Wataru Takada - nekononegoto - Japan LP Recurd Limited Edition

Credits:

Wataru Takada

Description:

Three albums—Wataru Takada’s early masterpiece *FISHIN’ON SUNDAY* (recorded in Los Angeles with Haruomi Hosono’s full participation), and the 1980s and 1990s masterpieces *Neko no Negoto* and *Wata*—are now available on limited-edition vinyl with the latest remastering! Marking the 50th anniversary of its release, *FISHIN' ON SUNDAY* will be reissued on limited-edition vinyl, followed by *Neko no Negoto* (released in 1983) and *Wataru* (released ten years later and Wataru Takada’s final studio album), in a three-month consecutive reissue series. This marks the first-ever vinyl release of *Wataru*. All three albums feature the latest remastering by Soichiro Nakamura (PeaceMusic) and liner notes by Shinichi Ogawa (the notes for *Wataru* were written specifically for this reissue). Originally released in 1983 on Tokuma Japan’s Climax label, this marks Wataru Takada’s eighth studio album. Opening with “Grandpa’s Old Clock,” which weaves from the strains of an autoharp into a children’s chorus, the album is packed with good-time music featuring a diverse array of genres and instruments, including folk, Tex-Mex, and European traditional music. Over ten musicians participated in the recording. This is the only album released during the 1980s, a period when he toured the country most vigorously. *We received comments from Ren Takada regarding the re-release of these three albums on vinyl. "Wataru's Wake" Ren Takada "FISHIN' ON SUNDAY," an epoch-making album that marked my father’s first and only trip to the U.S., and featured the delightful participation of Haruomi Hosono and Van Dyke Parks; *Neko no Negoto*, which has the strongest European flavor (or, to use the term of the time, “world music” flavor) of any work in his entire career; and *Wataru*, a hidden gem produced by Keiichi Suzuki that deserves to be reevaluated now—these reissues trace the trajectory of the 70s, 80s, and 90s, or rather, serve as a chronicle of bar-hopping that transcends time and space. Moreover, *Wataru* is being released on vinyl for the very first time. Every album (or rather, the life of the extraordinary figure that is Wataru Takada himself) is brimming with legendary anecdotes too numerous to recount here, and it is precisely because of this that the lively atmosphere of the studio sessions seems to waft right out from the spaces between the sounds. And when you listen to each album anew, you can once again catch glimpses of Wataru Takada’s shy, smiling face—a man who loved music from all over the world. Riding these colorful waves of sound, the words of many poets row their boats. In 2026, I would like to raise a toast to the dawn of Wataru Takada’s great era of exploration. I sincerely hope that this voyage’s trail, etched into the grooves of these records, will reach all of you.