Or Lack Thereof - You remind me of the Shrimp

Seatbelts Almost Compete Works

O.S.T 1 | Vitaminless | No Disc | Blue
Music for Freelance | Future Blues
Ask DNA/Cowgirl Ed

About a month ago as of this writing, I bought seven CDs worth of music from the animated, Japanese, science-fiction television program "Cowboy Bebop". Two weeks ago, I saw an episode of the show for the first time. See, I’m not enthusiastic to the anime scene, despite what my high school transcript might tell you, what with two years of Japanese language courses. I bought the soundtracks based on their merit alone, not out of any connection to its source material. I vowed not to be a victim of fandom, which places unrealistic values (both positive and negative) on the series it admires. Even if someone didn’t like the music, at least they couldn’t blame me for clinging to it based solely on my preexisting infatuation with the series it came from.

So here, for your reading enjoyment is an album-by-album, track-by-track review of the music of "Cowboy Bebop". Be forewarned however, I’m not trained in any sort of musical deconstruction, so these are the musing of an average Joe Music-listener.

The Show:

First, a little background on the show: "Cowboy Bebop", directed by Shinichiro Wantanabe, first aired on Japanese television in 1998. The series was considered too violent for TV (an astounding accomplishment, considering the nation it came from) and was cut down from its original 26 episodes to 13, neglecting to include even the first episode as well as the last six. Re-aired on cable the next year, it made its way over to America with some minor edits in 2001 as part of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block and currently resides in the 1:30 am (!) time slot. The movie, currently playing in my home town, was filmed in 2001 and was entitled "Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door" until Bob Dylan’s lawyers came a knockin’.

The program centers on the exploits of Spike Speigel, Jet Black, Faye Valentine, and Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV, interplanetary bounty hunters. The show plays out somewhat like a buddy picture, and from what I’ve gathered is a direct rip-off of an old 60s anime “Lupin III.” Not that it matters much; from the two episodes I’ve seen so far the show masterfully balances comedy, action and character development in a smooth, elegant setting. Of course, if you want some information about the show from someone who’s actually watched it, I suggest The Jazz Messengers for all your Cowboy Bebop needs.

The Composer:

Yoko Kanno is probably the world’s most modest looking woman. She wears floral-print dresses and a straw hat. She’s the less avant garde, more homely Yoko Ono. Despite this, she’s the person responsible for the show’s always cool, always stylish, often-bombastic soundtrack. She also plays keyboard for those songs that might require one, and sings under the pseudonym of Gabriella Robin.

The Band:

Like many soundtracks, Cowboy Bebop’s could fall under the classification of a “Various artists” album, but the fact is besides a classical opera piece, every single song was written by Ms. Kanno. For the most part, the music is performed by a compilation of musicians, collectively known as the Seatbelts. Some tracks are performed by only a few musicians, some enlist the help of some outside artists, and some are handled by a separate band known as the New York Group, but for the purposes of this review, I’m going to say they all fall within the communal title of Seatbelts.

O.S.T. 1

This album, having no name other than its Original Soundtrack designation, is sometime referred to as “Red” in reference to its cover art. Taken mostly from the program’s first episodes, it could probably be considered the most “meat and potatoes” out of the soundtracks. The album is jazz, through and through. Only one vocal track interrupts this entirely instrumental album, a fact which reflects on the instrumental/vocal ratio in the other CDs. It’s probably the best bet for those who want to be introduced to the series’ music, and the choice for those who want a more straightforward listening experience, as opposed to the violently eclectic feel of some of the later albums.

All of these songs can be sampled at The Yoko Kanno Project.

1)	Tank! – Normally an exclamation point contained within a title is a bad sign, "Airplane!" notwithstanding. However, the fact is, this song deserves, nay, even requires one. Simply put, this is the best opening theme some ever in the history of television. Better than "Mission: Impossible", better than "Pink Panther", better than "Hawaii 5-0", better than anything. This crazy-cool jazz piece is the reason I first came across Bebop and the reason I kept listening. The song is expanded past its TV edit to include a wonderfully complex saxophone “solo” that weaves in perfectly with the tune’s signature brass refrain. Listen to it at YKP right now and let the tune speak for itself.
2)	Rush – This track completes a one-two punch of two of the series’ best songs. Though it’s somewhat more laid back than its bigger brother Tank!, Rush still has a big-band sort of flavor to it. What sets this song apart is the way its big trumpets make way for some subtle trombone doodling. The use of bongos near the end almost makes you think it’s a beatnik styled piece, but blaring brass reminds you exactly where this song stands.
3)	Spokey Dokey – Okay, so its not exactly an entirely jazz album, but luckily the country-blues segments such as these fit in nicely to the album’s overall motif. It’s both bebop and cowboy after all. Spokey Dokey is what I’d would be my life’s theme song if I lived a far more melancholy and depressing existence. Until a minute in, the track focuses on an extended harmonica solo, it’s soulful tune almost pleading for a wandering stranger to listen to its tail of woe. A guitar and understated synthesizer join in later creating a space yet layered ballad to long nights on the trail and lost love. Plus I really like harmonicas.
4)	Bad Dog No Biscuits – Back to the jazz scene for this one, in a disconcertingly funky sounding track. Instruments are squashed, squeezed, scratched, and distorted to form this bizarre, up-tempo song that could serve as the background music for a Keystone Kops chase scene should they suddenly receive a sense of style.
5)	Cat Blues – Now here’s what you want if you’re putting you thumb out for Beatnikville; clarinet, flute, bongos and symbols are all woven together in this sly and sneaky track. It actually spontaneously produces French berets out of thin air. Perfect for your beat poetry session or your recognizance mission with Inspector Clouseau.
6)	Cosmos – Pay close attention to this track, because you’ll be seeing a lot of it later on. This version is basically a simple, sad, short saxophone solo. It’s beautiful for sure, but in truth, this is the most under whelming of all its incarnations.
7)	Space Lion – The longest track, weighing in at 7:11, this is a bit of an oddball as well. It starts out mirroring the previous track (it’s even reincarnated several times later like Cosmos); a simple saxophone solo begins the song, overlaid on top of generic deep space sounds. About two minutes in it takes a turn for the soulful, followed immediately by a tribal drum beat. The left turn into native music is compounded by the addition of standard issue chanting children. Normally I’m for strict governmental regulation regarding the use of children in popular music, it’s always struck me as needlessly manipulative, but it works out nicely here.
8)	WALTZ for ZIZI – We’re back in the saddle again with this cowboy lullaby. A solo guitar and a low key drum play until a piano and acoustic base join at the one minute mark. An accordion shows up late in the game and adds a bit of atmosphere to this ponderous melody. Easy listening in the best sense of the phrase.
9)	Piano Black – Um…industrial jazz? It sounds like an odd combination, but joins together quite nicely here. A playful piano waltzes its way over a repeating, mechanical background and trades bars with a well-integrated synthesizer beat, joined every so often by a saxophone. The whole song basically is a three way duel between the instruments, while the unceasing motorized whir keeps it al together. Some might find the industrial beat to repetitive, but I think (despite its volume) it stays under the surface of the song and doesn’t interfere with the melody.
10)	Pot City – The message seems clear to me on this track: “Kids, don’t do drugs, in fact we’ll make this song sound like you’re high to save you the trouble of actually getting baked.” Or maybe not. In any case, this song’s basically a low-tempo lounge crawl run through a filter. It’s a bit of a short novelty piece, that was probably more interested in setting a scene in the show than in being a stand alone song.
11)	Too Good Too Bad – It’s back to strait jazz in this Rush-like piece. It has the designation of having the best intro of any "Bebop" song, which is used as its closer in the final seconds. It’s more of the same; good thing the same’s so good.
12)	Car24 – This track has leaped strait out of the 1950’s. You just came back from the sock-hop with your poodle-skirt sweetie and are about to have a malt at Reggie’s Ice Cream Emporium when this swell tune comes on the jukebox. Short, sweet, and so keen father can’t help but approve. It’s pretty much muzak, only good, if you can imagine that.
13)	The EGG and I – A hard drum beat starts this song; the liner notes claims there’s six different percussion instruments contributing to the track. A slick, steely zydeco guitar joins the ensemble along with a couple of flutes. It’s a nice playful traveling tune for those nights floating down the Tuscaloosa River. If that river was in Louisiana. I just like saying Tuscaloosa.
14)	Felt Tip Pen – Cowboy country through and through. You could also throw in bluegrass if you were feeling generous. Take off your cowboy boots, sit in front of the fire and dream on that purty little lass (or lad, what have you) you’ve got waiting for you back in San Anton’. Catchy.
15)	Rain – Now this is odd; not only is it the sole vocal track on the album, but its never even appeared on the show. Were not even through with one soundtrack and we’re already digging through the unused bin. Actually the song is used in the series, but this is the Steve Conte version as opposed to the Mai Yamane take (trust me, those names are going to mean a lot to you by the end of this review). Basically it’s something you might find in a rock opera, organs, electric guitars, the whole shebang. Conte does a nice job infusing some semblance of soul into the lyrics, but the fact is Yamane sings better than most humans, so he’s fighting an uphill battle. Still a nice song though.
16)	Digging my Potato – More harmonicas and bongos are never a bad thing, and Potato’s got them in spades. In fact, it’s the only thing it does have, though the drums are technically jembes. Never mind, the track’s still got a bluesy funk to it, its mellowness making you just want to sit back in your rocking chair and settle down a bit.
17)	Memory – The music-box rendition of Adieu, which you’ll be seeing in a few albums. Nice little tune, as most music box tunes tend to be and a great way to end the album. Of course, it’s doesn’t make nearly as good an ending as the next albums opening song…

Vitaminless

Otherwise known as "The Real Folk Blues Held For Ransom." This eight track (not that kind of eight track) CD serves no other purpose than to house the show's ending-credits theme. For all purposes, the song should be on O.S.T. 1, but the fact is that they could make more money this way. Fortunately, there's a good selection of songs to take your mind off that you're being swindled out of your hard earned cash.

As before, you can sample these songs from The Yoko Kanno Project.

1)	The Real Folk Blues – This song (in an abbreviated form) closes out each episode, and what a fine job it does. While Tank! is more overblown, RFB is more soulful and mournful. Not to say that there's not enough funk in it, the hard driven brass and guitars make this anything but your average pop-piece that you usually find at the end of most anime shows. This will be most listeners introduction to Mai Yamane who provides the vocals for some of the band's best vocal numbers. Blues is possibly her best song, not only in her actual delivery, but in the scope of the entire song. This song's number two on your downloading list; you should be taking notes.
2)	Odd Ones – Piano and sax duet that's a bit, well, odd. This is my favorite track on the album other than The Real Folk Blues, and has a nice playful tone to it. There's a lot of great give and take between the two instruments and some nice improvisation. Overall its a great classy jazz tune with some smoth sax licks.
3)	Doggy Dog – Weird. Basically a drum beat overlaid with a bunch of mumbling and the refrain "We are the Doggy Doggy Dogs!" You won't miss any sleep if you skip over this track.
4)	Cats on Mars – Techno children's music. It's sort of catchy, in that bubblegum Japanesey way. This is also the first song on our tour that features the psuedo-language used in a few other songs. An amalgamation of French, Latin, and Japanese, no one but Ms. Kanno knows what's being said, and I'm not sure even she does.
5)	SPY – A little James Bond styled jazz never hurt no one, at least to my knowledge. Some twangy electric guitar, bongos, and woodwinds keep things low profile until some brass adds some mystery to this international spy song. It's not quite parody, and it's all good.
6)	Fantaisie Sign – Carla Vallet provides the French lyrics to this drum based pop song. Some saxophone improvisation breaks things up a bit, but the fast paced beat fares well on its own. I actually prefer the re-mix on Music for Freelance, but both have a distinct style to the point where they might appeal to two entirely different audiences.
7)	Piano Bar I – Not to be confused with Piano Black, this is a classically styled Piano solo in the style of George Gershwin. It's not lonely and its not mournful, but its got just enough of a blue streak to make you think of days gone by.
8)	Black Coffee – A little Latin groove spices up this dialog- based hidden track. Drums and brass underscore the entirely unsuccessful attempts of an obviously desperate man as he tries to persuade a woman to join him for coffee. A little saxophone noodling doesn't hurt, but the main attraction is this guy's pathetic attempts to garner a date.

No Disc

No Disc, the second full length album, could be considered a sort of grab bag. Red takes care of introducing the show’s music, and the upcoming Blue wraps up the series with its more somber feel; No Disc is left with whatever remains. For this reason, the album seems the most eclectic out of all television sound tracks, featuring pop-rock, choir chants, heavy metal, techno, country and jazz. With eight (or nine, depending on who’s counting) vocal tracks out of 15 (or 18 or 13, depending on who’s counting), it also features the most singing you’ll find on a sound track from the TV show. You’ll probably want to buy this album after the other full length CDs, but you won’t regret the purchase.

Once again, feel free to sample these songs at The Yoko Kanno Project.

1)	American Money – The theme song for Big Shot, "Cowboy Bebop"’s show within a show, Money’s probably the most overtly weird song you’ll find from the Seatbelts. Cash register sound effects, squeaky trumpets, and anomalous sound clips are layered over some old timey, up tempo banjo strummin’. It’s a novelty song, but a highly entertaining one at that.
2)	Fantaisie Sign – What’s this, didn’t we just see this song? Why yes, it appears Fantaisie Sign is making a second appearance. How nice of it. The track is the same exact arrangement used in Vitaminless, without any alterations. Well, this is a few seconds longer, but I can't make out any differences except maybe in a lengthened ending melody. In one sense it makes sense; not everyone’s going to by the mini-CD, so including some of its more well known tracks on other albums gives some fans what they want. Helpful for some listeners, annoying to people like me who bought everything.
3)	Don’t bother none – The first country vocal track we get to hear, this one by the undisputable Mai Yamane. An interesting thing about many of Ms. Yamane’s songs is that she is, to my understanding, basically the musical accompaniment to the program’s main character, Spike Speigal. As such, the songs are actually sung from a man’s perspective. This isn’t exactly strange, Aretha Franklin’s Respect was a cover of a song sung by a man from a man’s perspective, but there’s that odd moment of realization when you listen to the lyrics close enough. In any case, this song’s a down home and dirty guitar picking piece with accompanying harmonica. A man fails a robbery attempt, is abandoned by his girl, and loses his car (the last two concurrently) and decides that’s just way that it is, won’t help at all to worry ‘bout it.
4)	Vitamin A – No Disc’s strange relationship with Vitamiless continues, since it looks like the vitamins were placed here instead. It’s a ten second trumpet eye catch used between commercial breaks on the show. So short it’s not worth skipping, and besides, it’s got a nice ring to it.
5)	LIVE in Baghdad – Heavy metal, Seatbelts style….whatever that means. Lyrics are in Japanese, at least I think so; the lyrics are more shouted then sung, it’s heavy metal after all with a little punk thrown in for good measure. Like SPY, the song falls into not-quite-parody territory, and it got a unique sort of charm to it. Many might find it to much of a departure from what you might expect from the Seatbelts, but I like it. I’m thinking of using this song form a mix CD using only songs with Baghdad in the title, but so far all I have is this and Outkast’s offering.
6)	Cats on Mars – Another holdover from Vitaminless, still as saccharine as we left it.
7)	Want it all back – One of my personal favorites, Mai Yamane sings a tale of lost love, lost money, and cheap dates. A guy just broke up with his girlfriend and retribution for his lost time and money. However, it becomes obvious to the audience that despite spending all his cash he still wasn’t spending too much. The wonderful, genuinely funny lyrics are the best part of the song, but the tune ain’t shabby either. Some smooth guitar licks, a nice drum beat and accompanying brass make sure you crank up the volume on this spectacular jazz tune.
8)	Bindy – One of the best examples on the Seatbelt’s adeptness at mixing genres, Bindy is a unique blending of jazz and Middle Eastern music. A sax tethers down most of the song, but Middle Eastern flutes, drums and chanting give it a distinctive flavor all of its own. It’s sort of soothing, in a hot, dusty, Moroccan kind of way. Grab some lamb and hummus and settle down on the silk cushions to have a little listen.
9)	You make me cool – The vocal version of SPY, this track actually has a very different flavor to it. A Pink Panther-like opening leads into a lounge-style piece complete with greasy crooner belting out the admittedly cheesy lyrics. Interestingly enough, the lyrics weren’t even used the one time it was utilized for the show. Just as well, I suppose, the smooth jazz melody is the main attraction here.
10)	Vitamin B – Another sax eye-catcher, this one weighing in at a hefty eight seconds.
11)	Green Bird – A beautiful, ethereal, haunting piece sung a capella with a brief piano interlude, this serves as the background music to the show’s most famous scene, the violent duel between Spike and nemesis Vicious on top of a cathedral. I’ve never seen the episode myself, but have heard that the juxtaposition of the scene’s intensity with the song makes both even more poignant. All the same, it’s beautiful on its own merits and shouldn’t be missed.
12)	ELM – Elm? Ee el em? I’m still trying to figure it out, but the tune is another departure from what you might expect. In the simplest terms, its Middle Ages styled guitar with a bit of la-la-lahing mixing in. It’s sort of a thing you might expect to hear a “bard” play at one of those renaissance festivals (not that I can speak from experience) but some of the guitar playing get a bit technical to be entirely old fashioned. It’s nice background music, if you don’t mind the vocal bits.
13)	Vitamin C – Not much of a song at six seconds, but it does prevent scurvy, so it’s got that going for it.
14)	Gateway – One of two straightforward jazz instrumentals on the album, Gateway’s a lighthearted, brass dominated tune. Between rolling refrains the sax, trombone, and trumpet take turns improvising, eventually letting the piano help itself to quick semi-solo. Charming is probably the best word to describe it.
15)	The Singing Sea – A slow, sensual, old-fashioned jazz tune, Tulivu-Donna Cumberbatch makes her first appearance for the Seatbelts. The poetic lyrics filled with paradoxes and contradictions create a hypnotizing atmosphere aided by the sultry sax playing and low key instrumentation. Soulful and beautiful, this song could stand the best of the great female jazz vocalists like Aretha Franklin and Etta James.
16)	The EGG and YOU – The second straightforward jazz piece is a rearrangement of The EGG and I. It would actually take some listening to discern a connection between the two if the titles didn’t take care of that for us. The track’s actually a homage to the music of the Vince Guaraldi Trio, best known for their soundtrack to the "Charlie Brown Christmas Special". A trio of drums, piano, and bass put a homely spin on the drum beats of The EGG and I. The piano takes center stage, its occasional improvisations adding another layer to this smooth tune.
17)	Forever Broke – A rearrangement of Spokey Dokey, Broke’s even more slowly paced, and dispenses with the harmonica and synthesizer altogether leaving only a lonely guitar. The tune’s till just as good, but I thought what pushed Spokey Dokey over the top was the harmonica, and there just seems to be something missing. Many might enjoy this version better, but I’ll stick with Red’s rendition.
18)	Tank! Power of Kung Food Remix – This is one of two official remixes of Tank! found on the albums, and it’s the worse out of both of them, or at least it’s not the best. It basically a slowed down version with a bit of distortion and airport sound effects. It’s not bad, but there’s no denying the other versions are superior.

Blue

If there’s one album in this set that lives up to its name, it’s Blue. Taken primarily from the shows last episodes, it perfectly reflects the show’s conclusion. As with the preceding CD, vocal numbers are dominant, taking up more than half of the track listing. You might think these two factors would make for a homogeneous album, but the range of styles here almost matches No Disc. It’s a wonderful album, and a perfect complement to the other two albums.

As always, The Yoko Kanno Project is here for all your sampling needs.

1)	Blue – This song is used once in the series, in place of The Real Folk Blues as the closing credits song for the last episode. Mai Yamane returns to provide the lyrical narration for Spike, whose lyrics seem rather hopeful considering the show’s conclusion (Spoiler: Spike and his girlfriend dying). Yamane somehow infuses a sort of bittersweet awe in her usual soulful voice, with the help of two chanting sopranos, one of which is Ms. Kanno herself singing under her pseudonymous Gabriella Robin persona. An electric guitar and some percussion are the only other accompaniment Yamane-san has in the song’s sharply rising and falling intensity. Fans of the show would tell you it’s tear inducing; I’ll just tell you it’s great.
2)	Words that we couldn’t say – Steve Conte makes his first submission with this latin-tinged pop piece. The track has a sort of bittersweet bemusement to it; a song about regret without much regret. Conte does a good job with the lyrics, the only problem being the awkward title used as a refrain. It’s overly long and clumsy in some spots, but besides that, it’s a great example of your Prerequisite Steve Conte Pop Song^®.
3)	Autumn in Ganymede – Introduced with a subtle bass grove, this jazz piece develops a smoky, lounge-like atmosphere with the liberal use of percussion instruments, and sort of tango style emerges. A jazz guitar joins in later along with a scratchy recording of some guy droning on about something. The piece has a kind of sly mood to it, though it still remains classy. It’s one of my favorite non-big band style jazz pieces.
4)	Mushroom Hunting – A little lightheartedness never hurt anyone, except maybe The Cheat. Tulivu-Donna Cumberbatch makes her second appearance in a very different track than her previous one. I’m not sure how to describe this, but she doesn’t even really sing the song; she narrates it. Brass, drums and guitar provide the backdrops to Cumberbatch’s non sequitur interjections. It almost has a sort of chase scene vibe to it, which is probably the function it serves on the program.
5)	Go Go Cactus Man – After musical homages like SPY and LIVE in Baghdad, we finally come to outright parody. Go Go Cactus Man is essentially a bizzaro rendition of Ennio Morricone’s theme to "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly". It’s one of the few outright comic songs from the series, and though it’s out of place on the soundtrack, it is very entertaining.
6)	Chicken Bone – The last stop on our three-track run of songs which aren’t entirely depressing, Chicken Bone manages to outweird the previous two tracks with some hip hop flavor. The song’s about chicken bones, Cajun and Aisian Sauces and other things that make absolutely no sense. Its strangeness aside, it’s not a terribly interesting song, with an arrangement that seems too repetitive at times. Gotta love the “DESTROY!” sample though.
7)	The Real Man – This track’s a strait up mood setting piece, the sort of thing you’d find on most soundtracks. Hard driven drums, guitar, and bass are arranged into a techno grove with some haunting wailing thrown in for good measure. It’s not a stand alone song, but it’s appealing enough to warrant your listening.
8)	N.Y. Rush – Kanno hands Rush over to her New York troupe, who provides us with this bebop take on the classic. This song actually gives me a chance to mention something worth bringing up: for a show that contains the word “bebop” in the title, it contains very few songs which are actually in the bebop style. You can read up a bit on how the title is actually relevent here, but then again, trying to reason on the English terminology used in Japanese pop culture is like trying to pin down why Americans tattoo random Kanji on their bodies. As for the song, it’s a great take on the original melody, especially the keyboard improvisations.
9)	Adieu – A classic jazz piece in the same vein as The Singing Sea, Adieu was hinted at in Red’s music-box track Memory. Sung by Emily Bindiger, the tune is a bittersweet meditation on memories (how about that?) and regret. Built primarily around a piano melody, with accompanying drums and guitar, the tune wouldn’t be out of place in a Norah Jones album. It could even rival Cumberbatch’s Sea as the best, non-Yamane female vocal track.
10)	Call Me Call Me – Steve Conte’s last submission from the television show is also his best. This song’s from an episode I’ve actually seen, and can appreciate its role in the program. Acoustic guitar gives the track an almost country feel, though in reality it keeps Conte’s streak of pop songs going. The song is wonderful at creating a rising and falling intensity, helped along by some well used strings. As I said, it’s Conte’s best song and one of the Seatbelts overall best.
11)	Ave Maria – The only song on any of the soundtracks not composed by Yoko Kanno, Ave Maria is actually a classical opera piece. I have absolutely no clue who wrote it, considering there are approximately 48,000,000 songs entitled Ave Maria. Performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and sung by Polish tenor Jerzy Knetig, it has a wonderful tragic quality to it. The intensity becomes very strong near the end, and Knetig does a wonderful job carrying the melody. Maybe you just don’t like opera, but everyone else should find the track wonderful
12)	Stella by Moor – It’s to Cosmos what Memory is to Adieu, namely a music box version of its respective song. Nice little ditty, and if you enjoy its source material than there’s no reason you shouldn’t like this.
13)	Flying Teapot – Emily Bindiger returns to serve up this disarmingly buoyant song. Vocals take on a much larger focus here, with only a piano and understated trumpet to accompany Bindiger. Much like Adieu, the lyrics to Teapot reveal there is a poignant undertone to what sounds like an otherwise cheerful song. Some might be put off by the seemingly bubbly exterior, but it’s worth a listen.
14)	Wo Qui Non Coin – Much like Flying Teapot, this is a cute little song that carries a distinctive blue streak. The lyrics are a mixture of Japanese and Ms. Kanno’s pseudo-language, and tells of a little girl searching for her lost dog. Considering the song is sung by hacker tomboy Ed’s Japanese voice actor, it’s probably her searching for Ein, the crew’s Welsh corgi. Then again, in the episode I saw, resident babe Faye was searching for her past during the duration of the song. Whichever. It’s a great song, but I actually prefer the version on the CD box set (which I don’t own) entitled the Short, Sad Version, with its extended guitar sections.
15)	Road to the West – A sort of throwback to Space Lion, Road doesn’t share the same melody, but does capture that same “outer space feeling”. A simple saxophone plays a mournful tune with a bit of synthesizer and distortion thrown in. More ambient jazz, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
16)	Farewell Blues – Even more Cosmos inspired music, bring the total amount on this soundtrack to two. It’s basically what The Singing Sea might sound like if it didn’t have lyrics. It’s got more of a lounge essence to it however, with a prevalent piano and sweep drumming with cymbals. It’s the best instrumental incarnation of Cosmos, but I’ll stick with Sea for best overall.
17)	The Real Folk Blues – What’s this? You thought track sharing was over with Vitaminless? Well, don’t fret; this is actually almost and entirely different song. Remember when I told you that Blue was used in place of RFB in the closing credits of the final episode? Well, I guess they thought you can’t have a “Bebop” episode without it, so they used the demo version during the actual episode. This version’s actually very low key when compared to the adaptation we’ve all come to know and love, even during the climactic crescendo. It’s almost as if there’s a great energy just simmering underneath the song’s surface. Mai Yamane is once again in top form, delivering the entirely new lyrics with hopeful sadness, including a few English lines. I can’t say it’s better than the original version, but it’s great all the same.

Music for Freelance

Commissioned re -mixes are a sight lacking from the popular music scene. Re-mixes are generally an underground phenomenon and full albums rarely make it mainstream. I suppose a soundtrack for a Japanese Animated show that has never been released in the United States isn’t quite mainstream, but it’s an honest effort none the less.

This is also the first concept album of sorts to make it into the Cowboy Bebop repertoire. It goes something like this: Mr. Martian is the DJ of a pirate radio station "Radio Free Mars" who plays an as of yet unreleased album of remixes of the Seatbelts, who are a band of thirty years ago from the show’s time frame of reference. I suppose this means the Seatbelts exist within the Cowboy Bebop universe, making it a sort of semi-fictional band. I’ve heard the interludes between songs are actually written by the show’s creator Shinichiro Wantanabe, and can be considered cannon as such if that's the sort of thing you care about.

1)	Radio Free Mars Talk 1 – Mr. Martian introduces his sleazy self, and doesn’t do much else. This is basically an introduction to the album’s concept; he doesn’t say anything funny until later.
2)	Tank! (Luke Vibert) – Naturally a Tank! re-mix kicks off the album, and a fine job it does. This is a far superior treatment to the source than the one that ends No Disc, thought it doesn’t stray too far from the original source material. It’s actually the most conservative treatment in the entire album, except for Cats on Mars. It’s a dance track, pure and simple with handclaps, synthesizers and some creative sound looping. You really couldn’t ask for a more solid way to kick off the album.
3)	Radio Free Mars Talk 2 – Mr. Martian formally introduces the album over a looping drum beat from The EGG and I. The idea of a self referential album might strike some as a bit pretentious, but the pirate radio station set up makes things a lot more palatable.
4)	Forever Broke (Fila Brazillia) – This familiar tune is given the old SPACE LION/Road to the West “Outer space” treatment. You wouldn’t be off the mark by calling it repetitive, but the overlaid electric guitar prevents things from getting boring. It becomes sort of catchy after a while. I wish Spokey Dokey was used as the source, instead of its younger brother Broke, but it turned out fine in the end.
5)	Radio Free Mars Talk 3 – More self-referential humor from Mr. Martian, this time directed at Ms. Kanno. The supposedly sordid tale of Yoko’s past is laid out from her professional wrestling career to her anthropomorphic appearance.
6)	Cats on Mars (DMX Krew) – Re-mix is almost a misnomer on this track, which remains virtually untouched from its original incarnation. Little more than a drum and synthesized bell beat set this apart from its two previous appearances. Cats was never my favorite track, and seeing it again almost unchanged makes me feel a sense of déjà vu. I’ll admit this version is better than the original, but the law of diminishing returns has spoken.
7)	Radio Free Mars Talk 4 – Mail Bag time at Radio Free Mars. Mr. Matian seems disturbingly unsympathetic when a transmission warning listeners about pirates gets cut off midway.
8)	Piano Black (Ian O’Brien) – Whereas Cats on Mars stayed agonizingly close to it source material, Piano Black generally ignores the original song’s melody to create something entirely original. The track is a sort of ambient piece, with a gently climaxing refrain being repeated over and over, gaining more instruments as it progresses. It’s actually hypnotic in a way. It might sound too “spacey” for some, but I myself enjoyed it.
9)	Cat Blues (Mr. Scruff) – This is the closest any of the "official" Cowboy Bebop music gets to hip-hop, so its surprising at how natural it feels. A looping bass beat is the background for some very electric sounding saxophones. It’s a simple tune, but it certainly is a catchy one.
10)	Radio Free Mars Talk 5 – What’s that? Was that a slight towards the Star Wars franchise? Why, I do believe it was! Episode Negative XVIII is apparently debuting in the 2070s with a frozen George Lucas failing to oversee the series. One can only guess if the overlying static was added to throw lawyers of the track or to just to obscure it for the fans.
11)	Fe (DJ Vadim) – Reviewing a re-mix of a song I haven’t heard puts me at a bit of a disadvantage, but what the heck: Fe is boring. It’s the worst track on the album. It’s like and underdeveloped vampire movie mood setter. I can't tell you much more than that.
12)	Fantaisie Sign (Ian Pooley) – Better than the original, Pooley takes what was a modern techno pop song and infuses a samba rhythm to create something entirely original. Acoustic guitar and a playful xylophone separate the song from its drum and bass roots and create an almost French cabaret feeling, even throwing in a bit of synthesized accordion to help set the mood. Highly recommended.
13)	Radio Free Mars Talk 6 – Traffic reports. Yep.
14)	SPACE LION (4 Hero) – Lion gets a distinctively more jazzy, yet laid back arrangement here, and honestly, what’s a Cowboy Bebop soundtrack without a SPACE LION derived track? A Knockin' on Heaven's Door soundtrack for one, but a shame on the other hand. A techno groove spices up things, and some creative drumming makes sure you don’t get bored.
15)	Radio Free Mars Talk 7 – Looks like the feds caught up with Mr. Martian, so he’s got to skedaddle. Don’t wait around for a The Real Folk Blues rearrangement, it’s not coming.

Future Blues

After three full length albums, a mini-CD, and a remix album, we finally come to the soundtrack for the movie, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door. Apparently, whoever’s in charge of these kinds of things determined the movie designation wasn’t enough to differentiate this record from its counterparts and gave it the entirely unnecessary extra title of “Future Blues.” The track selection isn’t as diverse as, say, No Disc, but the fact that all these songs were worked into two hours of footage as opposed to thirteen makes it appear particularly eclectic. Not as somber as Blue, and less scatterbrained than the aforementioned No Disc, Future Blues would probably make a good second purchase for those thinking of buying Seatbelts music.

1)	24Hours OPEN – For some reason, the record publishers thought that kicking off the album with the worst song in their repertoire would be a good idea. It’s not even a song; it’s three and a half minutes of convenience store muzak, automatic weapon fire, screaming women, and ambulance sirens. I don’t know if they were trying to be avant garde or something, but I guarantee you will skip over this track every time you hear it.
2)	Pushing the Sky – Okay, now for the real start of the record. Sky is a hard rock piece, with hard guitar licks, hard drums, and a hard bass line. Mai Yamane provides the tough luck lyrics, who’s chorus mirrors the movie’s title. There’s not much to say about the song, it’s really just a solid rock piece. It’s a great way to officially kick off the soundtrack.
3)	Time to Know~Be Waltz – A true “You’ve got your peanut butter in my chocolate!” combination, this superfluously titled piece joins two tastes that taste great together: hip-hop and lounge, in Japanese no less. After an short acoustic guitar intro, a too-sweet brass set provides the backbone of the track. With the addition of strings, you might be fooled into believing this is simply a more developed take on the faux-50s style used by Car24 until Hideyuki Takahashi drops in to provide his rapping narration. I honestly have no clue what he’s saying, but it still sounds wonderful. This could have been a syrupy mess if not done right, but Kanno pulls it off wonderfully.
4)	Clutch – One of only two pure jazz tracks on the album, Clutch makes up for it with a fast tempo and a healthy run time. One might think that it’s a rearrangement of Rush when first heard, but it makes sure to set itself apart with its frantic pace and arrangement. You can almost hear the sweat the musicians are expending to keep up. Solos abound, with almost every instrument giving at least a few seconds to showcase its talent. A great piece and a more than suitable bone thrown to the show’s die-hard jazz fans.