Speed Pop (Introduction) (***) – Hard to rate an intro. I’ll give it three because it does its job well enough as the album’s appetizer but it isn’t outstanding in any way.
Happy Swing (****) – Great song from the early days. One of the first ones I listened to and one of the first ones I was hooked on to. They really sound like they’re having a lot of fun with this song and you’ve got to love it when Teru goes ‘Dancin in illusion…’. However, this song does sound better in the live versions.
Kanojo no “Modern…” (***1/2) – Hmm… I love this song but I’m not giving full marks because it is a bit flawed. I think the song jumps into the chorus too quickly and Hisashi’s solo should have been extended. Having said that, I think it’s a very good song that’s full of vigour and energy; something that they seem to lack a bit now. Some may say that this song (along with a few others) sounds very amateurish, which is true but I don’t think this is supposed to be a song to be taken seriously so just enjoy it!
Zutto futaride... (****) – The great romantic wedding song. I can easily see how girls would flip for this kind of thing. In my opinion, this is one of Glay’s best slow ballads. These don’t always work well but on this occasion, they managed to pull it off. Maybe it’s because it was for Teru’s sister. Soft and sweet but it still retains a tinge of that distinctive rock sound.
Love Slave (***1/2) – I don’t care what my sister says. This song is HILARIOUS! This is the sort of thing they probably thought up of on a whim in a garage or something whilst jamming and you could almost imagine them doing a video for this in cavemen outfits. THE most amateurish sounding song in the album, it’s probably there just for a laugh and a bit of fun (I hope) and it does its job perfectly so three and a half.
Regret (***1/2) – Another good song that strikes all the right notes. It’s quite upbeat and the chorus is very infectious. It is not exactly classic material but I feel that Takuro did the best he could with this.
Innocence (**1/2) – One of the slowest songs in the album, ‘Innocence’ also happens to be the poorest. Objectively speaking, it’s pleasant and so-so but it’s not something I’d put on repeat mode. I just think it’s a bit too dreary really and I find it hard to remember its tune no matter how many times I listen to it.
Freeze My Love (***1/2) – Good intro leading to a very good song. It is one of the catchiest tunes in the album and one of the first songs you’d go for when listening to this album. Should have featured more heavy guitar and bass though.
Manatsu no tobira (***1/2) – A pretty cool song that set the standard for all of their future high-tempo rock songs. The single guitar sounding off during the chorus makes the whole song. I feel that it is flawed though, much like ‘Kanojo’ actually, but here the problem lies in the bridge, which drags on for a bit too long.
Life ~Tooi sora no shitade~ (***1/2) – Another good song from this album. This actually sounds quite similar to a lot of the ‘Unity…’ songs… except that it’s much better, of course. It's mournful and sad with a very nice tune, especially during the chorus (gotta love it when Teru goes ‘Cross my lub and your lub…’). I also love how they put that little verse at the end. This works so well in a few other songs too like Trouble on Monday and Zutto futaride.
Junk Art (**1/2) – This song is kinda depressing. That’s because it starts out brilliantly but then degenerates. Most of it sounds the same throughout and this gradually becomes a dull affair because the verses naturally should build up to the chorus but here there’s no payoff. But it’s got a neat, fast tempo and enough energy to get a reasonably mediocre rating.
Rain (****) – Ah, the great classic. Have no idea why this never featured in Glay Drive. My pick for the best song in the album and one of the best songs they’ve ever done. It does sound somewhat different from their usual style of songs and reminds me of some of those old karaoke classics that your parents probably hum to on the oldies channel. But, like those songs, this is solid gold. Nice to know they were churning out top songs, even at an early stage.
COMBINED STAR SCORE: 41
AVERAGE: 3.42 (to 3 sig. Fig.)
SCORE: 85.4%