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Old 2007.04.13, 05:26 AM   #21
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Originally Posted by Maou View Post
Well, you can't expect great reviews for an album that's almost half rehashed material even if it does come together as a decent package.

I'd give the album a 7/7.5 or something in that range. I like it, but I don't love it. Meisai, Gamble, Sakuran, and Hatsukoi Shoujo rank as very good-great for me, but the rest of the album isn't really up to par. Yume no Ato was the great disappointment on this album for me since it's one of my favorite Jihen songs. It felt like it could be so much more. Oiran is simply one of my least favorite R/J songs.
Just because its remakes of older songs does not make them any worse. It is a bad move to judge the album this way because you will never enjoy it if all you think about is that you know the lyrics to most of the songs already. They music is completely different so I think if you are going to bash it, let it be because you do not think the songs are up to par. Im not saying you did not do this Maou, but I just think that one of the reasons it gets bad reviews is because it has remakes.

Also, I love this version of yume no ato way better! What did you not like about it?
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Old 2007.04.13, 05:44 AM   #22
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See, I think the bad move would be to put out an album comprised of stuff we've mostly heard before. If all the songs were completly redone as per Gamble, I don't think it would be so bad. However, thats not the case. The music is no different from what we heard in Baishou for Kuki, Meisai, Ishiki. Poltergeist is like they pulled up the old production tracks, added a few filters and called it fit for release.

Thats half of yer album right there. Throw in two B-sides of which we've heard at least one if not two other versions of by now, a cover (two covers, Oiran?), a retroactive Kyoiku song, and possibly just a single sole new exclusive song (Hatsukoi.) and theres the record. For me, I think Shiina got way ahead of herself here.
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Old 2007.04.13, 10:29 AM   #23
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Baishou Ecstacy was only a DVD though, right? I mean ripping the audio from that isn't the same as having it released on a cd. You can't really claim it's re-released material when it was never on an actual album. You heard it ahead of time performed live; most artists do that to see if people will like new songs and just to give them a taste of what they've been writing in the mean time between albums. Also, you need to take into account that not everyone has the money to buy every dvd, single, etc. to have these songs already. We may be familiar with some of the lyrics but the musical arrangements are totally different. The new arrangements of the older songs are pretty different for most of the songs other than Yokushitsu and Poltergeist.

I don't feel like they were just written quickly to cash in on old material; you can definately tell there's some time and thought put into them. I find it's harder to write arrangements that fit lyrics & melodies compared to lyrics & melodies that fit arrangements. I feel like the new arrangements are quite fitting. Once again I feel as though this album is another step in the more mature/refined style. It flows very well and is very focused. Listening to the album without worrying about whether or not I've heard a specific version of a song or not before on a b-side or performed live is pretty pleasant.
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Old 2007.04.13, 02:16 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by Tokyo Jihad View Post
See, I think the bad move would be to put out an album comprised of stuff we've mostly heard before. If all the songs were completly redone as per Mellow, I don't think it would be so bad. However, thats not the case. The music is no different from what we heard in Baishou for Kuki, Meisai, Ishiki. Poltergeist is like they pulled up the old production tracks, added a few filters and called it fit for release.

Thats half of yer album right there. Throw in two B-sides of which we've heard at least one if not two other versions of by now, a cover (two covers, Oiran?), a retroactive Kyoiku song, and possibly just a single sole new exclusive song (Hatsukoi.) and theres the record. For me, I think Shiina got way ahead of herself here.
I agree with Jer, most artists perform a song or release a pv of a song before they release it on an album so I do not see why having it seeing performed before is a problem. Also, where have you heard oiran before this? And isnt Kono Yo no Kagiria new song as well? Or because it came out as a single, it does not count?
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Old 2007.04.13, 03:31 PM   #25
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I phrased it as songs "exclusive to the album." As for Oiran, there was some debate as to what the status of the song is whether its a cover or Uki just wrote it, or whatever.

Now then, its still a rip-off for the people that did buy BX. I know its not often I am in the "people that bought..." category, but heres the rare case I am. If a band doubly releases a live show on dvd and cd -- they give em the same name so that way you know "Ok, this is the audio of that video." Heres the case where the glut of an album was directly lifted from a 3-4 years old dvd release. I don't care what country your from, thats a rip. We should be rioting in the streets, she should have got blasted by the critics. But instead it sold better than any album since SS, so what good would any of it do?

EDIT: I think it would have been magnanimously better if Shiina had released the Kono yo ni single for the movie. Hold on to Hatsukoi and save it for a true album. (And just trash the rest. I liked the Gamble redux, but the world wouldn't be worse off without it.)
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Old 2007.04.13, 03:44 PM   #26
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Originally Posted by Tokyo Jihad View Post
But instead it sold better than any album since SS, so what good would any of it do?
That just means that people liked this style and finally wanted the BX songs released in cd format. Even if I had bought the BX dvd back when it had come out, I still would not have complained, although I know how to rip dvds, the mainstream usually does not and so I think it is a petty arguement with Ms. Ringo. Just enjoy the music! ^_~
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Old 2007.04.13, 05:08 PM   #27
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Originally Posted by Jer View Post
Baishou Ecstacy was only a DVD though, right? I mean ripping the audio from that isn't the same as having it released on a cd.
Wrong.
They used a form of audio uncommon in DVD movies, which is one hair away from being the same as CD. With a couple of free programs you can transfer that audio to CD with songs divided up into tracks and everything. The burnt disc not only being functional, but actually being "CD quality", isn't an exaggeration - you're literally ripping raw audio and burning it as raw. There's no compression or decompression involved.

On another note, this same type of raw audio is on all other retail Ringo/Jihen DVDs. So if a new album track sounds like a carbon copy of a concert, it effectively is "copying an older CD".
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Old 2007.04.14, 10:10 AM   #28
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Ah. I didn't know that since I don't own the DVD but thanks for clarifying that, Glathannus. I still don't feel that a live performance is the same as a studio-recorded track. That's actually what I meant when I said ripping the audio from a DVD isn't the same as having it released on cd; I should've clarified myself. I wasn't talking about the specific live's audio but rather the song itself. I could understand the gripe if they did pull the audio off of the concert DVD but judging from the cd quality of the songs I highly doubt that's what happened.
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Old 2007.04.16, 05:57 AM   #29
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Well, I loved this album and here are my ratings for the songs on it:

(Out of 5 stars)

Gamble 5
I love this song, I find it very powerful, the build up to the end, I just love everything about it. BTW, did Gamble only appear on Zecchoushuu before this? Or was there another release?

Stem 4
I prefer the KZK version of this song better because this opens up a little too slow but I still enjoyed it and I feel it is placed perfectly on the album.

Confusion(TERRA ver.) 5
I love this song, it is a faster-pace than stem which I found kind of weird at first but it is still a smooth transition. I love her scratchy? voice in this song and how it gets more emotional towards the end.

Hatsukoi Shojo 4
This song was a little weird to me the first time I heard it, mostly because it was not orchestrated as most of the other songs are. But somehow it fits with the rest, in my eyes anyway.

Papaya Mango 4
I saw the "PV" for this song first and I fell in love with it. I really loved her expressions as she sang it which I guess is what makes me like it so much because every time I hear it I think of the performance.

Ishiki 4
This is just a solid song; I like

La Salle de Bain 5
The mix of yokushitsu and la salle de bain is amazing. I love the transition into english.

Meisai 5
The best part about this is how fast she sings it, it is always fun to hear.

Poltergeist 4
I guess the best word to explain how I feel about this song is "delightful." There is something creepy about it but also playful at the same time.

"temporary" virgin (TAMEIKESANNOH ver) 5
I just love the emotion in this song.

Courtesan 4
Another one of those that seemed kind of out of place but I love how it begins right after Ringo says "goodbye" in the previous song.

Yume no Ato 5
I love this version of the song, I feel she amped it up alot from the kyouiku version.

Kono yo no Kagiri 5
This is a great closer, the slow start lets you get ready for it after hearing yume no ato. And the ending is great.
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Old 2007.06.14, 05:54 AM   #30
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have a question about papya mango...
papaya mango is a remake of a old song wich appears on a old movie, does anyone knows the name of the song (i think the song has another name) and the name of the singer?
a friend of mine send me a link on youtube, long time ago, with the original version, but i lost it
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