Original Love really makes you want to listen to the original songs!
I was wondering why so many Original Love cover songs were popping up on the streaming service I use lately, and it turns out an official cover album was released to commemorate their 30th anniversary.
What a Wonderful World with Original Love?
This is the first official cover album produced to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Original Love, a band that has continued to propose and update the standard for good Japanese music with high-tension, soulful, rock, and alternative sounds since their debut with the single "DEEP FRENCH KISS" (released June 14, 1991).
It really feels like it's already been 30 years.
I'm in my 50s now, after all.💦
So, I took a look at the lineup for this official cover album,
Oh, it seems to be centered mainly on songs from the 90s!
I haven't really listened to them seriously since the late 90s when Original Love became Takao Tajima's solo project (oops), but there are still plenty of familiar songs listed here.
Along with standard Original Love numbers like "Asahi no Ataru Michi," "Primal," and "Seppun," there are also many very early songs included.
Here is the list of who is covering them.
SONGS OF Original Love COVERED BY
01. "Asahi no Ataru Michi" Tomoyo Harada
02. "Dear Baby" Ryosuke Nagaoka
03. "LET'S GO!" Ringo Sheena
04. "MILLION SECRETS OF JAZZ" SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS & KENTO NAGATSUKA (WONK)
05. "JUMPIN' JACK JIVE" Kazuyoshi Saito & Rei
06. "IT'S A WONDERFUL WORLD" TENDRE
07. "Yoru wo Buttobase" Yasuharu Konishi
08. "Tsuki no Ura de Aimashou" Yogee New Waves
09. "Primal" Tokyo Jihen
10. "Showman" YONCE (Suchmos)
11. "Seppun" Original Love & Ovall
12. "I WISH / Aishitemasu" PSG (PUNPEE, 5lack, GAPPER) & Original Love
It actually starts with Tomoyo Harada's "Asahi no Ataru Michi".
And the second track is "Dear Baby" by Ryosuke Nagaoka.
It's arranged with a country feel!
(Dear Baby)
This arrangement is a surprise, yes.
But it's very pleasant...
The third track from Ryosuke Nagaoka leads into a Tokyo Jihen relay to Ringo Sheena.
This version of "LET'S GO!" sung by Ringo Sheena is a jazz arrangement. This is what an Original Love cover should be! It really feels like they get it...
(LET'S GO!)
Following that is Kento Nagatsuka of WONK's "MILLION SECRETS OF JAZZ," and then Kazuyoshi Saito's "JUMPIN' JACK JIVE".
(MILLION SECRETS OF JAZZ)
(JUMPIN' JACK JIVE)
" MILLION SECRETS OF JAZZ" is selected from the 2nd album, and "JUMPIN' JACK JIVE" is from the 1st album, but for me, just having these two songs selected made this album worth listening to.
The first half alone is more than enough to satisfy, but in the second half, Yasuharu Konishi appears with "Yoru wo Buttobase," which was also a Pizzicato Five song, and you can hear vocals one after another from soulful and funky artists like Yogee New Waves and YONCE from Suchmos.
And just when I thought that, Takao Tajima himself appears on the final tracks, "Kiss" and "I WISH / Aishitemasu"!
It doesn't really matter, but Tajima's vocals are just too idiosyncratic! (I know, lol)
(Kiss)
Well, when I listened to it, I thought it was a pretty good album, but I don't usually listen to these kinds of tribute albums for very long.
Because...
I end up wanting to listen to the original songs...
+ + + + + +
For someone like me who got into Takao Tajima during his Pizzicato Five days, Original Love was definitely a "Shibuya-kei" band.
The top image is from the 1st album jacket, and while it's cool, doesn't it feel a bit more vulgar compared to the current Original Love?
This kind of nocturnal, stylish vibe was something that Original Love, which was called "Shibuya-kei" after their major debut, possessed.
After that, the stylishness gradually receded, and in its place, a "tough" and "sturdy" impression became stronger, but for me, the "early vulgarity" that had a scent of nightlife is strangely nostalgic.
Listening to this cover album made me desperately want to listen to the original versions too, so I will introduce the two albums I immediately listened to.
1st "LOVE! LOVE! & LOVE!" 1991
"JUMPIN' JACK JIVE" and "Yoru wo Buttobase" are selected for the cover album.
2nd "Kessho SOUL LIBERATION" 1992
The cover album includes selections of "Let's Meet on the Dark Side of the Moon" and "Million Secrets of Jazz."
It really brings back memories...
Early Original Love had a strong jazz flavor.
Songs like "Million Secrets of Jazz" and that sense of mysteriousness are exactly what I associate with Original Love from that time.
After all, the original songs are still incredibly cool even when you listen to them now.
♪