The Good, The Bad, and Idoling!!!
Every once in a while I am introduced to a song out of the realm of Hello! Project that really catches my attention. A few months ago Henkka posted an Uta Doki Pop Classics episode where Yaguchi Mari covered the Juicy Fruits' Jenny Wa Gokigen Naname. I love that tune!. And Mari is so cute doing it. But what I really fell in love with was Perfume's version of the same song, which was the c/w track of their Sweet Donuts single. It is a lot of fun, and the lyrics are great.
Last week Berryz Kobo International did a post about a recent Berikyuu episode where members of Berryz Koubou and C-ute did a cover of Natsu Matsuri. The song was originally done by Jitterin' Jinn and more recently covered by a really cool J-rock group called Whiteberry. I really love this song too, especially Whiteberry's version. And the original is pretty good as well.
CJ, formerly of Stuck in a Pagoda (check out his great new blog here) commented on IW that Niigaki Risa recently covered that song on Uta Doki too. That prompted me to search You Tube for more versions, as Japanese pop classics tend to be redone by multiple artists. I had seen some of the Uta Doki episodes of that week with GakiKame, but somehow this performance slid under my radar...
Now I really like Gaki's version as well. Risa looks adorable with that haircut! And the ending is great with Kamei joining in on the fun! I had commented once before that Gakisan has what it takes to be a popular solo artist. And this performance doesn't change that opinion at all. But the "best" thing that came out of my search was the discovery that the relatively new J-pop group Idoling!!! also did a cover of Natsu Matsuri. I've never heard the girls in Idoling!!! sing before. Let's see how they do, shall we...
Uggh!!! Doesn't Idoling!!! have any girls that can sing? That was a disaster! Japan's version of The Monkees has got to do better than this if they think they are going to make a dent in the music industry. In fact, the members of The Monkees all had musical talent. The girls of Idoling!!! are cute, but what else do they have to offer? It should also be noted that Idoling!!! also covered Pucchi Moni's BABY! Koi ni KNOCK OUT! And that was slightly...slightly better. To borrow one of my favorite pics form Morning Berryz blog...
I can only imagine what our good friend Simon would have to say. I would really like to become a fan of Idoling!!! But what I have seen so far just hasn't impressed me. Perhaps they sound better on some of their original material. So I won't write them off just yet. In any case, Natsu Matsuri is an amazing song. And thank you to Pengie (this might be a record for references to other bloggers) for turning me on to Whiteberry!
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Comments
Whiteberry were actually one of the first groups that I followed prior to getting into H!P in early 2004. Unfortunately, their studio albums and EP are out of print, leaving behind only two anthologies (the second being one Sony is putting out without the band's participation).
I had tried to get into Idoling!!! a few times in the past.
But each time, I remembered how bad they sucked.
The best version I've heard is the Risa version. >3> But I'm biased.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10z3E6nZ16Q
Idoling!!! has performed a lot of covers songs in concerts and on their TV show, and there's a few that just didn't sound good at all. I think they have a tendency to really try to emulate the original singers, and some combinations just don't work out. Unsurprisingly, the songs they tend to match up best with are songs from old idol groups.
Unfortunately, Idoling!!! has developed a reputation among the online communities as a group that is lacking musical talent. I'll admit that the group overall may not be as talented as some other idol groups, but Idoling!!! has talented and not-so-talented members, just like most other idol groups. A bunch of the members can play instruments, and one even knows how to tap dance. Coincidentally (or not), most of the members that know how to play instruments are also the better singers in the group.
I know it's hard to forget performances like that Natsu Matsuri performance, but I hope that people will eventually start checking out Idoling!!!'s original material, which they match up better with. Here's a performance of (in my opinion) one of their best songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FgItQ4EMH4
The song is titled Omoi no Uta, and it's from Idoling!!!'s first album. This song is sung by Rumi Koizumi, Mai Endo, and Maria Eto, but for this performance from Idoling!!!'s 3rd concert series, they also have 2nd generation member Ami Kikuchi playing the piano. Endo also came up with the notes for the song and taught Kikuchi how to play it.
Anytime CJ, I got scared when I first read the post on Stuck in a Pagoda, I thought you were going to abandon blogging. And I've always felt I have the most in common with you from any other J-pop blogger.
I will still try to find some Whiteberry (on EBay maybe?) Pengie sent me some downloads. In the meantime I will enjoy my copy of Hello Scandal, which I got in the mail today.
Okay Bolt...
First of all, thanks for responding to my post. It is hard enough to get people inspired enough to sign into Vox just to comment.
As I said in the post, I'm not going to give up on Idoling!!! And maybe I just got a hold of their "brown acid". But even the post by Bikkuri Project gave more examples of uninspired singing and dancing.
I'd like to see their TV show. I've never been into Berikyuu, until very recently the show has finally gotten good. As much as I like Momusu, Haromoni@ fails more than it wins. But I like AKB48's show very much. If Idoling's TV show is better, then great. I will most definitely give it a shot. I already have a favorite member (Erika Yazawa, and maybe Fonchii)
And if you know about any appearances I can see while I am on my next trip to Japan (10/25-11/3) let me know.
Simon: "While Paula would probably declare that performance the love of her life, I'll be completely honest with you here...that was absolutely ghastly....it reminds me of the time I was putting the beat down on David Hasselhoff in front of a third grade class in a friendly game of Fisher Price Bowl-O-Rama at an Obama fun raiser only to have some little bugger crazy glue my bum to a chair...mind you I still beat him with a fabulous score of 38 with the chair stuck to my bum and all.....good times."
I read the entry at Bikkuri Project, and I have no problem admitting that, overall, Idoling!!! is one of the weaker groups when it comes to live performances. What tends to be forgotten, though, is that Kokuhaku isn't exactly the type of song that demands a great performance. It's a light, fluffy song, so the girls just go out there and have fun with it. At the other end of the spectrum, they have songs like Omoi no Uta, Like a Shooting Star, and Daiji na Mono where the girls settle down and deliver stronger performances.
As for Idoling!!!'s TV show, since it comes on at 5:00 PM, it's "cleaner" than AKB48's show, if you know what I mean. It has a different "flavor" to it, and some people like it better, some people don't. Episodes are free for the taking at Acchi Muite Pie, so definitely check it out:
http://acchimuitepie.blogspot.com/
The Idoling!!! staff tends to not plan very far ahead, so their activities in October and November are still unknown. To be honest, the group is currently making many appearances at the Odaiba Boukenou Final event at the Fuji TV building, but their schedule after the end of the event is a big question mark. Individual members have future events planned for new DVDs and photobooks, but the whole group doesn't have anything special planned. I try to keep the schedules at Acchi Muite Pie updated, so keep an eye on those for upcoming events.