[quote="MissingNo"]Hey guys, It's been a long time since I have posted on this forum. My old username was Planobuster, and I remember speaking with a few of you over the years.

I still can't believe that after all of these years I can still get the chills and super hyped over The Pillows. Nothing else does it for me![/quote]

Welcome back, nice choice of a new username!

I definitely feel you on that, the pillows are the only band that I'm so attached to.

fwiw, manabe says the director opposed the inclusion of it on kool spice. (flash candy)
too bad, because it's awesome.

[quote="zorahk"]fwiw, manabe says the director opposed the inclusion of it on kool spice. (flash candy)
too bad, because it's awesome.[/quote]
Huh, I wonder why. That's just craziness. It would have fit in nicely, and is an excellent song. Alas~ I'm glad we finally got to hear it after all these years!

[quote="zorahk"]fwiw, manabe says the director opposed the inclusion of it on kool spice. (flash candy)
too bad, because it's awesome.[/quote]

Very interesting...I'll have to check my Kool Spice booklet and see who this "director" is

[quote="Lesser_Hamster"]stuff[/quote]
Not getting a custom title is the equivalent of letting your hair grow long. Get a haircut you hippie!

[quote="rockman240"][quote="Lesser_Hamster"]stuff[/quote]
Not getting a custom title is the equivalent of letting your hair grow long. Get a haircut you hippie![/quote]
Lol! Didn't even notice I was eligible.

What should I pick?

REVIEW: Bootleg the pillows, 1992-1993

To begin with: The album is 44 minutes of goodness. All the 11 tracks are nice, there is no bad track on it.

[b]The best:[/b]
Another Morning
What really helps in making this song so good, is that I just got into the Little Busters version of the song, just barely two months before I even knew that the Bootleg version existed. The song really flows well, the verses and the chorus flow well into each other. I remember watching a YouTube video of a live performance of the song with English subtitles of the lyrics. It’s the Lostman Go to Budokan version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOV8Ld6AOeE. The lyrics are quite nice and uplifting. ‘There is no promise on the other side of the door. But I will go’. I also like how Sawao draws a picture of when he was small and lost in the toy store and when he rode on his bike together with someone, but that person does not even write him as of today. ‘There are still unbearable things that make him insecure…but he will continue anyway’. Today is Another Morning, the rebirth of me. The lyrics have a nice melody to it also.
When I heard the Bootleg version of AM, I was pleasantly surprised of how good it was and I remember writing on my initial review that I like it better than the original one. Now, it has even grown more on me and I can say I like it better than the Little Busters version. I like how this one is more clean, without the heavy distortion. I think the bass work is also more interesting. Overall I think the Bootleg version has more nuances and more detail than the Little Busters versions. I think it’s also more upbeat. Furthermore I really like it how Brye used the song in the video of our Japan trip 2014.

[b]The good:[/b]
Boku De Irareru You Ni.
I do not know the exact English translation of the song. I do know however that I like this song quite a bit. It has a really nice relaxed, beachy holiday vibe to it. Before I only listened to a bad quality version of the song, so I really like that this quality is quite good. (I do not know why I listened to the bad quality version…I actually have the good Girlfriend single version of it :p).

Another Slow Night
Could have put it on ‘the fine’ also. It switches from time to time. This one is great to listen to in the evening. I like it how this song is really slow, but it works for me. It’s a bit like Boku De Irareru You Ni, very relaxing. Manabe’s guitar work is good, the bass works well and Sawao’s voice is quite endearing. I have to be in the mood for the song, otherwise it won’t work, haha…it would be too slow if I am in an energetic mood.

Cooper Poster
Too bad the quality is not as good as it could be. The song is quite nice and upbeat. I like the vocal harmonies. Manabe’s staccato-like guitar work in the chorus is really cool and has a nice contrast with the guitar work in the verses. The solo is also good. The song flows quite well and does not feel repetitive.

[b]The fine:[/b]
Flash Candy
I really liked this song a lot when I heard it for the first time. It is still a pretty good song, but somehow I like it a bit less than before. I like the style, there is a bit disco put into it, which surprisingly works. The instrumental parts when there are no vocals are also pretty good. The best part is at the end when Sawao goes ‘oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeaaaaah’ and the guitar kicks in. I think the reason why I like it less now, is because it is a bit too repetitive, there could be some more ‘flow’ or a better build up.

Hello Friend
Solid opener. Sets a good mood for the rest of the album. Manabe’s jangly guitar is pretty cool. It’s a short one, but that’s okay. If it would be longer it would be probably too long.

Swingers a go! go!
Too bad the quality on this one is not that good. I think I overlooked the song a bit. It is a nice upbeat song. It has a bit of that 90’s my life sound to it. What I like best is the guitar solo. Still, I think I like Hello Friend a bit more. This one is a bit too repetitive for my tastes.

Today, She
Pretty good song. I really like this version of it. Too bad Sawao’s vocals is a bit off here. I was doubting putting it on ‘the okay’ because of the vocals. But the song itself if very nice. To be honest, I haven’t listened to the PML version a lot, but usually when it comes up it’s quite good. Maybe the song could be a bit more upbeat like ‘Another Morning’. Anyway the best part of the song is the chorus, it is great and memorable. Just with the ‘Another Morning’ of this bootleg, I like how this version of ‘Today, She’ is subtler, softer and gentler. Like, Manabe plays less chords and more separate notes, the bass is also less muddled and plays a more prominent role. But whereas they did a great job with Another Morning, I think there is still some space for improvement on this one. The solo part on this one is quite unique, it’s not like a typical Manabe solo, I like it for that. The second part of the song, now I listen to it again, is quite good actually. Now I am doubting on putting it on ‘the good’ list, haha.

Naked Shuffle
Wah wah wah, hahaha. Really funky jam, this one. Fun song. What really made this song good is this video with it: http://www.youdubber.com/index.php?vide ... o_start=15 hahahaha. Courtesy to Greyson. I always think of that video now when I listen to the song.

Beautiful Picture
‘Hontou wa’. The transition to that part is great. I really like it how the ‘hontou wa’ part is so different from the part that precedes it, but still fits so well with it. This song is great. I think the Another Morning, Another Pillows version is more powerful and more polished. I like both, frankly, and I am very glad that this version has been released. Could have been put on ‘the good’ list, but I am not always in the mood for the song so that’s why it is a ‘fine song’.

[b]The okay:[/b]
Mona Lisa all my own
Works well in the context album. There is not that much in the song that really stands out to me. Maybe it could be a bit more upbeat. I like the part where Sawao does not sing, but where I feel he should actually be singing another line.

Man, I'm gonna miss Ashinow. If only he hadn't gotten himself banned by sharing [i]bad[/i] opinions.

lol

[quote="Lesser_Hamster"]Man, I'm gonna miss Ashinow. If only he hadn't gotten himself banned by sharing [i]bad[/i] opinions.

lol[/quote]

what in the actual fuck

I agree about Another Morning but FLASH CANDY IS GOD TIER

What are the [i]bad[/i] opinions you are talking about Hamster =P?
I'm gonna say it: Flash Candy is overhyped. But to each his or her own opinion.

I've been waiting for somebody to not fellate this song (even though I'm in the "one of the best on the bootleg" camp, haha).

On Kanojo wa Kyou, Sawao's vox are pretty weak overall, but he nails some of the chorus lines really strongly, and I really enjoy the different lyrics going on there.

[quote="Ashinow"]What are the [i]bad[/i] opinions you are talking about Hamster =P?
I'm gonna say it: Flash Candy is overhyped. But to each his or her own opinion.[/quote]

But, the bass and guitar are so on point! The drums are excellent, Sawao's vocals are lovely and we get two solos!

I'm only messin' with ya about your opinions being bad. We're all entitled to our own opinions. But, for me, I just can't consider it anything less than god-tier. Like, literally, I can't switch on Flash Candy without seriously getting down. I've listened to it many many many times since first downloading, and like so many other 2nd movement pieces, it keeps its charm. I guess I don't understand how any big fan of the 2nd movement stuff could [i]not [/i]adore it.

I will "fellate" FLASH CANDY all night long in hopes that it will "fellate" me back with its musical goodness. It's not just one of the best songs released by the pillows this, and it's not just one of the best songs from the 2nd Movement... I can say with total confidence and in all honesty that this is one of the top 10 songs that Sawao has ever written, and that the band has arranged.

I really want to know, what makes one think it's repetitive or doesn't have enough "flow"? I say that because I don't find it repetitive in anyway, if anything this song is the antithesis of a song being repetitive. You got the nice horn going in the first verse, then they switch it up with piano, you got the nice little solo after the second verse, followed by an awesome third verse that focuses on the awesome guitar work, and then it flows into a nice little prechorus with some really nice flourishes in the lead guitar before it propels itself into that awesome final chorus and sexy guitar solo outro. We can have whatever opinion we want on this song, but I don't see the whole repetitive claim holding any water. If you want repetitive, look at Moondust (the album... the song kicks ass). I can't say enough how much I love FLASH CANDY. Best song on Kool Spice.

I don't know if I'd put Flash Candy in their top 10 best (though, [i]maybe[/i] I would...) but I can say that it's a very special song, and is definitely in the upper crust of their output during what I feel is the most solid portion of their discography.