Go Ahead! is the third studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Tatsuro Yamashita, released in December 1978.
Overview "A masterpiece third solo album that marked the creativity of Yamashita's brilliant and versatile writing style which determined his subsequent path."
In commercial music, etc., there was a high demand for Yamashita as a musician who works under anonymity, but Yamashita's evaluation as a contract musician for a record company, was favorable, but he wasn't meeting the sales figures RCA wanted. Yamashita himself felt that the world of rock and folk that he had lived in had entered a new stage at that time, and thought that if he went on like this, he would probably have to give up his records and live activities. So he had a pessimistic prediction that this album would probably be the last. The album was criticized by critics and listeners for being disorganized, but it can be said that the writer's principle, which began to suffer, was the sprout of the album production policy that followed.(2002) Tatsuro Yamashita's "Go Ahead!" album booklet notes. RCA/BMG Funhouse (BVCR-17015) However Tatsuro Yamashita was told that one of his songs in the Go Ahead! album "Bomber" was a hit song in a disco in Osaka. Therefore, in 1979, a promotional single was released under the title of "Bomber".
The songs "Let's Dance Baby", "Bomber" & "潮騒 (The Whispering Sea)" would've be featured in his 1982 greatest hits album "Greatest Hits! of Tatsuro Yamashita". Meanwhile, the song "This Could Be The Night" would get re-recorded in 1984 as part of his soundtrack album "Big Wave".
In 2002, a remastered reissue (BVCR-17015) was released as part of The RCA/AIR Years 1976–1982 series. The reissue would include remastered tracks and three additional tracks that were previously unreleased before. It would enter the Oricon charts, peaking in at number twenty-five.
Track listing
2002 remastered edition
Personnel
Overture Tatsuro Yamashita: All Voices
Love Celebration Tatsuro Yamashita: Electric Guitar (Left), Hammond organ & Vibraphone Yutaka Uehara: Drums Akihiro Tanaka: Bass Kazuo Shiina: Electric Guitar (Right) Hiroyuki Namba: Electric Piano Shin Kazuhara: Trumpet Yoshikazu Kishi: Trumpet Shigeharu Mukai: Trombone Tadanori Konakawa: Trombone Motoo Okazaki: Alto Sax Solo Takeru Muraoka: Tenor Sax Shunzo Sunahara: Baritone Sax Tadaaki Ohno: Strings Concert Master
Let's Dance Baby Tatsuro Yamashita: Electric Guitar (Left), Percussion, Bang! & Background Vocals Yutaka Uehara: Drums & Percussion Akihiro Tanaka: Bass & Percussion Kazuo Shiina: Electric Guitar (Right) & Percussion Hiroyuki Namba: Keyboards & Percussion Motoo Okazaki: Alto Sax Solo Minako Yoshida: Background Vocals Ryuzo Kosugi: Background Vocals
Monday Blue Shuichi "Ponta" Murakami: Drums Akira Okazawa: Bass Tsunehide Matsuki: Electric Guitar Hiroshi Sato: Keyboards Keiko Yamakawa: Harp Tadaaki Ohno: Strings Concert Master
ついておいで (Follow Me Along) Tatsuro Yamashita: Electric Guitar (Left) & Background Vocals Yutaka Uehara: Drums Akihiro Tanaka: Bass Kazuo Shiina: Electric Guitar (Right) Hiroyuki Namba: Electric Piano Motoya Hamaguchi: Percussion Shigeharu Mukai: Trombone Solo Minako Yoshida: Background Vocals
Bomber Tatsuro Yamashita: Electric Guitar & Background Vocals Yutaka Uehara: Drums Akihiro Tanaka: Bass Kazuo Shiina: Electric Guitar Solo Hiroyuki Namba: Keyboards Minako Yoshida: Background Vocals
潮騒 (The Whispering Sea) (Same personnel for the English version)
Tatsuro Yamashita: Electric Guitar, Arp Odyssey Synthesizer (Bass), Percussion & Background Vocals Yutaka Uehara: Drums Akihiro Tanaka: Bass Hiroyuki Namba: Acoustic Piano Chuei Yoshikawa: Acoustic Guitar Ryuichi Sakamoto: KORG PS-3100 Synthesizer Motoya Hamaguchi: Percussion Minako Yoshida: Background Vocals
Paper Doll Tatsuro Yamashita: Electric Guitar, Percussion & Background Vocals Yutaka Uehara: Drums Akihiro Tanaka: Bass Ryuichi Sakamoto: Keyboards Minako Yoshida: Background Vocals
This Could Be the Night Tatsuro Yamashita: Drums, Bass, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Piano, Glockenspiel, Percussion, & Background Vocals Chuei Yoshikawa: Acoustic Guitar Ryuichi Sakamoto: Poly Moog Synthesizer Motoya Hamaguchi: Percussion
2000トンの雨 (2000t Of Rain) Tatsuro Yamashita: Electric Guitar, Percussion & Background Vocals Yutaka Uehara: Drums Akihiro Tanaka: Bass Ryuichi Sakamoto: Acoustic Piano Motoo Okazaki: Alto Sax Solo Ryuzo Kosugi: Percussion Minako Yoshida: Background Vocals Tadaaki Ohno: Strings Concert Master
Credits From the inner sleeve notes of the album (RVL-8037).
Produced by Tatsuro Yamashita All songs arranged by Tatsuro Yamashita Directed by Ryuzo "Junior" Kosugi Engineered by Tamotsu Yoshida Session co-ordinator – Ryuzo Kosugi Disk mastering engineer – Tohru Kotetsu Assistant engineer – Toshihiro Itoh (Onkio Haus) Art direction – Kenkichi Satoh Cover design – Kenkichi Satoh, Akira Sugiyama
Recording studios: Onkio Haus 1st, 2nd, & 3rd; Media 2nd, RCA 1st Mastering studio: Nihon Victor Yokohama Mastering Studio
Chart positions YearAlbumChartPositionSales1978Go Ahead!Oricon Weekly LP Albums Chart (top 100)757,0002002Go Ahead! [Remastered edition]Oricon Weekly Albums Chart2517,000
Release history Country Date Label Format Catalog numberJapanDecember 20, 1978RCA/RVCLPRVL-8037CTRCJ-1602February 21, 1985CDRHCD-513March 15, 1987R28H-2803November 21, 1989RCA/BMG VictorB25D-13005August 21, 1990BVCR-7003June 4, 1997RCA/BMG JapanBVCR-1030May 21, 1999BVCK-37008February 14, 2002RCA/BMG FunhouseBVCR-17015February 20, 2002LPBVJR-17005
See also 1978 in Japanese music
References