This release by Toshiba-EMI under their Express label is a 3" CD single focusing on the song "Voyager" by Yumi Matsutoya (aka Yuming) from the movie Bye-Bye Jupiter (1984). In fact, this is essentially a CD version of the original "Voyager" 45 record single, complete with its b-side, "At The Blue Ship".
I won't go into too much detail on the music itself as there are other reviews on this site that cover both in their other releases, but I will say that both songs are very catchy and quite enjoyable. Instead, I would like to devote this review to an in-depth look at the sound quality across all the releases of these songs. To do that, I will be comparing the 1999 Voyager (TOCT-10648), the 1998 Yuming Neue Musik 2-CD "best-of" set (TOCT-24001/24002), and both soundtrack releases for Bye-Bye Jupiter.
Starting off with "At the Blue Ship", the 1999 Voyager version of the song sounds very good - it's pretty sharp and a little brighter than the version on the reissue for Bye-Bye Jupiter (TOCT-11610) which in contrast, has a more modern sound since it is slightly compressed – it is a little louder, more upfront in the speakers and has more bass as well. If I had to pick a winner, I would go with the Jupiter reissue, but to be fair, the 1999 CD also sounds cleaned up and is pretty dynamic.
Now for "Voyager", the version on the 1998 Yuming Neue Musik CD actually sounds excellent - it's pretty sharp, a little louder and features very nice late 90s remastering. However, the version on the Jupiter reissue just seems to have the edge again, as it is a bit warmer, a drop louder and just has a nice ambiance due to the updated remastering. Having said that though, in this case, it's probably a tie, as both CDs sound fantastic in their own right…it really just comes down to preference.
So, how does this 1989 Yuming Sweets: Voyager CD single sound? Well, it sounds OK, it's certainly not bad, although for a late 80s CD it does need to be cleaned up though. The music was mastered at a much lower volume on the single and it's probably not compressed, but unfortunately, it does sound inferior to all of the other CDs that have come out after it which feature these two songs. For an '89 CD single it sounded good in its day, but the only CD that it might sound better than (and even that is arguable) is the original 1984 Bye-Bye Jupiter (CA35-1073) soundtrack, and needless to say, this single does pale audio-wise of course next to the newly remastered Jupiter reissue.
If I had to rate the audio quality for the song "Voyager" itself, the list would probably look something like this:
#1 Bye-Bye Jupiter - 2013 OST reissue CD (TOCT-11610)
#2 Yuming Neue Musik - 1998 2-CD " Best-Of" (TOCT-24001/24002)
#3 Yuming Sweets: Voyager - 1989 CD single (XT10-2384)
#4 Bye-Bye Jupiter - Original 1984 soundtrack (CA35-1073)
As for this Voyager single in particular, it's actually from a 1989 CD series called "Yuming Sweets" that featured reissues of some of her earlier 45 record singles from the 1980s. I am not sure how many of these CD singles there are, but I have seen at least ten others in the XT10 series. Also, the packaging for this item is very nice - inside the pink envelope are the CD and plastic tray, plus a "Voyager" post card as well. The obi, which can be seen on top, also doubles as an envelope, and is the perfect size to house the 3" disc if one wants to. In the end, while both songs do appear on other CDs with better audio quality (the 2013 Bye-Bye Jupiter OST reissue is highly recommended), this CD single is still a rare find and makes a nice collectible today if you can find it!
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