 |
Title |
| You Can Succeed,
too - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |
| International Title |
| You
Can Succeed, too |
| Music By:
Toshiro Mayuzumi |
| Record Label:
Toho Music |
| |
|
| Running Time: 74:45 |
Discs: 1 |
| Release: July 2008 |
CD Number: TMSA-0002 |
|
| Comments |
 |
Anthony
Romero |
 |
|
|
First
off, huge thanks goes out to Robert Storch for sending
this disc for review!
Since Toho Music became involved in the CD scene,
the offshoot has had relatively few releases to their
credit. Many of these have been box sets, such as
the Godzilla Soundtrack Perfect Collection
line. A few of these have been more "normal"
soundtracks, such as the one for Killers and
Latitude Zero:
Great Military Battle (TSFCD-22), with releases
timed to coincide with the movie's introduction to
the region 2 DVD format. This soundtrack for the cult
favorite You Can Succeed, too falls into the
latter category.
The movie, which is a musical depicting the exploits
of a travel agency, is often cited as being inspired
by the US Broadway play How To Succeed In Business
Without Really Trying. In Japan, the movie had
the misfortune of playing second fiddle to Toho's
extremely popular Crazy Cats and Young Guy
musical series, the latter of which became such a
part of the culture that references can be seen as
far reaching as 1971's Godzilla
vs. Hedorah. Although originally a box office
flop, You Can Succeed, too has garnered a loyal
following since its original debut.
To capitalize on this increased interest, Toho rolled
out the red carpet by supplementing their region 2
release with a very packed single CD of the movie's
soundtrack. At nearly 75 minutes in length, this CD
is almost packed to utter capacity. Fans of the musical
genre should be very pleased with this release too,
as it contains numerous catchy songs sung by the cast.
Among these songs are "You Can Succeed, too",
"Taklamakan", and the eight minute "In
America". The general style of the songs vary,
from the almost gospel-like "Taklamakan"
that features a heavy choir in the background, to
the more club style "Banzai House Song".
The songs, which greatly overwhelm the amount of pure
background themes present in terms of running time,
are very contemporary to the period for the musical
genre. Consequently, the disc will probably appeal
to a somewhat limited audience. Frankly, upon my first
listen I wasn't too impressed, but some of the more
rousing songs, such as the "Banzai House Song",
won me over upon repeat listens. The songs are infectious
in a way as the cast, which anyone familiar with the
old Showa period of Toho (and movies such as King
Kong vs. Godzilla and The
Last War) should recognize, does a great job
belting out the tunes. Outside of the songs, Toshiro
Mayuzumi's score is a fairly forgettable endeavor,
while there is also some repetition in the songs which
could wear down the listener thanks to the bonus tracks,
although the latter is nothing to really fault.
Overall, fans of the movie should be overjoyed, as
will enthusiasts of musicals of the period; however,
that said, one shouldn't expect this mid-1960's entry
to win someone over if the genre was never their thing
to begin with.
As a side note to this release, track 28, "In
Japan", has a very sharp closure. To be honest,
it sounds like someone recorded it directly off the
film transfer, and then quickly cut the track once
some dialogue would have interfered, as the limited
background music is awkwardly spliced away from. It
wouldn't be the first time Toho Music has demonstrated
some less than stellar practices in their releases,
such as the "Mono" score for Godzilla
vs. Biollante (G-017) that was recorded directly
from the movie, but all said it's just a minor point
in the grand scheme of things.
It should be noted that this disc is sold exclusively
online at Toho Music's site or Arksquare.net.
Rating:  |
|
| Tracks |
- Toho Logo
- You Can Succeed, too
- Main Title
- It's Time to Wake Up and Say...
- Banzai House Song
- Taklamakan
- Beniko's Room
- That Country Smell
- Success in Life as a Salary Man
- Yamakawa's Enthusiasm
- Club Charades I
- Club Charades II
- Meeting the President
- In America
- Chasing Yamakawa...
- Nakai and Yoko in Attendance
- Gazing into a Mirror
- Dance Music I
- Dance Music II
- In America vs. Taklamakan
- In America - Duet
- Driving with Beniko
- Drawing Room Reception
- Lounge Music
- Heartbroken Couple
- I Cannot Succeed? I
- The Road Where This Man Lives
- In Japan
- I Cannot Succeed? II
- One Small Manimal
- In the Country Together
- Yamakawa's Rush
- Shape-up Exercises
- A Smile from Yoko
- You Can Succeed, too - Finale
Bonus Tracks
- You Can Succeed, too (Unedited)
- Banzai House Song (Unedited)
- Taklamakan (Unedited)
- Gazing into a Mirror (Unedited)
- In the United States - Duet (Unedited)
- Heartbroken Couple (Unedited)
- One Small Manimal (Demo)
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