Well now...I promised a new Top 7 list and here it is!
On this Top 7 list I will be talking about some oddball novelty Tokusatsu songs. There are loads of novelty songs out there and most of them are...terrible to be honest. Well, here I am to tell you which ones made my Top 7!
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>>07. Youki na Ako-chan Chojin Sentai Jetman 1991<<
I'm starting this list off with a song that is probably the most well-known here and is barely a song in itself.
This is the brief little jingle that played in the CM for the Ako inspired ramen that the Noodle Jigen created in episode 10. This song has been released in song collections and music collections many times over the years.
It's just so low budget and perfect. Vyram clearly spared no expense putting this together.
>>06. Denko Sekka Disco Gavan 1982<<
OK, this song isn't exactly rare or anything since it's part of Gavan's song collection. It is, however, hilarious.
My favorite lyric? ".....EH....." I think Kushida gives up at the midpoint of the song.
>>05. miwaku no Mambo Ultraman Zearth 2 1997<<
As little as I know about Ultraman, I know even less about the film parody series of Ultraman Zearth.
What I can say is this...a CD Single was released for the second film that contained two mambo styled songs. There is the titular track, Mambo de Kanegon...which is a thing. The second track is miwaku no Mambo, which is a medley of Mambo No.5, Tequila, El Mambo, and El Cumbanchero.
Not sure what the meaning of this is, but it is an official Ultraman song somehow.
>>04. Kamen Rider 99 no uta 1989<<
This song is, what I picture to be, a blue-faced Ichiro Mizuki blasting through the multiplication tables with a little bit of Kamen Rider heroics thrown in.
This song was originally released on it's own cassette/CD Single with Mahou Tsukai Sally 99 no uta. It was later featured on the Kamen Rider BLACK RX Complete Song Collection CD as well as the Kamen Rider EXTRAS CD from a few years back.
It's definitely hypnotic...
>>03. Scatultraman 1995<<
There is a weird story behind this notorious song. I wrote about it previously, but I suppose I can post a brief refresher.
Scatman John was at the top of his game in the mid-90s with the worldwide hit Scatman (Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop). His popularity in Japan managed to manifest itself into this bizarre novelty song--Scatultraman.
In case you are wondering, the music used in Scatultraman is the exact tune used in Scatman. This is one of the rare times when existing music is officially licensed for a Tokusatsu production. I mean, that video that I uploaded earlier was even hit with a copyright claim for being the Scatman John version.
>>02. Disco Ultraseven 1979<<
I don't know what to say about this song. Actually, I do know what to say. I listen to this song more frequently than a normal person should. Heh.
Disco Ultraseven is a disco flavored beat for Ultraseven to shake his booty to. I'm not being corny..."Shake your booty now" is one of the lyrics.
Now that I think about it, the better disco songs have English lyrics. This and Denko Sekka Disco Gavan being among the winners.
>>01. Jingle Bell~Full Accel Version Gekisou Sentai Carranger 1996<<
Wow. Where to begin on this one...
The album that this is from (Merry Xmas! from Carranger!) is actually a lot of fun. I genuinely hate Christmas music. Hate it. When I got this CD in the late 90s, I really didn't know what to expect since I couldn't even find the tracklisting online. It is a collection of covers of the classic Christmas songs with a Carranger spin. There is some unique material as well, but the better songs are the covers. I mean, Mamoru even mentions a Kamen Rider V3 Henshin Belt in his song! That's some weird meta stuff right there!
The whole album is fun, but the best track is totally the top track--Jingle Bell~Full Accel Version.
They somehow managed to take a dumbass song and make it interesting. Peppered throughout the track is the Carranger BGM that we all know and love. What's not to like about that? It totally tops my list for being interesting, funny, and very unexpected.
THE ABSOLUTE FUCKING WORST: ......
This is a hard choice. I usually go into a Top Seven post knowing what the loser is. As I type this...three songs swirl in my head. They are...
-Stars on Kamen Rider 1982
-Super Sentai Banparaban 1982
-Super Sentai Hero Getter Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger 2011
Hmmmm...
It's Super Sentai Hero Getter. The other two songs are an example of when disco isn't fun and more tragic than anything. The redeeming factor that they have is that they were put on their own EP and have been seldom heard from since.
Hero Getter on the other hand is not only fucking awful, it was used as the ending song for an entire year during an anniversary year for Super Sentai.
Musically, that song is nothing. It is pretty much fast talking over a crappy beat. If you like it for some reason, what the hell is the matter with you?
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Well, there you have it--my Top 7 favorite Tokusatsu Novelty songs. Be sure to check out my other Top 7 lists.
Oh, and stay tuned for a review of a Video Game written by this guy......this guy right here.
See you soon!
-CC
Nice Top 7 list.
ReplyDeleteIt's an odd one nonetheless.
It's a nice balance of Sentai, Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and Metal Hero.
Bit surprised you include Ako's song on the list, where it only used ONCE in the series.
I know how you feel about Christmas song, but when Carranger involves, it makes the song AWESOME!
I can't think of "novelty" songs off the top of my head.
There are some songs I've listened recently that may or may not qualify this category.
Dance, Beating Heart (Turboranger)
One of the thing I love about sentai of late 80's is music.
Maskman~Turboranger has VERY solid IMO.
Two of my favorite singers of this era are Daisuke Shima and Kenta Sato.
A lot of people prefer Shima, but I enjoy Kenta more though.
This song is just AWESOME. It screams the 80's and it was nice that they used Sato to end the era.
Maken Ki Manten! Liveman (Liveman)
Very energetic song. I almost wished if this was an ending.... almost (maybe as runner-up).
Hashire! Nakomaru (Kakuranger)
Bet you didn't see this one coming? I'm aware you are not fan of this song, but for some reason, this songs just sticks to my mind, ever since I listened to it.
It's perfect song for traveling IMO; in fact it was sang by casts in episode 49. lol
Regarding your absolute worst, I noticed that 2 of those songs came out in same year (1982). I've listened to those songs before and it was OK, IMO.
It sounded forced and tried too hard, which made them lackluster.
I don't think their horrible, but it just felt short.
I guess some of the sentai songs weren't so hot in early 80's.
However, they are masterpiece compared to... Super Sentai Getter!
Gokaiger strikes again eh?
Didn't see this one coming, since that was and ending song.
I never been a huge fan of Project.R songs that started from Go-onger (with few exceptions), but this is at their absolute worst (it was sang by 13 artists!). It's especially tragic, since it was used for anniversary series. It makes me wonder what songs will it be used for 40th anniversary series.