On Guitar (album)

On Guitar
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 25, 1978
Recorded1978
StudioSound City Studio, Media Studio
Genre
Length43:28
LabelVictor
ProducerHiroshi Tanaka
Masayoshi Takanaka chronology
Brasilian Skies
(1978)
On Guitar
(1978)
Jolly Jive
(1979)

On Guitar is a studio album by Japanese musician, producer, and composer Masayoshi Takanaka[1], released by Invitation Records in November 1978. The album's initial release was distributed on vinyl and cassette tape, and was re-released on CD in 1994. The album is part of the Professional High-Technique Series[2], a set of three albums released in 1978 by Victor Entertainment.[3] These albums, intended for instrument instruction, feature material focused on guitar, bass, and drums. Tsugutoshi Gotō's On Bass and Hiro Tsunoda's On Drums[4] are the other two albums in the series.[5]

This album features a mix of original songs and covers from established acts such as Bobby Womack, Billy Joel, Carlos Santana, and Earth, Wind & Fire.[6] The original record release came with a sheet detailing the effect pedals used.[7]

Despite it being his fifth LP released[8], It is not mentioned on Takanaka's website, and Jolly Jive is widely considered to be his fifth album.[9]

Track listing

Side A
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Breezin'"Bobby Womack5:50
2."Blue Curacao"Masayoshi Takanaka5:28
3."Just the Way You Are"Billy Joel5:08
4."Mambo Jambo"Perez Prado3:11
Side B
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Samba Pa Ti"Carlos Santana5:44
6."Rainbow"Masayoshi Takanaka6:13
7."That's the Way of the World"Earth, Wind & Fire6:14
8."We're All Alone"Boz Scaggs5:38
Total length:43:28

Personnel

Credits and personnel adapted from liner notes[10]

  • A&R, associate producer – Hiroshi Tanaka
  • Art direction – Ryu Inishie
  • Bass – Getao Takahashi, Haruomi Hosono
  • Coordinator – Shingi Kurata
  • Design – Front Publicity Inc.
  • Drums – Robert Brill, Yukihiro Takahashi
  • Engineer – Osamu Yamanishi, Shozo Inomata
  • Assistant engineer – Shuji Yamaguchi
  • Executive producer – Akira Higashimoto
  • Guitar, producer, arranger – Masayoshi Takanaka
  • Keyboards – Kiyosumi Ishikawa
  • Recording directed by Toyoho Ryujin
  • Mastered by Shizuo Nomiyama
  • Musical assistance – Akitoshi Kimura
  • Percussion – Motoya Hamaguchi, Pecker
  • Photography by Yoichi Iwase, Yukio Hasemi
  • Recorded by Osamu Yamanishi, Shozo Inomata

Release history

Release history for On Guitar
Region Date Formats Label Ref.
Japan November 25, 1978 Cassette Invitation [11]
November 25, 1978 Vinyl Invitation [10]
June 25, 1994 CD Invitation [12]
July 20, 2016 CD (remastered) Invitation
March 22, 2025 Vinyl (Limited edition reissue) Invitation [13]

See also

References

  1. ^ On Guitar by 高中正義 on Apple Music, January 1, 1978, retrieved March 18, 2026
  2. ^ "Professional High-technique Series Discography". Discogs. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  3. ^ On Guitar by 高中正義 on Apple Music, January 1, 1978, retrieved March 18, 2026
  4. ^ Hiro Tsunoda - On Drums, 1978, retrieved March 18, 2026
  5. ^ "Masayoshi Takanaka: On Guitar - VINYL LP". Tower Records. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  6. ^ Masayoshi Takanaka = 高中正義 - On Guitar, November 25, 1978, retrieved March 18, 2026
  7. ^ "Reddit - The heart of the internet". www.reddit.com. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  8. ^ "Masayoshi Takanaka". Discogs. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  9. ^ "JOLLY JIVE – 高中正義オフィシャル・ウェブサイト" (in Japanese). Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  10. ^ a b Masayoshi Takanaka = 高中正義 - On Guitar, November 25, 1978, retrieved June 28, 2025
  11. ^ Masayoshi Takanaka - On Guitar, November 25, 1978, retrieved June 28, 2025
  12. ^ Masayoshi Takanaka = 高中正義 - On Guitar, June 25, 1994, retrieved June 28, 2025
  13. ^ "日本を代表するスーパーギタリスト、高中正義の記念すべきソロ・デビュー・アルバムがLPで復刻" [Japan's leading super guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka's memorable solo debut album is reprinted on LP] (in Japanese). Merurido Record Shop. Retrieved December 13, 2022.

On Guitar at Discogs (list of releases)