Akina Nakamori: フォーク・ソング~歌姫抒情歌~, ムード歌謡 〜歌姫昭和名曲集, フォーク・ソング2~歌姫抒情歌~ & DIVA

And so it ends. This is the final Akina posts, for now at least. I have been getting a great response from these and its been fun posting these over the last few months. This final post contains 4 albums, 3 of them covers and the last an original. Unfortunately, I was a little pressured for time and I was unable to compile together the originals of the cover albums. I will post that next when I get the chance, so I guess this wont be the last Akina post lol. Similar to the Enka album, the two フォーク・ソング albums maintain a "folk" theme featuring the works of famous singer songwriters in Japan. ムード歌謡 on the other hand, features Jazz/Big band renditions of popular Showa performance songs of the 60's & 70's. Finally, DIVA, Akina's last studio effort to date, is a heavily modern electronica/pop album that is comparable in sound to the like of J-Pop singers like Ayumi Hamasaki & Utada (but I think Akina is a much better singer!). Thanks again to the visitors of the page, I haven't decided what I will be posting next but hopefully it will be as popular as these have been. Enjoy!

フォーク・ソング~歌姫抒情歌~ (2008)

1. わたしは泣いています

2. 『いちご白書』をもう一度

3. 雨の物語

4. さよならをするために

5. 想い出まくら

6. 22才の別れ

7. 冬が來る前に

8. 無縁坂

9. 時には母のない子のように

10. 戀

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ムード歌謡 〜歌姫昭和名曲集 (2009)

1. 氣氛歌謡 Opening (Instrumental)

2. 経験

3. 恋の季節

4. 夢は夜ひらく

5. 他人の関係

6. 面影

7. 雨の御堂筋

8. ラブユー東京

9 .絹の靴下

10. コモエスタ赤坂

11. 非情のライセンス

12. 伊勢佐木町ブルース

13. 氣氛歌謡 Ending (Instrumental)

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フォーク・ソング2~歌姫抒情歌~ (2009)

1. I LOVE YOU

2. 旅の宿

3. なごり雪

4. 心もよう

5. ベルベット・イースター

6. 精霊流し

7. 悪女

8. シクラメンのかほり

9. 神田川

10. 学生街の喫茶店

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DIVA (2009)

Disc 1

1. Going home

2. GIVE TAKE

3. DIVA

4. thinking of you

5. REVERSE

6. 逢えなくて

7. X lady

8. HEARTBREAK

9. with

10. 茜色の風

Disc 2

1. DIVA (Michitomo Remix)

2. HEARTACHE (Michitomo Remix)

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Akina Nakamori: Destination, バラード・ベスト~25th ANNIVERSARY SELECTION~, 艶華~Enka~

I promised myself that I would finish the Akina posts by the end of this month and this is the second to last! First up is Destination, a solid pop album that sounds like a mix between her previous two albums. While most of the songs are upbeat, some have the down tempo feel of "I hope so". However, all are prominently defined by drum tracks with a strong modern pop/hip hop feel, so I would group this with resonancia. The second album is a Ballad Best of with a collection of mainly re-recordings and one new track. I also included the new tracks from the Utahime Best of released in '07 as well and a few tracks from the Akina Pachinko Game CD. I choose to post the full Ballad Best album out of the three, only because it contained the most new tracks. Finally, and its my favorite of the bunch, is another cover album but this time it is strictly of Enka artists. It maintains the orchestral grandiose of the Uta Hime series but I feel the song selections on this album fit the mood more so then some of the Uta Hime tracks. Don't get me wrong, I love all of the cover albums, but the productions compliment the Enka genre perfectly and complete transform the songs into sweeping epics! Just like the last 3, I included all of the originals in the post. I hope everybody has been enjoying these, I know I have!

Destination (2006)

1. 紅夜-beniyo-

2. 嘘つき

3. Seashore

4. 眠れる森の蝶

5. 鼓動

6. GAME (Album Version)

7. 夜の華

8. 花よ踊れ (Album Version)

9. LOVE GATE

10. 落花流水 (Album Version)

11. Only you

12. Grace Rain

BONUS from 花よ踊れ (single)

1. 花よ踊れ

2. GAME

3. 花よ踊れ (Instrumental)

4. GAME (Instrumental)

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バラード・ベスト~25th ANNIVERSARY SELECTION~ (2007)

1. 難破船 (2007 Ver.)

2. セカンド・ラブ (from Akina Nakamori ~歌姫 ダブル・ディケイド~)

3. あの夏の日

4. LIAR (from True Album Akina 95 best)

5. 水に挿した花 (from Akina Nakamori ~歌姫 ダブル・ディケイド~)

6. 陽炎 (Single Ver.)

7. 赤い花

8. SAND BEIGE~砂漠へ~ (from Akina Nakamori ~歌姫 ダブル・ディケイド~)

9. SOLITUDE (2007 Ver.)

10. 二人静 (from True Album Akina 95 best)

11. 月華

12. 予感 (from True Album Akina 95 best)

13. 初めて出逢った日のように

14. 駅 (from Akina Nakamori ~歌姫 ダブル・ディケイド~)

15. 帰省~Never Forget~ (2007 Ver.)

BONUS

from 歌姫ベスト~25th Anniversary Selection~

リバーサイドホテル (LIVE ver.)

チャイナタウン (New Recording)

いい日旅立ち (New Recording)

from AKINA X DAIICHI~中森明菜歌姫伝説

Shojo A~DAIICHI Mix

歌姫伝説~mode medley

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艶華~Enka~ (2007)

艶華I(Instrumental)

天城越え Sayuri Ishikawa (1986)

無言坂 Kaori Kouzai (1993)

氷雨 Mika Hino (1982)

みちづれ Mieko Makimura (1978)

空港 Teresa Teng (1974)

越冬つばめ Masako Mori (1983)

艶華II(Instrumental)

悲しい酒 Hibari Misora (1966)

舟唄 Aki Yashiro (1979)

石狩挽歌 Mirei Kitahara (1975)

矢切の渡し Takashi Hosokawa (1983)

夜桜お七 Fuyumi Sakamoto (1994)

艶華III(Instrumental)

BONUS

氷雨 Akio Kayama (1983)

空港 Sayuri Ishikawa (1975)

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Indie Game Music Bundle

I stumbled upon this awesome deal while checking for any updates from an indie game music duo called yogurtbox. I fell in love with their album "Tree of Knowledge" (a throwback to PC-98 music and the works of Ryu Umemoto) when it was released a few months ago and it is one of 10 albums from 10 artists offered on this bundle for only $1!!! If you are a fan of video game music and you'd like to hear some original independent artists work, I highly recommend checking this out! If you like what you hear, you can choose to pay $10 or more and get an additional 7 albums! You'll find a direct link to everything on http://www.gamemusicbundle.com/, but don't wait too long because the deal ends on the 28th! The "Tree of Knowledge" alone is worth the money but there is plenty for everyone and it comes highly recommended!

Here is a stream of the "Tree of Knowledge" album but you can also listen to the entire albums on the artists bandcamp.com pages also on the site.

Scoobie Do: Beautiful Days

Merry Turkey Day! Hope everyone has been well. My day has been odd this year but ultimately I did have something to be thankful for! I thought I would post something today that a lot of visitors will enjoy. Scoobie Do is a Japanese Funk/Soul Rock group and no they aren't meddling kids that travel around in the Mystery Machine solving "ghostly" mysteries. Sorry I had to make the joke. Anyway, I discovered this group a few years ago through myspace (when it was useful) and songs from "Beautiful Days" is what I happened to hear. The group has a great vibe and definitely try it out if you are into upbeat "funky" rock. Enjoy!

Beautiful Days (2004)

1. 愛がゆく

2. ラストナンバー (Beautiful Dawn)

3. パレード

4. 名もない朝

5. Urban Souls

6. Beautiful Days

7. 美しい日

8. 無敵のバカ

9. 恋は魔法

10. 風の恋人~Sunset Saudade~

11. 夕陽の進むほう

12. 茜色が燃えるとき

13. また逢う日まで

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Yoshihiro Kanno: Angel's Egg [SOUNDTRACK]

Angel's Egg is an anime masterpiece from the legendary Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Kerberos Saga, Urusei Yatsura, Patlabor). Along with the beautiful artwork of Yoshitaka Amano (Final Fantasy), Oshii weaves a strange, existentialistic/surrealistic story of a wandering man and a mysterious girl who is protecting an egg she carries with her. What makes the film even stranger is that there is virtually no dialogue, making the meaning of the film that much more ambiguous. However, what takes its place is the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack by Yoshihiro Kanno. The film did not do well upon its release but fortunately enough it had a release of the soundtrack. A majority of Kanno's work has not been released outside of vinyl I believe, but if any one happened to have any, I would love to hear it. Enjoy!

Angel's Egg (1985)

1. Prelude

2. Dreaming Eggs

3. Mechanical Sun

4. Angel's Egg, Main Theme

5. Memory of Water

6. Beyond the Window

7. Town of Sea Bed

8. Fish Hunting

9. Opera House

10. Accumulation of Time

11. Angel's Fossil

12. Night Thief

13. Transmigration

14. Different God

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Akina Nakamori: I hope so, 歌姫3~終幕 & BEST FINGER ~25th Anniversary Selection

Sorry for the delay. I was looking for a few of the originals to include in the 歌姫3~終幕 download but unfortunately, I could not find "NO MORE ENCORE". All the rest are there, plus three great Akina albums. I think I will only have one or two more Akina posts sadly, but I will have posted nearly her complete discography. I have several of the numerous greatest hits collection, so if anybody wanted one, let me know and I will post it. Enjoy!

I hope so (2003)

1. 時 ~ instrumental ~

2. Rain

3. 虹

4. 光 ~ instrumental ~

5. 風の果て

6. I hope so

7. Veil

8. 宵 ~ instrumental ~

9. 夕闇を待って

10. 憧憬(しょうけい)

11. 紡ぎ唄

12. 夢 ~ instrumental ~

13. うつつの花

14. Days

BONUS from "Days (Single) (2003)"

華~HANA~

Days (instrumental)

華~HANA~ (instrumental)

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歌姫3~終幕 (2003)

1. 回帰~歌姫3 Opening

2. 傘がない Yosui Inoue (1972)

3. 踊り子 Kozo Murashita (1983)

4. 愛はかげろう Gamu (1980)

5. スローなブギにしてくれ (I want you) Yoshitaka Minami (1981)

6. 夜霧よ今夜もありがとう Yujirou Ishihara (1967)

7. 東京砂漠 Hiroshi Uchiyamda and Cool Five (1976)

8. 窓 Chiharu Matsuyama (1979)

9. Manish~歌姫3 Interlude

10. ALONE B'z (2003)

11. ハリウッド・スキャンダル Hiromi Go (1978)

12. 恋の予感 Anzen Chitai (1984)

13. NO MORE ENCORE Ryudo Uzaki (1977)

14. 風の扉~歌姫3 Ending

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BEST FINGER ~25th Anniversary Selection (2006)

1. 落花流水

2. スローモーション (True Album Akina 95 best Version)

3. Desire~情熱~ (2005 version)

4. 少女A (2005 version)

5. 初めて出逢った日のように

6. 北ウィング (2005 version)

7. 十戒 (2005 version)

8. Days

9. ミ・アモーレ [Meu amore...] (True Album Akina 95 best Version)

10. TATTOO (True Album Akina 95 best Version)

11. 1 / 2の神話 (2005 version)

12. 難破船 (True Album Akina 95 best Version)

13. 赤い花

14. The Heat~musica fiesta~ (single version)

15. TANGO NOIR (True Album Akina 95 best Version)

16. 飾りじゃないのよ涙は (Akina Nakamori ~歌姫 ダブル・ディケイド~ Version)

17. 華~HANA~

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Indian Film Music: Prabhu Deva & A.R. Rahman

While I am searching for a few of the originals to add to the next of Akina's "歌姫" series, I thought I would post something drastically different. I have been listening to this a lot recently so I thought I would share it! A.R. Rahman and Prabhu Deva are two of the biggest stars in India's film industry. Before his work with Danny Boyle on the soundtracks of Slumdog Millionaire & 127Hours, Rahman was and is a tremendous force in Indian film music. His soundtracks have been extremely popular and made him one of the most in demand composers in the world. While, Rahman only composed two of the soundtracks in this post, all four are films featuring Prabhu Deva. Deva is commonly referred to as the "Michael Jackson" of Southern India and his footwork does give him the credibility for that title. Typically, most of the actors do not sing for the films, Deva included, so the best of the best are chosen to compliment the film and the actors lip sing. India is one of the few countries that has done this and I think it gives the works a different feel. I get a completely different feeling when I listen to the songs versus watching the movie clip. I have yet to see a film in its entirety but I am a definite fan of the music. It may be different for some of you, but it comes highly recommended. Enjoy!

Kadhalan (1994) Composed by A.R. Rahman

1. Ennavale Adi Ennavale Unnikrishnan

2. Mukkabla Mano, Swarnalatha

3. Erani Kuradhani S. P. Balasubramanyam, S. Janaki Kadhalan

4. Kadhalikum Pennin S. P. Balasubramanyam, Udit Narayan, Pallavi

5. Urvasi Urvasi A. R. Rahman, Suresh Peters, Shahul Hameed

6. Pettai Rap Suresh Peters, Theni Kunjarammal, Shahul Hameed

7. Kollayile Thennai P. Jayachandran

8. Kaatru Kuthirayile Sujatha

9. Indiraiyo Ival Sundariyo Sunandha, Kalyani Menon, Minmini

Minsara Kanavu (1997) Composed by A.R. Rahman

1. Vennilave Hariharan, Sadhana Sargam

2. Poo Pukkum Osai Sujatha, Malaysia Vasudevan

3. Manna Madurai ("Ooh La La La") Unni Menon, K. S. Chitra, Srinivas

4. Thanga Thamarai S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Malgudi Subha

5. Strawberry Kannae KK, Febi Mani

6. Anbendra Anuradha Sriram

Time (1999) Composed by: Ilaiyaraaja

1. Thavikiranae Hariharan, Pavatharani

2. Muthu Nilavae Muthu Karthik Raja & Pavatharani

3. Naan Thanga S. P. Balasubramaniam & Swarnalatha

4. Niram Prithu Sujatha

5. Ninaithapadi Unni Menon, Devan, Subha

6. Kadhal Needhana Unnikrishnan & Sujatha

Pennin Manathai Thottu (2000) Composed by: S. A. Rajkumar

1. Uthattukkum Devan

2. Kalluri Vaanil Devan & Anuradha Sriram

3. Naa Salt Kottai Sukhwinder Singh & Krishnaraj

4. Kanukkulle Unnai Unnikrishnan

5. Natarajan Unnikrishnan & Nithyashree Mahadevan

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Akina Nakamori: ZERO album~歌姫II, Resonancia & Akina Nakamori ~歌姫 ダブル・ディケイド~

Sorry for the delay everyone. I have been busy over the last two months and my blog time has been limited. The 3 albums in this post are the first of Akina's in the 2000's. ZERO album~歌姫II is the second in her cover album series and like the first, I have included the instrumentals and original versions. Resonancia, is Akina's first full length LP of the 2000's and has a distinct Latin theme. The late 90's and early 2000's saw a strong emergence of Latin singers in popular music, so its not strange that other countries would capitalize on this as well. Personally, it feels a little out of place for her, but the production compliments her voice and style for the most part. The last of the three, is Akina Nakamori ~歌姫 ダブル・ディケイド~. Romanized, the title is Akina Nakamori~Uta Hime Double Decade (DD)~, celebrating the two decades of her career with new versions of 12 of her top hits. Each track tackles a different genre, giving the album a diverse feel. Moreover, I'll let everyone figure out the pun of titling the album DD and having a Jessica Rabbit version of Akina on the cover lol. Enjoy!

ZERO album~歌姫II (2002)

1. 歌姫2 Opening

2. 黄昏のビギン Naomi Chiaki (1962)

3. 桃色吐息 Mariko Takahashi (1984)

4. アデュー Mayo Shono (1979)

5. 別れの予感 Teresa Teng (1987)

6. シングル・アゲイン Mariya Takeuchi (1989)

7. 色彩のブルース EGO-WRAPPIN' (2000)

8. 秋桜 Momoe Yamaguchi (1977)

9. 異邦人 Saki Kubota (1979)

10. 乙女のワルツ Sakiko Ito (1975)

11. 瑠璃色の地球 Seiko Matsuda (1986)

12. 歌姫2 Ending

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Resonancia (2002)

1. Carnaval

2. Eyes on you

3. Carmesi

4. The Heat (album version)

5. missed U

6. Resonancia (interlude)

7. 風と太陽

8. ibiza

9. Deseo

10. Lost words

11. Siesta (interlude)

12. It's brand new day (URU Latin mix)

13. Bonita terra

BONUS

It's brand new day (Single)

1. It's brand new day

2. Stay in love

3. It's brand new day (instrumental)

4. Stay in love (instrumental)

The Heat ~musica fiesta~ (Single)

1. The Heat ~musica fiesta~

2. Siesta ~恋のままで~

3. The Heat ~musica fiesta~ (instrumental)

4. Siesta ~恋のままで~ (instrumental)

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Akina Nakamori ~歌姫 ダブル・ディケイド~ (2002)

1. Double Decade Delivery #1 (instrumental)

2. TATTOO ~Big Band

3. ミ・アモーレ [Meu amore...] ~Salsa

4. TANGO NOIR ~Tango

5. 北ウイング ~Salsa

6. SAND BEIGE -砂漠へ- Full Orchestra

7. DESIRE -情熱- Ska

8. セカンド・ラブ ~Unplugged

9. 水に挿した花 ~Unplugged

10. 少女A ~Ska

11. 駅 ~Full Orchestra

12. 飾りじゃないのよ涙は ~Big Band

13. Double Decade Delivery #2 (instrumental)

14. スローモーション ~Bosanova

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