Today is a perfect day for Otaki. (Subscription release)
DAY OF "A LONG VACATION"
March 21st marks 40 years since the release of the masterpiece album "A LONG VACATION," which is synonymous with Eiichi Ohtaki, and various commemorative events are being held.
◎ Release of commemorative editions
One of them is the release of the "40th Anniversary Edition" of "A LONG VACATION," but commemorative editions of this album have been released in the past as well.
1991: Complete CD release of the original album (remastered)
2001: "20th Anniversary Edition"
Includes the instrumental album "Sing ALONG VACATION"
2011: "30th Edition"
Includes unreleased takes of "Kimi wa Tennen Shoku" as a bonus disc
And for the "40th Anniversary Edition," it is said that "Road to A LONG VACATION," a secret story of the birth of "A LONG VACATION" packed with valuable DJ-style audio sources, is included as a bonus disc.
I can understand a best-of album commemorating a debut anniversary, but it's amazing that a single album is released every 10 years, even if it is a limited edition.
Well, the commercial scent is unavoidable, but the way it becomes a collector's item is truly like Eiichi Ohtaki.
Personally, I cannot judge whether it is good or bad that so many unreleased audio sources are being unearthed, but since he became remarkably less prolific from the late 80s onwards, unreleased takes are valuable as new audio sources to quench everyone's thirst.
◎ Subscription release
Another commemorative event is the release on subscription services.
I am very happy, but I also feel a bit surprised, thinking, "So, Ohtaki-san is finally being released on subscriptions too."
However, since he became less prolific after "EACH TIME," many project albums including numerous unreleased takes have been released, and for an average fan like me, it has become impossible to know what is in which project album without a guidebook, so I am very grateful for the subscription release.
Regarding the subscription content, I think it would be easier to understand if I introduced the albums not yet released, so the albums that I noticed were missing at a glance are
"Eiichi Ohtaki"
"NIAGARA TRIANGLE" vol.1 & vol.2
"CM SPECIAL"
"EIICHI OHTAKI Song Book" 1 & 2
"Best Always"
There are really a lot of project albums, so I haven't been able to grasp them all, but these are the ones I noticed.
Personally, it's a shame that the two "NIAGARA TRIANGLE" albums haven't been released yet; I really want them to be released! (But for vol.2, there is still a business opportunity left for next year, lol)
Conversely, there were some things I wasn't used to seeing.
That would be "Single & more," and since I think it's something Otaki fans who don't use subscription services would be curious about, I'll introduce it here.
Perhaps this is meant to complement the compilation albums that haven't been released on streaming services yet.
It might actually be the most streamed release among Otaki fans right now. (No, it definitely is!)
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This article is timed to coincide with today's "A LONG VACATION" anniversary, but I'm thinking of writing another article about Eiichi Otaki when summer starts to approach.
That said, I've been listening to nothing but Eiichi Otaki myself since this morning.
I think the fact that these kinds of events are still held even after his sudden passing at the end of 2013 speaks to Otaki's greatness, and I hope there are both people listening with nostalgia and people discovering his music for the first time.
Hiroshi Nagai's illustrations are also nostalgic, as expected.
You can really feel the breeze of the 80s.
(Related note)
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