Welcome to the third post of 2016! January of 2016 happens to be the fifth anniversary of my blog. To celebrate, I will be posting four blogs this month instead of the usual two. Be sure to check back on the 19th for the final celebratory post. Thank you for reading my blog over the years...
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We made it to 2016! Sure it might be the 50th anniversary of Ultraman...and, OK, that IS a bigger deal than these goofballs...but the 20th anniversary of Carranger is something to celebrate! I've been holding off on doing this post for quite some time. Don't worry, I will circle back to cover all of the 8cm Sentai CDs before and after this series. Carranger by itself is worthy of it's own post.
Carranger is absolutely absurd with the amount of CDs it has. Three Song Collections, three Music Collections, a Christmas Album AND fourteen 8cm CD Singles. I can understand the numerous music collection CDs...but what in the world was going on with the songs? The three song collections were divided up into a whopping fourteen CD singles.
Things started off normal with your standard singles, but as the year went on the artwork became more elaborate and some CDs even included instructions on how to dance to certain songs. The evolution is something to behold. So here there are, all in one post. All fourteen Carranger singles!
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Gekisou Sentai Carranger c/w Gekisou Gattai!! RV Robo
CODC-879
1996.02.21
Ahhh yes, the Carranger opening theme song. Well, at least the version that was used in the first thirteen episodes anyway. This version of the song was perfect...I don't know why they had to monkey with it. The second track is RV Robo's theme song. I can't say I'm entirely in love with this one. When it comes to primary mecha themes in the 90s it feels like the better the show is, the lamer the song. This one is just a little too cheesy...and short.
Both songs are by Naritaka Takayama. Tracks 3 and 4 are Karaoke versions of the previous two.
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Tengoku Samba c/w Oretachi wa Carranger
CODC-880
1996.02.21
Carranger is the first series to break up it's theme songs for the singles release (this was done for Carranger-Gogo Five). Again, this is a fantastic theme song that has a great video to go along with it. The other track on this single is Oretachi wa Carranger, which is a halfway decent action song. Definitely not the best of the series, but it works well enough.
Both songs are by Naritaka Takayama. Tracks 3 and 4 are Karaoke versions of the previous two.
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Gekisou Sentai Carranger~Full Accelerate Version c/w CATCH THE WIND
CODC-936
1996.05.21
The second Carranger opening theme song is a remix of the first. Beginning in episode fourteen they used the Full Accelerate Version of the theme song...which I'm not entirely keen on. It's definitely a bigger song than the previous version, but it's just...off. I prefer the original version. If I could describe this version in one word, it would be "blaring". Blaring horns, blaring guitars, blaring drums (if such a thing could exist). Actually... I posed this question to twitter as a poll. Here are the results...
Son, I am disappoint.
The other song on this single is called CATCH THE WIND. I really like this one. It's a really nice song that I could see being the ending song in an alternate universe. It has some nice guitar work coupled with some of those blaring horns. Very chill.
The first track is sung by Naritaka Takayama with Tatsuya Maeda making a rare Sentai appearance on the second. Tracks 3 and 4 are Karaoke versions of the previous two.
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Shirobai yarou Signalman c/w Seishun Circuit
CODC-937
1996.05.21
Signalman's theme song is a bit of a
The first track is sung by Naoki Takao with the excellent Hiroko Asakawa on the second track. Tracks 3 and 4 are Karaoke versions of the previous two.
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Yumemiru Zonette c/w Kokoro no mama ni
CODC-961
1996.06.21
You know that band song that plays as Zonette's theme music in the series? Well, this is the song version of that. It is...uh...not good. The singing really fails this one. I prefer just listening the the BGM versions of this one. Or the Karaoke version--which is handy since it's on this disc. To offset the badness of the first track, the second track Kokoro no mama ni is one of the best Carranger songs. Maybe not so much the vocal version, which is quite good on it's own, but again...the Karaoke version included is amazing. It's a bit on the jazzier side, so if that isn't your thing you might disagree.
The first track is sung by Rika Nanase as Zonette with Yoshito Fuchigami on the second track. Tracks 3 and 4 are Karaoke versions of the previous two.
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Dappu no uta Dappu! c/w Kuru! Kuru Magic Power!
CODC-962
1996.06.21
This is another case of the BGM version being better than the vocal version. As much as I love Dappu...I didn't need a full song. Hahaa. The lyrics are pretty funny, but this one doesn't get a whole lot of play from me. I do like how the music goes overboard when he mentions Carranger. The second track, fittingly, is the Kurumagic song. It's a pretty good action song that some would consider the unofficial theme song to Giga Formula since all of the parts get a shout out in two different verses.
The first track is sung by Mari Maruta as Dappu with Kentaro Hiyami on the second track. Tracks 3 and 4 are Karaoke versions of the previous two.
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Carranger Ondo c/w Pegasus Thunder GO!GO!GO!
CODC-983
1996.07.20
This is the first single to cover songs from the second song collection. It's kind of the turning point as not only did the songs get a little more substantial, but the artwork on the singles really got more elaborate.
Carranger Ondo is probably the song I listen to with the most frequency. It is infectiously catchy and really one of the most well-made Tokusatsu songs of the 90s. Like any working song, it has it's own special dance. More on that later... The second track is the theme song for Pegasus Thunder (and kinda Dragon Cruiser). It's definitely my favorite action song of the series. I think one of the keys to a good action song is to use organs. This one nails it. It's worlds better than any of the action songs from the previous batch of songs.
This single comes with a folded slip of paper with instructions on how to dance along to Carranger Ondo. This is the first Sentai CD Single to do so, and certainly not the last. It certainly is helpful of Red Racer to show me how to dance to this song...
I should also note that there are actually two versions of Pegasus Thunder GO!GO!GO!. The version here is Type A, which includes the thunder sound effect at the beginning as well as the backing vocals. Type B was a toned-down version that was included on the third song collection.
The first track is sung by Hiroko Asakawa with Norio Sakai on the second track. Tracks 3 and 4 are Karaoke versions of the previous two.
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My favorite cover...
Utaou! Kotsu anzen~Carranger ni nare c/w Dakara tatakau Carranger
CODC-1000
1996.08.21
This one... OK, I'm not a fan of this first song. It is just a little too cheery for me. Somehow it was coupled with Dakara tatakau Carranger, which is a little bit on the bleak-sounding side. It's not exactly a fight song, but it definitely is at the same time. I happen to like this one, but I wouldn't put it among my favorites.
The first track is sung by Satoko Yamano (Dochinko! Nemurin, Ultraman Kids 1991) with Yoshito Fuchigami on the second track. Tracks 3 and 4 are Karaoke versions of the previous two.
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Gekisou Taisou Carranger c/w Shoot! Carranger
CODC-1001
1996.08.21
Another dance song with another helpful instruction sheet. This one definitely isn't as fun as Carranger Ondo. I would actually say it's a bit more on the militaristic side...which automatically makes it retro. Someone was watching a little too much Ultraman when they dreamed this one up. Naturally it's coupled with a song that is completely opposite. Shoot! Carranger is an awesome battle song that is on par with the Pegasus Thunder song in intensity. It covers the Carranger side arms (Auto Blaster, Navic Shot) as well as the Giga Booster.
The first track is sung by Kentaro Hiyami with Norio Sakai on the second track. Tracks 3 and 4 are Karaoke versions of the previous two.
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Kumori sora no yoru dakara c/w Carranger Kagayaku
CODC-1002
1996.08.21
Oh wow. This is the first character song on that I actually genuinely like from this series. The previous two were pretty much novelty songs. This one is just plain genuine. I'm glad they limited Yuji Kishi to one solo song...because it's a really good one. The second track is another darkish action song. I like this one quite a bit as well--especially how it pumps up before the ending.
The first track is sung by Yuji Kishi as Kyosuke/Red Racer with Naoki Takao on the second track. Tracks 3 and 4 are Karaoke versions of the previous two.
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Zettai shori da! VRV c/w Dokomademo, Itsumademo
CODC-1021
1996.09.21
Just because the RV Robo theme was lame doesn't mean that all Carranger mecha themes are. The VRV theme is up there as one of my favorites. It might not have made my Top 7, but if it were a Top 10 you could expect this one along with Gao Muscle and Live Boxer. Maybe it wouldn't have fit well as the RV Robo song, but I'm glad it exists to redeem this series' mecha theme cred. The second track is a slow jam that I can't really get behind. There are so many better songs that are like this one in the Carranger song collection. It's alright, but it isn't one that I go out of the way to listen to.
The first track is sung by Norio Sakai with Yoshito Fuchigami on the second track. Tracks 3 and 4 are Karaoke versions of the previous two.
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Victrailer Kyodai naru Machine c/w Kazoete Battle da! Carranger!!
CODC-1022
1996.09.21
Another great mecha theme? Sweet! I will admit, though, I prefer the Karaoke/Instrumental/BGM versions of the Victrailer theme over the vocal one. It's still a grand song for a grand machine. It's definitely the most well-made mecha song of the show--and possibly the decade. The second track is kind of a jazz/fight song hybrid. I have to say, they did a nice job combining two types of song into one. It turned out pretty good. Again, it's a very well-made song.
The first track is sung by VRV Meistersingers with Naritaka Takayama on the second track. Tracks 3 and 4 are Karaoke versions of the previous two.
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Yumemiru Love Love Rajietta c/w Red Zone Battle BIN BIN BIN!
CODC-1046
1996.10.19
Another one that I'm not in love with at all. Like the other song with "Yumemiru" in the title, this is a pretty bad character song that is let down by it's singing. Honestly, the music isn't great either. I guess they felt that this was a good song to be the theme for White Racer. Oh well. The second track is another jazz/fight song hybrid. This one isn't as good as Kazoete Battle da!, but it's still fun. It doesn't really take off at any point, but it does have these brief bursts of energy.
The first track is sung by Misaki Sudo as Rajetta/White Racer with Naoki Takao on the second track. Tracks 3 and 4 are Karaoke versions of the previous two.
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Merry Xmas! from Carranger c/w Gekisou Machine Daishugo!!
CODC-1047
1996.11.01
The final single! Even though Carranger had their own Christmas album, the title song managed to spill out into it's own single. It's not a bad song, either. It's a nice little song by the cast. The second track is definitely the weaker song of the single. It's basically a roll call of all of the mecha, weapons, and vehicles from the series. It's alright, but definitely not one I go out of my way to listen to often. In fact, listening to it for this review is probably the first time I've heard it in years. It's probably not a good sign when the Christmas song gets more play over the song that talks about all of the mecha.
The first track is sung by Carranger and Dappu with Osamu Sakata on the second track. Tracks 3 and 4 are Karaoke versions of the previous two.
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Recommended Pick: Easily the Carranger Ondo/Pegasus Thunder GO!GO!GO! single. Two excellent songs and their Karaoke versions on one disc. If you decide to pick yourself up a copy just make sure that the one you are buying comes with the choreography sheet. If would be a minor disaster if it wasn't included...
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Thank you for swinging by to check out my latest blog for my fifth anniversary celebration. Be sure to check out my CD Collection page. Hopefully I'll have time to get some more work done to it soon. I need to completely overhaul the CD Single section...
See you soon!
-CC
5 Year Anniversary Month
Previous:
The Complete Guide To Collecting Japanese CDs
Top 7 BEST Mecha Designs
Next: Star Virgin... Movie and Soundtrack review
BONUS... The Choreography Sheets. I would scan these, but some butthead would probably steal my scans and put them on their website.
Nice to see Carranger topic, just in time for 20th anniversary!
ReplyDelete14 CD singles for 1 series is just insane.
Nice to have all those artworks and variations.
I guess Toei and Columbia were really desperate to make-up for misfire of Ohranger; though, the show had highest toy sales among sentai series.
They could have stretched it to 20 for 20th series, but that would be way too much. lol
I didn’t mind too much for Full Accelerate Version of OP.
I can sort of understand what they were trying to do, since this was first time that “alternate” version of OP was made for sentai; I still prefer the original.
I like the funkiness and upbeat of this version, but it felt bit off, slow, and dated.
Carranger had such a memorable songs, even Christmas songs was pretty decent; probably the best among any sentai Christmas. I like the artwork on CD as well.
I like Carranger Ondo as well; probably one of the best dance song among sentai.
While I do like Ohranger music better, I like the campiness and fun of Carranger music.
Regarding the series as a whole, I thought Carranger was very funny and charming series.
It’s the only “comedy” sentai series that does it right! Take that Go-Onger and Kyoryuger!!
The humor was great and as a parody of its own series it was spot-on.
Granted, I had little expectation and had hard time adjusting to the show, where I enjoyed Ohranger as a kid; especially, since I didn’t have good impression with Dappu, who was kind of creepy. I also didn’t like the concept of “car” motif sentai, where I didn’t like Turboranger very much back then (I like it now though).
It’s no surprise why this is your favorites; especially, you like cars!
As I watched the series, I liked it more and more and become one of my favorites.
The writer, Yoshio Urasawa, did such a great job, implementing comedy, gag, and humor, nearly flawlessly with the series; especially, since he has experience with writing Fushigi Comedy series. Bit surprised he wasn’t main writer for later toku shows, where he wrote few episodes for later series (Abaranger and Gokaiger; the episodes itself were pretty decent).
Nice CD collection.
They absolutely went bonkers with ALL of Tokusatsu in 1996. Sooooo many CDs. Sentai, Metal Hero, Kamen Rider, and Ultraman. I guess Columbia figured CDs were here to stay by that point and wanted all of their catalogs on disc. I can't imagine what prompted the sheer bulk of new content for Carranger, though. If it were a song/music themed series it would make perfect sense...but this was cars.
DeleteI'm really glad they didn't stretch it to 20. It took me forever to put a full set of these CDs together. In the process I have a near-complete set of doubles as well (only single I don't have a double of is Merry xmas! from Carranger).