Variety is the sixth studio album by Mariya Takeuchi, released on 25 April 1984 on Moon Records. The first album she wrote entirely herself, it was produced by Tatsuro Yamashita, topped the Oricon chart and contains “Plastic Love”, the anthem of the city pop revival.[1][2]
Background
After Portrait (1981) Takeuchi stepped away from performing and left RCA; she married Tatsuro Yamashita in 1982.[2] Variety marked her return, on the Moon label, and her emergence as the sole songwriter of her records.[1][2]
Recording
Yamashita produced and arranged the album, with Nobutaka Tsugei, Kazuo Shiina and Hiroki Inui contributing vocal, horn and string arrangements on individual tracks.[1] The rhythm section was led by Koki Ito (bass) and Jun Aoyama (drums); Ernie Watts plays tenor saxophone on four songs including “Plastic Love”, Ryuichi Sakamoto adds synthesizer to two, and Taeko Onuki sings backing vocals on “Plastic Love”.[1]
Release and singles
Variety reached No. 1 on the Oricon LP chart with 316,000 copies and was the eleventh-best-selling album of 1984.[1] Singles were “Mou Ichido” (promotional, April 1984), “Mersey Beat de Utawasete” (August 1984) and “Plastic Love” (25 March 1985), which reached No. 5.[1][2]
“Plastic Love” and the revival
A moderate hit on release, “Plastic Love” found a vast international audience from 2017 after a remix was uploaded to YouTube, and Warner Music Japan released an official video in 2019.[1][2]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Mou Ichido”もう一度 | Mariya Takeuchi | 4:06 |
| 2. | “Plastic Love”プラスティック・ラブ | Mariya Takeuchi | 4:51 |
| 3. | “Honki de Only You (Let’s Get Married)”本気でオンリーユー | Mariya Takeuchi | 3:53 |
| 4. | “One Night Stand” | Mariya Takeuchi | 3:57 |
| 5. | “Broken Heart” | Mariya Takeuchi | 3:55 |
| 6. | “Night at the Amphitheater”アンフィシアターの夜 | Mariya Takeuchi | 3:33 |
| 7. | “Todokanu Omoi”とどかぬ想い | Mariya Takeuchi | 3:34 |
| 8. | “Mersey Beat de Utawasete”マージービートで唄わせて | Mariya Takeuchi | 3:19 |
| 9. | “Mizu to Anata to Taiyō to”水とあなたと太陽と | Mariya Takeuchi | 3:29 |
| 10. | “Going Steady”ふたりはステディ | Mariya Takeuchi | 3:27 |
| 11. | “Shetland ni Hoho wo Uzumete”シェットランドに頬をうずめて | Mariya Takeuchi | 3:42 |
Personnel
- Mariya Takeuchi – vocals, songwriting
- Tatsuro Yamashita – producer, arrangements, guitars, keyboards, backing vocals
- Koki Ito – bass
- Jun Aoyama – drums
- Hiroyuki Namba – piano, organ
- Ernie Watts – tenor saxophone
- Ryuichi Sakamoto – synthesizer
- Taeko Onuki – backing vocals (“Plastic Love”)
References
- “Variety (Mariya Takeuchi album)”. Wikipedia. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
- “Mariya Takeuchi”. Wikipedia. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
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