Akiko Yano -

Akiko Yano — 矢野顕子 (born Feb. 13, 1955) — is a Japanese art-pop singer who released five albums on Philips between 1976 and 1979, followed by three albums on Japan Records during the early 1980s. She has released more than two dozen titles since that time, mostly on Epic and Midi Inc.

Background

Yano was born Akiko Suzuki (鈴木顕子 Suzuki Akiko) on February 13, 1955, in Tokyo. She was raised in Aomori and started piano at age three. At 15, she left school to join the music scene in Tokyo, where she first performed in jazz combos and gradually gained session work.

In 1975, she got her first credits as a backing singer on albums by Kenji Endo (Hard Folk Kenji) and Minako Yoshida (Minako). She also played electric piano on the debut album by Tin Pan Alley.

In February 1976, she started work on her first album at Onkio Haus. The following month, she cut five songs in Los Angeles with backing by Little Feat. Back in Japan, she cut a final track (“大いなる椎の木”) on Arp synthesizer with Haruomi Hosono on bass.

Japanese Girl (日本少女)

Akiko Yano released her debut album, Japanese Girl (日本少女), on July 25, 1976, on Nippon Phonogram’s Philips imprint.

Yano plays piano across Japanese Girl. Guitarists Lowell George and Paul Barrere cut the American side into short rhythmic cells over Richie Hayward’s backbeat and Kenny Gradney’s low end, while Yano answers with clipped piano figures, Hammond swells, and abrupt vocal turns. The Japanese side narrows the attack to piano, koto, flute, tsuzumi, and festival percussion. Yano places folk-derived lines inside tight ensemble writing and closes the program by splitting “Funamachi-uta” across both sides.

A1. “気球にのって” [On a Balloon] (6:32) — Yano
A2. “クマ” [Bear] (3:57) — Yano
A3. “電話線” [Telephone Line] (2:50) — Yano
A4. “津軽ツアー” [Tsugaru Tour] (1:58) — Yano
A5. “ふなまち唄 Part II” [Funamachi Song Part II] (5:48) — Yano

B1. “大いなる椎の木” [The Great Shii Tree] (3:15) — Yano
B2. “へこりぷたあ” (3:50) — Yano/Koto Toyo
B3. “風太” [Fūta] (1:48) — Yano
B4. “丘を越えて” [Over the Hill] (3:08) — Shimada/Koga
B5. “ふなまち唄 Part I” [Funamachi Song Part I] (3:57) — Yano

Yano recorded side A in March 1976 at Hollywood Sound Studio and cut most of side B between February and March 1976 at Onkio Haus. “Ōinaru Shiinoki” comes from a May 1973 session at Mouri Studio No. 1. She produced the album with Makoto Yano under the joint alias Koto Toyo, while Kinji Yoshino handled the mix.

The original LP carried a fold-out insert. Yasuo Yagi handled the art direction, and Hiroki Komazawa supplied the cover art.

Philips circulated “電話線” [Telephone Line] (b/w “大いなる椎の木” [Ōinaru Shiinoki]) as a promo-only single in 1976 under catalog number SNH-1005.

In Japan, Japanese Girl reached No. 35 on the Oricon albums chart.

いろはにこんぺいとう (Iroha ni Konpeitou)

Akiko Yano released いろはにこんぺいとう on August 5, 1977, on Philips/Nippon Phonogram.

Yano plays piano, clavinet, Yamaha electric piano, Fender electric piano, Mini Moog, Moog IIIc, and string ensemble across いろはにこんぺいとう. Hideki Matsutake programs the synth passages, and Haruomi Hosono or Will Lee anchor the low end beneath guitar parts from David Spinozza, Shigeru Suzuki, Masayoshi Takanaka, and Ginji Ito.

“KAWAJI” opens as a short Moog piece tied to Yano’s grandfather. The title cut places her with Will Lee for the first time and lands in a sharper New York pocket. “待ちくたびれて” turns waiting into suspended expectation, while “ほうろう” and “相合傘” recast two Haruomi Hosono songs inside her keyboard writing. “ぽつん” reaches back to 1973 sessions, “昨日はもう” sets a lyric by Seri Ishikawa, and “やませ（東風）” closes with Makoto Yano’s strings.

A1. “KAWAJI” (0:58) — Yano
A2. “いろはにこんぺいとう” [Iroha ni Konpeitou] (3:02) — Yano
A3. “待ちくたびれて” [Machikutabirete / A Long Wait] (3:50) — Yano
A4. “ほうろう” [Horo] (4:12) — Haruomi Hosono
A5. “行け柳田” [Ike Yanagida] (5:02) — Yano

B1. “相合傘” [Ai Ai Gasa] (3:46) — Haruomi Hosono
B2. “ぽつん” [Potsun] (2:04) — Yano
B3. “昨日はもう” [Kinō wa Mō] (4:36) — Seri Ishikawa/Akiko Yano
B4. “家路” [Ieji / The Way Home] (3:30) — Yano
B5. “やませ（東風）” [Yamase (East Wind)] (4:09) — Yano

Yano recorded いろはにこんぺいとう across sessions from May 1973, December 1975, February through April 1976, November 1976, and March through June 1977. Makoto Yano produced the album. David Baker, Kinji Yoshino, and Tsuyoshi Miyasaka handled engineering, and Yoshino also remixed the finished record.

Bishin Jumonji photographed the sleeve, which shows Yano carrying an inflatable dolphin. The original package included a poster, and the later Wewantsounds reissue restored the four-page insert with lyrics and lineup details.

Phonogram issued “いろはにこんぺいとう” as a single (b/w “妖精の詩”) and later lifted “行け柳田” (b/w “HELLO THERE”).

ト・キ・メ・キ (Tokimeki)

Akiko Yano released ト・キ・メ・キ on September 5, 1978, on Nippon Phonogram.

Yano plays piano, Mini Moog, Moog III, and ARP strings across ト・キ・メ・キ. Bassists Will Lee and Frank Blair hold the floor beneath drum parts from Rick Marotta and Steve Jordan, while guitarist David Spinozza threads short rhythm cuts through organ from Will Boulware and synth programming from Hideki Matsutake and Roger Powell.

“こどもたち” and “アンダンテ・カンタービレ” open wider piano space and slower motion. “ウオーサオー” turns on hand percussion and clipped accents, while “TWO ON THE STAGE” and the title track lock into a tighter rhythmic pocket with brighter synth punctuation. “やめるわけにゃいかないわ” sets new words to Isao Tomita’s theme for 新日本紀行, and “ヨ・ロ・コ・ビ” reshapes Beethoven’s Ninth inside Yano’s arrangement.

A1. “こどもたち” [Children] (3:43) — Yano/Hayward
A2. “カタルンカララン” [Katarun Kararan] (4:09) — Kikuchi/Futa/Yano
A3. “ウオーサオー” [Uo Sao] (3:00) — Yano
A4. “TWO ON THE STAGE” (4:33) — Yano
A5. “大きな石” [Big Stone] (4:14) — Yano

B1. “アンダンテ・カンタービレ” [Andante Cantabile] (3:22) — Keizo Horiuchi, Russian folk song
B2. “やめるわけにゃいかないわ” [Yameru Wakenya Ikanaiwa] (3:46) — Yano, Isao Tomita
B3. “ヨ・ロ・コ・ビ” [Yo・Ro・Ko・Bi / Joy] (3:04) — Toichiro Iwasa, Ludwig van Beethoven
B4. “ト・キ・メ・キ” [Tokimeki] (5:49) — Yano

Yano recorded ト・キ・メ・キ in New York at Sound Ideas Studios, Power Station, and Bearsville Studios. Album credits list David Baker and Makoto Yano as co-producers, with Baker also handling the recording and remix alongside assistant engineers Don Berman and Lucy Laurie.

Tsutomu Murakami drew the cover, and Heyqlow Kobayashi handled the art direction.

ごはんができたよ (Gohan ga Dekita yo)

Akiko Yano released ごはんができたよ on October 1, 1980, on Japan Record.

Yano places acoustic keyboard lines inside Ryuichi Sakamoto’s synthesizer arrangements across ごはんができたよ. Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi hold a steady floor beneath Kenji Omura’s guitar work, and the Hibari Children’s Choir enters two of the later pieces.

“Coloured Water” shifts to English text and replaces Takahashi with Tatsuo Hayashi on drums. “Dogs Awaiting” threads sampled barking through a vocoder-treated vocal line. “Tong Poo” turns Sakamoto’s Yellow Magic Orchestra composition into a sung piece with Yano’s lyric, while “ごきげんわにさん” pairs Yano and Sakamoto in piano duet.

Original LP sequence, timings, and writer credits follow the 1980 two-record issue.

A1. “ひとつだけ” [Hitotsudake] (5:42) — Yano
A2. “ぼんぼんぼん” [Les Petit Bon Bon] (6:16) — Yano
A3. “Coloured Water” (4:43) — Yano/Kikuchi
B1. “在広東少年” [Zai Kuntong Shonen] (6:25) — Yano
B2. “HIGH TIME” (5:17) — Fran Payne/Yano
B3. “DOGS AWAITING” (7:34) — Yano
C1. “TONG POO” (4:23) — Yano/Sakamoto
C2. “青い山脈” [Aoi Sanmyaku] (4:03) — Yaso Saijō/Ryōichi Hattori
C3. “げんこつやまのおにぎりさま” [Genkotsuyama no Onigirisama] (8:35) — Yoshiko Kayama/Michio Mado/Akihiro Komori
C4. “ごきげんわにさん” [Gokigen Wanisan] (2:59) — Rieko Nakagawa/Akihiro Komori
D1. “また会おね” [Mata Aone] (4:08) — Yano
D2. “てはつたえる→てつだえる” [Te wa Tsutaeru → Tetsudaeru] (4:20) — Yano
D3. “ごはんができたよ” [Gohan ga Dekita yo] (5:32) — Yano
D4. “YOU’RE THE ONE” (4:24) — Yano/Sakamoto

Yano recorded ごはんができたよ at Studio A in Tokyo and Sound City in Los Angeles with co-producer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Shinichi Tanaka handled engineering, and Atsushi Saito assisted on the sessions.

Japan issued “ごはんができたよ” (b/w “ひとつだけ”) as a single on October 1, 1980.

ただいま。 (Tadaima.)

Akiko Yano released ただいま。 on May 1, 1981, on Japan Record.

Yano sets short keyboard figures against programmed lines and clipped backbeats across side one. Bassist Yuji Nakamura and drummer Yukihiro Takahashi hold the floor, while Hideki Matsutake supplies computer programming and the Hibari Children’s Choir enters the first two cuts.

The title track pairs Shigesato Itoi’s words with the album’s homecoming phrase. “VET” turns to an animal doctor, and “ASHKENAZY WHO?” points to Vladimir Ashkenazy. “たいようのおなら” binds nine children’s poems into one piano-led sequence. “春咲小紅” came from Kanebo’s 1981 spring campaign and became the album’s main hit.

A1. “ただいま。” [Tadaima.] (4:01) — Itoi/Yano
A2. “いつか王子様が” [Itsuka Ojisama ga] (5:04) — Yano
A3. “VET” (2:25) — Yano/Barakan, Yano
A4. “ASHKENAZY WHO?” (3:25) — Yano
A5. “いらないもん” [Iranaimon] (2:45) — Yano/Barakan, Taeko Ohnuki
B1. “たいようのおなら” [Taiyō no Onara] (9:33) — music Yano; poems from Taiyō no Onara
B2. “I SING” (4:02) — Yano/Ryuichi Sakamoto
B3. “春咲小紅” [Harusaki Kobeni] (3:34) — Itoi/Yano
B4. “ROSE GARDEN” (3:33) — Yano

Yano recorded ただいま。 at Sound City Studio and mixed the album at Sound City Studio and Sound Inn with co-producer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Chesta Hatakeyama and Shinnosuke Ito handled engineering, and Shinichi Tanaka handled engineering and mixing.

Teruhiko Yumura drew the sleeve. Later reissues restored the original artwork with an insert.

Japan issued “春咲小紅” (b/w “在広東少年”) on February 1, 1981. The Kanebo tie-in reached No. 3 on the Music Labo singles chart.

愛がなくちゃね。 (Ai ga Nakucha ne)

Akiko Yano released 愛がなくちゃね。 on June 25, 1982, on Tokuma Japan/Japan Records.

Yano places clipped piano phrases and synthesizer colors inside a London band built around Mick Karn and Steve Jansen. Guitarist David Rhodes threads the edges, Ryuichi Sakamoto covers synth and arrangement work, and David Sylvian enters one cut near the close.

The title track opens the set. “悲しくてやりきれない” recasts the Folk Crusaders song, while “おいしい生活” turns Shigesato Itoi’s Seibu slogan into a compact commercial song. “みちでバッタリ” draws from a Yuji Takahashi song cycle on Masafumi Oka’s poems. “Sleep On My Baby” returns to material from Summer Nerves, and “Good Night” closes as a duet with David Sylvian.

A1. “愛がなくちゃね” [Ai ga Nakucha ne] (4:53) — Yano/Peter Barakan, Yano
A2. “悲しくてやりきれない” [Kanashikute Yarikirenai] (4:02) — Hachirō Satō/Kazuhiko Katō
A3. “What’s Got In Your Eyes?” (4:07) — Yano/Barakan, Yano
A4. “おいしい生活” [Oishii Seikatsu] (1:14) — Shigesato Itoi, Yano/Yano
A5. “みちでバッタリ” [Michi de Battari] (2:15) — Masafumi Oka/Yuji Takahashi
B1. “女たちよ男たちよ” [Onnatachi yo Otokotachi yo] (4:05) — Yano
B2. “あいするひとよ” [Aisuru Hito yo] (4:28) — Yano
B3. “Sleep On My Baby” (3:59) — Yano
B4. “Another Wedding Song” (2:42) — Yano
B5. “どんなときもどんなときもどんなときも” [Donnatokimo Donnatokimo Donnatokimo] (3:56) — Itoi, Yano/Yano
B6. “Good Night” (1:28) — Yano/Barakan, Yuji Takahashi

Yano recorded 愛がなくちゃね。 at Air Studios and Onkio Haus with co-producer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Shinichi Tanaka and Steve Nye handled engineering.

Tokuma sold the LP and the jacket-photo-book package as separate purchases. The original package carried a 24-page booklet with photographs by Pennie Smith and Bishin Jumonji.

オーエスオーエス (OSOS)

Akiko Yano released オーエスオーエス on June 25, 1984, on Japan Records/Tokuma Japan.

Yano splits オーエスオーエス between toy-song material, clipped pop writing, and longer keyboard pieces. Bassist Willie Weeks and drummer Carlos Vega anchor the Los Angeles tracks, while Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi, and Ryuichi Sakamoto shape several of the Tokyo cuts around Yano’s piano, vibraphone, and synthesizer writing.

“おもちゃのチャチャチャ” opens as a cover of the children’s song by Akiyuki Nosaka and Shin’ichi Kosobe. “SIMON SMITH AND THE AMAZING DANCING BEAR” recasts Randy Newman. “ラーメンたべたい” served the Myojo Foods campaign and became the album’s best-known song. “素顔” draws on Yōko Isaka’s prizewinning poetry collection Gigi Shishū, and “終りの季節” covers Haruomi Hosono’s HOSONO HOUSE piece.

A1. “おもちゃのチャチャチャ” [Omocha no Cha Cha Cha] (4:32) — Akiyuki Nosaka/Shin’ichi Kosobe
A2. “HI, HI, HI” (4:22) — Yano
A3. “きょうのわたくし” [Kyō no Watakushi] (3:24) — Yano
A4. “HIGHLAND” (4:34) — Yano
A5. “SIMON SMITH AND THE AMAZING DANCING BEAR” (2:54) — Randy Newman
B1. “ラーメンたべたい” [Rāmen Tabetai] (5:59) — Yano
B2. “素顔” [Sugao] (3:27) — Yōko Isaka/Yano
EP1. “終りの季節” [Owari no Kisetsu] (3:53) — Haruomi Hosono
B3. “GREENFIELDS” (5:00) — Yano
B4. “ASSEMBLY” (6:28) — Yano

Yano recorded オーエスオーエス between September 1983 and March 1984 at Onkio Haus and Sunset Sound. She produced the album, Sakamoto shared production and arrangement work, Peggy McCreary and Terry Christian handled engineering, and Shinichi Tanaka handled engineering and mixing.

Kishin Shinoyama photographed the cover, Keisuke Nagatomo handled the art direction, and Takashi Momura handled the design. The original package also carried the bonus EP with “終りの季節.”

Japan issued “ラーメンたべたい” (b/w “HI, HI, HI”) on July 25, 1984.

BROOCH

Akiko Yano released BROOCH in June 1985 on Yano Music as a mail-order box of four 7-inch records. A general-release MIDI edition followed on September 5, 1986, with added tracks, but the original 1985 issue is the version covered here.

Yano built BROOCH around voice and piano. Yuji Takahashi supplies the keyboard accompaniment throughout the original set, and the program turns from English versions of French and German art songs to Japanese settings by Takahashi. The record strips away band texture and leaves phrasing, breath, and piano attack in the foreground.

The first eight performances come from European song repertory. The last four turn to Japanese texts by Shuntaro Tanikawa and Masashi Oka with music by Takahashi.

A1. “Chanson Française” [French Song] (2:06) — traditional, harmonized by Maurice Ravel
A2. “Vorfrühling” [Earliest Spring] (1:33) — F. Avenarius, Anton Webern
A3. “Beau Soir” [Beautiful Evening] (1:36) — Paul Bourget, Claude Debussy
B1. “Il Pleure dans mon Cœur” [Tears Fall in My Heart] (2:24) — Paul Verlaine, Claude Debussy
B2. “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat” (2:30) — Edward Lear, Igor Stravinsky
B3. “Fromm” [Piety] (2:01) — G. Falke, Anton Webern

C1. “Pastorale” [Pastoral] (1:50) — Igor Stravinsky
C2. “Le Temps a Laissié son Manteau” [Old Time Now His Mantle Hath Doffed] (1:13) — Charles d’Orléans, Claude Debussy
D1. “はこ” [Box] (2:41) — Shuntaro Tanikawa, Yuji Takahashi
D2. “小まどから” [From the Little Window] (3:40) — Masashi Oka, Yuji Takahashi, arranged by Mikio Tojima
D3. “リンゴ” [Apple] (2:46) — Masashi Oka, Yuji Takahashi
D4. “ゆめのよる” [Night of Dreams] (2:36) — Shuntaro Tanikawa, Yuji Takahashi

Yano produced the original set. Credits for the 1985 box list Yuji Takahashi on piano, Shinichi Tanaka as engineer, Hiroshi Okura as executive producer, and Hajime Tachibana on package design.

Tachibana’s design wrapped the album as a die-cut 12-inch sleeve that housed the four 7-inch discs with a clear insert.

峠のわが家 (Touge no Wagaya)

Akiko Yano released 峠のわが家 on February 21, 1986, on MIDI.

Yano resets her catalog around piano-led songs and a smaller ensemble on 峠のわが家. Anthony Jackson and Steve Ferrone hold much of the low-end and drum work, Kenji Omura cuts through the center with guitar figures, and Ryuichi Sakamoto shares the keyboard layer. Two tracks bring in Yukihiro Takahashi and a sharper pop edge, but much of the record leans toward looser phrasing and wider harmonic space.

“The Girl of Integrity” opens with cat sounds taken from a stray that frequented Yano’s home. “David” later became the theme for Yappari Neko ga Suki. “ちいさい秋みつけた” recasts the standard inside this new ensemble, and “一分間” sets a poem by Yasuo Fujitomi. Yano also draws in outside songwriters through “海と少年” and “夏の終り,” then closes with “Home Sweet Home.”

A1. “The Girl of Integrity” (4:32) — Yano
A2. “David” (4:20) — Yano
A3. “ちいさい秋みつけた” [Chiisai Aki Mitsuketa] (4:29) — Hachirō Satō, Yoshinao Nakada
A4. “一分間” [Ippunkan] (2:34) — Yasuo Fujitomi, Yano
A5. “おてちょ。” [Otecho. (Drop Me a Line)] (4:34) — Yano, Peter Barakan, Yano
B1. “海と少年” [Umi to Shōnen] (3:40) — Taeko Ohnuki
B2. “夏の終り” [Natsu no Owari] (4:18) — Kazumasa Oda
B3. “そこのアイロンに告ぐ” [Soko no Airon ni Tsugu] (4:05) — Yano
B4. “Home Sweet Home” (6:10) — Yano

Yano recorded 峠のわが家 in Tokyo and at Power Station in New York with co-producer Ryuichi Sakamoto.

MIDI issued “David” as a single on October 21, 1990, after the song had already become associated with Yappari Neko ga Suki.

GRANOLA

Akiko Yano released GRANOLA on November 21, 1987, on MIDI.

Yano folds piano songs, band pieces, and duet writing into one sequence on GRANOLA. Ryuichi Sakamoto shares the production and arrangement work, and the record alternates between fuller ensemble tracks and narrower keyboard-led passages. The pacing stays varied without losing the sense of a single studio set.

“風をあつめて” and “無風状態” revisit Happy End material. “やがて一人” returns to a Yasuo Fujitomi text, while “花のように” reclaims a song Yano had given to Sachiko Sugiura for a Glico dairy commercial. “ふりむけばカエル” reached television first through Minna no Uta. “自転車でおいで” brings in Motoharu Sano as duet partner, and “おおきいあい” closes the album.

A1. “わたしたち” [Watashitachi] (5:14) — Yano
A2. “風をあつめて” [Kaze wo Atsumete] (5:24) — Takashi Matsumoto, Haruomi Hosono
A3. “やがて一人” [Yagate Hitori] (4:58) — Yasuo Fujitomi, Yano
A4. “Un Jour” (4:58) — Motoharu Sano, Yano
A5. “無風状態” [Mufujotai] (2:30) — Hosono
A6. “花のように” [Hana no Yō ni] (5:01) — Yano
B1. “ふりむけばカエル” [Furimukeba Kaeru] (4:04) — Shigesato Itoi, Yano
B2. “Levee Break” (4:54) — Yano, Haruo Kubota
B3. “Röslein auf der Heiden” (3:05) — Sakufū Kondō, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Heinrich Werner
B4. “自転車でおいで” [Jitensha de Oide] (4:27) — Itoi, Yano
B5. “おおきいあい” [Ōkii Ai] (4:33) — Yano, Kubota

Yano recorded GRANOLA with co-producer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Credits on later digital and catalog sources identify Shinichi Tanaka among the album engineers.

MIDI issued “花のように” on the album’s release date. “ふりむけばカエル” had already aired on Minna no Uta in April and May 1987.

WELCOME BACK

Akiko Yano released WELCOME BACK on April 21, 1989, on MIDI.

Yano turns toward a jazz-centered band sound on WELCOME BACK., joined by guitarist Pat Metheny, drummer Peter Erskine, bassist Charlie Haden, and Sakamoto, who infuses his wife’s piano with synthesizer. The record opens space between vocals and rhythm figures, then lets the band breathe inside longer phrases and cleaner instrumental edges.

“It’s for You” comes from the Metheny book and runs faster than the original as the coda accelerates. “How Beautiful” served a Sony commercial, and “Watching You” served an Elleair spot with Masakazu Tamura. “かぜのひきかた” sets a poem by Seiō Tsuji, and “Hard Times Come Again No More” brings Stephen Foster into the sequence.

A1. “It’s for You” (6:43) — Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays
A2. “しんぱいなうんどうかい” [Field Day] (3:02) — Shigesato Itoi, Yano
A3. “みのりのあきですよ” [Autumn Song] (3:33) — Itoi, Yano
A4. “悩む人” [A Worried Girl] (4:48) — Yano
A5. “ほんとだね。” [It Will Take a Long Time] (4:16) — Yano
B1. “How Beautiful” (1:31) — Takashi Nakahata, Yano
B2. “かぜのひきかた” [How to Catch Cold] (6:32) — Seiō Tsuji, Yano
B3. “Hard Times, Come Again No More” (3:41) — Stephen Foster
B4. “Watching You” (5:03) — Itoi, Yano, Yano
B5. “Little Girl, Giant Heart” (5:51) — Yano, Haruo Kubota

Yano recorded WELCOME BACK between November 1988 and February 1989. Discogs release notes identify Victor Aoyama Studio among the recording sites.

The album reached No. 27 on Oricon.

Discography: