As all longtime fans know, the Yamato music library is wide and deep with all sorts of variations and eclectica. Periodically, it becomes necessary to gather them all up in a single place and that time has come again.
Of course, there are other discographies all over this site, and the simplest way to access them is through our album index here.
Click here for part 1 of the Legacy Years discography (1984-2004)
Click here for part 2 of the Legacy Years discography (2005-2014)
Click here for a comprehensive collection of cover albums up to 2008
Click here for the Yamato 2199 Discography.
Click here for the Yamato 2202 Discography.
Note: some titles listed here may be out of print or unavailable; in these cases, links are provided for research purposes.
Phantom Melody Vol. 1, Katsuo Ohno
UN Doughnuts Label, December 2003
Katsuo Ohno had a claim to fame shared by no one else: he was the only composer to write a song that Yoshinobu Nishizaki preferred over one by Hiroshi Miyagawa. That song was From Yamato With Love, and it became the legendary ending theme for Farewell to Yamato in 1978, sung by pop superstar Kenji Sawada. That makes this CD a rare treat; it was the first in a series that brought Katsuo Ohno’s demo tapes out of the vault and into daylight for the first time. From Yamato With Love is the last of 15 tracks, and is solo-performed by Ohno before Kenji Sawada was brought on board, a true rarity for Yamato music collectors.
Order it from Amazon or CD Japan.
Toshu Fukami, American Pops & J-Pops Live Masterpiece Collection
Tachibana TA2275, August 2008
Toshu Fukami is a true renaissance man, a philanthropist, artist, actor, author and opera singer known throughout Asia and Europe with hundreds and books and albums to his name. This 2-disc collection is split between American and Japanese pop standards, with his cover of the Yamato theme as a selection on the second disc. Visit Fukami’s website here and find multiple Youtube clips here.
Kaleidoscope II, Toshihiko Takamizawa
Alfred, October 2008
Toshihiko “Takamiy” Takamizawa performs lead guitar and vocals for glam rock group The Alfee. Prior to recording two songs for Yamato Resurrection, Takamiy had adopted 1978’s From Yamato With Love as one of his signature tunes. This 2-DVD set contains his solo concert performance from August 2008 (concert + documentary), which included From Yamato With Love. (Kaleidoscope II was a followup to his 2007 Kaleidoscope concert.)
Order it from Amazon.
Neo Universe, The Alfee
Universal Music, March 2010
The Alfee started rocking the same year Yamato first launched (1974) and their paths decisively crossed when the band recorded two songs for Resurrection in 2009. This album consists of 11 tracks including their rock version of Yamato. The album was released in three editions which can be ordered via these links:
Regular edition (CD) Amazon | CD Japan
Limited edition type A (CD/DVD combo) Amazon | CD Japan
Limited edition type B (CD) Amazon | CD Japan
See Alfee performing three different versions of their Yamato rock theme here
Queen of the Night Live 2011 + Moment, Yucca
Space Shower Music, March 2012
Yucca’s voice first graced Yamato in the 2010 live-action movie when she performed the signature vocal for the Infinity of Space theme, originally recorded by Kazuko Kawashima. She released a version on her 2011 album Queen of the Night and followed up with live performances offered here on a CD/DVD combo pack. She would go on to re-record the same vocal for Yamato 2199.
Order it from Amazon.co.jp or CD Japan.
See her Yamato performance on Youtube here.
Beyond the Sea, Japan Marine Self Defense Force with Kazuhiko Kawabe
Universal Music Japan, November 6 2013
The Japan Marine SDF has a world-class band, and has performed the Yamato theme live on many occasions. This disc collects several ocean-invoking pieces both classical and modern, including the main theme and Infinity of Space.
Order it from Amazon or CD Japan.
Tie-up ~ Collaboration History, The Alfee
EMI Records Japan, December 2013
The Alfee marked their 40th anniversary with this massive box set of 7 discs containing music composed for film and television. This includes Dedicate My Love, their power ballad from the end title of Yamato Resurrection. The box costs close to $100, but that should be no obstacle to a rabid Alfee fan.
Order it from Amazon or CD Japan.
Supernal Liberty, Nana Mizuki
King Records, April 2014
Pop superstar Nana Mizuki performed two songs for Yamato 2199, one for the series and one for A Voyage to Remember. Her series contribution was Star of Love, the end title song for 2199 Chapter 7. The version on this album collection was rerecorded with different instrumentation.
Order it from Amazon or CD Japan.
Best of Best, Isao Sasaki
Columbia, April 2015
Columbia is very good at keeping classic anime themes in print through tribute albums like this one, which pulls together all the favorites rendered by vocalist Isao Sasaki (other legendary singers got their own volumes). Best known for the original Yamato theme and The Scarlet Scarf, his other credits run deep into both anime and live-action. This 25-track CD brings them all to life again.
MOMENT ~ Now Beyond Now, Isao Sasaki
Nippon Columbia, September 2016
Isao Sasaki’s 55th anniversary album consists of vintage recordings, a mixture of anime and live action themes, and was released to commemorate Sasaki’s 55th anniversary as a performer. It includes Yamato, Scarlet Scarf, and other titles from Galaxy Express, Gatchaman, Ultraman, and more.
This is all I want to know: 50 Anime Songs, various artists
Columbia, September 2015
50 years, 50 songs. That’s the shortest way to sum up this massive 2-CD compendium of Columbia’s most popular anime theme singles starting with Jungle Emperor [Kimba] in 1965. It’s a lot to get through if you only want the original Yamato theme, but if you’re looking for an instant collection of classics it can’t be beat.
Order it from Amazon or CD Japan.
Yamato Sound Almanac 1974-1983: Yamato Music Addendum
Columbia, October 2015
In terms of the pure Yamato sound, this was the single biggest release of 2015, a triple-disc treasure trove that followed in the wake of the 30-CD Sound Almanac series. It may be hard to imagine that anything had been left out, but the well goes deeper than even the production supervisor thought, as described in his liner notes.
In case you’re wondering if they finally dug up the original source for the Bee People festival in Series 1, that still remains sadly elusive. And truthfully, there’s nothing completely new here, but completists will love diving into alternate takes and remixes that liven up the old favorites.
Highlights include alternate takes from the Yamato radio dramas, tracks from the Anime Piano ~ Yamato/Gundam album, The instrumental-only version of Prelude to Final Yamato, a “refresh collection” of BGM remixes from Yamato 2 through Final Yamato, and a handful of songs that didn’t fit on previous releases.
Read the extensive liner notes and a complete track listing here.
Order it from Amazon or CD Japan.
Singles from WCDA (Will Cinderella Dance Again)
WCDA is a fascinating music group that we’ve mentioned before in these pages, and whenever they add to their catalog it’s definitely a moment for Yamato fans to sit up and take notice. They specialize in covering anime theme songs, but also dig deeper to find grooves and beats hidden in the BGM.
They first delved into Yamato music with singles titled Iskandall (2009) and Bolar (2010), and expanded the library to include Desler Attack (2016), White Comet (2017) and Great Love (2019). The best part is that you can order these and other WCDA singles RIGHT NOW on the American version of iTunes. Just enter WCDA as a search term and their whole catalog will be at your fingertips. It’s one every anime fan should explore.
Mirage, Especia
Bermuda Entertainment Japan, August 2016
Especia is a prog-pop group that ranges across a wide variety of sounds and covers. The Mirage CD consists of only 4 tracks, but the accompanying DVD contains a full concert that opens with the Yamato theme.
Order it from these links:
Regular edition (CD) Amazon | CD Japan
Limited edition (CD + DVD) Amazon | CD Japan
See the opening chunk of the concert on Youtube here.
Heirloom, Akira Miyagawa & Osaka Shion Wind Orchestra
OSWO-0001, October 2016
This rare disc was self-published by the Osaka Shion Wind Orchestra and sold only at concert venues until it was picked up by Music Store JP for online sales (to Japanese addresses only). It collects a mix of pop tunes written by both Hiroshi Miyagawa and his son Akira, including Yamato Jazz, a swingin’ cover of the original theme.
Best Tune Takamiy, Toshihiko Takamizawa
Universal Music, August 2017
This is another solo effort from The Alfee’s “Takamiy.” The 2-disc version includes a live 2016 performance of From Yamato With Love, which is quite different from the 2008 concert performance listed higher up the page.
See the performance on Youtube here.
Order the CD from Amazon or CD Japan.
POWER, various artists
Kanameishi Records, December 2017
This album is a collection of theme songs by Yamato’s original lyricist Yu Aku, from the worlds of anime and tokusatsu (live-action special effects) TV shows. They are all covered by contemporary artists in modern styles, and include such fare as Ultraman and Mach Baron.
It makes our list for the inclusion of two Yamato songs from 1978: The Rival (Dessler’s “image song”) performed by Ryotaro Okiayu (voice of Jiro Shima in Resurrection) and From Yamato With Love performed by Koichi Yamadera (voice of Dessler in 2199 and 2202). As we learned from 2202 press coverage, this was the song that convinced the producers to have Yamadera render the ending theme for 2202 Chapter 6.
Order it from Amazon or CD Japan (The Amazon page includes sound samples).
Make the Most of This Earth, Misao Hadozaki
Self-published, 2018
Misao Hadozaki is a consummate flute player with a long discography; this disc is Volume 13 in her “Color Collection” series. She performs an unusual and creative version of the Yamato theme (see it in concert on Youtube here) along with other very recognizable pieces from the Nausicaa theme to the Star Wars march.
Since the CD was self-published, it’s pretty rare but definitely worth hunting down. It’s sold out at this site, but the data is there for search purposes.
Battle Starship, The Alfee
Universal Music, June 2019
This entry is a sort of “honorable mention.” It doesn’t contain any Yamato songs, but The Alfee certainly didn’t hide their influence with their choice of cover art and title.
Order it from Amazon or CD Japan.
Organ Odyssey, Yuka Ishimaru
King Records, September 2019
Yuka Ishimaru is an award-winning pipe organ player who has performed in Europe and Japan. This album contains 14 tracks including her cover of the famed White Comet theme. Also of note for SF fans is her renderings of Holt’s The Planets and the Star Wars march.
Order it from Amazon.co.jp or CD Japan.