UPDATE (November 7, 2010): Reports over the net say that the following songs related to Kanno were performed:

Sousei no Aquarion (AKINO from bless4)
Go Tight!/AKINO from bless4
inner universe/ORIGA
rise/ORIGA
THE REAL FOLK BLUES/May’n and ORIGA
Seikan Hikou/Shouko Nakagawa
Diamond Crevasse/May’n
Don’t be late/May’n

=====================
Not directly related, but who else finds the line-up to this concert interesting (hint: look to the far right…)? Another thing to note is that they will do covers of anime songs. Singers of anime songs doing covers of anime songs. Yes, looking forward to it I’m also on the watch out if ever there would be an announcement of secret guests *ahem*

(more…)

So, I was going around the net today and someone pointed out that the audio sample of a woman talking in English at the background of Idol Talk was obscene. He proceeded to type out what he heard, and of course I thought he was joking. Then I remembered, one of you guys have hinted this to me before, but I never got it (because I am clueless as a brick). If you’re reading right now, please remind me what exactly we were talking about that brought it up – was it Shanti Snyder?

I suppose Idol Talk is really supposed to be “Idle Talk”, which creates the image of a person who has nothing to do and talks dirty with someone over the phone.

Listen to two minutes into the song. Please don’t highlight this text if you think you might find it obscene. This is what is being said:

Let me hold it, stroke it gently up and down
Can you feel my juices around your rock hard cock
(???)
Take a closer look, mmmm very nice

<__<;;

MINOR UPDATE: I tried working on some of it, and this was particularly interesting because they were talking about their impression of anime:

…
K: How about Gundam?
M: When it was televised, my daughter used to watch it every dinner time. My daughter used to say, “Char The Red Comet is so cool”, when I saw the anime, I said, “He’s certainly cool” (haha). A while after that, I watched everything including the movie.
K: It doesn’t mean that every anime is good, isn’t it? Do you have criteria?
M: I don’t decide that in the beginning. I watch everything. First of all, I try to test everything. During this, the ones that do not suit me are just from natural selection? I intend to use instinct for such.

How about Ms. Kanno?

K: I am prejudiced with it (haha). Because my parents were strict, comics and even books with little illustrations were not allowed. Though perhaps my parents also understand a bit right now. Because I was raised very strictly, I had a deep prejudice like, “Isn’t this an inferior work?” So, when I work, because it is in anime, I try not to think of such things.
M: But you only work on anime (haha)
K: I didn’t tell my parents about my work for about 10 years. Because my parents didn’t watch TV, they surely didn’t know what their daughter was working on. But I told them about my work for NHK because I thought it was filial piety (haha). Because it was strict like this, I think I am prejudiced.

Apparently, the interview of Takashi Matsumoto, Seikan Hikou’s popular lyricist, with Kanno that appeared in Continue Magazine has a long version published in Matsumoto’s website. The interview only turned up in the website today, November 6, 2009. Please click the image above to read it (Japanese). I have only skimmed through it, and I don’t think I have time to work on it, so if someone could translate fully or in summary, I would appreciate it.

(more…)

Here they are, the lyrics that I know have not been published, or have some alterations in Space Bio Charge. If you are aware of some more lyrics that I should publish since they were previously unpublished, please inform me.

笑った
words: 岩里祐穂, 菅野よう子
music & arrangement: 菅野よう子
vocal: スコシ*

ボクはすぐに
ゆうべ見た夢をわすれてしまうんだ
今日はどこにいこう
日差しを避け　誰と会おうか
ひび割れた窓に映るファンタシー
Here comes the day you’re lookin’ for

ほらね　笑った
笑ってたほうがずっとやさしいよ
どこで待つの
目の前にあるのになぜか怖くって
花束にして君にファンタシー　抱えてくよ

Good bye yesterday
くりかえして　ポケットにずっと
君の冒険がつまってる
Good bye yesterday
その向こうに　流れてゆく雲
たとえば傷つくことがあっても
ボクはきっと平気さ

今日はすこし
あの日きた場所を思い出してるんだ
なにを歌おう
待ちぼうけ　原っぱに風が見えた
星空にして君にファンタシー　照らしたいよ

Good bye yesterday
くりかえして
振り向けばきっと　君の手のひらこぼれてく
Good bye yesterday
遠い遠い　遠すぎる空が
何色であっても　かまわないから
ボクはずっと歩こう

見えてた時に見えなくて
見えなくなって　そう　はじめて
見えてくるもの
ねえボクにも　さわれる日が来る　もういちどうきっと…

Good bye yesterday
くりかえして　ポケットにいつも**
君の冒険がつまってる
Good bye yesterday
もうすぐほら　ポケット離れ
君の冒険がうごきだす
Good bye yesterday
その向こうに　流れてゆく雲
たとえば傷つくことがあっても
ボクはきっと平気さ

Romanization:
Waratteta
words: Yuuho Iwasato, Yoko Kanno
music & arrangement: Yoko Kanno
vocal: sukoshi*

boku wa sugu ni
yuube mita yume o wasurete shimaun da
kyou wa doko ni ikou
hizashi o sake dare to aou ka
hibiwareta mado ni utsuru fantasy
Here comes the day you’re lookin’ for

hora ne waratta
waratteta houga zutto yasashii yo
doko de matsu no
me no mae ni aru no ni naze ga kowakutte
hanataba ni shite kimi ni fantasy kakaeteku yo

Good bye yesterday
kurikaeshite poketto ni zutto
kimi no bouken ga tsumatteru
goodbye yesterday
sono mukou ni nagarete yuku kumo
tatoeba kizutsuku koto ga atte mo
boku wa kitto heiki sa

kyou wa sukoshi
ano hi kita basho o omoidashiterun da
nani o utaou
machibouke harappa ni kaze ga mieta
hoshizora ni shite kimi ni fantasy terashitai yo

Good bye yesterday
kurikaeshite
furimukeba kitto kimi no tenohira koboreteku
Good bye yesterday
tooi tooi toosugiru sora ga
naniiro de atte mo kamawanai kara
boku wa zutto arukou

mieteta toki ni mienakute
mienaku natte sou hajimete
miete kuru mono
nee boku ni mo sawareru hi ga kuru mou ichido kitto

Good bye yesterday
kurikaeshite poketto ni itsumo**
kimi no bouken ga tsumatteru
Good bye yesterday
mou sugu hora poketto hanare
kimi no bouken ga ugokidasu
Good bye yesterday
sono mukou ni nagarete yuku kumo
tatoeba kizutsuku kotoga atte mo
boku wa kitto heiki sa

You smiled
words: Yuuho Iwasato, Yoko Kanno
music & arrangement: Yoko Kanno
vocal: sukoshi*
translation by mai

I forgot at once the dream that I saw last night
Where do you go today?
Avoiding the sun, who will you meet?
Your fantasy is reflected in the broken window
Here comes the day you’re lookin’ for (more…)

My copy arrived today, and I thought this would be interesting since I think only a few people who visit here got it.

First up, the CD box came with a little Seatbelts sticker, and a white page announcing the 7/7 concert. The outer track list is a detachable sheet from the main box. Not to worry, since another track list is available inside in the booklet.

The CD jacket opens up nicely to reveal the CDs consecutively:

The outside of the jacket.

UPDATE: Review finished. Samples of the songs, and what looks like a rushed TV spot CM, are available in the Victor Website.

Review:
Kanno described this set of CDs as “Dramatic”, “Inner”, and “Private”. The “Dramatic” CD, or CD 1 contains mostly orchestra pieces, “Inner” or CD 2 are some of her most anthemic songs. The third CD, which she joking called “Private” contains many psychedelic pieces that’s almost a requisite in any Kanno CD. You could easily guess that she called it “Private” because the characteristic of the songs is quite like what you’d expect from someone with a personality like her. Plus the fact that Gabby sang a good number of the songs…

The first two CDs are more than 1 hour each, even with the eco sizes. The eco size edits are unnoticeable most of the time, and if I were to guess, they sped up some of the songs to make space for others, and removed a few repeating measures from some songs. The most noticeable cut I have encountered so far is from Yakusoku wa Iranai, where the second verse and chorus is cut out. Cloe’s second verse and chorus, which is mostly a repeat of the first verse and chorus with a little more orchestra in the background, has been removed. For the rest of them, I was wondering what exactly was cut out, if any. Even the Tank! that is mentioned in the track list as “TV stretch” is not a TV stretch, as it’s more than 3 minutes long, and I couldn’t figure out if they removed any part. The original Tank is 3:30 in length, and the one in this CD is 3:26, so I could only conclude that they sped it up a bit.

There are quite a number of tracks here which I thought were very good choices, and I think they are the best songs in their respective releases. For example, the only track I really loved from the Darker than Black OST is High Heel Runaway, and I wouldn’t buy the whole Darker than Black OST just for that song. The choice of Wolf’s Rain songs is also to my liking. I would have traded some songs to get Pearls (Bebop), Ai no Rinkaku (Brain Powerd) and After All (Turn-A Gundam) though, like Hamduche and Kagiri naki Tabiji.

A minor disappointment is the fact that they previously listed that Cloe will be the version sang by Gabriela Robin, but I suppose it’s either a typo or a mistake, because the song in the CD is Chinatsu Yamamoto’s. It’s not the Cloe version that was used for the NTT Pocketbell CM. I still have high hopes that it would go to CMYoko3 though.

All in all, if you have been collecting Kanno’s CDs for a long time now, I believe there is no need for you to buy this release, unless you just collect her CDs as a hobby. These CDs are more meant for those fans who are new, or for those who would like to support her and didn’t want to buy so many CDs to get her hits, or for those who are going to her concert and don’t know the bulk of her work. For me, I haven’t bought much of her CDs apart from the GITS, Macross F and her solo works, so this release covers for many songs that I regularly listen to even if I haven’t obtained them legally

DISC 1
01. Fly up in the air ~ Tension (eco. size)/ISRAEL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA (MACROSS PLUS) [2:54.16]
02. Tank!（TV stretch）/SEATBELTS (COWBOY BEBOP) [3:26.30] – I promise this isn’t the TV stretch.
03. Kouya no Heath/AKINO (Sousei no Aquarion) [5:34.27]
04. Turkey (eco. size)/Gabriela Robin (Ghost in the Shell STAND ALONE COMPLEX) [5:34.58]
05. WHAT PLANET IS THIS./SEATBELTS (COWBOY BEBOP Knocking on Heaven’s Door MAXI SINGLE Ask DNA) [2:46.10]
06. High Heel Runaway (DARKER THAN BLACK) [2:41.12]
07. Ask DNA (eco. size)/SEATBELTS (COWBOY BEBOP Movie) [4:41.65]
08. could you bite the hand?/steve conte (WOLF’S RAIN O.S.T.) [3:38.10] (more…)