Kamikaze [Clean]

1. Get Me - Twista

2. Kill Us All - Twista

3. Pimp On - 8 Ball, Too Short, Twista

4. Slow Jamz - Jamie Foxx, Twista,

5. Overnight Celebrity - Jamie Foxx, Twista, Kanye West

6. Still Feels So Good - Jazze Pha, Twista

7. Drinks - Twista

8. Badunkadunk - Twista

9. One Last Time - Twista

10. So Sexy - R. Kelly, Twista

11. Higher - Ludacris, Twista

12. Snoopin' - Twista

13. Like a 24 - Liffy Stokes, T.I., Twista

14. Hope - C-Lo, , Twista

15. Sunshine - Anthony Hamilton, Twista

16. Art & Life (Chi-Roc) - Freeway, Memphis Bleek, Twista, Young Chris

Kamikaze,Twista,Atlantic / Wea,Gangsta Rap,Hip-Hop,Pop,Rap & Hip-Hop

Jpop CD, Vol. 2
Average customer rating:

Rainy Days Never Stays is the greatest.

Come on it's not that bad

Great for anime fans...

Representative

Jpop CD, Vol. 2
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Tofu Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Jpop CD

Awake

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Sol-fa

Goover

ASIN: B000BI1YJ2
Release Date: 2005-11-01

Tracks:

D-technoLIFE - UVERworld
Rewrite - Asian Kung-FU Generation
Hit In USA - Beat Crusaders
Beginnings ~Hajimari no Uta~ - Puffy AmiYumi
Dramatic - YUKI
Houkigumo - RYTHEM
Days - FLOW
Lost Heaven - L'Arc~en~Ciel
Infortion - Suitesho-jo
Pride - High and Mighty Color
*~asterisk~ - ORANGE RANGE
Hey my friend - Tommy heavenly
pureness - Nana Kitade
Glaring Dream - Kinya Kotani
Life is Like a Boat - Rie Fu

Customer Reviews:

Rainy Days Never Stays is the greatest........2007-01-14

I love these songs.
Rainy Days Never Stays is the greatest.
Jpop is all so lively.

Come on it's not that bad .......2006-04-26

I just got this C.D. the other day and it's awsemo yes,awsemo. I don't know how any on could rate it not purrrrrrrfect. This is only my second review but I know that Jpop is one C.D. that you need in your anime collection if you have one like me.

Great for anime fans..........2006-04-12

This CD is great for anime fans. I'll list what animes the songs come from here...

1. D-tecnoLIFE ~From the Anime TV Series BLEACH~ -UVERworld
2. Riraito(Rewrite) ~From the Anime TV Series Fullmetal Alchemist~ -Asian Kung-Fu Generation
3. Hit in the USA ~From the Anime TV Series BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad~ -Beat Crusaders
4. Beginnings ~Hajimari no Uta(Song of a New Day)~ ~From the Anime Movie Pokemon: Myuu to Hadou no Yuusha -Puffy Amiyumi
5. Dramatic ~From the Anime TV Series Honey and Clover~ -YUKI
6. Houkigumo(Comet Cloud) ~From the Anime TV Series Yakitate!! Japan~ -RYTHEM
7. Days ~From the Anime TV Series Eureka 7~ -FLOW
8. Lost Heaven ~From the Anime Movie Hagane no Renkinjutsushi: Shamballa wo Ikumono(Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shamballa) -L'Arc~en~ciel
9. Information ~From the Anime TV Series E's Otherwise~ -Suitesho-Jo
10. Pride ~From the Anime TV Series Gundam SEED Destiny~ - High and Mighty Color
11. *Asterisk ~From the Anime TV Series BLEACH~ -ORANGE RANGE
12. Hey My Friend ~From the Live Action Movie Kamikaze Girls~ -Tommy heavenly6
13. Pureness ~From the Anime TV Series BEET the Vandel Buster -Kitade Nana
14. Glaring Dream ~From the Anime TV Series Gravitation~ -Kotani Kinya
15. Life is Like a Boat ~From the Anime TV Series BLEACH~ -Rie fu

And there you have it. Many of the series haven't even been released in the US, and we're already getting opening and ending theme releases like this.

My personal favorite is Lost Heaven from L'Arc~en~ciel, because it says so much about Fullmetal Alchemist and its theme with the lyrics of "We say goodbye lost heaven, how we longed for heaven. We're letting go, of something we never had, time goes so fast, heaven is lost...". Second favorite would be Life is Like a Boat from Rie fu. It's got a really laidback feel to it, and questions worth and other things.
*Asterisk is a rap song, that's really good. I usually dislike rap, but I don't mind this one. It also may be interesting to note that it was the top selling Anime theme song single in 2005. BLEACH fans are really lucky with this CD, since there's 3 themes from BLEACH. D-tecnoLIFE, Life is Like a Boat, and *Asterisk.
Hey My Friend is a rock song that has a really laid back feel as well, and it really gives more meaning to the movie Kamikaze Girls and its plotline when it says things like "I lose my way without you", and "Hello my friend". Tommy heavenly6 has put together a great song with this one.
Dramatic is a pop song, with really high vocals from the vocalist of Judy and Mary. YUKI also sang Sobakasu(Freckles) in J-pop CD1, so if you picked that one up as well, you should recognize her vocals. Dramatic manages to be really peppy, without being annoying and screechy. Honey and Clover hasn't seen a US release yet either, so this is somewhat unusual, but it definately works for me.
Houkigumo is a softer song, with lots of melody and harmony. It's got a lot of melody and soft guitars. The vocalist is also really sweet sounding, and harmonious. Yakitate!! Japan's anime hasn't seen a US release, but the manga releases in fall of 2006.
Hit in the USA is another rock tune, with an odd kind of drive behind it. With lyrics all in English, and the theme of "I was made to hit in America!", it's very bouncy and repetitive.
Days is a good song, with a solid beat behind it. It's the opening to Eureka 7, which is getting a US release very soon. Days has good vocals as well, that support the beat and song.
Pureness is from the same artist that sang Kesenai Tsumi(Unerasable Sin), Kitade Nana. Pureness isn't as good as Kesenai Tsumi in my opinion, but it's still got a good guitar riff going, and she still sings well. BEET the Vandel Buster hasn't gotten an anime US release yet either.
Riraito(Rewrite) is the final ending theme to Fullmetal Alchemist. Asian Kung-Fu Generation just put out a new album(Solfa) recently, so you can check out more of their music domestically as well. Riraito is a really good rock song with good vocalists and lyrics. It's also the only opening theme to only be played when it was supposed to be played, and most of the time, in full. Ready Steady Go was only supposed to be played with Tobira no Mukou e, but adult swim had a business deal going on, so it got played all throughout the series of Fullmetal Alchemist until the final set of episodes.

And now for the actual packaging... The actual packaging itself is really chibi and cute. The booklet has lyrics, but no translations, so you'll have to search around online for those. It has a visual spread of some album covers, and the artists themselves. There's also a page and a half text piece outlining the stuff on the CD, and giving a talk about anime and J-pop in the US.

Altogether, it's a good deal for anime fans, and people who would rather buy domestically than importing everything. All of the artists included and the songs themselves are good solid songs that aren't your standard music fare.

Representative.......2005-11-02

In a land where fads come and go with lightning speed, where consumer electronics are always years ahead of us in the USA, and where even the language changes faster than most, it seems incongruous that the pop music doesn't change. I lived in Japan 15 years ago, thus surrounded by J-Pop music. This CD represents the latest of the genre, yet it doesn't sound any different from what J-Pop sounded like 15 years ago, with exceptions in a few songs of some noticeable new developments.

There is a reason J-Pop has never caught on in the USA and Europe. The music is terribly overproduced, which gives it a kind of show-tunes sound. Even the rock music has that annoying overproduced sound, nerding up what would otherwise be some killer rock music.

But J-Pop's not being known in the USA is in the process of changing, due to the popularity of manga and anime. With so many people now enjoying anime, the Japanese style of adult cartoons (mostly action and fantasy cartoons), and hearing the theme songs of these TV shows and movies, at least a subculture of Americans is developing a taste for this music. Hence the release of this album, a showcase of J-Pop tunes that are used in anime.

In J-Pop, I strongly prefer songs fronted by female vocals to that of the male vocals. This is true for me in American & European music, too, as most of my favorite groups have female lead singers (Viva Voce, Bon Voyage, Cocteau Twins, Curve, Evanescence, The Randies, The Go-Go's, etc.). But this is even more true for me in Japanese music; the male vocals have a certain tonal quality that I especially don't care for. Some people may find the high-pitched tone of the typical J-Pop female singer to be annoying, but I enjoy it.

The first three songs on this compilation didn't do much for me, but the fourth one I was immediately crazy about. I later looked at the cover and learned that it was Puffy Amiyumi. I had already heard of this duo and wanted music by them; now I've heard them for the first time and I definitely want some of their albums!

New influences in J-Pop are found in the track "Pride" by High and Mighty Color. This is primarily a typical female-led J-Pop overproduced pop tune, but interspersed in it is an intense rock section with some scream-rap (made unintelligible by sound alteration). "*~Asterisk~" by Orange Range has some rapping in it, something else I don't remember hearing in J-Pop 15 years ago. But aside from these two tracks, I don't really hear anything new in J-Pop. Amazing how it doesn't change.

I give this album 3 stars, which in my book is a good album that I would definitely recommend to others. This album is a good representation of J-Pop music. If you're an anime fan, you're likely to enjoy it. If you want to learn what Japanese pop music is like, this compilation is a good place to start.

Average customer rating:

The last good album you'll hear from Twista.
Standing up for black Americans
This Album is my Favorite Cd from Twista "Kamikaze"
Twista finally getting that money!
This Kid Crazy!!!!!

Kamikaze
Twista
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00008VEN5
Release Date: 2004-01-27

Tracks:

Get Me
Kill Us All
Pimp On
Slow Jamz
Get That Doe (Ain't It Man)
Still Feels So Good
Drinks
Badunkadunk
One Last Time
Shows Over
Higher
Snoopin
Like a 24
Hope
Lovely Day
Art and Life

Amazon.com

Seven years have passed since Twista's last solo joint (1997's hood classic, Adrenaline Rush), and that's about three career cycles' worth of evolution in the swiftly moving world of hip-hop. The Chicago speed rapper's managed to do well for himself in the interim, retaining a strong following among the thug-life set and accruing new listeners via judicious appearances on splashy commercial releases like Ludacris's Word of Mouf. The long-delayed Kamikaze plays to both sides of the fan base, presenting a fair mixture of old-school Twista style with enough formulaic stuff thrown in to keep the kids happy. On the "OG" end of things you get tracks like the R. Kelly-produced round-the-way ballad, "So Sexy," and "Pimp On," a player's anthem featuring 8 Ball, Too Short, and the legendary Don "Magic" Juan. But it's the trendier tunes like Kanye West's parody-within-a-parody, "Slow Jamz," and the hustler's anthem, "Higher" (featuring the aforementioned Luda), that make the most noise. --Rebecca Levine

Album Description

After spending more than 8 months on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart Twista's Double Platinum album Kamikaze is being reissued with new bonus material. Kamikaze includes the two #1 smashes "Slow Jamz" featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx and "Overnight Celebrity." The album also features the top 10 single So Sexy Featuring R. Kelly. New bonus content includes "So Sexy Chapter II (Like This)" featuring R.Kelly and "Y'All Know Who" which has not been made available domestically until now.

Album Details

Keep the Good Vibes Rolling in 2004 with the Unstoppable Twista. The Chicago Music Pioneer Has Spent the Last Few Years Creating Hits with Ludacris, Timbaland, P. Diddy, Too Short and More, Including the Juicy Joint "Thug Luv" with Lil' Kim Fortunately Twista Set Aside Some Choice Cuts for his Long-awaited Solo Album "Kamikaze". Long Time Fans of the Motor-mouth MC Can Breathe Easy, Knowing Twista Builds off his 1997 Album "Adrenaline Rush on "Kamikaze" Including a Sequel to the Title Track Called "Kill Us All".

Customer Reviews:

The last good album you'll hear from Twista........2006-09-12

Standout tracks: GET ME, KILL US ALL, ONE LAST TIME(first Kanye West beat that wasnt a sample), HIGHER, ART AND LIFE, HOPE(Ceelo's version is way better than the Faith Evans version!), STILL FEEL SO GOOD, BADUNKADUNK, SNOOPIN, SO SEXY(its okay), FREAKALEEK REMIX(barely made it)etc. Filler: Like a 24(doesnt make any sense), Overnight Celebrity(nice beat but its still a dull record), Slow Jamz(Kanye West's verse made it corny), Drinks(YAWN!), Sunshine(Again YAWN!), Pimp On(mandatory pimp record) and So Sexy chapter 2(this song belongs on an R. Kelly album!). Even though this album is kind of commercial it has enough good songs to make it listenable unlike THE DAY AFTER or The Gay after(as some reviewers call it) which sucks dookie!

Standing up for black Americans.......2006-08-05

I was disappointed with the track "Slow Jamz" which states "got a black skinned friend, looks like Michael Jackson. Got a white skinned friend looks like Michael Jackson." When black Americans were dying in New Orleans, Michael Jackson started to take action but what did Twista do about it? What did Kanye West do about it? Michael Jackson cleared the way for black artists who can now appear on MTV, thanks to Michael Jackson. Twista should show more respect.

This Album is my Favorite Cd from Twista "Kamikaze".......2006-03-23

This is Twista second album where he proves that he is the world's fastest rapper. Twista is the most overated artist from Chicago,Ill. This Album is a 4.5 and Twista is worth 5.0
just cuz he raps mad fast in this s***.

Cop this Cd which is in stores now.

Twista finally getting that money!.......2006-03-10

Ever since his classic "Adrenaline Rush" album, which went gold eventually (I think) fans were eager to get a new solo album from Twista (he did a few compillations with his crew, which weren't bad at all). For some reason, Atlantic Records weren't in a hurry, so Twista kept his name alive by doing a lot of guest appearences on high-profiled artists' albums. And finally, in 2004, his time arived. With the Kanye West produced "Slow Jamz" Twista became a household name and he just blew up, and now he's one of the biggest names in the rap industry (this album went double-platinum!), making millions as he deserves. "Kamikaze" is very different from "Adrenaline Rush". It doesn't have that gangsta-mobb feel to it. It's more of an up-to-days'-standarts album. It's evident that the label wanted it to be much more of a mainstream album. But that doesn't hurt it at all. Musically, the production is flawless: Twista's producer Toxic produces 8 songs (and he does a great job), Jazze Pha, Kanye West, The Legendary Traxter, Lil' Jon (The Freek-a-leek remix) and R. Kelly all contribute some hot beats. The album is more about having fun, more songs about the ladies, sex, living well. However, Twista's lyrics are still better than your avarege mainstream rapper. Twista's lyrics are smarter, sometimes have a bit of humor or even depth in them. And you know he's got that untouchable flow. Indeed, on a few songs he slows it down a bit, but on quite a few songs, Twista is just on fire (check out song #2 "Kill Us All", #11 "Higher" or #16 "Chi-Roc" and you'll see what speed-rapping is all about!). This album features a LOT of big names: R.Kelly, Eightball, Too $hort, Ludacris, T.I., Freeway, Kanye West, Jamie Foxx, Jazze Pha, Memphis Bleek, Jernaine Dupri, Danny Boy Skee-Lo and a few others. They all do a great job, but of course Twista outshines them with ease - it seems that being on a song with another rapper brings the best out of Twista. Anyway, this album made Twista a huge name, and with songs like Slow Jamz, Overnight Celebrity and Hope, Twista menaged to cross over. However I don't feel he sold out, since he still stayed unique, both in terms of music and in terms of lyrics. You still get to hear the harder, or deeper Twista, while enjoying the lighter songs, which feature some great beats, hooks and guest appearences. I'm glad Twista got the reccognition he deserves, because he deinitely paid his dues!

This Kid Crazy!!!!!.......2006-02-27

I love this album one of my favorites from Twista. From "Runnin Off Da Mouth" to "The Day After" this is my favorite. He's one of my favorite albums in the Midwest Rap Game. The best tracks are "Slow Jamz", "Kill Us All", "Overnight Celebrity", "Hope" and "Like A 24".

Average customer rating:

Amazing Kamikaze Syndrome
Slade
Manufacturer: Salvo
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000PMGNOU
Release Date: 2007-06-25

Tracks:

Slam the Hammer Down
In the Doghouse
Run Runaway
High and Dry
My Oh My
Cocky Rock Boys (Rule O.K.)
Ready to Explode
(And Now the Waltz) C'est La Vie
Cheap N Nasty Luv
Razzle Dazzle Man
Keep Your Hands of My Power Supply [*]
My Oh My [12" Version][*]
Don't Tame a Hurricane [*]
Run Runaway [12" Version][*]
Two Track Streo One Track Mind [*]
Slam the Hammer Down [Hotter Mix][*]

Album Details

In America, Repackaged and Renamed "Keep Your Hands off My Power Supply", the Album Made the Top 40, the Biggest Us Album in Slade's Career and a Perfect Way to Launch a Fresh Assault on the American Market. We Are Pleased to Present it with No Less Than Six Bonus Cuts, Including the 12" Versions of Both "my Oh My" and "Run Runaway" and the Rare "Hotter Mix" of Powerful Album Opener "Slam the Hammer Down".

Love Kamikaze: The Lost Sex Singles & Collectors' Remixes

Average customer rating:

Sweet!

Love Kamikaze: The Lost Sex Singles & Collectors' Remixes
Michael Franti
Manufacturer: Liberation Music Oz
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0008GIXDM
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Tracks:

Love Kamikaze
Love Me Unique
What Happens Next
Stay Human [Streets Are Alive Mix]
I Wish That I Could Be You
Every Single Soul [One-Two Mix]
Keepin' It Natural
Come and Mess with Me
One Minute's All I Need

Album Description

While moving the location of his recording studio, The Sugar Shack, Michael Franti stumbled over a box of jewels with various unreleased versions of songs from past Spearhead sessions for 'Home', 'Chocolate Supa Highway' and 'Stay Human'. The result is Love Kamikaze-The Lost Sex Singles & Collector's Remixes. This is a strictly limited, Australian exclusive release. Liberation. 2005.

Album Details

While Moving Location of his Recording Studio, the Sugar Shack, Michael Franti Stumbled Over a Box of Jewels with Various Unreleased Versions of Songs from Past Spearhead Sessions for "Home", "Chocolate Supa Highway" and "Stay Human". The Result is "Love Kamikaze: The Lost Sex Singles" (And Collectors' Re-mixes.) "The Songs on the Album Are Not all About Sex and Love Lyrically," Franti Says, "Some Mixes were Chosen Because of the Sensuality of the Rhythm and Heaviness of the Bass." The Result is a Lush Sounding Album that is Erotic in It's Sound, that Takes a Brave Look at Love Lost and Found.

Customer Reviews:

Sweet!.......2006-01-20

As always, this CD from Franti is perfection. And, the second track, "Love Me Unique" is frankly HOT! My oh my. You cannot go wrong with any of Michael Franti and Spearhead's recording, and this holds true for Love Kamikaze. Buy it!

Average customer rating:

Kamikaze
Los Rabanes
Manufacturer: Universal Latino
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000QUCQLU
Release Date: 2007-06-26

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I Ana
Asi Es
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Bala
Muero En El Alcohol
El Apreton
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Ohzawa: Piano Concerto No. 3 'Kamikazi'; Symphony No. 3 'Symphony of the Founding of Japan'

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Naxos' "Music of Japan" Series Hits Paydirt
A Piano Concerto and a Symphony Worth Hearing

Ohzawa: Piano Concerto No. 3 'Kamikazi'; Symphony No. 3 'Symphony of the Founding of Japan'

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Camargo Guarnieri: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2 and 3

ASIN: B0007ORDWC
Release Date: 2005-03-22

Tracks:

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Andante Cantabile - Ekaterina Saranceva
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Customer Reviews:

Naxos' "Music of Japan" Series Hits Paydirt.......2005-07-20

Interesting stuff. As might be expected, Hisato Ohzawa's music is derivative, and as the notes to this recording indicate, the sources of inspiration are different for each work. Piano Concerto No. 3, subtitled "Kamikazi," celebrates a fast Japanese commercial plane that flew well before World War II. The music's chief influences are clearly Ravel and Prokofiev. Ravel is the guiding light behind the glittery keyboard runs in the first movement, as well as the jazz-inflected second movement, though the rather saccharine sax solo of this movement also recalls Gerswhin's Concerto in F and Rhapsody in Blue. Prokofiev lends steel and ice to some of the keyboard writing, and the mercurial-motoric last movement seems indebted to the last movement of Prokofiev's Fourth Concerto, whose coda similarly comes out of nowhere to conclude the piece--kind of inconclusively! If Bartok is there behind Ohzawa's conception--as the other astute reviewer on this page surmises--his influence has been smoothed out a bit: Ohzawa's keyboard writing is more fluid, his writing for the orchestra more streamlined than the granitic, often blocky sound Bartok favors.

Given all these influences, it's very interesting to turn to the symphony, which, though written around the same time and certainly by a fully mature composer, draws from another well. The CD cover postulates Roussel and early Myaskovsky as influences. To this I would add Janacek, especially in the writing for winds and brass--at least, I'd be surprised if Ohzawa didn't know Taras Bulba and the Sinfonietta. Overall, this work, celebrating the 2,600th anniversary of Japan, is more soberly dramatic, more overtly public, as befits the occasion. I'm not sure if there is a program behind it--certainly it is not a clear one if there is--but Ohzawa seems to want to convey the years of internal struggle Japan had known and its hard-won victory as a world power. Ohzawa lightens up only in the third movement, a graceful minuet that, again, seems to owe something to Prokofiev, this time to Prokofiev the witty neoclassicist.

If I seem to be dismissing Ohzawa's art as a mere patchwork of Western musical influences, that's not my object. I'm trying to describe its sound world in the only way I know how. It is certainly not without its individual touches and certainly not without some daring, given that many composers of the thirties, those without ties to the centers of musical modernism as Ohzawa was, wrote throwback pieces you wouldn't want to hear today. No throwbacks, no museum pieces on this disc.

As with any music by unknown composers, it's a bit hard to judge the quality of the performances here, but it appears that Yablonsky and his forces have the measure of this music. Nowhere do I hear a mere run-through or a place where more time to get to know the music seems in order. The playing by both orchestra and pianist are polished, and Yablonsky keeps things moving just as I would hope. Tempos seem well judged to provide maximum effect. I doubt that this music will get, or need, finer performances in future. Sound is fine, too, reflecting the excellent results Naxos engineers are getting in Russia these days. This one is definitely worth a try.

A Piano Concerto and a Symphony Worth Hearing.......2005-04-16

It is sad that the family of Japanese composer Hisato Ohzawa (1907-1953) had to, against the tides of fortune, preserve the scores of his works after his music dropped completely from sight after his death, and we are fortunate that the family preserved them so carefully for these two pieces are really worthwhile. After his death he became so obscure that he was not even remembered by very many in the Japanese music scene. He had been in the first generation of Japanese composers to study in the West and unlike many had spent several years in the US studying with the likes of Frederick Converse, Roger Sessions and Arnold Schoenberg. While in the US he was the first Japanese to conduct the Boston Symphony (in his own 'Little Symphony') before he went on to study with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. After six years in the West he returned to Japan and remained there the rest of his life. He led an active life in the Kansei district (which includes his hometown, Kobe, as well as Osaka and Kyoto). But that was a conservative part of the country and his music had difficulty being accepted (although to our ears they are extremely easy to assimilate); he was not helped by the rudimentary state of Japanese orchestras in those days.

His Third Piano Concerto has elements reminiscent of Rachmaninoff, Bartók and Ravel (with more than a soupçon of jazzy Gershwin thrown in). The outer movements are virtuosic, rhythmically interesting, and brilliantly orchestrated. Their harmonic language is French cum Russian, their thrust Bartókian. The middle movement, which begins with a smoky sax blues, surely was modeled to some degree on the second movement of Ravel's G Major Concerto with some cross-fertilization from Gershwin's Concerto in F. It is simply gorgeous. The performance here by Russian pianist Ekaterina Saranceva is sparkling and she is ably accompanied by the Russian Philharmonic under the up-and-coming Dmitry Yablonsky, also known to us as a fine cellist. The Concerto's subtitle, 'Kamikaze,' has little to do with the Japanese suicide bombers of World War II; written in 1938 (and subtitled at least partly to give the concerto a popular tinge) it is named after the civil airplane called the 'Kamikaze,' a feat of pre-war Japanese engineering that set a speed record between Tokyo and London and of which the nation was understandably proud.

The Third Symphony, written just before the Second Concerto, was premired in 1937 by the forerunner of the NHK Symphony to an indifferent response from the Tokyo public. It is subtitled 'Symphony of the Founding of Japan' to celebrate the 2600th anniversary of the country. (Richard Strauss and Benjamin Britten. among others, also wrote pieces for the celebration.) In four movements, the first and longest movement is a dramatic, even brutalist, sonata-allegro which sounds a bit like Honegger with lots of pentatonic scale passages thrown in. The second movement, Adagio grazioso, is a bit misterioso, features much that sounds like French non-impressionist music (Roussel, Honegger) wedded with ceremonial Gagaku (Japanese court) music. Although mostly serene, there are some uneasy undercurrents. The charming third movement, Menuet con fantasia, is in rondo form (not the usual ABA minuet form), one section of which 'uses a bouncing pattern, called Pynkobushi' (I am indebted here to the detailed insert notes by Japanese musicologist and critic Morihide Katayama). The finale, Allegro non troppo con fuoco, bursts onto the scene with a fortissimo tutti clamor and then settles into a march rhythm until the Pynkobushi rhythm of the previous movement returns to lighten the atmosphere a bit. Another sonata-allegro (albeit rather free), this movement, with its contrasting first and second themes, subsides into a string chorale before leading to a complex and fascinating contrapuntal recombination of the original themes. Quite a feat of expert craft leading to fascinating and musically satisfying results. This work grew on me each time I heard it. If one makes some allowance for its emotional reticence (surely a carry-over of Ohzawa's French training), it is very nearly the equal of most of what was being written in Europe at the time.

Recommended for those wishing to stray from the tried and true.

TT=64:10

Scott Morrison

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Catchy Indie Rock Meets Alt-Country

Oneida Road
The Kamikaze Hearts
Manufacturer: Collar City Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Kamikaze Hearts
Honey And Salt
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The Trials of Van Occupanther

ASIN: B000IB16L8
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Tracks:

Top of Your Head
Defender
You Can't Just Get Up and Leave
No One Called You a Failure
Half of Me
Wolfert's Roost
Ash Wednesday
Deer Hunter
Guyana Central High School Class of '78

Product Description

After three years of tinkering and toiling in their makeshift studio, The Kamikaze Hearts return with a brand new album in hand. The "Oneida Road" LP retains the band's signature lyrical prowess draped over a highly improved musical landscape. Add sonic details such as accordions, keyboards, bowed upright bass, harmonized mandolin solos to The Kamikaze Hearts' usual acoustic guitar, dobro, bass, mandolin and banjo set up.

Customer Reviews:

Catchy Indie Rock Meets Alt-Country.......2007-03-27

This is an excellent album from start to finish. I have played it for many people in my car and no one has disliked it. After hearing "Top of Your Head" and "Ash Wednesday," it was an easy purchase. The rest of the album followed nicely.

Rolling indie rock with catchy melodies and harmonies. A perfect driving disc.

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Love Kamikaze: The Lost Sex Singles & Collectors' Remixes
Michael Franti
Manufacturer: Spearhead
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000NOK9U4
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Tracks:

Love Kamikaze
Love Me Unique
What Happens Next
Stay Human [Streets Are Alive Mix]
I Wish That I Could Be You
Every Single Soul [One-Two Mix]
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Three Guys Naked From The Waist Down (1985 Original Off-Broadway Cast)

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Best Off Broadway Show

Three Guys Naked From The Waist Down (1985 Original Off-Broadway Cast)
Jerry Colker
Manufacturer: Jay Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Romance Romance
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ASIN: B000005BGQ
Release Date: 1996-11-19

Tracks:

Overture-Promise Of Greatness
Angey Guy/Lovely Day
Don't Wanna Be No Superstar
Operator
Screaming Clocks (The Dummies Song)
The History Of Stand-Up Comedy
Dreams Of Heaven
Don't Wanna Be No Superstar (Reprise)
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The American Dream
What A Ride
The 'Hello Fellas' TV Special World Tour
A Father Now
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Dreams Of Heaven (Reprise)
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Customer Reviews:

Best Off Broadway Show.......2001-03-14

This show is a blast! It's a very funny story about some comics trying to make it in the big leagues. The music is so entertaining and the guys are hilarious. If you like comedy, you'll love Three Guys.