POP on VINYL 2020". Tower Records Online (in Japanese). 16 June 2020. Archived from the original on 17 July 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  11. ^ "間宮貴子 | アルバム『LOVE TRIP』Deluxe Editionアナログ盤が8月28日発売 | CITY POP on VINYL 2021". Tower Records Online (in Japanese). 16 June 2021. Archived from the original on 17 July 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  12. ^ "間宮貴子｜名盤『LOVE TRIP』アナログ盤がピンクカラーヴァイナル仕様で発売！". Tower Records Online. 4 May 2023. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  13. ^ "間宮貴子｜アルバム『LOVE TRIP』アナログ盤クリアスカイブルー・ヴァイナル仕様が8月3日発売". Tower Records Japan. 10 April 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  14. ^ "シティポップ：間宮貴子『LOVE TRIP』、佐藤博『オリエント』、野口五郎作品がSACDハイブリッド化". SA-CD Lab. 12 August 2022. Archived from the original on 18 May 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  15. ^ "【８/3発売】 間宮貴子 大橋純子 シティポップの大名盤をカセットテープで復刻！". HMV. 27 April 2023.
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