



The “M” embroidered sweater shown on the album jacket was woven by writer Osamu Hashimoto .



If you were introduced to City Pop for the first time, it was probably because of Mariya Takeuchi, specifically her 1985 hit single, Plastic Love, arguably the most iconic song in the genre. While Plastic Love happens to be most people’s favorite Mariya song, it’s not mine, as I’ve discovered that her catalog of music is much more diverse than what people are used to. A key example of this is her 1980 classic album, Miss M. Miss M is the fourth studio album by Mariya Takeuchi. What stands out most about the album is that the 1st half was recorded in Los Angeles, California along with musicians from the bands TOTO & Airplay at the height of their career, thus giving the album a more West Coast AOR sound.

THE HISTORY





The famous viral photo from the single version of Sweetest Music, Photography by Alan Levenson



The A side was recorded in California, USA , specifically at Monterrey Sound Studios in Glendale, which operated between 1979~1989. The studio was owned by producer Jack Daugherty, who happened to be a long time producer of one of Mariya’s biggest musical influences, The Carpenters. The song arrangements were handled by David Foster and Jay Graydon, otherwise known as the band Airplay , they participated as session musicians as well'. "LA Side" was joined by members of TOTO including Jeff Pocaro on drums, Steve Lukather on guitar, and David Hanggate on bass. On the other hand, the B-side is a "Tokyo Side" recorded in Japan from around June 1980, before the LA side was recorded. Some notable band members for the Japanese portion include the legendary guitarist Shigeru Suzuki (鈴木 茂), pianist & songwriter Nobuyuki Shimizu (清水信之), and bassist Kenji Takamizu (高水 健司). The A side was recorded in California, USA , specifically at Monterrey Sound Studios in Glendale, which operated between 1979~1989. The studio was owned by producer Jack Daugherty, who happened to be a long time producer of one of Mariya’s biggest musical influences, The Carpenters. The song arrangements were handled byandotherwise known as the band, they participated as session musicians as well'. "LA Side" was joined by members ofincludingon drums,on guitar, andon bass. On the other hand, the B-side is a "Tokyo Side" recorded in Japan from around June 1980, before the LA side was recorded. Some notable band members for the Japanese portion include the legendary guitarist, pianist & songwriter, and bassist





Mark Jordan, David Hanggate, Mariya, David Foster, Jay Graydon, Steve Lukather, Jeff Pocaro

The album also features some well known singers on backing vocals. Some notable people representing America include Bill Champlin from Chicago, and Carmen Twillie who sang Circle of Life from the Lion King movie. Representing Japan we have AOR crooners Yasuhiro Abe (安部恭弘) & Tatsuro Yamashita (山下達郎), fellow RCA darling EPO, and the folk duo Buzz, formed by the older brother of Yellow Magic Orchestra member Yukihiro Takahashi (高橋 幸宏).