Timely!!

Timely!! is the sixth studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Anri, released on December 5, 1983, by For Life Records.^[1] The album, produced by Toshiki Kadomatsu, is widely regarded as a landmark in the city pop genre, incorporating elements of synth-pop, funk, boogie, disco, and ballads.^[1][2] It features 11 tracks, including the lead single "Cat's Eye", a new take on Anri's earlier hit that served as the opening theme for the 1983 anime series Cat's Eye.^[3] "Cat's Eye" topped the Oricon Singles Chart for five weeks, significantly boosting the album's success.^[4][5] Upon release, Timely!! debuted at number one on the Oricon Albums Chart, marking Anri's first album to achieve this position.^[6] It sold 509,000 copies in 1984 alone, securing tenth place on the Oricon yearly albums chart.^[7] The record has since been reissued multiple times, including vinyl represses in 2023 and 2024, reflecting its enduring popularity in the global city pop revival.^[8] Critically acclaimed for its sophisticated production and Anri's versatile vocals, the album maintains a strong reputation, earning a 3.9 out of 5 rating from 8,290 user reviews on Rate Your Music (as of November 2025).^[2]

Track Listing

The album comprises the following tracks: Total length: 46:23^[3][9]

Background

Anri's early career

Anri, born Eiko Kawashima on August 31, 1961, in Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, entered the music industry at the age of 17 with her debut single "Olivia wo Kikinagara" (Listening to Olivia), released on November 5, 1978, by For Life Records.^[10] The track, written by Amii Ozaki, was recorded the previous year at A&M Studios in Los Angeles, where the young artist drew inspiration from American musicians like Karen Carpenter and Minnie Riperton.^[10] This debut marked her introduction to J-pop, showcasing a fresh blend of pop with R&B, rock, and jazz elements that would define her early sound.^[11] Her self-titled debut album, Apricot Jam, followed later in 1978, further establishing her style through covers and originals that reflected West Coast influences and sophisticated arrangements.^[12] In 1979, Anri released her second album, Feelin', which continued to experiment with upbeat pop and subtle jazz infusions.^[13] By 1981, her third album Kanashimi no Kujaku (Peacock of Sadness) incorporated more fusion elements, while her 1982 release Heaven Beach leaned into breezy, urban-themed tracks that hinted at the city pop aesthetic gaining traction in Japan.^[14][13] These early works achieved moderate commercial success, earning praise for their polished production but not yet propelling her to national stardom.^[15] Throughout the early 1980s, Anri cultivated a rising profile in Japan's burgeoning city pop scene, a genre characterized by its urbane, fusion-driven sound inspired by Western pop and jazz.^[16] Her reputation grew through consistent live performances that highlighted her versatile vocals and stage presence, as well as strategic collaborations with industry peers, including an early partnership with producer Toshiki Kadomatsu that would influence her evolving style.^[15] These efforts positioned her as an emerging voice in a competitive landscape, blending accessibility with artistic depth. Despite her promising trajectory, Anri encountered personal and professional hurdles in her initial years, including overcoming shyness and a lack of confidence during her teenage debut, supported by encouragement from a television director and her record label.^[11] Commercially, she faced limited breakthroughs before 1983, as her albums garnered critical notice within niche circles but struggled to achieve broad sales or chart dominance amid the era's pop idols and established acts.^[15] This period of steady development laid the essential foundation for her later prominence in city pop.^[16]

Album conception

Following the success of her previous collaboration with Toshiki Kadomatsu on the 1983 album Bi・Ki・Ni, Anri decided to team up with the young producer once again for her sixth studio album, Timely!!, aiming to refine her sound into a more sophisticated form of city pop infused with tropical and urban beats.^[17] This partnership, Kadomatsu's breakthrough project at age 23, sought to elevate Anri's music beyond her earlier singer-songwriter roots by incorporating jazz-funk elements and polished arrangements that highlighted her soft, emotive vocals.^[15] The album's conception was notably influenced by the 1983 anime Cat's Eye, for which Anri had recorded the opening theme single "Cat's Eye" earlier that year on August 5; the track's immediate chart-topping success prompted the inclusion of a re-recorded version, "Cat's Eye (New Take)," as the album's lead track to capitalize on its momentum and integrate anime crossover appeal.^[18] This decision aligned with a broader aim to blend Anri's gentle vocal style with upbeat, fusion-infused tracks, broadening her reach to a wider audience through vibrant, danceable energy rather than solely introspective ballads.^[15] Conceptually, Timely!! marked a shift from Anri's prior albums, which leaned toward more personal and reflective themes, toward a lively, summer-themed collection evoking openness and urban exuberance—exemplified by tracks like "Windy Summer" and the bonus "Remember Summer Days"—while subtly weaving in melancholic undertones for timeless resonance.^[17] The title itself underscored this "timely" vibrancy, positioning the album as a seasonal soundtrack that captured the era's booming modern economy and youthful spirit.^[17]

Production

Recording process

The recording sessions for Timely!! took place in 1983 to capture the album's polished sound. Engineers focused on integrating live takes to build the tracks' dynamic layers, starting with rhythm sections and progressing to fuller arrangements.^[19] Live instrumentation formed the core of the production, incorporating jazz-fusion elements such as synthesizers programmed by artists like Jun Sato and brass sections arranged by Hiroyuki Iso for tracks like "Windy Summer" and "Stay By Me."^[19] This approach emphasized organic interplay between guitars, bass, and percussion, with overdubs highlighting Anri's vocal layering to add depth and harmony. A notable aspect was the re-recording of the hit single "Cat's Eye" as the "New Take" version, reworked to align with the album's cohesive aesthetic by stripping back some elements and enhancing fusion textures.^{[20] [21]} Toshiki Kadomatsu's production guidance ensured these sessions maintained momentum, culminating in a release-ready master by late 1983.

Key personnel

The production of Timely!! was led by Toshiki Kadomatsu, who served as the primary producer and oversaw much of the arrangement, composition, and mixing, bringing a vibrant city pop sensibility through his fusion of AOR, funk, and pop elements that defined the album's energetic sound.^[22][1] Kadomatsu, a renowned Japanese musician and producer known for his work in city pop, arranged the majority of the tracks, including key singles like "Cat's Eye" and "Windy Summer," while also contributing guitar parts and backing vocals to enhance the album's polished, upbeat grooves.^[21] Anri herself played a significant role beyond her lead vocals, co-writing lyrics and music for tracks such as "A Hope From Sad Street," which marked an important step in her development as a songwriter and demonstrated her increasing creative involvement in the project.^[21][22] Additional arrangers contributed specialized elements, with Tetsuji Hayashi handling arrangements for "You Are Not Alone," incorporating lush keyboard textures that added emotional depth to this ballad, and Toshiki Kadomatsu arranging "I Can't Stop the Loneliness" with strings by Ichizo Seo.^[1] Jun Sato provided synthesizer, string, and horn arrangements on several songs, including "Stay By Me" and "Driving My Love," contributing to the album's sophisticated flourishes.^[1] The engineering was managed by Chu Sato, with mixing by Eiji Uchinuma, ensuring a clean, radio-ready finish.^[22]

Musical style and themes

Genre and influences

Timely!! is widely regarded as a cornerstone of the city pop genre, a Japanese musical movement that emerged in the late 1970s and flourished through the 1980s, characterized by its fusion of upbeat pop sensibilities with sophisticated jazz and funk elements. The album blends J-pop structures with jazz fusion's intricate harmonies and improvisational flair, incorporating disco's rhythmic grooves and pulsating basslines to create a vibrant, urban soundscape reflective of Tokyo's bubble economy era. Produced and arranged by Toshiki Kadomatsu, a pioneer of city pop and AOR (adult-oriented rock), the record features smooth, radio-friendly arrangements that emphasize melodic hooks and layered instrumentation, distinguishing it as a blueprint for the genre's aesthetic.^[23][24][15] The album's influences draw heavily from American AOR acts such as Steely Dan, whose polished jazz-rock fusion and wry sophistication informed city pop's harmonic complexity and production sheen, as broadcast through U.S. military radio in Japan. Japanese contemporaries in the AOR scene, including Kadomatsu himself, contributed to this cross-pollination, infusing the genre with fusion jazz and soft rock elements that elevated its accessibility. Unlike Anri's earlier albums, which leaned toward ballad-heavy folk-pop inspired by artists like Joni Mitchell and Karen Carpenter, Timely!! shifts to upbeat rhythms and sophisticated harmonies, showcasing a more dynamic and dance-oriented style.^[23][24][15] Timely!! played a pivotal role in evolving city pop toward more accessible, synth-driven production in the 1980s, incorporating electronic textures and glossy arrangements that bridged traditional instrumentation with emerging synthesizer technology, influencing subsequent J-pop and global revivals of the genre. This synthesis not only captured the era's optimistic urban lifestyle but also solidified Anri's transition to a defining voice in city pop's maturation.^[23][24]

Lyrical content

The lyrics of Timely!! predominantly explore themes of fleeting romance, summer nostalgia, and urban longing, embodying the escapist essence characteristic of city pop by offering listeners a dreamy retreat from the pressures of modern Japanese city life.^[2] Tracks like "Remember Summer Days" evoke wistful recollections of transient summer loves, with verses depicting a vanished partner who "gently stolen my heart and then disappeared," contrasting warm seasonal memories against the encroaching chill of autumn isolation.^[25] Similarly, "Windy Summer" captures urban yearning through imagery of endless waves and twilight calls to distant memories, portraying a longing for connection amid the fleeting vibrancy of coastal city escapes.^[26] Anri infuses a personal depth into the album's lyrics, particularly in "I Can't Stop the Loneliness," where she addresses profound isolation within a contemporary urban context, pleading for solace as "the sadness won't stop" despite the presence of a loved one.^[27] This track, blending her own emotional vulnerability with the era's themes of emotional disconnection in bustling metropolises, highlights resilience amid persistent melancholy, as the narrator grapples with unyielding grief in a relationship that fails to alleviate inner turmoil.^[27] Several songs incorporate bilingual elements, mixing Japanese verses with English choruses to broaden international appeal and underscore the album's sophisticated, worldly allure.^[28] For instance, "I Can't Stop the Loneliness" features an English refrain—"I can't stop the loneliness, on and on without end"—that amplifies its universal emotional resonance, while "Stay by Me" weaves simple English pleas into Japanese narratives of romantic plea, evoking a cross-cultural intimacy suited to city pop's aspirational ethos.^[29] The lyrics often contrast playful, upbeat choruses with more introspective verses, creating an emotional range that mirrors the highs and lows of urban romance.^[21] In "Windy Summer," verses delve into reflective longing for unattainable feelings, while the chorus bursts with exuberant calls like "Windy summer, my feelings fail to reach you!" to inject optimism and vitality.^[30] This dynamic structure in tracks such as "Remember Summer Days" further enhances the album's narrative depth, balancing lighthearted escapism with poignant self-examination.^[21]

Release and promotion

Singles

The lead single from Timely!!, "Cat's Eye", was released on August 5, 1983, and served as the opening theme for the anime series Cat's Eye.^[31] The track achieved #1 on the Oricon Singles Chart, maintaining the top position for five consecutive weeks, and sold over 800,000 copies, marking it as one of Japan's highest-selling singles of 1983.^[32][33] A re-recorded version, "Cat's Eye (New Take)", featuring enhanced production elements such as refined instrumentation and vocal delivery, was included as the opening track on the album Timely!!. The second pre-album single, "I Can't Stop the Loneliness" (Japanese: Kanashimi ga Tomaranai), followed on November 5, 1983, and peaked at #4 on the Oricon Singles Chart.^[34] These releases built substantial pre-album anticipation through their integration with the Cat's Eye anime, including on-air promotions and television performances that amplified exposure and fan engagement ahead of Timely!!'s December launch.^[33]

Packaging and marketing

The album cover for Timely!! was photographed in Hawaii, depicting Anri in a bright, tropical environment that captured the essence of summer leisure.^[1] Timely!! was released on December 5, 1983, by For Life Records in LP and cassette formats, with CD editions following in 1984 and subsequent reissues in later years.^[3] Initial LP pressings included a promotional '84 Anri Fashion Calendar bundled with the first 50,000 copies.^[35] A promotional LP version was also produced to support the launch.^[3] Marketing efforts centered on the album's lead track "Cat's Eye," which served as the opening theme for the 1983 anime series of the same name, leveraging the show's popularity for cross-promotion.^[36] This tie-in helped position the album within Japan's urban pop audience, emphasizing its fresh city pop sound through the anime's broadcast reach.^[3]

Commercial performance

Chart positions

Timely!! achieved notable success on major Japanese music charts following its release on December 5, 1983. The album marked Anri's first number-one entry on the Oricon charts, debuting at the top of the Weekly LP Albums Chart.^[37] Internationally, Timely!! had limited chart presence outside Japan but has been retrospectively highlighted in compilations and discussions of 1980s Asian pop and city pop genres.^[21]

Sales figures

Timely!! achieved significant commercial success upon its release, with total sales exceeding 509,000 copies in 1984 alone, marking it as Anri's best-selling album to date.^[7] According to Oricon charts, the album sold 314,000 LP copies and 196,000 cassette copies during that period.^[39] At the time of its release in 1983, there were no formal certifications from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), as the certification system was not introduced until 1989.^[40] By modern RIAJ standards, where gold certification requires 100,000 shipments, the album's sales would equate to multiple platinum awards. The album has experienced long-tail sales, further boosted by reissues and compilations capitalizing on 1980s nostalgia and the global city pop revival.^[8]

Reception and legacy

Critical reception

Timely!! has received positive attention for its polished production and Anri's vocal maturity, with reviewers highlighting her clear and emotive delivery, particularly in the ballad tracks.^[41] Toshiki Kadomatsu's production has been lauded for bridging accessible pop elements with sophistication, creating a cohesive listening experience across the album's tracks.^[41] This collaboration contributes to the record's vibrant energy and broad appeal. While the album's tie-in with the anime Cat's Eye—via the hit single of the same name—boosted its commercial visibility, the album is regarded as a high point in Anri's discography.^[41]

Cultural impact

Timely!! has been recognized as a foundational blueprint for city pop, embodying the genre's fusion of funk, jazz, and pop that captured Japan's 1980s urban optimism and economic prosperity.^[21] Its enduring legacy fueled the global city pop revival in the 2010s, driven by tracks like "Cat's Eye" and "Stay By Me," which introduced the album to international audiences and inspired vaporwave and future funk subgenres.^[21] This resurgence was amplified by vinyl reissues, including a 2008 CD remaster and a limited-edition remastered sky blue translucent vinyl pressing in 2023, with a repress in 2024.^[42][43] The album's lead single "Cat's Eye" has seen significant cultural adaptation, notably through a 2010 cover by the Japanese band MAX, which reinterpreted the track in an electronic dance style for their single release.^[44] Additionally, the song has been sampled in various hip-hop and electronic tracks, such as Tupperwave and UNI DELUXE's 2019 "No One Does It Better," highlighting its rhythmic bassline and groove in modern productions.^[44] Anri's contributions, including her collaborations and shared stylistic influences with Mariya Takeuchi—culminating in their 2021 duo Peach & Apricot—have cemented Timely!! as a touchstone for later city pop artists exploring themes of urban romance and escapism.^[45] Further accessibility came with the 2008 CD remaster and the album's addition to streaming platforms like Spotify in 2018, broadening its reach to younger listeners amid the nostalgia-driven revival.^[42][9]

Content and credits

Track listing

Timely!! features ten tracks across two sides in its original vinyl edition, released on December 5, 1983, by For Life Records, with a total runtime of 41:23 for the standard edition.^[19] The songwriting is primarily handled by Toshiki Kadomatsu, who composed, wrote lyrics, and arranged most tracks, alongside contributions from Anri on select songs and other collaborators.^[19] Later CD reissues from 2008 onward, such as the 2011 Blu-spec edition and 2024 remaster, include the bonus track "Remember Summer Days" (4:55), originally the B-side to Anri's 1983 single "Kanashimi ga Tomaranai," written, composed, and arranged by Toshiki Kadomatsu.^[46][47][48]

Side one

Side two

Vocals

• Anri: lead and backing vocals on all tracks.^[1][22]

Instruments

• Guitar: Toshiki Kadomatsu (all tracks except A5; also chorus on A2, A3, B2, B5); Masaki Matsubara (A5, guitar solo on A3); Tsunehide Matsuki (guitar solo on B5); Takayuki Hijikata (additional guitar).^[1][22]
• Keyboards and Synthesizers: Jun Sato (piano and synthesizer on A1–A3, B4–B5; synthesizer solo/organ); Tetsuji Hayashi (keyboards on A5, B1 as arranger); Yoshihiro Tomonari (synthesizer on A4, B2–B4; piano); Hidetoshi Yamada (piano and synthesizer on A5); Soichi Noriki (synthesizer on B1).^[1][22]
• Bass: Tomohito Aoki (A1–A4, B1–B5); Shigeru Okazawa (additional bass).^[1][22]
• Drums: Nobuo Eguchi (A1–A3, B2); Takeo Kikuchi (A4, B1, B3–B5); Hideo Yamaki (A5).^[1][22]
• Percussion: Hiroyuki Iso (A4, B1); Pecker (A1, A2, A5).^[1][22]
• Horns and Winds: Jake Concepcion (alto saxophone solo on A2, A4); Makoto Kanekuni (alto saxophone solo on B2); Shin Kazuhara (flugelhorn on A5, trumpet solo on B1); horns arranged by Hiroyuki Iso (A1, A2, B1, B3) and Jun Sato (B2, B4).^[1][22]
• Strings: Strings arranged by Jun Sato (A4, B5) and Ichizo Seo (B1).^[1][22]
• Chorus/Backing Vocals: Eve (A1, B1, B3, B4); Toshiki Kadomatsu (A2, A3, B2, B5); additional chorus by Yurie Kokubu, Yoshihiko Shiraishi, Tetsuji Hayashi, Kiyoshi Hiyama, Yasuhiro Kido, Yoshihiko Kadomatsu.^[1][22]
• Synthesizer Operators: Keishi Urata (A3, A4, B2–B4); Hiroshi Sukegawa (A5); Yuji Oyamada (B1).^[1]

Production Credits

• Toshiki Kadomatsu: producer and arranger (A1, A3, A4, B1–B5); also composer and lyricist for A2, A3, B2, B4, B5.^[1][22]
• Tetsuji Hayashi: arranger and composer (A5, B1).^[1][22]
• Nobuo Tsunetomi: director.^[22]
• Chu Sato: engineer.^[22]
• Eiji Uchinuma: mixer.^[22]
• Masanori Matsubara: assistant engineer.^[22]
• For Life Music: executive production (label oversight).^[1]
• Additional production notes: Mastered at CBS/Sony Studios in Tokyo; track A1 ("Cat's Eye (New Take)") features additional synthesizers operated by Keishi Urata.^[1]

Additional Staff

• Design: Tomio Watanabe.^[1][22]
• Photography: Hisako Okubo.^[22]
• Hair and Make-up: Satomi Yoshiguchi.^[1][22]
• Management: Hidetoshi Kobayashi, Sei Sato.^[22]
• Stylist: Nobuko Saito.^[22]