January: Anime Piano Duo LP
This release from Nippon Columbia seems ordinary enough, but it came with quite a pedigree. Five composers were credited for arrangement. Among them were Nozomi Aoki, Joe Hisaishi, and Shinsuke Kazato, all of whom were known for their work in anime (click on their names for their credit lists). Also in these ranks were Hiroshi Miyagawa, and…Akira Miyagawa. This was one of Akira’s early contributions to Yamato music (both the main theme and The Scarlet Scarf were on the album), and we know full well what he went on to do.
Tokyo Ongaku Shoin [Music Study] simultaneously released a book of sheet music to accompany this album.
February 21: Battle of SF Animation Synthesizer Fantasy album
The synthesizer craze was still going strong in 1983, and Columbia was only too happy to roll out one album after another covering anime music. This one was essentially a “best of,” but it wasn’t just a selection of existing material; each side was an extended medley of newly-recorded themes from across the anime spectrum. Yamato, Gundam, Captain Harlock, Macross and many more, all sandwiched between 2001 and Star Wars. If your meager allowance could only get you one LP, this was it.
Listen to the entire album on Youtube here
February 21: Lonely Girl LP, Junko Yagami
By this time, all but one of the new “insert songs” created for Final Yamato could be found in stores. That was rectified when Junko Yagami’s fifth studio album made its debut, containing the first recording anyone could buy for her ending song Love Supreme. It was one of ten tracks, and predated the single by a little over a week.
Get more data on the album here
Listen to it on Youtube here
March: Omi Children’s Songs LP
Released on a private label, this concert by the Otsu Children’s Choir (also titled Choral Suite • Picture Book of Stars) contained a lineup of anthems, folk songs, fairy tale songs, and more, culminating with the Space Battleship Yamato theme as a closer. The choir went all the way back to 1953 and they performed a regular concert every March in collaboration with other groups. Yamato music history is peppered with hidden gems like this, and they’re always a delight to discover.
September 21: Digital Trip Catalogue Synthesizer Fantasy LP
Nippon Columbia, CX-7117
Nippon Columbia had been releasing Digital Trip albums for many years at this point, providing synth covers for songs and BGM compositions from various anime series (including two albums dedicated to Yamato). Someone decided it was time for a “best of,” so they rolled out a 12-track collection with themes from Macross, Galaxy Express 999, Gundam, Captain Harlock, Queen Emeraldas, Crusher Joe, and more. The Yamato theme was a guarantee.
November: Disco Space Anime single
At the end of 1982, Columbia came up with another creative way to sell the same music again. Back then, it was part of a medley in Disco Space Anime, which filled up one side of a single and sampled Yamato along with Galaxy Express, Raideen, Captain Harlock, Mazinger Z, Gatchaman, Combattler V, and five other titles. A total of 13 samples crammed into just 4:21 was performed by the “Magical Dream Orchestra.” That track was reissued on the A-side of this new single. The B-side did the same with Dixieland tunes.
Listen to it on Youtube right now!
Date unknown: I Can’t Wait LP by Tomoko Kuwae
The exact release date for this one is elusive, but the first full-length LP from Tomoko Kuwae (ambitiously titled TOMOKO I) came out in 1983 and included her song from Final Yamato. Love of Two was the dramatic ballad heard while Yuki flies the unconscious Kodai back to the ship and reflects on the course their lives have taken. This album finally made it to CD in 2015.
Listen to the full album on Youtube here