Product Description
Released 30th September 2026. 2026 is the 45th anniversary of the release of The Rainbow Goblins. This live triple album reveals the full story of the two day concert at the Budokan on March 10th and March 11th. The album itself, Takanaka's ninth studio album, was released on 10th March, and was inspired by a picture book of the same name by Italian artist Ul de Rico, Influenced by progressive rock bands like King Crimson and Pink Floyd, Takanaka blended his signature guitar work with layered arrangements and vivid soundscapes to match the book's visual and narrative depth. On release day, 10th March 1981, the album was performed live in full at Nippon Budokan and released on video, although several songs were cut from this release.
The concert featured two parts: Part 1, in which the album was recreated on stage, and Part 2, composed of Masayoshi Takanaka's various hits. For the first time, this legendary performance is being released as a single audio work. A massive rainbow neon sign hung above the stage, its seven-color lights flashing in various patterns to the music, while state-of-the-art laser light shows of the era. The seven musicians who took the stage each wore costumes in the image colours of different goblins, while Takanaka, dressed in a yellow jumpsuit with his hair dyed in rainbow colors, played his rainbow metallic Yamaha SG guitar. This vinyl edition comes as three LPs - clear lime yellow, clear red, and clear blue. Comes with a photo-filled booklet. Mastering and vinyl cutting: Alex Wharton (Abbey Road Studios, London). Liner notes: Masayoshi Kondo (music writer), Yoshinobu Maruyama (Kitty Artists, Masayoshi Takanaka's manager at the time).
Masahiro Miyazaki (Drums)
Akihiro Tanaka (Bass)
Izumi Kobayashi (Keyboards)
Kiyosumi Ishikawa (Keyboards)
Yuki Sugawara (Percussion)
Makoto Kimura (Percussion)
Koji Satsuma (Saxophone)
LP 1
SIDE A
1. PROLOGUE
2. ONCE UPON A SONG
3. SEVEN GOBLINS
4. THE SUNSET VALLEY
SIDE B
5. THE MOON ROSE
6. SOON
7. THUNDERSTORM
LP2
SIDE C
1. RISING ARCH
2. PLUMMED BIRD
3. YOU CAN NEVER COME TO THIS PLACE THIS PLACE
SIDE D
(No Audio)
LP3
SIDE E
1. BLUE LAGOON
2. RAINY DAY BLUE
SIDE F
3. EARLY BIRD
4. READY TO FLY
5. KUROFUNE
