Big Fire Orchestral: The Best of Giant Robo

It's been about 10 years now since that day. I was an anime/videogame dork (sophmore in highschool) and after school I stopped in at a local haven that catered particularly to such persons. Without spending a dime, it was still a cool place to hang out. I was that annoying kid that would come into the game store every week and ask when a certain game would be available. I bet they wish they had internet back then. So on this particular day everybody was watching some anime I never heard of. I was very narrowminded on my anime... I liked what I liked. But I glanced over for a second and I couldn't look away. The characters were so cool, the animation so retro, and then there's the music... it was amazing. So I asked the name of it and bought that exact tape only to find out it was the end of the series. It was called Giant Robo and I knew it was something special.

The Magnificent Ten (mostly)
For one, it took quite a few years for "them" to make only 7 episodes. Each episode was like a mini movie and each had its own soundtrack. So I looked all over and eventually got them all. I then tracked down the OSTs which were rare even then. I managed to get 3 via online shopping and I found the rest on Napster. To this day... aside from Shaw Bros music... this is still the best music I've ever heard. I was working on Underscoreology No2 and naturally I wanted to use some GR tracks (I have about 100), but as the comp started coming together the more I realized nothing else would compare. It would be too out of place. I've used some GR in Underscoreology No1 and A Turn for the Worst, but I was really holding back. It's good stuff but negligible compared to the whole collection. I've included those previous tracks anyway.

I haven't been into anime for a long time (about 7 years), but when I look back, I still love Giant Robo. I've always had a thing for villains and it's interesting that among the villains there were good ones and bad ones. To top it off, most of them wore business suits. HOW COOL IS THAT!? The robots really played a small part in the series, it was mostly the characters who drove the story.


Organization Big Fire (minus a few people) Click for fullsize.

And by the way this is my scan/edit. I actually started typing this post 2 weeks ago and I got so hyped up I ordered the new art book which is even better than the old one I always wanted. The kid, Lord Big Fire is the leader and the most dangerous. I think he can kill people just by thinking about it... or something like that lol. These characters are dangerous overall, only a handful of them actual did any fighting in the whole series. And 1 was dead before the series started... Cervantes here.



The Best of Giant Robo

01. Taiso's Counterattack (extended)
02. Lord Alberto's Attack
03. Big Group Parading Around
04. Line of Death - Kenji Murasame
05. The Inversion
06. Suppress Manhood! Experts Battle Above!
07. Battle of the Snowy Mountains
08. Dr. Shizuma's Compensation
09. Phantom Night's Ambition
10. Magnificent Ten Attack!
11. Big Fire Appears
12. Symphonic Action Time
13. Cataclysm Over Paris
14. The Truth About Bashtarlle
15. Darkness Covers the Beijing Sky
16. The Eye of Volger
17. Emmanuelle and Famelle
18. Shizuma Drive's 10th Year Balance Sheet
19. Suppress Manhood! Girder Mountain Sight
20. Train Chase
21. Big Production's Decision

All tracks are composed by Masamichi Amano and performed by The Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. These tracks have more variation than you can handle. I assure you.

The Best of Erotic Lounge

I came across this full series of CDs in my search for something funky. It's not quite what I expected, but I did find one monster track and I've already used this one in Unravel. I'm talking Smood vs Natascha Grin - Principle of Love. There were some others that struck me right away, but this was what I needed. Recently I've gone through all the volumes and taken another listen. While this isn't my thing, there's no reason it can't be. As my search for good library music dries up, I can see myself transitioning into this lounge stuff.

Also, it doesn't really come off as "erotic" to me. Maybe I set the bar too high, but either way it's good music. The series spans 7 volumes and most have 2 CDs so it was hard to narrow it down to what I thought was the best. It's full of smooth worldly music. Some have lyrics, some have just scat vocals, and some sound like "too sexy for my shirt." I steered clear of anything that sounds too much like a fashion runway. And there are some cool "covers" of past hits too. And like I used to do, my faves are bolded.

Every cover is maaaaad sexeh. If this were pre-Internet times, these would sell out on packaging alone.

The Best of Erotic Lounge...

01. Naoki Kenji and Asheni - Tonight
02. Kieser Velten featuring Jen - Together
03. Roberto Sol and Chris Le Blanc featuring Ines - Sueno De Amor
04. Fous De La Mer featuring Sol - Never Stop Loving
05. Ian Pooley featuring Marcos Valie - Sentimento
06. Riovolt - It Ain't Over til It's Over
07. Dj Monique vs Stephen Le Coque - You're Like an Angel
08. Solar Moon featuring Jen - Inside Out
09. Funkorama - Funkachild
10. Trinah - Let's Stay Together
11. Thievery Corporation - It Takes a Thief
12. Trüby Trio featuring Marcus Begg - Universal Love (Arme Rootdown Round Midnite Mix)
13. Farida - Entao Eu Vou
14. Shakedown - At Night (Afterlife Remix)
15. S-Tone Inc. - In the Mood for Love
16. Audio Lotion - Jacuzzi Jazz (DJ Mix)

This cover of Al Green's Let's Stay Together (by Trinah) is amazing! I would LOVE to see this performed live. It's the best cover I've ever heard. If I hadn't have forgotten about it at first, it probably would have been on Unravel with Principle of Love. Also, I cut the midsection of Principle of Love to fit more stuff on the menagerie. Here is the full version. And my favorite disque of the series by far is Volume 5 - Secret Affairs. I honestly forget where I found them (I may have gotten them from the Russians), but I'm sure Google will turn them up with no problem if you're interested after hearing this small comp.

I would think that those of you who have stuck by me this long have confidence in my taste, and that even if it isn't library you'll still enjoy it (given it isn't hardcore underground rap lol.)

Adventures on Ebay! No2

So I have this friend who really has a thing for Transformers. He's not net savvy in the slightest. If he sees something he wants on Ebay, he fronts the money and I get it. This time he wanted the original Optimus Prime in excellent condition. We picked out 2, I lost the auction (the other was subpar), and I thought that was that. The winner actually flaked out and I was given a second chance offer (unless I fell for the oldschool hustle... and I don't think I did because the price is in range of others). So we ran with it. I paid up and he paid me soon after.

The item is 1 state over. It should have taken a day or 2 to arrive. 16 days later I get the item. How did that happen? The dealer gave me a tracking number, but it didn't budge in 2 weeks. I didn't want to assume the worst so I called my local post office. They said it never left the post office it was first scanned at. So I call the other post office (in NY) and they made it seem like the person never brought the item in. Before I made the call to the post office I emailed the dealer and asked what was going on? By the time I was done on the phone, the dealer replied to my email (later on) and said that the item had moved. What happened? The guy at the NY post office said that the dealer sent a tracking number and that's it. Now if I was an unreasonable person, I would have suspected foul play. Depending on their reply, I may have been able to catch them in a lie. They maintained that the item had been sent and that Ebay was at fault. So I didn't rush to a judgment and I got my item. If anything, the dealer deserves a refund or shipping credit from their post office. I understand the post office is going through turbulent times right now, but that's no excuse.

This must be what it feels like to be a celebrity. Make 1 phone call and things go my way.

Xihong Library Most Wanted! APB on Super Ninjas!

After hearing sooooooo much music I still haven't found some of the stuff I've been looking for since day one. Honestly if I had found these cues first, I may have quit right then and there so I guess it's good that I didn't. Still, they feel unreachable. And I'm not even counting the older stuff. I've asked many a seller if they've even HEARD these tunes before and every time, the answer is no. I still have my suspicions, but they are proving to be costly. Anyway here's the list. If you've downloaded Xihong library then you have them already... but please reconsider if you get any ideas from these clues.

Thanks to Mr. T of Asian Cinema Scores, "APB on John Rambo" was very productive, but I understand this is a much greater challenge.

THESE ARE ALL DIRECT LINKS!

MOST WANTED! - 5 Element Ninjas - Nice to Meet You

Click for full size.

To me, this is one of the coolest scenes ever in the history of kungfu movies and the action is already over. I had to immortalize it by making a wallpaper (a year or 2 ago). Kembuchi was really a shallow character, but it was the cinematography that brought him to life and the atmosphere that made him IMO a timeless villain. Chen Hui Min played other good villains in Judgement of an Assassin, The Proud Youth, and to a lesser extent, My Rebellious Son. But Kembuchi was the role he was made for.


Skip to 4:05.

The only other movie I've heard this in was "My Rebellious Son." It even features the same actor Chen Hui Min, playing another samurai role. Coincidentally, both movies came out in 1982. I honestly don't think this means anything, but it could! This one really threw me for a loop. Like I said in a previous post, it sounds just like something from Derek Laren's Episodes From the Bible. In the context of Xihong Library listen to Shaolin Intruders - The Prophets of Israel. It's so painfully obvious! But! It's possible some one else did it in Derek Laren's style. I even went through the trouble of getting every LP I could with him on it (within reason). And it's possible that this is actually 2 different tracks, but the theme is consistent.

Music for a Historical Era
Orchestral Moods
Episodes From the Bible No1
Episodes From the Bible No2
and more I can't quite remember...

New Info! I just checked out Shaolin Intruders again and this track is in this movie too with another common track. I wonder why they waited 'til the 80's to use these.

NUMBER 2! - 2 Champions of Shaolin - Finale

This movie came out in 1979 and this cue was used in many movies. The ones I remember off the top are: Legend of the Fox, To Kill a Mastermind, Brave Archer 3, and Shaolin Prince to name a few. I'm thinking this could be an obscure RCA Library release. It's killing me. I have found some of these rare RCAs for sale but I'm not ready to make that leap of faith because it's not the "Azione" series. It seems legendary at this point.

NUMBER 3! - 5 Element Ninjas - The Wood

This one dates back to 1976 at the latest (36th Chamber of Shaolin). I suspect it's from the same LP as this track used in the intro to "Animals are Beautiful People (1974)," because it's used in 5 Element Ninjas also. Look up 5 Element Ninjas - Fallen Petals. Here's a preview clip to the intro. I seriously suspect Edouard Michael's Quatorze Pittoresques Pour Orchestre. He has a VERY similar sound on Sept Preludes Symphoniques and that track was used in 5 Element Ninjas too! Refer to 5 Element Ninjas - Chant Plaintiff.
Also, see track 2 of this new Monty Python Comp. I could not care less about Monty Python, but it has the first bit of sound I've ever been able to hear from 14 Pictorial Sketches for Orchestra No1. From the clip I heard, I still think it might be a winner.

NUMBER 4! - 5 Element Ninjas Intro

This is 2 separate tracks in 1 and it's the only movie I recall hearing either of them. So I'm guessing this is a later LP. I planned to buy an LP on Ebay called "High Adventure." I asked the seller when the LP came out and if they would mind listening to my clips to see if it had my sounds. No answer. I guess I was asking too much. It emerged again as a piece of a 10 LP lot. No way. I was down for the buying but $50 shipping for 10 LPs. I think there is a better way. Plus! I listened to some of the tracks from the sample site and like they always do... they put up the lamest tracks. So I wasn't sold on this leap of faith either. The track titles that catch my eye are always the ones they leave out. Oh well... It kinda pissed me off that one track from the movie (a main theme) was from an LP filled with otherwise completely unrelated music. Refer to 5 Element Ninjas - Birth of a Man (Nomination LP).

New Info! So I've been browsing my movies to find new stuff and to connect dots and I've made an interesting discovery. The second part of the Super Ninjas intro was used in an SB movie called The Murder Plot. This movie came out in 79 so that helps somewhat by shaving off some more years. One LP that was used in this movie is World War One. I don't have it, but I've heard most of it. I don't think they coincide, but I would be mad if it was the "winner" because of how many times I passed over that LP. This movie also has another track in common that I've never found or ripped. I can't be sure and that's disturbing so I think I'll get it to be on the safe side.

NUMBER 5! - Shanghai 13 - Black Eagle the Monster

This is like a wild card track. It can be from anywhere. It's very cool monster type music and worked well in the movie. Your guess is as good as mine.

I've even posted these on forums and not a single response to any of them. You didn't think I was this passionate about this did you? Well I am. So help me out.

Philly Underground Mixtapes

I had way more of these than I thought and I'm going to keep them in THIS FOLDER! Like I said I'm not going to make posts for each new up because there would be too many and they would be too much of a distraction from what my blog is really about. In the bottom right spot of my list is where I'll keep the updates. It'll just say the persons/groups name. All of this stuff will be posted AS IS... no EQs... no re-tags... no track lists. If you're a hardcore fan, that stuff shouldn't matter too much anyway. I'm gonna start us off with Major Figgas. MF wasn't even my favorite group, but I can't mention Philly Underground and not give them props. From 98 all the way to the rise of Gillie I think they had like 50+ mixtapes. Check back now and then. And you can TRY and request something. If I have it I have it, if I don't I don't.

Left to right 1/2 of MF:(Bumpy Johnson, Ab Liva, Dutchman, Gillie)

I actually saw each of these guys in person at one time or another except Bump.
"GDK, trademark, CD Play."
-Gillie Da Kid