01. Prologue [Jomaku] (1982.07.01)

01. Anata no Portrait

The very first song of the very first album. I don't think it's really received too much fanfare outside of it's appearance here...but you know what? It's a great little song. It lives up to the album's name because her work for the next couple of years falls in line with this. Rich instrumentals with a somewhat flat, yet very talented voice. It was the right move to jump off with this rather than her debut single Slow Motion.

02. Bon Voyage

A perfect song to have on in the background and just chill. The early 80s did this type of music perfectly, but I can never put my finger on the name of it. Yacht Rock? Wait a minute.....Bon Voyage??? Of course this is Yacht Rock. Duhhh, CC. I seriously just made this revelation...

03. Image no kageri

The first slowish song. The only thing that sticks out is that even when the music slows down a little bit, Nakamori's vocals are still skating along at the same pace as the previous songs. Again, she was a great singer out of the gate...but this one could have used a little range in the vocals.

04. Joken hansha

I reviewed this song previously in my review of the Singles Box 1982-1991 as it coupled with Slow Motion. Great, great song. Again, the vocals are more of the same except louder. Regardless, it's a favorite of mine from this album.

05. T Shirt Sunset

While "Prologue" is the most fitting name for this album, "Potential" is right behind it. Yeah, yeah. This time around, the thing that sticks out is the bizarre arrangement. What's going on with the music here? It sounds like two songs randomly stitched together at some points.

06. Ginga densetsu

First off...the title. Galaxy Legend. Yes. You gotta remember that disco was in full swing in 1982 and this is probably the most disco of them all on this album.

07. Slow Motion

Ahhhh yes. Slow Motion. From my previous review: "Slow Motion is such a solid song. I imagine it can be both a curse and a blessing to debut with a song that would be a mainstay of your career. This song is 35 years old...and I can't imagine there was a single concert where this song didn't make an appearance. A lot of the early 80s JPOP seemed to originate from Los Angeles. This is no exception. I really don't think this song would have had the same complexity had it been recorded in Japan. There is a certain dreaminess too the instrumentals that kinda bring me to the beach every time I hear it."

In the context of this album, it is easily the stand-out track. The vocals shine through more than any other song on this album. It's the complete package.

08. A-Type Melancholy

Another really good song, but during an album listen it does seem to blend in with other tracks. That said, it is noticeably jazzier than the other tracks.

09. Hito kakera no Emerald

A slow song...the slowest, in fact! In retrospect, it's a bit trifling that this album is so upbeat. Nakamori's biggest selling single to date is Second Love. A lot of her early successes tend to rely heavily on the slower songs. Thankfully she branched out quite a bit. It isn't unusual to find a fan of her's who will talk about their favorite era of hers.

10. Downtown Sto~ry~

One last track to rock out to. This one is similar to Joken Hansha, but not quite as good. I'd be lying if I said I didn't love it, though. It's catchy enough that it could have been a single on it's own.

OVERALL: I'm sure my thoughts on this album are fairly obvious at this point. Akina Nakamori was the real-deal right from the start. At the age of sixteen she was signed to one of the largest record labels in the world and sent to America to record her debut album in a blistering five-day session. The flatness did come up every once in this review, but she otherwise didn't miss a note. There are dozens and dozens of singers out there who are mediocre to terrible that I still dig for one reason or another.

The aim of this project is to prove that Akina Nakamori is the complete package and continues to reinforce that to this day.

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