The Best! ~Updated Morning Musume。~

[arcobaleno]

I wish the previews were online, I really don't want to install iTunes just to hear previews of songs I might not like anyway.
 
I'll probably wait for the inevitable youtube videos.

[Anderei]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... o">Youtube link</a>

[arcobaleno]

My thoughts:
 
LOVE Machine: Still awesome

I WISH: Still boring to me, but the vocals are still good.

Ren'ai Revolution 21: I like this a little more than I did before. Actually, I think I love this now, haha.

The Peace: Mm, still lacks that certain quality, but it's not too bad. Riho sounds pretty good here.

Sou da! We're ALIVE: This sounds so boring. The whole charm of the original is completely gone.

THE Manpower!!!: Yeah, nothing can really save this song.

Aruiteru: Well, it's danceable now, haha. Sayu's vocals aren't too bad, but yeah, it's nothing great.

Ren'ai Hunter: This is an awesome song to begin with, and they kinda took out the heart of this song. It doesn't sound as fierce to me.

One-Two-Three: Eeh, the instrumental is a little worser, isn't it? Not that bad, vocal-wise.

Wakuteka Take a chance: Still good! Sounds basically the same.

Help me!!: Basically the same.

Brainstorming: Once again, pretty much the same.

Kimi Sae: Yeah, same.

Wolf Boy: This sounds pretty good.

[MejraThea]

I don't know about you all (well, I kind of do, from your opinions on here) but when I get mine in the mail I am ripping it and playing it in the car for a month. 
I'll give my opinion too, cause it'll help me to sort out my own thoughts.
 
LOVE Machine: Great, not so crazy about the instru. though
I WISH: Love it.
Ren'ai Revolution 21: Eh.
The Peace: Bit of a disappointment
Sou da! We're ALIVE: Almost sounds like they kiddied it up
THE Manpower!!!: I like it, but that's about it. Nah, now I really like it.
Aruiteru: Too much Sayu, pass.
Ren'ai Hunter: Love it, simply, love. (rihorific<3)
Everything imbetween: same. Also a disappointment. I liked the addition of Sakura's lines, and the absence of Reina in help me, other than that nilch.
Wolf Boy: The hell is this? (in a good way) This opinion will have to wait for the full song.

[tsukinobyouin]

Love Machine & I Wish - Same feelings as before.


Renai Revolution 21 - I think they made some fun updates to this song. I don't get all the hate for it. The instrumental isn't so great that I'm ready to start seeing it appear everywhere in concerts again, but it's enjoyable enough that I won't skip over it all the time when it comes up on shuffle. 


The Peace - Hot. Mess. This sounds like the classic poorly done fanmix where someone slaps the original vocals on top of some random instrumental they cooked up. The vocals are 100% true to the original, no one even intones slightly different or adds any attitude. No thanks.


Souda! - I agree that this song loses a lot of charm without the crazy changes, but I actually still enjoy it. The vocals all sound really nice and the instrumental flows nicely. 


The Manpower - Hey Riho doesn't sound bad! I'm glad they changed up the Ai/Yossi parts just enough that it's actually possible to sing them without sounding awful. I feel like I need more of this one to truly decide, but I'm liking it so far.


Aruiteru - Oh it's a Sayumi solo. It's actually quite cute. 


Renai Hunter - I do miss Risa in this a lot. I'm torn though, because I like the lack of Reina a lot. Hmmmmm...


One Two Three - They added so much autotune that I can't even appreciate the fact that Reina is gone. Whoever replaced her just sounds like robots. :/


Wakuteka Take a Chance - WOO! There's the Reina-less sound I was hoping for.


Help me!! - Didn't notice much difference. 


Brainstorming & Kimi Sae - I actually didn't mind Reina in the originals of these so I don't really need these updates. 


Wolf Boy - Love this. Wolf being sounded all the way out as uruufu sounds a bit silly but I like the song overall. My only complaint is it sounds kind of overprocessed? The vocals seeme a bit muffled. 


Overall: As an album it's neither terrible nor great. I don't think overall it accomplishes much for them as a group in terms of promotion. As Jpope said, they didn't fully commit to redoing these songs to pull in a new generation of fans. Keeping them so faithful to the originals hurts the songs. That said, as a fan of this lineup this feels sort of like a set of bonus tracks for me. Like a new version of that Best Shot series. I like that most of these have nice part splits, you get to hear a bit of everyone. Most of the time Riho sounds less strained and everyone sounds good overall. Most of the instrumentals are pleasant. 


I'm kind of disappointed in the remakes of the newer songs though. I feel like they mostly got made to sound more like all one song. Some of the things that originally gave them individuality seem to be less prominent. The lack of Reina wasn't as noticeable as I thought it would be.  



 

[Purin-chama]

This entire album sounds like it should be a video game.
 
And while I still like the original better, I don't mind Souda.

[Anderei]

I miss harmonies.

[Kalle]

I need a full rip of Wolf Boy like yesterday.
 
The only updates I'm really feeling so far are LOVE Machine and Aruiteru. I agree that Renai Hunter lost a lot of its charm by replacing Risa, though.

[Pucchi-Mo]

[quote="TnB"]
I'm kind of disappointed in the remakes of the newer songs though. I feel like they mostly got made to sound more like all one song. Some of the things that originally gave them individuality seem to be less prominent. The lack of Reina wasn't as noticeable as I thought it would be.  



 
[/quote]
 
I swear that the only difference in Renai Hunter and beyond are the updated vocals. I think the heavy use of Okubo would be what makes so many of the songs sound the same.  Look at the arranger color code.
 
In terms of originality, what did you notice was taken out of the sound of the remakes? I thought the new songs sounded TOO SIMILAR even before this update.
 
Hmm, I wonder if this ends the current era's sound, since releasing an album like this could wrap everything up, and the next studio album could have a new sound without being attached to this style.
 
They've already drawn this era out for about as long as Golden Era's disco sound lasted. What's going to happen next?
 
I've still got it!! AKIRA did arrange the I Wish update! Sadly, Hirata did the Love Machine arrangement. Well, I didn't hate it, the breakdown seemed cool.
 
 
 
<div>1. LOVEマシーン (updated) 04:55</div>
<div>平田祥一郎(編曲)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>2. I WISH (updated) 04:50</div>
<div>AKIRA (PALM DRIVE)(編曲)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>3. 恋愛レボリューション21 (updated) 04:42</div>
<div>大久保薫(編曲)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>4. ザ☆ピ～ス! (updated) 05:19</div>
<div>大久保薫(編曲)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>5.そうだ!We're ALIVE (updated) 05:00</div>
<div>平田祥一郎(編曲)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>6.THE マンパワー!!! (updated) 04:54</div>
<div><a href="http://supacreators.com/?p=658">江上浩太郎</a>(編曲) HOLY SHIT, I just looked up Egami Kotarou, he was born in 1990. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>7. 歩いてる (updated) 05:05</div>
<div>大久保薫(編曲)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>8. 恋愛ハンター (updated) 05:12</div>
<div>平田祥一郎(編曲)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>9. One･Two･Three (updated) 04:28</div>
<div>大久保薫(編曲)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>10. ワクテカ Take a chance (updated) 04:42</div>
<div>大久保薫(編曲)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>11. Help me!! (updated) 04:37</div>
<div>大久保薫(編曲)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>12. ブレインストーミング (updated) 04:12</div>
<div>大久保薫(編曲)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>13. 君さえ居れば何も要らない (updated) 04:32</div>
<div>平田祥一郎(編曲)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>14. わがまま 気のまま 愛のジョーク 04:16</div>
<div>大久保薫(編曲)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>15. ウルフボーイ  04:54</div>
<div>大久保薫(編曲)</div>
 
Okubo much?
 
Back to Egami Kotarou... So he got to arrange Goto Maki's GIVE ME LOVE and MM's Onna ni Sachi Are, when he was like... 17? 

[Anderei]

They're not going to stop with this sound as long as it's bringing in those numbers ones. Especially since they've reinvented themselves as a dance group.

[JPope]

No way will they abandon the electronic dance sound anytime soon, nor should they. It's what has put them back on the map and made Morning Musume relevant as an idol group again. They will probably never challenge the AKBs in exposure or sales, but they've positioned the group to be a musically cutting-edge idol group for the foreseeable future.
 
You know what else I don't see happening anytime soon? Sayumi graduating. Just a hunch, although I do think management sees her role as particularly important as they try to solidify the group's new sound and image. She's still the most recognizable member of the group to the general public, and her loyalty to MM appears to be as strong as that of any member ever, and stronger than most.
 
I probably just jinxed Sayumi...

[Solarblade]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote">
Back to Egami Kotarou... So he got to arrange Goto Maki's GIVE ME LOVE and MM's Onna ni Sachi Are, when he was like... 17?
 
</blockquote>
 
He also arranged Namidacchi if I remember correctly as well

[ShiroiChanUK]

LOVE Machine: I really like it. A lot more than I thought I would.
I WISH: It's nice but kind of meh. It's not as climactic as the original.
Ren'ai Revolution 21: Meh.
The Peace: I like the intro but I really don't like the rest of it. It's no where near as energetic as the original.
Sou da! We're ALIVE: It's OK. Nothing special.
THE Manpower!!!: I think I need to hear the full version first before I make a decision about this one.  
Aruiteru: I love Sayu but not enough to like this.
Renai Hunter: Too much Riho. I don't like it.
Everything Inbetween: What was the point?
Wolf Boy: This sounds amazing! I want the full version and a PV!
 
I really hope UFP promote this album. it's not likely but a girl can dream.
 
 

[MejraThea]

There wasn't near enough Kuduu, as usual, also. 

[neshcom]

Something about those iTunes previews is making it hard for me to honestly listen to the mixes, but I'm kind of feeling the album. Hopefully the final isn't brickwall limited to all fuck like those previews. The Peace, Manpower, and I Wish are major violators here, but there are more that are just insanely blown-out. Please let it be the ineptitude of the person who put those on YouTube and not a major, major misstep from management. 
 
As for the rest of the songs, Souda is really fun. It's got just the smallest bit of funk and it's very playful. Manpower isn't the club-shattering dutch house remake I was hoping for, but it's a very good modern remake. It doesn't feel much different from the original, but it is executed better. Like the Tsunku backing vox juggling. Definitely near the top of my list. Holy Sayu-iteru. 80's claps, 808 dings, and cowbell. Definitely a low point. UrufuWolf Boy is too slow. It's not interesting enough to be that speed. 

[yuzuriha]

[quote="TnB"]

Aruiteru - Oh it's a Sayumi solo. It's actually quite cute. 


Renai Hunter - I do miss Risa in this a lot. I'm torn though, because I like the lack of Reina a lot. Hmmmmm...


 
[/quote]
 

I feel the need to point out that I prefer this aruiteru to the original by about a MILLION, but even cute Sayu and fun instrumental can't change the fact that I just hate this fucking song.
 
And yes....exactly what you said about Renai Hunter.  I feel like it was worth the Risa sacrifice to lose the Reina vocals.

[tsukinobyouin]

[quote="Pucchi mo"]
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="TnB" data-cid="163118" data-time="1379469407">
<div>
I'm kind of disappointed in the remakes of the newer songs though. I feel like they mostly got made to sound more like all one song. Some of the things that originally gave them individuality seem to be less prominent. The lack of Reina wasn't as noticeable as I thought it would be.  



 
[/quote]
 
I swear that the only difference in Renai Hunter and beyond are the updated vocals. I think the heavy use of Okubo would be what makes so many of the songs sound the same.  Look at the arranger color code.
 
In terms of originality, what did you notice was taken out of the sound of the remakes? I thought the new songs sounded TOO SIMILAR even before this update.
 
</div>
</blockquote>
 
I may just be misremembering, especially with Wakuteka because I haven't listened to that one much lately. Wakuteka seemed toned down? I'm terrible at music terms especially with this electronic sound, but I remember it standing out more against One.Two.Three and the songs after. It had very pronounced beats that now seem more subtle. That could all be in my head though. I definitely agree that Brainstorming and Kimi Sae sound exactly the same other than Reina being replaced. But One.Two.Three seems to have more autotune going on now - probably because they felt the need to muffle whoever that is singing Reina's parts. 

 
[quote="yuzuriha"]
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="TnB" data-cid="163118" data-time="1379469407">
<div>
Aruiteru - Oh it's a Sayumi solo. It's actually quite cute. 


Renai Hunter - I do miss Risa in this a lot. I'm torn though, because I like the lack of Reina a lot. Hmmmmm...


 
[/quote]
 
I feel the need to point out that I prefer this aruiteru to the original by about a MILLION, but even cute Sayu and fun instrumental can't change the fact that I just hate this fucking song.
 
And yes....exactly what you said about Renai Hunter.  I feel like it was worth the Risa sacrifice to lose the Reina vocals.
 
</div>
</blockquote>

Yeah, I think the original Aruiteru was so boring that there was only so much they could do with it. It's cute, the instrumental is fun, but it's not a stand out on the album by any means.

[Anderei]

Group photo for the album:

 
Also, it's a download,<a href="http://www.sendspace.com/file/qqehqj"> but The Peace and Souda! We're Alive's new versions were played in full</a> on Bay FM when Eripon was a guest.

[Noa]

Kanon and Sakura look like princesses ;~;

[showraniy]

Crimped hair just confuses me.


And it's kind of amazing that a bad hairdo can really make a gorgeous girl look horrible. Haruka I'm side-eyeing in your direction.

[Elpis]

Haruka's hair, it looks bad. 

[Pucchi-Mo]

[quote="Anderei"]
Group photo for the album:

 
 
[/quote]
 
Sayumi is saying "Umm... Don't you know who I AM?"
Haruka is channeling the Second Morning cover a bit.
Eripon is a yinyang.
Sakura is gassy again.

[yuzuriha]

hahahaha Pumo.
 
For the record I saw the individual pic of Eripon's dress and....wat.

[Anderei]

Yeah, it's not great but I get what they were going for (also why is her dress the only yellow one?). I'll go ahead and post the others too:










 
 

[showraniy]

Wow, they all look gorgeous! And I love all the dresses, I don't even understand.


Ayumi has transformed into this MM's Eri, I swear. She came out of nowhere and reminds me so much of Eri in those pictures with just her poise and kind of subdued womanly charm.


Somehow EVERYone looks good in these dresses and pictures. Even Haruka's ghost of Aika hairline can't ruin it.

[smtmissin]

Who said Riho is good at posing? I don't like Riho's pose the most here. Sakura, Ayumi, Masaki, Haruna and even Erina (who is the one I never care about) all look so GODLY!

[arcobaleno]

[quote="showraniy"]
Wow, they all look gorgeous! And I love all the dresses, I don't even understand.


Ayumi has transformed into this MM's Eri, I swear. She came out of nowhere and reminds me so much of Eri in those pictures with just her poise and kind of subdued womanly charm.


Somehow EVERYone looks good in these dresses and pictures. Even Haruka's ghost of Aika hairline can't ruin it.
[/quote]
 
Ayumi does have a very Eri-like aura, that's for sure.

[yuzuriha]

lol I was all set to post those pictures before but I was like "nah, I'll let Anderei do it.  She'll put them in the right order and everything."
 
Anyway, I must say Ayumi looks the prettiest out of all of them.  While I definitely prefer black hair 100% of the time, that hair color does look nice on her.

[Anderei]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="smtmissin" data-cid="163278" data-time="1379610079">
Who said Riho is good at posing? I don't like Riho's pose the most here. Sakura, Ayumi, Masaki, Haruna and even Erina (who is the one I never care about) all look so GODLY!</blockquote>


Most of them usually aren't too great at posing. But idols usually aren't. Eripon's is great, though.

[showraniy]

Yeah, I'm about to have a good time trolling Riho if she keeps putting her hand on her shoulder.


Erina's been impressing me with her fiercer image since 123 though, since she learned how to channel that inner model and stop doing the deer-in-headlights look.