Ride on Time is the fifth studio album by Tatsuro Yamashita, released on 19 September 1980. Riding the success of its title track, a hit through a Maxell cassette commercial, it became his first No. 1 album and turned him from a cult figure into a star.[1]
Background
The single “Ride on Time”, released on 1 May 1980, was used in a Maxell cassette tape commercial featuring Yamashita himself; it was his first charting single, reaching No. 3 on Oricon and selling 417,000 copies.[1] Most of the album’s lyrics were written by Minako Yoshida, Yamashita’s collaborator since the Sugar Babe era.[1]
Recording
Yamashita produced and arranged the record with his touring band of the time — Jun Aoyama on drums, Koki Ito on bass, Kazuo Shiina on guitar and Hiroyuki Namba on keyboards — with Hiroshi Sato guesting on keys.[1] He also composed the score for the NTV drama Keishi-K, for which “My Sugar Babe”, an ode to his old band, served as the theme.[1]
Release and legacy
The album topped the Oricon LP chart for a week in October 1980 and sold some 225,000 copies.[1] “Ride on Time” re-entered the Oricon top 20 in 2003 after featuring in the drama Good Luck!!, and an expanded remaster in 2002 reached No. 20.[1] The Nippon.com guide counts it among the essential albums of the genre.[2]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Side A | |||
| 1. | “Someday”いつか | Minako Yoshida | 5:49 |
| 2. | “Daydream” | Minako Yoshida | 4:31 |
| 3. | “Silent Screamer” | Minako Yoshida | 5:29 |
| 4. | “Ride on Time”album version | Tatsuro Yamashita | 5:55 |
| Side B | |||
| 5. | “The Door into Summer”夏への扉 | Minako Yoshida | 4:41 |
| 6. | “My Sugar Babe” | Tatsuro Yamashita | 4:11 |
| 7. | “Rainy Day” | Minako Yoshida | 5:20 |
| 8. | “Clouds”雲のゆくえに | Minako Yoshida | 5:40 |
| 9. | “Kissing Goodnight”おやすみ | Tatsuro Yamashita | 1:41 |
All music by Tatsuro Yamashita.
Personnel
- Tatsuro Yamashita – vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion, producer, arranger
- Jun Aoyama – drums
- Koki Ito – bass
- Kazuo Shiina – electric guitar, guitar synthesizer
- Hiroyuki Namba – keyboards
- Hiroshi Sato – keyboards (some tracks)
- Minako Yoshida – backing vocals
- Hidefumi Toki – alto saxophone
References
- “Ride on Time (album)”. Wikipedia. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
- “A Guide to City Pop, the Soundtrack for Japan’s Bubble-Era Generation”. Nippon.com. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
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