The CD Collection -- Non-Soundtrack CDs Vol.2

Last time I named quite a few non-soundtrack songs that appeared in various Tokusatsu shows. I'm back again to name a few more! If you need a refresher on what this entry is going to be about, I highly recommend checking out my previous installment.

The gist of it goes something like this... Some Tokusatsu shows feature songs in them that aren't part of the series song collection. Since I am a crazy person, I hunt these songs down like the Terminator and purchase the CDs to complete the song collections. I usually go off of very little information, but sometimes I get an assist from a kind reader (thank you!). This is where I get to share my findings with you! In most cases you can snag these CDs for ¥1 on Amazon Japan...so be sure to throw a little bit of money toward CD collecting excellence.

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Morning Musume "Love Machine"
EPDE-1052
1999.09.09
Featured: Love Machine in GoGo Five 33
>>>MUSIC VIDEO<<<

Might as well get this one off to a weird start...

Remember that montage in Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai where it was showing the ability to quick change clothes? There was a small bit from GoGo Five in that... In the episode, Psyma-ju Thanatos has a catastrophic fear of women. So much so that he either imagines Matsuri quick changing through outfits, or he is assaulted through costume change. The very first costume features a small bit of Morning Musume's Love Machine playing. Naturally this bit was cut out of Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai...

I'd be lying if I said that this song wasn't a lot of fun. I like it, in fact. I generally despise Morning Musume and large singing groups in general (they're a cancer on Japanese music.....just sayin'), but this is a damn catchy piece of pop. The second track, 21 seiki, is terrible however. Track three ends it with the karaoke version of Love Machine (which doesn't have that weird yell at the beginning). Oh, and try not to watch the video. It's lousy.

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The Waves "We Are The Champ"
PCDH-00001
1993.04.07
Featured: We Are The Champ~The Name Of The Game~ in Dairanger 15
>>>SONG VIDEO<<<

Ahhh yes. Who hasn't heard at least some version of this song in their life? This song was featured pretty prominently during Ryo's match against the Three Idiots. This would've been a very new song when the episode aired...which has me wondering if the episode was built around the song. Heh.

This version of the song was made for Japan as you can probably guess from the lyrics (NIPPON!). Track two is the original(ish) 80s version by The Fans. The guy singing sounds like he's struggling hard...not so much with his awful English, but just struggling in general. I *believe* an instrumental version of The Fans version of this song was used in Kakuranger as well. I'll have to work on that one for the future...

Just the two tracks for this one. The Japan version is better...even the English is way better...

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Nanase Aikawa "BREAK OUT!"
CTDR-28006
1996.06.05
Featured: BREAK OUT! in Carranger 23
>>>SONG VIDEO<<<

There wasn't a whole lot of anything going on when this song was playing in Carranger 23. They were pretty much walking down a busy street discussing the plot threads of the episode so far before receiving an alert from Dappu.

Future Kamen Rider theme song singer Nanase Aikawa gets a song featured in Carranger for seriously no reason. I mean...the show already has 30+ songs. Nothing else fit? That said, BREAK OUT! is a cool song. It's a bit on the frantic side, but it suits the song well. The other song on this single, Ima demo... is alright I suppose. The singing is a little bit much for the music. Track three is the karaoke version of BREAK OUT!.

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Namie Amuro "You're My Sunshine"
AVDD-20127
1996.06.05
Featured: You're My Sunshine in Carranger 31
>>>LIVE VIDEO<<<

This song is playing during one of my many favorite visual moments in the series. VRV Master is playing Pachinko, which leads to him eating, which leads to his visit to his usually dour barber (something is off this time...).

I love me some Tetsuya Komuro! This, however, is Namie Amuro's song. Ah...but he produces it... Well, I guess that makes this song half-decent. Honestly, it isn't bad. It is a little bit disjointed, but once it gets going and past the lame rap it's a solid tune. During his boom years, TK seemed to give Amuro some of his more experimental tunes. It worked out quite well for both of them while it lasted. There are three versions of the song here--"Straight Run", "Eddie Delena Dance Mix", and "TV Mix". If I had to be entirely honest, I kinda like the dance mix best. It has this killer break-down about two-thirds of the way through. The "TV Mix" is basically the karaoke version, by the way.

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Kenji Ozawa "Corolla II ni notte"
TODT-3418
1995.01.01 
Featured: Corolla II ni notte in Carranger 02
>>>SONG VIDEO<<<

Fitting that Carranger would feature a jingle from a car commercial. Well, kinda. Kyosuke is singing this song early in the episode as he's jogging along. The song itself isn't featured, but it clearly moved Kyosuke enough to sing it.

The actual song itself is somewhat popular. It's a well-produced slow jam. There isn't too much substance to it...and the same can be said for the Toyota Corolla itself. That said, I do enjoy this song quite a bit. It's no wonder Kyosuke was singing it, it's pretty catchy through repetition. The second track is the Karaoke version.

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Seikima-II "Shiroi Kiseki"
10EH-3316
1989.08.02
Featured: Kairiki Kumao in Zyuranger 26
>>>LIVE VIDEO<<<

YES! I always look forward to writing about some Seikima-II! This song is playing after Dan and Mei are first shown in their thug clothes after being poisoned.

This song is kind of a deep pull. As far as I can work out, this song was only available as a B-Side on this single at the time. It's a fantastic song with a lot of variety to it (the video I linked is only a portion of the full song). I recommend trying to seek this one out if you can. I was able to snag this single for pretty much nothing, so it's not difficult. Nice to see Seikima-II representing once again. The title track, Shiroi Kiseki, is more of a ballad...but a damn good one. Just those two tracks on this disc. Early 8cm CDs were pretty bare...

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Seikima-II "Pharoah no you ni"
CSDL-3175
1990.10.21
Featured: Pharoah no you ni in Jetman 07
>>>LIVE VIDEO<<<

I may not like Jetman much...but any series to feature Seikima-II is alright with me. Maybe even Fiveman... This song was playing in the seventh episode of Jetman as the cool kid was styling his hair in the mirror before being abducted by said mirror.

Another great Seikima-II song. What else can be said about the band? I really love the "Hey! Hey! Hey!". It makes it a bit catchier than their average song. This song is also featured on their album "Yugai", which I kinda recommend getting over this single. Great album.

Something I noticed about Seikima-II B-Side songs. They tend to be a bit more ambitious than their standard stuff. Demon Kogure gives himself a vocal workout in Oda Nobubaga. I love this type of Seikima-II song, but they tend to get stuffed away... Two tracks only on this one.

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PUFFY "Nagisa ni matsuwaru et cetera"
ESDB-3749
1997.04.16
Featured: Nagisa ni matsuwaru et cetera in Kabutack 36
>>>SONG VIDEO<<<

This one is a bit over my head since I haven't seen much of Kabutack. This song appears in episode 36 as Tonborg says he is a fan of PUFFY...a sentiment I wish I shared in this occasion.

Very similar to a lot of JPOP of the late 90s. It's alright, but I wouldn't go as far to say I've listened to this one with any regularity. It has a bit of a faux-TK Boom bassline compounded with some shouty vocals. Like I said, it's alright. The second and final track on this one is the karaoke version.

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Hideki Saijo "YOUNG MAN~HIDEKI FLYING UP!:
BVCH-8011
1995.07.21
Featured: Young Man (Y.M.C.A.) in Moero!! Robocon 30
>>>SONG VIDEO<<<

Again, I'm not too familiar with either Robocon series... Apparently the definitive Japanese version of the Village People's Y.M.C.A. was featured in the 30th episode of what Toei decided was a better idea than a new Metal Hero series.

Honestly this isn't a bad album. I like a good disco album to throw on in the background. This one has a good variety of softer and upbeat songs. Hideki Saijo is also a pretty decent singer. The stand out tracks to me (besides Young Man obviously) are I'm Champion and HIDEKI DISCO SPECIAL. Good and cheap album!

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Akira Kobayashi "Best~Jidosha Show uta | Mukashi no namae de dete imasu"
CRC-1608
2011.08.20
Featured: Jidosha Show uta in Carranger 02
>>>SONG VIDEO<<<

Carranger! Again! This one was even in episode 2 which, if you remember, Kyosuke was singing the Corolla II song. This time around Tenma was singing this while driving his car as the episode opened. Just like the Corolla II song, this one was only featured as the character was singing it rather than the actual song being featured.

I love the Auto Show song quite a bit. It's one of those songs that has very much outlived a lot of the manufacturers named in said song. It's an incredibly fun song. I listen to it often and probably sing it just like Tenma did without realizing it. The rest of the album is very good as well. It another one I love to put on in the background when I write my weekly video reviews. Very good if you want to take a look at an Enka singer of year's past.

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Southern All Stars "Umi no Yeah!!"
VICL-60227-8
1998.06.25
Featured: Katte ni Sindbad, Itoshi no Ellie, Erotic Seven in Ohranger 23

This time around we have an episode that was pretty much based around a band. Three songs from Southern All Stars made an appearance throughout the beach episode of Ohranger. I would link videos, but I really couldn't find any on Youtube...sorry. To make matters easy, the song you're looking for if you saw the episode is Katte ni Sindbad. Yes, SinDbad. It's a typo that has carried over through the years. It should be Sinbad...but it's written as Sindbad. Heh.

Now...I don't really have a definitive beach band, but Southern All Stars isn't one of them. They're considered a beach band, though. I've seen quite a few shows that feature one of their songs (usually Katte ni Sindbad) when everyone is at the beach. This is a two-disc best-of set that is beach themed. Disc one is called Sea Side and disc two is called Sunny Side. There is no real reason for this seeing as the songs are presented chronologically.

I have to be in the mood for this one to be in my ears. Katte ni Sindbad...I can listen to that everyday. Great song. The rest of the album...once in awhile. If you're interested in collecting all of the songs featured in Ohranger, this set is probably the cheapest way to do it. All three of the songs are available as CD Singles, but you have to factor in shipping and what not. I just went for the collection.

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Recommended Pick: This time around I would have to make my recommended pick Love Machine by Morning Musume. Just kidding. Seikima-II's Shiroi Kiseki would be the pick. Kairiki Kumao is a great song which never really got a wide release outside of this single. It's a cheap one to pick up.

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Thanks for reading my latest non-soundtrack CD entry. I have another set of CDs ready to go with songs featured in Bycrosser, Turboranger, Jetman, Zyuranger and more. If you have any songs you think I should add to the list, please contact me on Twitter, Youtube, or just leave a comment below. Oh, and be sure to check out my critically out of date CD Collection page...

Thanks again for checking out my blog. See ya soon!

-CC

CCLemon99 Magazine Issue Two

It's time for another issue of CCLemon99 Magazine! I did a first issue back in October. This basically gives me an opportunity to go over a handful of topics that aren't quite big enough for their own posts.

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Welcome To CCLemon99.com!

...well atleast until Suntory shuts me down...

I decided to go ahead an get myself the domain. There are tons of reasons behind me finally pulling the trigger and securing the domain and putting it to use, but for now let's just enjoy the simplicity of it all. CCLemon99.com... Not CCLemon99.blogjaljkfsnkanjkfsfns Yeah...much better!

Do I have any plans for the site outside of the same old blog? Nah, not really. Not at this time at least. I will, however, have to make some alterations to certain future Youtube videos. It's a bullshit reason, and I don't really want to do it, but Youtube has recently made things extraordinarily difficult for your average to slightly-less-than-superstar user.

The site was somewhat born out of misery, but I intend to make the most out of it. You can always count on me for content.

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Maybe SHFiguarts Fire Was A Terrible Idea...

The very first thing I wrote about in Issue One has come back to bite me in the ass in a huge way. I defend the thought behind SHF Winsquad being a kickass thing that should totally happen, but I am not in support of the idea of Winspector Figuarts being a thing to begin with. I know, that probably sounds strange, but I just don't think they should have skipped ahead when we should have had SHF Spielban~Jiban first. SHF Fire is an upcoming video, so I don't want to give too much away. I will say that I'm not wowed in the same way I was with pretty much every other Metal Hero Figuart that has been released since Blue Beet.

No, no. My big gripe is with SHF Bikel...namely the price of the damn thing. ¥7020!!!!! What. The. Hell...?! For that price you get a secondary character Figuart, and very few accessories. The wheel in his chest moves? Who cares??? Honestly! It'll probably be neat once, but it is an absolutely useless fucking feature. Useless.

This is where I start to think Bandai is fucking with us. They make all of these misplaced choices for Figuarts with skyrocketing price tags. Even with things like the upcoming Dyno Buckler release...they're charging an absolute fortune for a toy that has probably already made their company it's development money back five-fold. They're blatantly gouging fans at this point. I mean, I only got into Figuarts because I normally manage to get them for reasonable prices (my first few were gifts). When it comes to web exclusives, you're stuffed. It's Bandai's price.

Still undecided if I'm going for Bikel...but I'm genuinely leaning toward "no", but who knows. We'll see how generous my bonus points are this month. I just wanted Spielban, dammit! Oh...and where's my Kamen Rider J??

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New And Upcoming CD Releases

-Ninninger Soundtracks 2, 3, and 4 were released in late January. Ninninger has had a bit of an odd release schedule. Between Hurricaneger and ToQger the first three music collections were released between May and September with the fourth and fifth bundled together shortly before the series ended. We can only speculate as to why Ninninger has had a pitiful release schedule, but here it is. The last of the Music Collection is out there.

-Ninninger Complete Song Collection will be released on the 17th of this month. Details are sparse right now, but you can count on it being full of Ninninger songs. For sure.

-Ultraman! A five-disc set containing all of the TV and Movie/OV theme songs will be released on March 2nd! A great way to celebrate 50 years of Ultraman. Honestly, if I didn't have every song on this set I would probably spring for it. I often get asked if there are similar current sets for Sentai theme songs. No...but Ultraman's got you covered. Shuwatch!

-Also on March 2nd--The Zyuohger Theme Song Single! As usual, there are two releases--Standard Edition and Limited Edition. Both versions have the same tracklist (OP, ED, OP Karaoke, ED Karaoke) but the Limited Edition comes with a toy of some kind. Also...the cover to the Limited Edition looks way cooler.

-Last but not least.....the biggest CD news of all. I am absolutely PUMPED for this one. Columbia's Sound Treasure Series is making it's way into Super Sentai with a two-disc Himitsu Sentai Goranger Original Soundtrack! Columbia is celebrating Super Sentai's 40th anniversary with more care than Toei at this point. If you are a regular reader of my blog you'll know that the last time Columbia made an effort to release the Goranger music was back in 1996. Twenty years later they're going to take a much more thorough attempt at giving the fans all of the music from the series. I genuinely hope it leads to more. Watch for it on April 27th!

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Shout!Factory's Ninja Sentai Kakuranger

This isn't a news item to anyone at this point, but I felt it was worth talking about because my favorite Super Sentai series is making it's way to DVD in the USA!

Here is where you guys can get on board. The set is up for pre-order on their website. I highly recommend purchasing it directly from them. Not only will you get it way before street date (mine arrived close to three weeks early), but you're also supporting a fantastic company who really took a chance and continues to do so.

Pay a few dollars extra, get it early, and hang tight for more! Remember, buying the entire series on Region 2 DVD costs closer to $400. $53 doesn't sound so bad now, does it?

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Name That Tune (Tokusatsu Edition)


I made the appeal to you, the readers, in my previous issue. I was rewarded with a few new entries which I have secured the discs to. I have enough non-soundtrack songs for two-three more entries. In fact, my next post this month will be another non-soundtrack CD Collection post covering many different shows. I'll just lay out exactly what I said last time... Take it away, past me.

I am still compiling a new list of songs to feature in an upcoming entry of Non-soundtrack Tokusatsu songs. I had a lot of fun making my previous entry, and I have just about as many songs as I did the first time around. I would like some more though.

If you have a song that you would like to have identified that played in an episode of a Tokusatsu series, please drop me a line. I ask that you follow some of the following criteria in your request...

-Show, episode number, and ballpark timestamp (Believe it or not, I can't ID a song that played "at some point in one of the early episodes of Carranger" at least not quickly...). This one is a MUST.

-A link to where I can watch said episode. Again, please save me some legwork. Help me help you...

-Even better--if you could just dice me up a clip and toss it on Youtube...that would be ideal.

-A thank you would be nice. Heh. Sometimes it takes quite a lot of effort to ID a song. While it's beneficial for me to be able to add it to my list, it's also kinda shitty when that person doesn't say thanks or anything after I hit them back with an answer or at least try.

I did recently help out someone with a bit of music from Megaranger. He was nice enough to pull the audio from the episode of the song in question and I was able to answer his request in less than a minute (I happened to know the music in that case...but even if I didn't, it would have saved me a ton of time.

So please hit me up here, on Youtube, or on Twitter if you have any Tokusatsu ear worms. I will do my best to identify them. I also welcome any tracks you identified on your own.

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That about does it for now. Apologies for the few-days-late entry. It was a combination of being a little burnt out from writing five posts last month and having to rebuild my dryer after it kicked the bucket.

Thanks for checking out my blog and I'll catch you in a couple of weeks.

-CC