Variety (Mariya Takeuchi album)

Variety is the sixth studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi. It was released on 25 April 1984[1] through Moon Records. Variety is considered as Takeuchi's "comeback" album after being on hiatus since 1981,[2][3] and is the first album entirely written by her.[4] The album is produced by Takeuchi's husband, Tatsuro Yamashita.[4]

Variety
Studio album by
Mariya Takeuchi
Released25 April 1984 (1984-04-25)
RecordedJuly 1983–January 1984
GenreJ-pop
Length42:14
LanguageJapanese, English
LabelMoon Records
ProducerTatsuro Yamashita
Mariya Takeuchi chronology
Viva Mariya!
(1982)		 Variety
(1984)		 Request
(1987)
Singles from Variety
  1. "Mou Ichido"
    Released: April 10, 1984 (1984-04-10)
  2. "Mersey Beat de Utawasete"
    Released: August 25, 1984 (1984-08-25)
  3. "Plastic Love"
    Released: March 25, 1985 (1985-03-25)

To international audiences, Variety is known for containing "Plastic Love" which, although only seeing moderate success in Japan when it was released as a single in 1985, saw a resurgence in popularity internationally in 2017 after a remix was uploaded to YouTube.[2]

Production and release

Takeuchi's five albums released before Variety were mostly written by other songwriters which, although they featured industry stars such as Haruomi Hosono and members of Toto, left her feeling "exhausted".[2] She went on hiatus at the end of 1981 due to a sore throat, as well as to marry Yamashita in 1982.[2][5]

During her break, Yamashita left his record label, RCA Records, for the newly-founded Moon Records. Meanwhile, Takeuchi began writing some of the songs which would be included in Variety. Yamashita originally planned for Takeuchi's comeback album to be written by other songwriters, but changed his mind after listening to some of Takeuchi's work.[6] A promotional single, "Mou Ichido", was released on 10 April 1984, followed by a full release on 25 April.[1][7] The album topped the Oricon Albums Chart.[6]

A 30th Anniversary edition of the album was released on 19 November 2014. The version included a previously unreleased track, "Aka no Enamel" (赤のエナメル), both club remixes from the single release of "Plastic Love", and karaoke versions of four tracks.[8][9]

The 30th Anniversary edition of the album became available on music streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify on 3 November 2021, the same date when the 2021 vinyl reissue was released.[10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mariya Takeuchi

No.TitleArrangementLength
1."Mou Ichido" (もう一度)Tatsuro Yamashita4:06
2."Plastic Love" (プラスティック・ラブ)Tatsuro Yamashita4:51
3."Honki de Only You (Let's Get Married)" (本気でオンリーユー)Tatsuro Yamashita3:53
4."One Night Stand"Tatsuro Yamashita
Nobutaka Tsugei (background vocal arrange)		3:57
5."Broken Heart"Tatsuro Yamashita3:55
6."Night at the Amphitheater" (アンフィシアターの夜)Tatsuro Yamashita
Kazuo Shiina (horn arrange)		3:33
7."Todokanu Omoi" (とどかぬ想い)Tatsuro Yamashita3:34
8."Mersey Beat de Utawasete" (マージービートで唄わせて)Tatsuro Yamashita3:19
9."Mizu to Anata to Taiyō to" (水とあなたと太陽と)Tatsuro Yamashita3:29
10."Going Steady" (ふたりはステディ)Tatsuro Yamashita3:27
11."Shetland ni Hoho wo Uzumete" (シェットランドに頬をうずめて)Tatsuro Yamashita
Hiroki Inui (strings arrange)		3:42
Total length:42:14
30th Anniversary Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
12."Aka no Enameru [Previously Unreleased]" (赤のエナメル)2:55
13."Plastic Love [12” Extended Club Mix]"9:18
14."Plastic Love [12” Original Length Remix]"4:55
15."Plastic Love [Karaoke]"4:56
16."Honki de Only You (Let's Get Married) [Karaoke]" (本気でオンリーユー)3:59
17."Night at the Amphitheater [Previously Unreleased Karaoke]" (アンフィシアターの夜)3:38
18."Mersey Beat de Utawasete [Previously Unreleased Karaoke]" (マージービートで唄わせて)3:21
Total length:75:16

Charts

Weekly charts
Year Album Chart Position Sales
1984 Variety Oricon Weekly LP Albums Chart 1 316,000[11]
Oricon Weekly CT Albums Chart 2 167,000[11]
2014 Variety "30th Anniversary Edition" Oricon Weekly Albums Chart 13[12] —
2021 Variety "2021 Vinyl Edition" 6[13] —

Year-end charts
Year Album Chart Position Sales
1984 Variety Oricon Yearly Albums Chart 11 481,000[14]

References
  1. "アルバム・ディスコグラフィー MOON/WARNER編 (1984-現在)". Mariya Takeuchi Official Website (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  2. St. Michel, Patrick (17 November 2018). "Mariya Takeuchi: The pop genius behind 2018's surprise online smash hit from Japan". The Japan Times. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  3. "竹内まりや 『もう一度』". Men's Non-no (in Japanese). Shueisha. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  4. (1984). Album notes for Variety by Mariya Takeuchi, vinyl back cover. Tokyo: Moon Records (MOCT-28011)
  5. "戻ってきた竹内まりや！80年代を代表する神アルバム「VARIETY」". Re:minder (in Japanese). 14 September 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  6. 天辰保文 (7 May 2019). "1984年5月7日竹内まりや『VARIETY』がオリコン・アルバム・チャート1位を記録～世界的に再評価されている「プラスティック・ラブ」収録". Nippon Broadcasting System (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  7. "シングル・ディスコグラフィー [Part 1] （1978-1989）". Mariya Takeuchi Official Website (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  8. "Variety -30th Anniversary Edition". Warner Music Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  9. "【CD】 ヴァラエティ 30th Anniversary Edition". Tower Records Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  10. "竹内まりや Official Web Site". 竹内まりや Official Web Site (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  11. "竹内まりや" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  12. "Variety(30th Anniversary Edition)" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  13. "Variety(2021 Vinyl Edition)" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  14. "年間アルバムヒットチャート 1984年". Private Life エンタメデータ＆ランキング (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
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