I agree with Tidus here when he brings up 1992-1995
Those were some great years. Kool Spice and Living Field are still
one of my favorite albums, I would go between them and the "Golden Era"
To me the "golden era" is just a time when the pillows found their most influential
style, and consistently coming out with unbelievable songs. I mean in the entire years through
1996-1999 I found there was very little songs I rarely didn't listen to. Through what they have made
now there are some songs where I feel it could have been boosted such as serious plan, pleasure song, phantom pain..
Those are just some songs I felt could have been done better.
I'm being very picky here but thats how I felt over those songs. I didn't get that click we all felt
when listening to the chorus of Swanky Street, or Funny Bunny, and even the end to Fool on the planet.
Those goosebumps and shivers that made all of us fall in love with the pillows.

The "golden era" to me is just the years where they were most consistant in their style and quality.
I felt that those years could not have been done better than they already are. I don't want to say
perfection, but its pretty damn close.

^See, but then, that's how I feel about EVERYTHING prior Fool on the Planet (foregoing Moon Gold).

There's no way the pillows could've done Tiny Boat or anything on Living Field or Kool Spice any better. That's why I like to point towards those albums as a golden era as well. They worked hard on those songs as well.

I think that from White Incarnation all the way to the release of Fool on the Planet, the pillows were on fire; they never took a wrong or false step. Everything was as it should be, and no one could complain.

Really, everything between 1992-2000 is what I consider their "Golden Age". Because in those seven years the pillows put out the songs that I consider some of the best ever writ.

1992-2000 is a very large leep in years to be called the "golden era"
But I see what your saying. Sure Kool Spice and Living field couldn't get any better
but I feel that a lot of songs from White Incarnation could have been done better.
I mean, what if they rerecorded Blue March, Kanojo wa shisuta, or even I need somebody
That would have been a better choice to rerecord rather than Funny Bunny, Swanky Street...
I mean we hear them playing those songs all the time, we know how they sound now, but songs
from White incarnation and Moon gold. If they decided to recover those songs I would
have gone crazy just thinking about it.

[quote="Brye916"]1992-2000 is a very large leep in years to be called the "golden era"
But I see what your saying. Sure Kool Spice and Living field couldn't get any better
but I feel that a lot of songs from White Incarnation could have been done better.
I mean, what if they rerecorded Blue March, Kanojo wa shisuta, or even I need somebody [/quote]

I'm not really considering Sawao's voice in my statements because at the time of each release, it was only as good as it was gonna get. I'm talking musically. Speaking of White Incarnation, always of Manabe's fills, rifts, and solos are quite extensive and mature sounding, I really don't think he could top them in a re-record. Besides, the delicate sounds of the guitars are the crucial part of WI's atmosphere. The jazz oriented stuff doesn't go as well with the rock-distorted flare the pillows go with today (as evidenced with the recent lives of Tiny Boat and Daydream Wonder - Manabe does not do many of the intricate fill he did in the original recordings, because it would sound sloppy on the loud, distorted sound the pillows use today).

The compositional level is extremely high, for all the members (from WI to FotP). Bass, drums, guitars, vocal melodies, lyrics, etc. Ignoring Sawao's voice (since it was going to be the best they could do at the time), the pillows were completely in-tune with their creativity at that time. All the rifts and bass lines and solos were just right. There's nothing I'd want changed about any of that stuff.

That's why I can't say that just 1997-1999 is a "golden era", at least, not musically. That indicates that those years saw the pillows best music, something I just cannot agree with. 1992-1995 also saw musicality in its top tier.

I see where your going with this now, and I completely agree with you.
Going back and listening to some WI I see the intricate melodies your talking about.
In their style now, I see why it would be wise to not change anything.

It is thus, that 1992-2000 will be the pillows "Golden Era"
Any of you who disagree shall be burned at the stake.

I'm just going to say that the pillows have always made awesome songs, but that they've always gotten better performance-wise over the years. You guys can disagree all day, and whatever, that's your opinion and this is mine, but I would gladly take TB's Bokura no HARE Suisei over WI's any day, and the WI version isn't even bad at all. I'm pretty excited about hearing new versions of old songs. Synchronized Rockers was cool, but it wasn't really my thing. I want the pillows to play their songs and bring their awesome style into it.

And if any of you are even considering that the new shit is going to suck, look at Akanai Tobira no Mae de. That shit was AMAZING on PPGTY, especially Sawao's vocals.

[quote="Blank"]And if any of you are even considering that the new shit is going to suck, look at Akanai Tobira no Mae de. That shit was AMAZING on PPGTY, especially Sawao's vocals.[/quote]

I completely agree with Blank on the new releases. Sawao's voice has gotten a little harsh
but he is hitting those notes now more than ever.
Akanai was the biggest suprise for me, I absolutely loved that cover.
Good reference Blank

New interview up! (for those of you that can understand japanese!)

http://ent2.excite.co.jp/music/special/ ... l/int.html

also

http://www.pillows.jp/20th/p/index.php?page=photo

legendary gallery

OMG...


What great photos...to think they would still have pictures like that. Most of them were old too

That is an amazing set list. Looks like they played Come Together.

What is the song that starts with 59?

The big picture that they wouldn't let us right click save as:
[img]http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt117/koyukiteleIM/Sawao20thinterviewlarge.jpg[/img]

The awesome picture of Sawao that they wouldn't let us right click save as:
[img]http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt117/koyukiteleIM/Sawao20th.jpg[/img]


Blank is right, MSpaint is your friend.

[quote]talk of playing old songs[/quote]

sorry, manabe has smoked away his ability to play anything but painfully simple, boring solos and too-fuzzy power chords.


what the FUCK happened to his tone?

umm...

where the FUCK did that come from?

..all their new releases boring me to tears..?

and i started listening to them again. appreciating how rad they used to be.

What are you talking about? I right clicked-saved these pics just fine