Music / Pacific

Pacific is a collaborative album by Japanese artists Haruomi Hosono, Shigeru Suzuki and Tatsuro Yamashita, which was released in 1978 through CBS/Sony, the Japanese division of Columbia Records.

This isn't the first time those three artists worked together, especially if you're familiar with Haruomi Hosono's solo discography. Hosono and Suzuki were part of the same rock band, Happy End, and continued to work together following the band's split in 1973 (Suzuki being part of Tin Pan Alley, a band which appeared on the recording of Hosono's first albums). Yamashita, on the other hand, was already an established artist thanks to his solo discography while also participating on Hosono's albums along with Suzuki. One album in particular, Yukihiro Takahashi's Saravah! which was released during that same year, also features all three artists working together.

Their collaborative effort on Pacific results in a mostly instrumental album on which the tracklist is divided in three, composition-wise (three songs composed by Hosono, three others by Suzuki, and two by Yamashita). This three way split showcases the album's versitality in terms of genres. Hosono's tracks range from smooth guitar rumba ("Slack Key Rumba") to crunchy electronic ("Cosmic Surfin'"), Suzuki's tracks are either upbeat ("Passion Flower") or Bossa Nova inspired ("Noanoa"), and Yamashita's tracks are lush Sunshine Pop and lounge jazz-fusion. Overall, the most recurring genre on Pacific is Exotica, but the album has been reassessed as a pioneering element of the City Pop genre over the years through retrospective Western reviews.

Hosono, Suzuki and Yamashita aren't the only artists performing on the album. Other notable session players include Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi (who would later form Yellow Magic Orchestra with Hosono) as well as Kenji Omura (occasional session guitarist and touring member of YMO).

Tracklist

Side A

1. "The Last Paradise" (4:03)
2. "Coral Reef" (3:45)
3. "Nostalgia of Island" (9:36)
   1. "Part 1: Wind Bird"
   2. "Part 2: Walking on the Beach"
4. "Slack Key Rumba" (3:02)

Side B

5. "Passion Flower" (3:35)
6. "Noanoa" (4:10)
7. "Kiska" (5:26)
8. "Cosmic Surfin'" (5:07)

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The tropes in her hair, the warmth of the trope, on a troping day:

• City Pop: Not only does it feature Tatsuro Yamashita who would go on to be called a king of the genre, but it features Exotica and Jazz Fusion arrangements which would later be recognized as one of the early key elements in defining City Pop before its emergence in The '80s.
• Cover Version: The second part of "Nostalgia of Island" features lyrics taken from The Beach Boys' song "Girls on the Beach" (from the All Summer Long album). It can also be viewed as a Shout-Out from Yamashita to the Californian band which had a major influence on his music.
• Epic Rocking: "Nostalgia of Island" lasts 9 minutes and 36 seconds (though some versions of the album split the track into two even parts.
• Gainax Ending: The album ends with the raucous synth-heavy "Cosmic Surfin'" while the rest of the album was more focused on Exotica and Jazz Fusion.
• Heavy Meta: "Slack Key Rumba".
• Instrumentals: Aside from the second part of "Nostalgia of Island", the entire album is instrumental.
• Limited Lyrics Song: Vocals are rare to the point that you could also use the term "Limited Lyrics Album". The second part of "Nostalgia of Island" is the only track with lyrics sung by Yamashita, which originally come from the bridge of "Girls on the Beach" by The Beach Boys:
  The sun in her hair
  The warmth of the air
  On a summer day
• Location Song: "Kiska" is also the name of an island located in one of the archipelagos close to Alaska.
• Oddball In The Album: While most of the album has a serene or upbeat summer vibe, "Cosmic Surfin'" contrasts with the rest of the tracklist with its heavy use of synthesizers and thumping beat.
• One-Word Title: The tracks "Noanoa" and "Kiska", on top of the album's name.
• Rearrange the Song: "Cosmic Surfin'" would be covered by Yellow Magic Orchestra with a different arrangement and rewriting on their self-titled debut album, on top of being a staple on their concert setlists. However, the Pacific version of the song remained untouched whenever the band played the song live.
• Siamese Twin Songs: Both parts of "Nostalgia of Island".
• Special Guest
  • Yellow Magic Orchestra co-founders Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi play keyboards and drums respectively.
  • Kenji Omura plays guitar on "Kiska". He would later be a touring member of YMO and launch a solo career during the year of the album's release.

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