Old Musume Rocks! Retro #3

I was going back and forth on which concert to review next, Berryz Koubou or Aya Matsuura.  Then I got two shipments in the mail this week to add to my collection.  A bunch of older stuff.  But two items struck me in such a way that the next post was obvious.  So this review will be a CD/DVD combo.

 

I'm sure most of you have seen Morning Cop.  It's a gritty little movie made on a small budget made to promote Morning Musume and (seemingly) more importantly Michiyo Heike.  It has some great setpieces.  Some of my favorites being Michiyo being sprayed with fake blood, the "fight" scene, and our girls being chased around a spooky, desolated house by a crazed Otaku stalker.  There is a great line by the "darth vader" character that many should take note of..."Idols should be supported from afar".  But enough about the movie...

The CD/OST is a nice little collection of mostly seldom heard songs that are fun to listen to.  It also has a very 70's quality to it.  Now I know why many around International Wota accuse Tsunku of being "stuck in the past", composition-wise.

Dakedo Aishisugite ~ Michiyo Heike  Michiyo's style was definitely more in the rock genre than anywhere else.  This song has an 80's metal feel to it, highlighted in the movie by Michiyo gunning down the Musume's with an uzi under the opening credits.

Onegai Nail ~ Morning Musume  Musume and Michiyo with a "Stevie Wonder" style.  70's R&B with a horn section, and harmonica solo!

Yoroshiku! ~ Morning Musume  Fun song with more of an 80's surf-Devo sound to it, if that makes any sense.  This song is played over a montage of Momusu's "vigorous" training to take on the stalker.

Koi no ABC ~ Morning Musume  This is the only song on the OST, other than "Daite, Hold On Me" , that I know of that they have ever performed live.  I'll review that performance below.

Tsuyoku naranakucha...ne ~ Michiyo Heike  This is it!  This is the song that hooked me for this CD.  An amazing power ballad that starts soft and builds momentum as it goes.  The chord pregressions sound like something Paul Williams would have written in the mid 70's.  It is also reminiscent of late 80's hard rock ballads, beautifully sung by Heike, and with a legit guitar solo!!!  If Takitty insists on soloing on ballads at every concert, I highly recommend this one.  It suits her too.

Daite HOLD ON ME!  ~Sexy Long Version~  Dance remix of the classic.  Same cool song, with a few twists.  Has a great "Emerson Lake and Palmer" style sequence at the end.  I'd like to hear this segued into "Karn Evil 9"

If you haven't already, check out the film and OST.  Now onto the DVD...

 

 

Morning Musume Memory Seishun no Hikari

(1999)

(The granddaddy of all cryfests!)

 

You only need to watch the first 5 minutes of this DVD to get an idea of what awaits.  One by one, each member of Morning Musume, with tears flowing, walks offstage into the awaiting arms of her crying groupmates.  I don't think I have ever seen Morning Musume cry this hard as a group.  I mean every single one of them was practically hysterical!  Finally our girl of the hour makes her way offstage.  This is the graduation concert of Fukuda Asuka.  Which means it is time for my next love confession.  Asuka is so damn cute!  She is especially adorable throughout this concert.  A point I'm sure I will bring up repeatedly throughout this review!  Now if I could only find that bar she works at!

Although this is a concert DVD, it is shot in documentary style, and we are starting the DVD at the end of the concert ala Quentin Tarantino.  I think it is also shot on film as opposed to the usual "live video" style most of the concert DVD's are formatted in today.  Was this released in theaters?  This is also the concert that they employed a live band for the music, which was something I was apprehensive about.

We are treated to some pre-show rehearsal footage, including the building of the set, testing of effects etc.  The girls show up in a van with the windows draped over.  Now that I think of it, I saw a few of those vans in the arena lot friday before the concert at Yokohama!  I had a feeling they were rehearsing the show that day.  Then Sayaka and Mari arrive seperately by Taxi...TAXI???  What, did they miss the bus?  I guess Mari was honing her "usually late" character.  I thought it was neat to see them rehearse in their street clothes.

Summer Night Town ~ I first saw this performance on Dohhhup.  Asuka is a great singer.  She has the lead on this song, along with Nacchi, and they look like sisters with the same hairstyle and face shape!  This is my all-time favorite performance of this song...

 

Koi no ABC ~  Catchy song with Bond-esque music and a slight rap style.  I also like that each girl takes a solo line in the verse.  So everyone gets their moment.  The girls look collectively sexy in those long royal blue skirts and jackets, eh?  This also the cutest I've ever seen Sayaka as well.  We then cut to more backstage footage, with everyone individually talking about Asuka.

Junjou Koushinkyoku ~ Yuko doing an enka song.  The song sounds very traditional, and she's a natural at it.  Short and sweet!

Last Kiss ~ "Some early Tanpopo for ya!" (repeat in pukey DJ style)  Tight red leather, very cool!  Good song, Aya doesn't sound as good as Kaorin and Marippe.  BTW, the band sounds great!  I thought that would take away from the concert.  But they are reproducing the original songs very well, and bringing an exciting feel to the show!  There is a cute little backstage moment here, and Asuka looks amazingly cute!  But we are kicked out so Yuko can change costume. (Bummer)

Memory Seishun no Hikari ~ I just found the "Mikan" costumes!  And why does Kaori always have that spacey look on her face?  She looks like Leslie Van Houten!  Asuka sings the lead, again with Nacchi.  Here is another question for the experts...did Asuka get this many solos on record, or is this just because she is graduating?  I'm not complaining, I like it.

Happy Night ~ This is a fun live performance.  I like the sexy outfits they were wearing under the "Mikan" jackets...

 

 

Mirai no Tobira ~ I know I said I would be cooing over Asuka all night, but Sayaka looks cute as hell as she revs up the crowd over this intro.  I was combing through my DVD's to see where I had seen/heard this song before.  It was in last year's Elder's Club concert.  Great Song!  And Asuka is adorable! (There, I said it! Again!)

Daite HOLD ON ME! ~ I'm trying to figure out if this is lip synched or not.  The verse isn't for sure, as I've heard a couple of "flat" lines.  But the chorus sounds perfect.  If this is live, they sound great!  After the song, we cut to backstage and girls getting ready for their final set.  Here is where things get good!

Morning Coffee ~ Starts in their usual "bowling pin" formation.  Jeez Nacchi!, you're already crying?  We haven't even started the graduation ceremony yet!  But this is a mere preview to the waterworks that are about to begin.  It is really neat to get a chance to see all five of the original girls perform this song.  It has been done so many times, with so many lineups!

Never Forget ~  Asuka's graduation song.  Asuka is in her own little world out there as one by one all of the other girls "lose it" on stage...

 

It is interesting to see all of the different ways in which thay have done "graduations".  This one is kind of a two parter sandwiched around the last song.  First the girls give their message to Asuka while standing in a straight line.  Nacchi, Mari and Kaori get especially emotional.  Then Yuko loses it...what is this world coming to?  The amazing thing is with all of this emotion pouring out of everyone, Asuka is a "rock" up there.  Just smiling and enjoying the moment.  It is pretty clear to me that she was "ready" to graduate, and had already graduated in her mind long before this concert.  This DVD is worth the buy, if only to see Kaori blubbering behind Asuka during her speech.  "Samishii Hi" is not the greatest performance, but watching the emotional spectacle makes it worthwhile.  The final moment on stage, as the girls give Asuka a flower one by one, is great!  The piano accompaniment is beautiful.

Words cannot properly describe the following footage!  Crying backstage, Crying in the dressing room, Crying at the press conference.  It is an incredible sequence.  This is the biggest emotional outpouring I have ever seen by Morning Musume.

This DVD is definitely worth the money.  As a concert, it is pretty good.  Although it doesn't have alot of the glitz and pageantry we have come to get used to at an H!P show.  But as a concert/documentary it is very good.  This is Morning Musume with the whole world in front of them.  All of the tv shows, movies, concerts, graduations, and scandals were just a glimmer in their eyes!

CK in California