 |
Title |
| Radio Time |
| International Title |
| Welcome
Back, Mr. McDonald |
| Music By: Takayuki
Hattori |
| Record Label:
Warner Music Japan |
| |
|
| Running Time: 41:12 |
Discs: 1 |
| Release: November 1997 |
CD Number: WPC6-8400 |
|
| Comments |
 |
Anthony
Romero |
 |
|
|
First off,
huge thanks goes out to Robert Storch for sending me this
rare disc to review!
Now, this CD contains the soundtrack to Koki Mitani's
debut film, which garnished the maverick director a name
in Japan and abroad with international critics. To compose
Mitani's oddball production, Toho regular Takayuki
Hattori was assigned to the case. The pairing of Mitani
and Hattori might seem like an odd one, but it works,
surprisingly. Hattori adds a sense of seriousness to some
of his themes, which add to the hilarity given the movie's
subject matter, while other cues are over the top in their
pacing, such as "Kudo and Otaguro Take Flight",
which again amps up the comedy on screen.
What's shocking about this disc, though, is that, despite
my earlier impressions from watching the movie, the score
actually works well as a standalone experience. This is
made more apparent on the soundtrack as many of these
themes were played at a very low volume in their given
scenes, adding a sense of ambience, but as heard here
many were fairly remarkable in their own right. The best
part about this release is the varied styles used through
out, from the overly sinister "There's No Sea in
Chicago" to the rather whimsical "Guten Morgen"
(German for Good Morning). "Kudo's Theme" is
also a another winner, adding a sense of urgency to the
long sequence in the movie which translates over as a
fairly enjoyable piece. My favorite cue off this disc,
though, would have to be the ending theme, simply titled
"No Problem", that was done by Akira Fuse. The
track, which clocks it at around five minutes, has that
great "old timey" feel to it, as it's slowly
paced while also featuring a wide variety of instruments
that give the track a "big band" type of flavor.
The fusion is perfectly matched to the subject matter
about a radio drama, and was definitely a memorable cue
from the film itself as it played during the credits.
Still, despite its better qualities, there are some qualms
to be had. First is that the runtime here is a little
on the short side, clocking in at a little over forty
minutes. On the plus side, the disc does deserve credit
for including several tracks that are hardly heard during
the movie itself, particularly the wonderfully cheesy
song "Never Refuse a Good Offer", which is supposed
to be from diva actress Nokko Senbon. On a less cheerful
note, the other downside is that the disc attempts to
add a slight "live radio" quality to the mix,
including peeps and static at the start and the fictional
radio station's slightly evasive "jingle". This
is really only two tracks, though, and a very minor complaint
in the grande scheme of things.
Now, finally, it's worth mentioning that this disc is
quite a collector's item today. When it does rarely appear
on auction sites, it tends to garnish quite an asking
price. As to why this might be, it's likely a combination
of a limited initial run of the CD and the fact that director
Mitani has built up quite a following in Japan, which
became apparent in 2006 with the immense box office success
of his Suite
Dreams film.
Overall, this disc is pretty enjoyable, and it's a shame
that, due to its rarity, very few will probably get to
experience it. It's certainly one of Hattori's more memorable
CDs, to say the least, as the usually uneven composer
really hits one out of the park for Mitani's debut movie
production.
Rating:  |
|
| Tracks |
- Radio Beng Teng Jingle (Short Version)
- Radio Time - Main Theme
- No Problem - It's Your Cherished Work for Sure,
Although...
- Dumpsville
- It's OK! - Love Theme
- On Standby Soon
- Iori's Theme - What's Your Desire?
- Dai-Sunda Air CM
- Never Refuse a Good Offer
By: Keiko Toda
- Guten Morgen - What's Really the Problem?
- There's No Sea in Chicago
- Kudo and Otaguro Take Flight
- Who Helped Me?
- Radio Beng Teng Jingle (Long Version)
- Uncertain News of the Hawaiian Skies
- A Certain Hand...
- Ushijima's Persuasion
- Kudo's Theme - We're Bringing Donald Back
- Donald McDonald Returns
- The Return Home - Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald
- I'm Not Mary Jane
- No Problem - Fatigue
- No Problem
By: Akira Fuse
- Radio Time - Woman of Destiny Theme
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