Anniversary (Akina Nakamori album)

Anniversary is the fifth studio album by Japanese singer Akina Nakamori. It was released on 1 May 1984 under the Warner Pioneer label. It was released on her second debut anniversary. The album includes the hit singles "Kita Wing" and first song written by Akina herself, Yume wo Misasete.

Anniversary
Studio album by
Released1 May 1984
Recorded1984
StudioAoi Studio
Cherry Island Studio
Compass Point Studios
GenreIdol Kayokyoku
Length44:41
LanguageJapanese
LabelWarner Pioneer
Reprise Records
ProducerYuuzou Shimada
Akina Nakamori chronology
Best Akina Memoires
(1983)
Anniversary
(1984)
Possibility
(1984)
Singles from Anniversary
  1. "Kita Wing"
    Released: 1 January 1984

Background edit

Anniversary is the first studio album released in 1984.

The music production team consist of a long-term collaborators from Nakamori's debut times, such as a Mitsuo Hagita, siblings Etsuko and Takao Kisugi, Amii Ozaki, Kōji Tamaki (a future member of Anzen Chitai), Yoshiko Miura and Haruomi Hosono.[1][2]

Unlike previous album New Akina Etranger, which had heavy influence of later's Momoe Yamaguchi music production team and European-oriented album style, Anniversary has more summer and tropical style according to interview from the magazine The Television.[3]

Promotion edit

Single edit

"Kita Wing" was released on 1 January 1984, her first single in 1984. The single debuted at number two on the Oricon Single Weekly Chart and became the ninth best-selling single of 1984. In The Best Ten ranking, it debuted at number one and stayed at number 11 in the yearly chart.[4]

It received three rewards: special composition award in the 4th Japan Composition Award, Best Hit Award in the 13th FNS Music Festival and Best Singing Award in the 26th Japan Record Awards.[5]

On 15 December 1984, "Kita Wing" was released as a special edition Kita Wing/Refrain.

Stage performances edit

In the TBS television program The Best Ten, she performed Kita Wing five times.

The most of the songs has been performed in the live tour Ongaku Kanshō-kai: Aitaina Aerukana, such as Easy, Asylum, Shut Out, 100 Celsius Vacation, Natsu Basama, Yume wo Misasete and Melancholy Fiesta.

Kita Wing was performed in Bitter and Sweet in 1985, Akina Index: The 8th Anniversary in 1989, Akina Yume Special Live in 1991, Symphonic Concert in 1998 and AKINA NAKAMORI A-1 tour in 2004.

Mabushii Futari was performed in the Akina's first dinner show Xmas An evening with Miss Akina Nakamori in 1996.

Asylum was performed in the Akina Yume Special Live in 1991 and in the special cover live Empress at CLUB EX in 2005.

Chart performance edit

The album reached number one on the Oricon Album Weekly Chart for three consecutive weeks, charted 21 weeks and selling over 483,400 copies. The album was ranked at number 13 on the Oricon Album Yearly Chart in 1984.[6]

Track listing edit

No.TitleLyricsMusicArranger(s)Length
1."Asylum"Yoshiko MiuraKōji TamakiIchizou Seo4:03
2."Mabushii Futari de"Etsuko KisugiTakao KisugiKei Wakakusa5:01
3."Easy"Amii OzakiOzakiSeo4:07
4."Yume wo Misasete"Akina NakamoriJ. SmithWakakusa4:33
5."Kita Wing"Chinfa KanTetsuji HayashiHayashi4:39
6."100°C Vacance"Masao UrinoHaruomi HosonoSeo4:25
7."Natsu Hazama"E. KisugiT. KisugiSeo4:47
8."Melancholy Fiesta"E. KisugiJuichi SaseMitsuo Hagita3:31
9."Ballerina"OzakiOzakiWakakusa3:43
10."Shut Out"Masako ArikawaWataru KuniyasuWakakusa4:12
2022 remaster reissue
No.TitleLyricsMusicArranger(s)Length
1."Namida no Katachi no Earring"KanHayashiHayashi4:28

Covers edit

Kita Wing edit

  • Kream covered the song on their 1996 album Time Machine ni Onegai.
  • Chinephile covered the song on their 2003 cover album Kayomania.
  • Akiko Matsumoto covered the song on her 2013 compilation album King of Pops 2.
  • Penicillin covered the song as the B-side of their 2014 single "Sol".
  • Sora Amamiya covered the song on her 2021 cover album Covers: Sora Amamiya Favorite Songs.

Mabushii Futari de edit

Japanese singer-songwriter, Takao Kisugi covered the song in his solo album Labyrinth in 1984.[7]

Release history edit

Year Format(s) Serial number Label(s) Ref.
1984 LP, CT, CD L-12591, LKF-8091, 35XL-40 Warner Pioneer [8]
1985 CD 32XL-73 Warner Pioneer [9]
1991 CD WPCL-415 Warner Pioneer [10]
1996 CD WPC6-8186 Warner Pioneer [11]
2006 CD, digital download WPCL-10281 Warner Pioneer [12]
2012 Super Audio CD, CD hybrid WPCL-11139 Warner Pioneer [13]
2014 CD WPCL-11726 Warner Pioneer [14]
2018 LP WPJL-10088 Warner Pioneer [15]
2022 2CD WPCL-13438/9 Warner Pioneer [16]

Notes:

  • 2006 re-release includes 24-bit digitally remastered sound source
  • 2012 and 2014 re-release includes subtitles in the tracks "2012 remaster"
  • 2022 re-release includes lacquer remaster which includes subtitles in the tracks "2022 lacquer remaster" along with original karaoke version of the tracks

References edit

  1. ^ "Anniversary (中森明菜 ) - Warner Music Japan". wmg.jp. Archived from the original on 2008-02-28.
  2. ^ "中森明菜 Anniversary". cdjournal.com.
  3. ^ "今週の赤まる急上昇 中森明菜". ザテレビジョン. 3 (21). Kadokawa: 141. 1984-05-25.
  4. ^ Club House (1998-11-01). Oricon No.1 HITS 500 1968〜1985 (Part 1) Oricon Chart No.1 Hit Songs. Club House. pp. 215、267頁. ISBN 4906496121.
  5. ^ Akina Nakamori (1993). AKINA (CD Album; album notes by Yukiko Kitajima). Akina Nakamori. Japan: Warner Pioneer. (WPCL-770〜3)
  6. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book Complete Edition 1970-2005. オリコン・マーケティング・プロモーション. 25 April 2006. pp. 3, 455–457, 883. ISBN 4871310779.
  7. ^ "Discography of special albums (Takao Kisugi)". Takao Kisugi's Official Website.
  8. ^ ASIN B0B4H9JMSV, Possibility (10 October 1984)
  9. ^ "中森明菜 / Anniversary (1985)". shopping.bookoff.co.jp (in Japanese). Book Off. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  10. ^ "中森明菜 / Anniversary (廃盤)(1991) - Archived". yahoo (in Japanese). yahoo Japan. Archived from the original on August 9, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  11. ^ "中森明菜 / Anniversary [再発] (1996)". CD Journal (in Japanese). HMV Japan. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  12. ^ "中森明菜 / Anniversary (2006) (Archived)" (in Japanese). WMG.JP. 30 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2015-02-20.
  13. ^ "中森明菜 / Anniversary [SA-CDハイブリッド] [紙ジャケット仕様] [限定]" (in Japanese). CD Journal. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  14. ^ "Anniversary" (in Japanese). WMG.JP. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  15. ^ "Anniversary<LP(180g重量盤)>【初回生産限定】" (in Japanese). WMG.JP. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  16. ^ "中森明菜 / Anniversary【オリジナル・カラオケ付】〈2022ラッカーマスターサウンド〉 [2CD]" (in Japanese). cdjournal. Retrieved October 31, 2023.