East Asia (album)

East Asia
Studio album by Miyuki Nakajima
Released October 7, 1992
Recorded Burnish Stone, Z'd, Sound Valley, ARC Garret, Sound Inn, Vincent, Jive, Epicurus & Westside Studio(Tokyo)
Capitol Studio(Los Angeles)
Genre Folk rock
Length 53:05
Label Pony Canyon/AARD-VARK, Yamaha Music Communications
Producer Ichizo Seo, Miyuki Nakajima
Miyuki Nakajima chronology
Utadeshika Ienai
(1991)
East Asia
(1992)
Jidai: Time Goes Around
(1993)

East Asia is the 20th studio album recorded by Japanese singer-songwriter Miyuki Nakajima, released in October 1992.

The album features "Shallow Sleep (Asai Nemuri)", a hit single released in July 1992. Nakajima wrote the song as a theme for Shin'ai Naru Mono e, a television drama that she made guest appearance and played acting as a doctor. It peaked at #2 on the Japan's Oricon chart in summer of 1992, and became her first single that has sold more than a million copies.[1][2]

Prior to the release of the album, "Two Boats" and "Haginohara" were already performed on Yakai, the experimental theatres which she had annually performed since 1989.

"Tapestry (Ito)" is a love song Nakajima dedicated to Zenji Nakayama, a later leader of Tenrikyo who got married at that time.[3] In 1998, it was featured on the television drama Seija no Koushin and also released as a double A-Side single with "Another Name for Life". The song has become well-known through a cover version recorded by the Bank Band, a project which Kazutoshi Sakurai and Takeshi Kobayashi launched for the purpose of charity. Their interpretation featuring Sakurai's vocals was included on their 2004 Soushi Souai album.[4]

In December 1992, East Asia won the 34th Japan Record Awards for 10 Excellent Albums, the prizes conferred for ten magnificent studio albums released in that year.[5]

Contents

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Miyuki Nakajima, arranged by Ichizo Seo (except "East Asia" co-arranged by David Campbell)

  1. "East Asia" - 6:48
  2. "Yabai Koi (やばい恋?)" - 4:39
  3. "Shallow Sleep (浅い眠り Asai Nemuri?)" - 5:21
  4. "Haginohara (萩野原?)" - 6:35
  5. "Birth (誕生 Tanjou?)" - 6:49
  6. "Koko ja nai Dokoka e (此処じゃない何処かへ?)" - 4:49
  7. "Imouto ja Arumaishi (妹じゃあるまいし?)" - 4:39
  8. "Two Boats (二隻の舟 Nisou no Fune?)" - 8:12
  9. "Tapestry ( Ito?)" - 5:07

Personnel

Production

Mastering at Future Disc Systems in Los Angeles, by Tom Baker

Chart positions

Album

Year Chart Position Weeks Sales Cetification
(RIAJ)
1992 Japanese Oricon Weekly Albums Chart (Top 100)[6] 2(CDDA) 15 357,000+[7] Platinum
8 (APO-CD) 3

Singles

Year Single Chart Position Weeks Sales RIAJ Certification
1992 "Birth" (double A-Side with "Maybe") Japanese Oricon Weekly (top 100) 13 7 69,000
"Shallow Sleep" 2 24 1,050,000 4x Platinum
1998 "Tapestry" (double A-Side with "Another Name for Life") 12 11 159,000 Gold

Awards

Japan Record Awards
Year Title Category
1992 (34th) East Asia[5] 10 Excellent Albums

Release history

Country Date Label Format Catalog number
Japan October 7, 1992 Pony Canyon CD PCCA-00397
APO-CD PCCA-00398
Audio cassette PCTA-00146
May 23, 2001 Yamaha Music Communications CD YCCW-00023
November 5, 2008 YCCW-10072

References

  1. ^ 中島みゆき-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック "(Highest position and charting weeks)". oricon.co.jp. Oricon Style. http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/release/d/178652/2/ 中島みゆき-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック. Retrieved September 17, 2009. 
  2. ^ s-中島みゆき "- Yamachan Land (Archives of the Japanese record charts) - Singles Chart Daijiten - Miyuki Nakajima" (in Japanese). December 30, 2007. http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~yamag/single/nakajima.html s-中島みゆき. Retrieved September 17, 2009. 
  3. ^ Article on Tenri Jiho. Tokyo: Tenri Jihosha Co.. April 12, 1992. 
  4. ^ 沿志奏逢 / Bank Band|エキサイトミュージック(音楽) "(excite review - Soushi Souai / Bank Band)" (in Japanese). excite.co.jp. excite. http://www.excite.co.jp/music/disc/4988061861777/ 沿志奏逢 / Bank Band|エキサイトミュージック(音楽). Retrieved September 17, 2009. 
  5. ^ a b Japan Composer's Association "History of the Japan Record Awards - List of the 34th Award Winners" (in Japanese). http://www.jacompa.or.jp/rekishi/d1992.htm Japan Composer's Association. Retrieved September 17, 2009. 
  6. ^ 中島みゆき-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック "(Highest position and charting weeks)". oricon.co.jp. Oricon Style. http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/release/d/173089/1/ 中島みゆき-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック. Retrieved September 17, 2009. 
  7. ^ a-中島みゆき "- Yamachan Land (Archives of the Japanese record charts) - Albums Chart Daijiten - Miyuki Nakajima" (in Japanese). December 30, 2007. http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~yamag/album/al_nakajima.html a-中島みゆき. Retrieved September 17, 2009.