compiled by Nicholas
D. Kent
email: ndkent "at" optonline.net
Last updated 02.5.30
(*) means I don't
own this album
(@) means I've listned to a freind's copy of this album but don't have a copy
myself
thanks: Rodney Greenblat
most of miu's earlier catalog seems to have gone out of print
1997.1.29 güt/for life CD3 single: FLDG-1007
It made top 10 on the Japanese singles charts. A light pleasant J-Pop melody sung in English.
Sister M turned out to be RS's teenage daughter Miu. She sings fluently in English.(having gone to school in New York) .
98.11.26 double CD mini album WEA cd:WPC6-8695/6
disc 1 |
disc
2 1. INTERNAL - instrumental - 2. eternal - instrumental - 3. awakening - instrumental - 4. the eighth colour - instrumental - 5. INTERNAL - yoshihiro hanno mix - |
NK: This is a 4 song mini album with a number of remixes. SUGIZO from the band Luna Sea is the main guest. He's worked on his own solo album with RS collaborating/producing on a number of tracks. Miu has a clear voice and the arrangements are j-pop style but more intricate than average. A second short disc of remixes and instrumentals is included on this release. Possibly of interest to Ryuichi Sakamoto fans for the second disc of instrumentals (same tracks without singing), but the first disc is all duplicated on the album Dawn Pink.
Ivar de Vries writes: A pleasant surprise when
it originally came out in 1998, this "pre-debut mini album" by Miu
Sakamoto as it's called in the accompanying notes. Miu is the daughter of
Akiko Yano and Ryuichi Sakamoto who has a big hand in this first
full foray into music by his daughter. Father Ryuichi takes care of all production
and arrangements, plays all keyboards/synthesizers and contributes the music
for one piece ('Awakening'). The music for the other three pieces is
by Sugizo, a young Japanese musician who also plays guitar on all tracks
alongside Ryuichi. The lyrics on those three tracks are by Miu herself (in Japanese)
while Arto Lindsay provides the English lyrics to Ryuichi's track.
The package of this album is quite extraordinary, the hour's worth of music
spread out of two CD-singles, each in its own carton-box which together are
encased in a see-through plastic box with water-bubbles printed on it. The two
CDs have a symmetrical structure, each starting with the same four pieces (with
and without vocals respectively) and each ending with a remix of one of the
other pieces: the first by Ryuichi Sakamoto, the other a great one by Yoshihiro
Hanno. The four pieces that Miu sings on the first CD-single reappeared
on her proper debut album Dawn Pink a year later.
What about the music ? Well, the tunes by Sugizo are decent to good, so is the
one by Ryuichi while his arrangements are up to his normal textbook standard
- the ones here have electronic sounds used in a lot of pop-music with plenty
of piano as well as some nineties-style electronic percussion. Miu Sakamoto
has a nice clear soprano voice (as a reference: similar to that of Miki Nakatani,
who would reuse 'Awakening' on her 1999 album Shiseikatsu)
which has been mixed up-front, thus making a strong impression. However, here
she doesn't articulate the words very much and on the whole doesn't put much
personality into her singing which makes it all sound like standard J-pop fare.
But, for a first sort of full album and thanks to the other participants, quite
a good effort nonetheless.
RAILWAYMAN (TETSUDOIN)99.05.26 CD5 single WPC6-10018(picture at right) 3 versions total on this single, includes a chamber arrangement and an instrumental version, very lush and orchestral and unmistakably standout Ryuichi Sakamoto. Worth finding, her picture isn't on the cover (its subtle geometric graphics) and her name is in Japanese so its harder to spot than average. The name comes from the film it was the theme song to. Tamio Okuda writes the lyrics. This song was resung in English as Child of Snow for thr album Dawn Pink. I've also seen this single referenced as Poppoya |
||
in aquascape 99.9.8 CD5 single WPC6-10031 (picture at left) not to be confused with the mini album aquascape which does not contain this track, though Dawn Pink the full length album does. Its based on the solo piano piece of the same name on Ryuichi Sakamoto's BTTB but here the arrangement is orchestrated. Beautiful singing and melody, 4 versions on this single. |
DAWN PINK99.9.29 WPC6-10037 1. Hitotsu dake |
Dawn Pink is a full album containing the songs from Aquascape, some singles and some new tracks. It opens with one of the hits her parent's originally recorded. Here the beats are updated and Akiko Yano sings backing vocals. TETSUDOIN appears in english as Child of Snow. Wonderful and orchestral. The piece in aquascape (from RS's BTTB) gets lyrics and orchestration as the finale, worth the wait.
I'll believe the look in your eyes / Hitotsudake (*) 00.02.09 single WPC6-10037 |
beautiful00.7.26 CD5 single WPC6-10095 Contains beautiful, a collaboration with Yuka Honda of Cibo Matto and her crew, another new track with a Japanese title (translation- Lullaby) with Seiichi Yamamoto from BOREDOMS and Finally ~Sugizo Remix~ of which I'm not familiar with the source of the original, probably his own album or an unreleased song? No RS involvement. Her voice is more beautiful than her earlier tracks but the material is kinda just good professional J-Pop. I was hoping Yuka would deliver something totally catchy but its neither here nor there. |
(*) single EM-0001
I've never seen a copy. The catalog number would indicate it's an indie or promo release of some sort
Blank
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(*)01.05.23 single:WPC6-10132
collaboration with Noriyuki Makihara
(*)01.10.24 single:WPC6-10074
translates as? shining wind
This song was written by Kenji Kawai
|
an album called miutation was announced but not released
(*) 02.11.20 Epic ESCL-2344
Duet TV song single with her Mom, Akiko Yano.
05.11.16 Yamaha YCCW-30004
Single with her cover of the 1984 movie theme song. The puppy-like Luckdragon Falkor's shows up on the cover of her 2010 album Phantom Girl.
Harmonious(*) 06.5.24 Yamaha YCCW-10024 Album with a mix of original and cover songs. Includes both tracks from The Never Ending Story single. |
Oboro no Kanata, Akari no Kehai(*) 07.12.12 Yamaha YCCW-10041 Produced by SUGIZO, 7 original songs |
Zoy(*) 08.11.5 Yamaha YCCW-10092 |
(*) 10.05.19 Yamaha YCCW-10110
Produced by David Liang (Shanghi Restoration Project)
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