JULLAN Discorgaphy

I discovered this little known group on "Music Blog of Saltyka and His Friends" and since the site hasn't been updated in nearly two years and some of the links are expiring, I thought I would share these before they disappear! Jullan is a mid 80's electro-pop duo from Japan very much in the vain of Yellow Magic Orchestra and other synth driven music of the time. In fact, it was Ryuichi Sakamoto who first promoted the group and allowed them to achieve some moderate success in Japan and the UK. They released 3 albums in two years and other than some small amounts on hard to find websites, there is not a lot of information concerning their career. It's a shame because they recorded some very entertaining music and while I would hardly consider them innovators of the genre, they are a great group! Check them out and Enjoy!

IMAGINARY DOLL (1984)

1. ENOUGH TO DANCE

2. BEWARE OF LOVE

3. MISTERIOUS MARIONETTE

4. LIFE WITHOUT YOU

5. IMAGINARY DOLL

6. ELECTRIC DAY

7. THE RIVER FLOWING TO DEATH

8. PASSING GIRL

9. MELODY FOR YOU

10. THE END FOR THE BEGINNING

From IMAGINARY DOLL [SINGLE]

11. IMAGINARY DOLL (SINGLE VERSION)

12. PASSING GIRL (SINGLE VERSION)

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ELECTROMANCE (1984)

1. MIND KISS

2. BE WITH YOU

3. THE WINDOW

4. TORN HEARTS

5. YOU'RE MY BABY

6. BECAUSE OF LOVE

7. TO BE OR NOT TO BE

8. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY GIRL

9. HEART OF LOVE

10. TIME TO BE APART

From BECAUSE OF LOVE [SINGLE]

11. BECAUSE OF LOVE (Long & English Version - Because Mix)

12. BECAUSE OF LOVE (Single Version)

13. TO BE OR NOT TO BE (Single Version)

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PULSE (1985)

1. DEPEND ON YOU

2. STOP THE RACE

3. THE SHIP

4. SAVE THEM

5. TIME (FOR PEOPLE)

6. LET'S DANCE EVERYNIGHT

7. ELECTROMANCE

8. LOVE SOMEBODY

9. CIRCULATION

From ROUGE TRAIN [SINGLE]

10. ROUGE TRAIN

11. TELL ME TELL ME

12. ROUGE TRAIN EXPRESS (LONG & ENGLISH VERSION)

13. LOVE SOMEBODY (SINGLE VERSION)

14. AFTER LOVE IS GONE

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Toshiyuki Honda: 「マルサの女」オリジナル・サウンドトラック

Here is Honda's score for the 1987 crime comedy, マルサの女. Enjoy!

「マルサの女」オリジナル・サウンドトラック (1987)

1. マルサの女

2. ラブ・テーマ#1

3. リフラクテッド・ビート

4. 金に群がる男達

5. マルサの女 (ハードバージョン)

6. 黄昏のワルツ

7. 戦いの前兆

8. アクション

9. ラブテーマ#2

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Kenji Kawai: 龍虎門 & Ip Man [SOUNDTRACK]

I am HUGE Hong Kong film fan, especially when it comes to action. While I do feel the HK film industry has lost a lot of its charm over the last decade or so, there are still many enjoyable films, some of which I would consider to be on par with the greats of the Golden Era. When stars like Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Chow Yun Fat shifted their attention to the American Market in the 90's, this allowed stars like Jet Li and Donnie Yen to work their way to the top of the action scene. Both龍虎門 (Dragon Tiger Gate) & Ip Man are Donnie Yen films from the last few years and are some of his most enjoyable works. A striking feature from both films, aside from their beautiful choreography, is their soundtracks done by the one and only Kenji Kawai. Kawai began score films outside of Japan in the early 2000's and his efforts in Hong Kong are some of his best recognized. Great films; great music, what more could you ask for! Enjoy!

龍虎門 (2006)

1. 創 Creation

2. 指示 Directions

3. 遇 Encounter

4. 攻 Attack

5. 活 Life Force

6. 反攻 Counter Attack

7. 龍虎門 Dragon Tiger Gate

8. 尋找 In Search of

9. 悟 Enlightenment

10. 痛 Suffering

11. 危 Danger

12. 本 In the Beginning

13. 滅 Destruction

14. 堅持 Persistence

15. 空 Nothingness

16. 痛逝 Loss

17. 燃燒 On Fire

18. 戰 The Battle

19. 圓 Satisfaction

20. 未 Completion

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Ip Man [SOUNDTRACK] (2008)

1. Maestro

2. Harmony

3. Challenge

4. Arrogance

5. Insolence

6. Calmness

7. City Of Sadness

8. Lost

9. In Vain

10. Decayed

11. Stuck In A Moment

12. Consequences

13. Battle

14. Sacrifice

15. Ip Man

16. Nirvana

17. Desperado

18. Little Thoughts

19. Entanglement

20. Fearless

21. Going Under

22. Instinct

23. Danger

24. Sinking

25. Tensed

26. Battle For Righteousness

27. Remembrance

28. Harakiri

29. Completion

30. Maestro II

31. Trailer

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HELLO SOUTH KOREA & Girl's Generation: 다시 만난 세계

WELL it's official! Starting this February I will be an English Teacher in South Korea. I am very excited and grateful for this opportunity and look forward to all the new experiences I will have over the next year! While the lyrics do not exactly fit my recent news, the single album in this post does deal with new beginnings and was one of my first introductions to Korea outside of textbooks! 소녀시대 or Girls' Generation, debuted with this single album, translating as "Into the New World", in 2007 and have since gone on to become internationally recognized and arguably the face of modern K-pop. This is one of the first songs that got me into K-pop and I can not believe how much it is changed over the last 4 years and how many people now are familiar with K-pop in general. While its not the golden age, I do miss the image and feel of the mid 2000's K-pop but it has been fun watching the progression of groups like Girls' Generation since their debuts. Anyway, enough talk, enjoy and soon I will be blogging from South Korea!

다시 만난 세계 (2007)

1. 다시 만난 세계 (Into The New World)

2. Beginning

3. Perfect For You (소원)

4. 다시 만난 세계 (instrumental)

5. 다시 만난 세계 (Remix)

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Mariya Takeuchi: Expressions

As the year comes to a close, I made time for a final 2011 post. This year has gone by too fast but it has been a rough one for many, so hopefully 2012 brings some piece of mind and fresh starts. The greatest hits compilation in this post features 42 tracks spanning Mariya Takeuchi's career. Takeuchi is a fantastic singer-songwriter, whose songs are probably more well known for their renditions done by other artists. Takeuchi has written several hits for some of the top idols of Japan like, Akina Nakamori, Miho Nakayama, Seiko Matsuda, Yukiko Okada and more. Many of these songs were recorded by her as well and with most of her arrangements done by husband, singer Tatsuro Yamashita. However, Takeuchi has had her fair share of hits as well, many featured on dramas and commercials. Her career may not be as recognizable as some of the artists she has written for, but her music is just as great! Enjoy and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Expressions (2008)

Disc 1

1. 戻っておいで・私の時間

2. グッドバイ・サマーブリーズ

3. ドリーム・オブ・ユー～レモンライムの青い風～[Single Version]

4. 涙のワンサイデッド・ラヴ

5. September

6. 不思議なピーチパイ

7. 象牙海岸

8. 五線紙

9. Morning Glory

10. 僕の街へ

11. ボーイ・ハント (Where The Boys Are)

12. 恋のひとこと (Something Stupid)

13. Never Cry Butterfly

14. Let It Be Me [Studio Version]

Disc 2

1. リンダ

2. もう一度

3. マージービートで唄わせて

4. 本気でオンリーユー (Let's Get Married)

5. プラスティック・ラヴ

6. 恋の嵐

7. 元気を出して

8. 色・ホワイトブレンド

9. けんかをやめて

10. 駅

11. Forever Friends

12. シングル・アゲイン

13. 告白

14. マンハッタン・キス

Disc 3

1. 家に帰ろう (マイ・スイート・ホーム)

2. 純愛ラプソディ

3.毎日がスペシャル

4. カムフラージュ

5. 今夜はHearty Party (Single Mix)

6. 天使のため息

7. すてきなホリデイ

8. 真夜中のナイチンゲール

9. 返信

10. みんなひとり

11. チャンスの前髪

12. うれしくてさみしい日 (Your Wedding Day)

13. 幸せのものさし

14. 人生の扉