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Copyright ©1999 Victor Entertainment, Inc. Japan
17 Tracks; 71m:17s
| 1. |
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Blue |
(5:01) |
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Vocal: Yamane Mai |
| 2. |
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Words That We Couldn't Say |
(3:27) |
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Vocal: Steve Conte |
| 3. |
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Autumn in Ganymede |
(3:54) |
| 4. |
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Mushroom Hunter |
(3:18) |
| 5. |
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Go Go Cactus Man |
(2:37) |
| 6. |
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Chicken Bone |
(4:55) |
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Vocal: SYDNEY with Sister R |
| 7. |
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The Real Man |
(4:00) |
| 8. |
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N.Y. Rush |
(5:03) |
| 9. |
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Adieu |
(5:39) |
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Vocal: Emily Bindiger |
| 10. |
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Call Me Call Me |
(4:42) |
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Vocals: Steve Conte |
| 11. |
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Ave Maria |
(5:47) |
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Vocal: Jerzy Kentig |
| 12. |
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Stella by Moor |
(1:08) |
| 13. |
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Flying Teapot |
(3:32) |
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Vocal: Emily Bindiger |
| 14. |
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Wo Qui Non Coin |
(3:41) |
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Vocal: Tada "Ed" Aoi |
| 15. |
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Road to the West |
(2:52) |
| 16. |
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Farewell Blues |
(5:12) |
| 17. |
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See You Space Cowboy... |
(5:55) |
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—by Michael Wieczorek
One thing I really enjoy about the music of COWBOY BEBOP is that it is so
diverse. Not since MACROSS PLUS (another Kanno Yoko opus) have I heard a
soundtrack this diverse and good. The music in this series ranges from blues and jazz to some
mambo/Caribbean to rock and even some hip-hop. And without exception this trend is displayed here in
the third COWBOY BEBOP soundtrack: BLUE.
One of the best songs on this CD is the title track "Blue." One thing
that is immediately noticeable about this soundtrack is that most (actually
almost all) of the songs with vocals are sung in English. These songs are
sung by native English speakers, so it isn't that surprising; what is
surprising is that "Blue" was sung by Yamane Mai, a Japanese woman whose
English is just flawless. It's probably even better than mine. Usually
when a Japanese person sings a song with English lyrics it comes out kind
of garbled. For example check out "Tell Me Why" by the PENPALS which is
the opening song to the anime series BERSERK. "Blue" has to be one of the
best songs in this series and may be one of the best songs to ever come
out of an anime. It's hard to describe what kind of genre it falls into,
but it gets my vote for best song on the CD. It appears at the end of the
last episode of COWBOY BEBOP.
Another interesting song on this CD is "Chicken Bone," which is a hip-hop
like song. The lyrics to the song are kind of strange with the mention of
Cajun sauce, the repeated use of the words "chicken bone," and every once
in a while some guy who sounds like the Tasmanian Devil says, "Destroy."
This song was featured in episode 17 ("Mushroom Samba") with another song
on this CD, "Mushroom Hunting."
Another excellent song is "Adieu," performed by the very talented Emily
Bindiger. With a mellow piano melody and a soft and somewhat sultry voiced
singer this is the type of song I would expect to be heard in an upper
class nightclub featured in some film noir movie. The song is also an
extended vocal version of the song "Memory" which is on the first
COWBOY BEBOP Soundtrack.
And if you are tired of all the jazz and blues music there is even a
little opera on this CD for you: "Ave Maria." This was the song being
performed in the opera house in episode 5. Also something else that is
fairly interesting is the track "Wo Qui Non Coin." It's not that it's
really good or anything but that it is one of the few songs sung in
Japanese. Or at least I think it's Japanese. But more that that it's the
only song sung by a cast member (sung by Tada Aoi, who was the voice of
Ed). This is interesting because Hayashibara Megumi usually sings at least
one song for the anime that she is in.
And finally we come to the last track, which is actually a bonus track of
sorts. It's not listed with the other tracks except on the last page of the
cover booklet. So it's like a hidden track, but not one of those stupid
hidden tracks that only comes on twenty minutes after the last song has
been played. The song is called "See You Space Cowboy..." but is actually a
second version of "The Real Folk Blues." It's a softer version with the
piano being the predominant instrument instead of the electric guitar which
the original version featured (the original version is the one heard during
the closing credits of the show). Also the lyrics are slightly different
in that the language which some of the lyrics were sung in were changed.
Overall this is one great CD. It doesn't have some of the more
recognizable COWBOY BEBOP songs like "Tank!" or "Space Lion" but is great
none the less. Some other good songs are "Call Me Call Me," which is kind
of a folk rock song, and "Go Go Cactus Man," which could have come right
out of a spaghetti western. BLUE continues the excellent quality of the
COWBOY BEBOP soundtracks.
Victor Entertainment, Inc. Japan
VICL-60203
¥3045
Available Now in Japan
Where to buy
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