A Chinese Ghost Story Soundtrack (倩女幽魂) [REPOST]

As I've posted several times before, I am a huge Hong Kong movie fan and "A Chinese Ghost Story" is definitely on my favorites list. While Tsui Hark's "Zu: The Warriors of the Magic Mountain" may be considered the original fantasy/sfx epic, I think A Chinese Ghost Story (produced by Hark as well) told a more cohesive story and really up'd the bar for the genre. Naturally the film was a great success and sparked a love affair with romantic ghost/fantasy films in Hong Kong. Many similar films were made, some good, most bad (including the first sequel to this movie, though it's grown on me) but none held up to the original. Well enough blabbing, if you are familiar with the film, you know it had some great music and OST songs, particularly from leading man Leslie Cheung. Hong Kong soundtracks are rare and hard to come to by and I'm pretty sure most were never released, so unfortunately this is either a vinyl rip or a rip from the film. Surprisingly the quality is decent enough though and I was super happy to find it when I did a while back. Most of the original links are dead so I thought I'd repost it. I also included the two theme songs from the sequels, both by Jacky Cheung. Enjoy!

Thanks to Skobiddly for the request, sorry its late!!!

A Chinese Ghost Story (倩女幽魂) - James Wong Jim & Romeo Diaz (1987)

1. 倩女幽魂 [Leslie Cheung]

2. 楔子

3. 倩

4. 诱

5. 情

6. 黎明

7. 黎明不要來 [Sally Yeh]

8. 意

9. 法相

10. 晨

11. 迷

12. 醉

13. 思

14. 幻

15. 鬼宴

16. 阴界

17. 离

18. 黎明不要来 (Mandrin Version) [Sally Yeh]

EXTRA

人间道 - Jacky Cheung [A Chinese Ghost Story 2 (倩女幽魂II人間道)]

道道道 - Jacky Cheung [A Chinese Ghost Story 3 (倩女幽魂III 道道道)]

Haruomi Hosono: Nokto de la Galaksia Fervojo (Night on the Galactic Railroad)

Over the course of my small years in blogging, I've avoided posting a lot of cool finds since they aren't my original files. However, with the internet and file sharing getting more restrictive and many losing their passion to share, I've felt an urge to post some albums that many wouldn't otherwise hear. My site isn't large and I don't have the chance to post as much as I'd like but hopefully I can keep the spirit alive of all the individuals who have provided me with so much joy over the years.

Nokto de la Galaksia Fervojo is the soundtrack to the meta-anime film Night on the Galactic Railroad (銀河鉄道の夜) by the amazing Haruomi Honsono. The film itself is based off the novel of the same name by renowned Japanese writer, Kenji Miyazawa. Miyazawa was interested in the obscure latin based language Esperanto and this can be seen in his novel, the film and Honsono's tracklisting. 

The film is beautifully animated, slowly paced, thought provoking and the music compliments this perfectly. While the film was slightly controversial due to director Gisaburo Sugii's decision to interpret the story with anthropomorphic cats, I still feel that Miyazawa's message of "what is true happiness?" resonates. It may not be for everyone but I recommend you give it a chance if your a fan of Honsono or want to try something new. Sugii also recently released a spiritual successor to his film adapting another of Miyazawa's novels, Guskō Budori no Denki (グスコーブドリの伝記), last year with the same art style and cats! Enjoy!

File source (Defunct): Music Blog of Saltyka and His Friends

Nokto de la Galaksia Fervojo (1985)

1. La Ceftitolo

2. Temo el la Mondo de la Fantazia Kvara Dimensio

3. Fantazio Kaj Realo

4. En Tago Serena

5. La Kanto de la Rondiro de la Steloj

6. Fantazio de Giovanni

7. La Stelfesto de Centauro

8. La Masto de 'Tenkirin'

9. La Gojo

10. La Norda Kruco

11. La Pliocena Marbordo

12. La Historio en Fantazio

13. La Harpo de la Paradizo

14. La Travida Malgojo de Giovanni

15. La Pleja Felico

16. Temo de la Adiauo

17. Kuro

18. 45 Minutoj

19. Rekviemo

20. Temo Finala- Nokto de la Galaksia Fervojo

Here is the soundtrack in its entirety

Here is the film in its entirety

Various Artists: スタまにシリーズ BLUE SEED

Great compilation album of various songs written for the anime series BLUE SEED and its OVA counterpart. Definite highlights are the songs from TAKADA BAND, a in house band of sorts that worked with the series' score composer Kenji Kawai and from actress Megumi Hayashibara, who voiced the main character of the series Momiji. Enjoy!

Special note, the track "Blame or Blade", is sung by voice actress Kotono Mitsuishi, most notably known as the voice of Sailor Moon!

Tracks 1,3,4,6,8, 13-14 by TAKADA BAND
Tracks 2,9 by Megumi Hayashibara
Track 7 by Megumi Hayashibara & Sakura Yamazaki
Track 10 by Kotono Mitsuishi
Track 11 by Sakiko Tamagawa
Track 12 by Kazuhiko Inoue & Yuji Ueda
Track 15 by Akio Otsuka & Ari Orikasa

スタまにシリーズ BLUE SEED (2005)

1. EXCEED ILLUSION
2. 私だけの夢へ
3. CARNIVAL・BABEL～カルナバル・バベル～
4. 夜はねむらない -FOR THE LONELY CITY GIRL-
5. Touch and Go!!
6. BORDERLESS UNIVERSE
7. 星を飛び越えて
8. HUsH-A-BYE LULLABY
9. GO IT ALONE
10. Blame or Blade
11. Cry for the Moon
12. Risky Game
13. Eternal Truth
14. SECOND KISS
15. 二人の夜明け

Katsumi Horii Project: I Believe

Here is the special album I have been waiting for and I so happy to come across this on ebay, getting it for a VERY LOW PRICE!!~  

"I Believe" is the 1995 soundtrack to the NHK Drama "走らんか!". I don't know too much about the show but I can tell you this is another great album in the collectives discography. 

You'll notice that several tracks are repeated, don't worry it isn't a error rather they are themes and variations (it is a soundtrack after all). While I was a tad disappointed that the tracks were a little short, there are 17 tracks providing one of the longer albums from the Katsumi Horii Project.

Special thanks to Fen, JJ, Corwyn and the others who have continued to support the page and sent me messages while I've been in and out of posting.

Enjoy!


I Believe (1995)

1. FREE AS THE WIND
2. OUR TOWN
3. ALONE AT LAST , IN YOUR EYES
4. I BELIEVE
5. CATTY TALK
6. I BELIEVE
7. I SAY HELLO
8. YOU'LL NEVER KNOW
9. FREE AS THE WIND
10. LET IT RIDE
11. I BELIEVE
12. FREE AS THE WIND
13. LET IT RIDE
14. COMING HOME
15. EVERY REASON
16. COMING HOME
17. FRAMES OF MIND

Here is a clip from the show. You can hear a portion of "FREE AS THE WIND"  start at 1:43

Masahiro Andoh: Arc the Lad Original Game Sound Track

Arc the Lad is a strategy RPG game that was developed for the Playstation One in 1995. It was also the first video game soundtrack to be composed by Masahiro Andoh of The Square/T-Square fame. Andoh would go on to compose a multitude of game soundtracks including  the games two sequels. These were eventually released State side in a wonderful compilation thanks to now defunt Working Designs. While I enjoy the games for what they are, they aren't personal favorites but the music for the first game is fantastic. The album featured is arranged version of the protagonists themes and orchestral arrangements of the games themes. Even if you aren't familiar with the game or play games, the soundtrack is a definitely listen for any fan of Andoh. Enjoy!  



Arc the Lad Original Game Sound Track (1995)


1. Opening**
2. Arc
3. Kukuru
4. Poco
5. Tosh
6. Gogen
7. Chongara
8. Iga
9. Finale**
10. Departure**
11. Ending**

**performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Keiichi Oku 

Also featuring
Hirotaka Izumi, Hiroyuki Noritake, Toshimi Nagai, Masato Honda, Mitsuru Sudoh, Takayuki Hijikata & Jun Kajiwara

Konami Kukeiha Club: MIDI POWER ver. 5.0 SNATCHER

Lucky enough to find this one in a used store in South Korea. The Snatcher game series has some of the best music written in the video game world. This album feature tracks from the main game and it's sequel Snatcher SD in midi arrangements. The geniuses at Konami really do all the songs justice and it provides for a great listen. Wether your a fan of the game, of Konami Kukeiha Club or just wanna hear something new, I recommend checking this one out. Enjoy! Highlight track for me is definitely Faded Memories 

MIDI POWER ver. 5.0 SNATCHER (1994)

1. BIO HAZARD
2. TWILIGHT OF NEO KOBE CITY
3. Theme of SNATCHER (Part 1)
4. Theme of Jaime
5. Eternal Promise
6. ONE NIGHT IN NEO KOBE CITY
7. Theme of Katharine (Part 1･2)
8. Faded Memories
9. Factory Place
10. Difficult Move
11. Triumphal Arch
12. Pleasure of Tension〜Resistance
13. In Danger
14. Theme of SNATCHER (Part 2)
15. The Peaceful Avenue

Cowboy Bebop Boxed Set (5CD)

Cowboy Bebop Boxed Set (2002)

~Aoi Tada, Ein, Emily Bindiger, Gabriela Robin, Mai Yamane, Masashi Ebara, Pierre Bensusan Raju Ramayya, The Seatbelts, Shinichiro Watanabe & Dai Sato, Soichiro Otsuka, Steve Conte, Sydeny Thiam, Tulivu Donna Cumberbatch, Valentin Coupeau & Yoko Kanno~

Disc 1

1. Dialogue 1-1

2. Tank!(TV Edit)

3. Dialogue 1-2

4. Want it All Back (clavinet hater version)

5. Sax Quartet

6. Dialogue 1-3

7. Encore un verre

8. March for Koala

9. Dialogue 1-4

10. Felt Tip Pen

11. The Egg and You

12. Dialogue 1-5

13. Pot City II (Yab's Dub)

14. Dialogue 1-6

15. NY RUSH

16. Dialogue 1-7

17. Fe

18. PIANO BLACK

19. Dialogue 1-8

20. Spokey Dorkey (alternate take)

21. Forever Broke

22. Dialogue 1-9

23. Road to the West (with rhythm)

24. Dialogue 1-10

25. Meteor

26. Dialogue 1-11

27. DIGGING MY POTATO

28. Dialogue 1-12

29. Rain (demo version)

30. Dialogue 1-13

31. Green Bird

Disc 2

1. Dialogue 2-1

2. Cats on Mars

3. Doggy Dog II世

4. Doggy Dog III世

5. Dialogue 2-2

6. Piano Bar I

7. Give and Take

8. Dialogue 2-3

9. Cat Blues

10. Dialogue 2-4

11. The Singing Sea II

12. Dialogue 2-5

13.ELM

14. WALTZ for ZIZI

15. Dialogue 2-6

16. かわいそうなフェイ(ハイソックス)

17. Farewell Blues (alternate take)

18. Dialogue 2-7

19. Words That We Couldn't Say

20. Dialogue 2-8

21. Space Lion (orgel version)

22. Waste Land

23. Dialogue 2-9

24. Goodnight Julia

25. Space Lion

Disc 3

1. Dialogue 3-1

2. Go Go Cactus Man (guitar version)

3. Dialogue 3-2

4. Too Good Too Bad

5. Dialogue 3-3

6. Eyeball

7. Dialogue 3-4

8. 遊園地

9. On the Run

10. Dialogue 3-5

11. 23話

12. Dialogue 3-6

13. Don't Bother None (long version)

14. Dialogue 3-7

15. WO QUI NON COIN(しょんぼりショートver.)

16. かわいそうなフェイ(リップクリーム)

17. Call Me Call Me

18. Dialogue 3-8

19. Memory

20. Adieu (long version)

21. Dialogue 3-9

22. SEE YOU SPACE COWBOYS NOT FINAL MIX MOUTAIN ROOT

23. Dialogue 3-10

24. Blue

Disc 4

Tank! (live)

RUSH (live)

WHAT PLANET IS THIS (live)

Too Good Too Bad (live)

Bad Dog No Biscuit (live)

Call Me Call Me (live)

Mushroom Hunting (live)

The Real Folk Blues (live)

Piano Solo (live)

Ask DNA

SF GAME CENTER

ROUYA

OLD SCHOOL GAME

Disc 5

1. さすらいのカウボーイ<カウボーイビパップのテーマ>

2. 魅惑のホースライディング

3. さすらいのカウボーイ<カウボーイビパップのテーマ>犬と歌うカラオケ

Music from the Films of Takeshi Kitano: Dolls & Zatoichi (座頭市)

As most of us learn in life, most good things don't last forever and after a decade long working relationship, Kitano and Hisaishi parted ways after the completion of 2002's Dolls. Apparently the two had a argument concerning the films soundtrack and that may be the reason why there are only five tracks present. Dolls is a fantastic art film and it was a new beginning for Kitano in a way. While many of his films were building up to this, Dolls really set the tone for the second phase of his directorial career in the 2000's. This was slightly subdued in his revamp of the popular blind swordsman film series, Zatoichi (座頭市), however Kitano, like in A Scene at the Sea, played off his characters disability intriguingly with sound. Musician Keiichi Suzuki of Moonriders fame took the role of composer and the two created an interesting world together. Both men have eclectic ways of crafting their art and much of this film is synchronized to the soundtrack. This is my favorite aspect of the film and while I did not love as much as Dolls and his works from the 90's, I did find it greatly entertaining. Unfortunately, this will be the last of his film soundtracks but I will continue post the randomness that I usually do. Check the films, check the soundtracks and enjoy!

Dolls (2002) Joe Hisaishi

1. Sakura

2. Pure White

3. Mad

4. Feel

5. Dolls

Zatoichi (座頭市) (2003) Keiichi Suzuki

1. A road to a post-town

2. Firewood-chopping and a farmer who wants to be a samurai

3. Ginzo's first command

4. The Naruto-ya rice merchant massacre

5. The gambling house massacre

6. The wasteland massacre and the reminiscence of Geisha

7. A house on fire and massacres all over

8. Constructors

9. O-kagura

10. Zatoichi showdown

11. Festivo

12. A road to a post-town - alternate mix

13. Ginzo's first command - alternate mix

14. A house on fire and massacres all aver - alternate mix

15. Trailer

Music from the Films of Takeshi Kitano: Brother

After a string of successful films and a few acting roles outside of Japan, Kitano set his sights on the foreign market and in 2000 released his first and only US film, Brother. While much of the film is in Japanese, the story takes place in Los Angeles (ironically Little Tokyo) following a war between a newly formed "American Yakuza" and the "Mafia" . Despite its numerous flaws (and there are many), I still relatively enjoyed the film and I think Kitano's style and Hisaishi's soundtrack have a lot to do with that. Kitano vowed though to never pursue another similar project, as he would come to regret the experience. 2000 also saw the release of Jet Li's "Romeo Must Die", another horrible venture in the Far East vs West Coast theme and I'm glad no for the most part, a film is released internationally and directors feel less pressure to do these kinds of projects. Also to note, while Kitano has several actors that he uses in nearly every film he does, Brother became the second film in which he worked with actor Claude Maki. Great soundtrack, enjoy!

Brother (2001)

1. Drifter... in LAX

2.Solitude

3. Tattoo

4. Death Spiral

5. Party (One Year Later)

6. On the Shore

7. Blood Brother

8. Raging Men

9. Beyond the Control

10. Wipe Out"

11. Liberation from the Death

12. I Love You, Aniki

13. Ballade

14. Brother

15. Brother (Remix version)

Music from the films of Takeshi Kitano: Kikujiro (菊次郎の夏)

After the success of HANA-BI, Kitano returned with another "journey" film Kikujiro (菊次郎の夏). The film focuses on the summer exploits of a young boy and a man who lives for gambling and is one of Kitano's most lighthearted films. Once again, Hisaishi and Kitano collaborated on the project, producing perhaps one of Hisaishi's most recognized pieces "Summer". Great film, great soundtrack, enjoy!

Also...is anyone else not enjoying this new blogger layout?

新しいブログのテンプレート、大嫌い！！！

나는 새 블로그 템플릿을 싫어요!


Kikujiro (菊次郎の夏) (1999)

1. Summer

2. Going Out

3. Mad Summer

4. Night Mare

5. Kindness

6. The Rain

7. Real Eyes

8. Angel Bell

9. Two Hearts

10. Mother

11. River Side

12. Summer Road

Music from the films of Takeshi Kitano: HANA-BI

In 1997, Kitano released what is arguably his most important film and is by far my favorite of his and one of my favorite films of all time. If you haven't seen this film, do so. Enjoy!

HANA-BI (1998)

1. HANA-BI

2. Angel

3. Sea of Blue

4. ...and Alone

5. Ever Love

6. Painters

7. Smile and Smile

8. Heaven's Gate

9. Tenderness

10. Thank You .... for Everything

11. HANA-BI (reprise)

Music from the films of Takeshi Kitano: Kids Return

After the failure of Sonatine, Kitano tried to evoke his roots with a slapstick comedy film "Getting Any? (みんな～やってるか！)" two years later in 1995. However, just like his other previous efforts, it failed to garner any positive attention. In addition in 1994 shortly after finishing filming "Getting Any?", Kitano was involved in a motorscooter accident causing paralysis in half of his body. He would later remark that he was suffering from large amounts of depression and that the accident was an "unconscious suicide attempt". That aside though, Kitano was determined to return to work on a new project after recovering. Kids Return became Kitano's 6th film, dealing with the relationship of two friends and their lives after dropping out of high school. Kitano once again worked with Joe Hisaishi and Hisaishi created yet another beautiful score to compliment another great film. Kids Return became Kitano's most successful film up to that point in his career and I consider it to be one of his best films. Enjoy!

Kids Return (1996)

1. Meet Again

2. Graduation

3. Angel Doll

4. Alone

5. As a Rival

6. Promise...For Us

7. Next Round

8. Destiny

9. I Don't Care

10. High Spirits

11. Defeat

12. Break Down

13. No Way Out

14. The Day After

15. Kids Return

Here's the full film with English subs!

Music from the films of Takeshi Kitano: Sonatine

Kitano's return to the yakuza genre in 1993's led to yet another commercial failure in Japan. The violent, psychological look into the life of a band of wayward gangsters confined to the beaches of Okinawa was not what many expected from the comedian they knew. However, I will tell you this film is amazing and I'm not the only with this opinion. In fact Sonatine, two years after its release, became a huge international success for Kitano after a French publisher, Jean-Pierre Dionnet, pushed for its release in France after viewing the film at the 1993 Cannes. Kitano style really came to life in this film and the scoring from Hisaishi is no less as well. The haunting minimalistic piano theme for the film truly resonates with the tone and Sonatine is a smart, dry, odd and beautiful film because of it. This is my second favorite Kitano film and the film and soundtrack come highly recommended. Enjoy!

Sonatine (1993)

1. Sonatine I ~ Act of Violence

2. Light and Darkness

3. Play on the Sands

4. Rain After That

5. A on the Full Moon of Mystery

6. Into a Trance

7. Sonatine II ~ In the Beginning

8. Magic Mushroom

9. Eye Witness

10. Runaway Trip

11. Moebius Band

12. Die Out of Memories

13. See You ...

14. Sonatine III ~ Be Over

Music from the films of Takeshi Kitano: A Scene at the Sea (あの夏、いちばん静かな海)

A Scene at the Sea (あの夏、いちばん静かな海) is Kitano's third film but his first with legendary composer, Joe Hisaishi. This was the start of a decade long partnership between the two and it truly enriched Kitano's style and presentation throughout the 90's. Hisashi's compositions bring such warmth to the films and oddly compliment even the most perplexing and violent moments of Kitano's films. The film's protagonist, played by Claude Maki, is a deaf young man who wants to learn how to surf. Kitano stylistically made most of the movie in silence but allowed Hisaishi's soundtrack to speak for the characters and it fits perfectly. While not my favorite from either of them, A Scene at the Sea (あの夏、いちばん静かな海) marks an important point in both of their careers and is a fantastic listen and watch. Enjoy!

A Scene at the Sea (あの夏、いちばん静かな海) (1992)

1. Silent Love (Main Theme)

2. Clifside Waltz I

3. Island Song

4. Silent Love (In Search Of Something)

5. Bus Stop

6. While At Work

7. Clifside Waltz II

8. Solitude

9. Melody Of Love

10. Silent Love (Forever)

11. Alone

12. Next Is My Turn

13. Wave Cruising

14. Clifside Waltz III

Music from the films of Takeshi Kitano: Violent Cop (その男, 凶暴につき)

While I will continue to post various albums in addition, I thought I'd do a string of post dedicated to one of my favorite film directors, Takeshi Kitano. Kitano's the god of "Meta" yakuza films and his acute sensibilities regarding all aspects of his craft are usually unsurpassed, always controversial and at times mislead. Beginning his career as a stand up comedian, Kitano accidentally fell into film making when the director of Violent Cop (その男, 凶暴につき) had to drop out of the project. The film was supposed to be a comedy but Kitano, now at the reigns, decided to completely alter the project and thus began the first of many experimental Japanese mob movies. His films of course have taken on many different themes as the times have gone on, but this is the film that molded his career for the past 20+ years. This score, done by Daisuke Kume, compliments the film very well. Particularly the main theme standouts but so does Kume's variation of French composer Erik Saite's piece, Gnossiennes I

. The film is great and so to is the soundtrack and both come recommended. Enjoy!

Violent Cop (その男, 凶暴につき) (1989) Daisaku Kume, Marc A Cesti

1. 我妻のテーマ(グノシェンヌ1)

2. その男,凶暴につき(エンドタイトル)

3. 清弘のテーマ

4. 我妻のテーマ2

5. その男,凶暴につき(メインテーマ)

6. フェアー(グノシェンヌ1)

7. Intorno Al Idol Mio

8. その男, 凶暴につき (Sax Version)

BONUS

Satie: Gnossiennes - 1. Lent

Satie: Gnossiennes - 2. Avec Étonnement

Satie: Gnossiennes - 3. Lent

Satie: Gnossiennes - 4. Lent

Satie: Gnossiennes - 5. Modéré

Satie: Gnossiennes - 6. Avec Conviction Et Avec Une Tristesse Rigoureuse