Originally released in 1981, Masayoshi Takanaka's The Rainbow Goblins has long been considered one of the finest examples of 'J-Fusion', a Japanese take on jazz-fusion that tended towards the colourful and musically detailed. While a showcase for Takanaka's virtuoso guitar playing, the album's kaleidoscopic feel is a jazz-funk, modern-classical, post-disco and Steely Dan style jazz-rock voyage.

• Limited Edition
• 40th Anniversary Edition
• 2LP Translucent Red Vinyl
• Made In Japan
• Gatefold Cover

Originally released way back in 1981, Masayoshi Takanaka's The Rainbow Goblins has long been considered one of the finest examples of "J-Fusion" - a Japanese take on jazz-fusion that tended towards the colourful, musically detailed and hard-to-pigeonhole. While a showcase for Takanaka's virtuoso guitar playing, the album's kaleidoscopic feel and life-affirming qualities are just as much down to his nods to jazz-funk, modern-classical, post-disco and Steely Dan style jazz-rock as his undeniably brilliant solos. Highlights include, but are no way limited to, hybrid orchestral/electronic soundscape 'Magical Night Light', jazz-funk dancefloor jam 'Seven Goblins', the urgent and energetic, rock-tinged 'Thunder Storm' and the undeniably Balearic, reggae-powered cheeriness of 'Just Chuckle'.

Masayoshi Takanaka is a Japanese guitarist, composer, and producer. He was born in 1953 in the Shinagawa ward in Tokyo, Japan. Takanaka's music was influential in the city pop genre of the late 1970s and '80s.

Takanaka was born to a Chinese father and a Japanese mother. His father came to Japan from Nanjing, China after World War II and married his mother, whose surname was Takanaka.

Takanaka was born in Akabane ward, but moved to Oimachi, Shinagawa ward soon after birth. Masayoshi was naturalized in Japan when he was in the fourth grade of elementary school, and changed his name from Masayoshi Liu to Masayoshi Takanaka.

Masayoshi Takanaka began his professional career in 1971 by playing guitar and bass guitar in the prog rock band Flied Egg under Vertigo. In 1972, Takanaka joined the Sadistic Mika Band. The band fragmented after the divorce of two of its main members, and, in 1976, Takanaka released his first solo album, Seychelles. Throughout the '70s and '80s, Takanaka continued his output, releasing over twenty albums and singles under Kitty Records until 1984 and EMI from 1985 to 2000. In 2000, he formed his own record label, Lagoon Records.

Takanaka is known for his flashy guitars, including a gold colored Fender Stratocaster. He also has a trademark "lagoon-blue" Yamaha SG guitar that he plays during live performances. He has collaborated with several other musical acts, notably Santana and Roxy Music.

His 1981 song "Penguin Dancer" was sampled by Grimes on her song "Butterfly" in 2015. His 1979 popular song "Blue Lagoon" was named the 14th best guitar instrumental by Young Guitar Magazine in 2019.

Musicians:

Arranged By [Strings] – Katz Hoshi
Bass – Akihiro Tanaka
Drums – Masahiro Miyazaki, Shigeru Inoue, Shuichi Murakami
Keyboards – Kiyosumi Ishikawa, Izumi Kobayashi
Narrator – Roy Garner
Percussion [Latin] – Makoto Kimura, Susumu Yamazaki, Yuki Sugawara
Saxophone – Koji Satsuma

Guitar, Arrangements, Composition – Masayoshi Takanaka

Track Listing:

01 Prologue
02 Once Upon a Song
03 Seven Goblins
04 The Sunset Valley
05 The Moon Rose
06 Soon
07 Magical Night Light
08 Rainbow Paradise
09 Thunder Storm
10 Rising Arch
11 Just Chuckle
12 Rainbow Was Reborn
13 Plumed Bird
14 You Can Never Come to This Place

Click here to listen to samples on YouTube.com ♫