BELOVED ALBUM REVIEW
A favourite album of many Glay fans. The songs written by Takuro here are absolute gems and many of his best efforts are recorded in this album. Here, Glay shows great improvement in all areas from the bass to the vocals. Teru starts sounding more polished in this album and he has learnt how to control and expand the range of his raw, husky voice, maximising its potential. The basslines are heard more distinctly under the skilful fingers of Jiro (as in BEAT out!) but they do not overwhelm the and weigh down the songs. As for Hisashi, the quality of his solos never fail to impress me though here, it sounds like he has upped the level of performing the solos.
THIS IS AN ESSENTIAL ALBUM FOR ANY GLAY FANS OUT THERE!
Recommendations : Lovers change fighters, cool, BELOVED, SHUTTER SPEEDS NO TEEMA, Canary, HIT THE WORLD CHART!, Curtaincall, RHAPSODY.
GROOVY TOUR
This is a semi-rock song and the introduction to the song is cute. Here, Teru still has shades of his old singing style and thus, he still sounds a little boyish. The basslines here sound great though having fans scream halfway into the song as part of the recording is a cheesy addition. Overall, it's a funky upbeat song and a great way to start off a fantastic album.
Lovers change fighters, cool
Another typically upbeat rock song from Glay. This song didn't impress me much when I first heard it but now, it grows on me after repeated listenings. Now, it's one of my favourite songs, especially after I viewed the Pure Soul '98 video where they just oozed pure brilliance. The most outstanding feature of this song has to be the guitars. Impressive showing by Hisashi and Takuro and no doubt, this has to be their song.
BELOVED
The song that propelled Glay into no. 1 status in Japan (besides However) and rightly so too. This is one of the best songs I've heard anywhere, even outside Jrock. Just about everything is perfect in this song. A beautiful love song conveyed by the tender lyrics, this is one of the few songs which Teru sings his lungs out for and it's pure ecstasy to hear him here. There is an evident shift towards a more mature singing style. The guitars and the bass combine and put up a fantastic showing and I liked the introduction of the acoustic guitar to the start of this song which combines brilliantly with the electric guitars. I can't get enough of this wonderful song that goes to the core of my soul. My BELOVED it is.
SHUTTER SPEEDS NO TEEMA
A GREAT song written by Jiro and it has become one of the signature songs of Glay! I love the way the bass starts off such a fun and funky song. The mini bass solo in the mid-interval of the song is really just classic and innovative! The basslines are handled very skilfully to put Jiro's stamp all over this song. Besides, Jiro sings the first paragraph to this song and his voice is SEXY! The only pity is that he didn't sing the whole song by himself. The cute addition of the sounds of the camera shutters clicking makes me feel as if the gang was having loads of fun making this song. If you are not a Jiro fan before, this song will change your mind!
Fairy Story
I don't fancy this song though I really liked the lyrics which has a poetic tinge for me. The guitars sound good but the melody is just too corny and leaves no impact. "TAKE ME HIGHER" - what is this phrase supposed to mean? I sure didn't get high on this song and it's a waste of the beautiful lyrics.
Canary
Another great song written by Jiro! A favourite of all Jiro fans. I loved the introduction to this song - it sounded as if the band was having a practice session and Jiro came up with this gem of a song. A very soothing and refreshing song by Glay. Teru sings so gently but I can feel the emotions raging within this nostalgic song. I can imagine Jiro sitting on a train and looking out to the green pastures as he travels back to his hometown. The basslines provide a rustic and homely feel to this song. A Jiro and Teru song.This song is a pleasant surprise to all who think that Glay is just hard rock or soppy pop. An intelligent song that grows on you the more you listen to it.
HIT THE WORLD CHART!
This song absolutely ROCKS!! One of my favourite Glay rock songs of all time! I just adore the guitar introduction to this song and the bass is awesome too! Hisashi springs a surprise by singing parts of the song. Quite a cute voice he has. Definitely very different from Teru's style of singing. You HAVE to listen to this song yourself to feel the verve and energy of this song. This is one of the best rock songs that Takuro has ever written and the proof of it is that Glay themselves love to perform this song!! The "live" potential of this song is indescribable! I can feel Teru's energy here and the guitars are just GREAT! Power vocals and first rate yelling by Teru! Cool
a Boy ~ zutto wasurenai ~
This song grows on you the more you listen to it. It did not make much of an impact on me the first few times I heard it but the more I listened to it, the better it sounds. A large part is due to the sensitive reflection of the courage to live and love conveyed through the lyrics. This song is like an unpolished gem and it may not appear much with the simple melody but those who bother to give it a second chance will be duly rewarded with this gem of a song.
Haru Wo Aisuru Hito
An upbeat love song but I never liked it. I skip this track whenever I listen to this album and the music video for this song is fascinating : flowers are the focus and there is no hint of Glay anywhere in the video. Enough said.
Curtaincall
A very beautiful and thought-provoking ballad by Takuro. The piano at the beginning of this song gives it a delicate and tender quality. Teru's husky voice lends a poignancy to the song, with a heartachingly forceful rendition of this song. Having the piano end the song just about breaks the dam and the river of tears overflow. A Takuro and Teru song.
Miyako Wasure
Teru's favourite song in this album but I beg to differ. It's a nice song and there is generally nothing wrong with this song BUT neither is it outstanding. Like Ikigai, it suffers from a forgettable melody. However, I do like the basslines for this song and also the last part of the song where Teru sings " I can't feel love without you". It's a song I have to listen more to in order to acquire a love for it.
RHAPSODY
A cute and happy song by Glay. I have an irrepressible urge to swing to this song! The basslines convey the happy feel while Teru sings in such a way that it really sounds like a rhapsody by a determined lover! Hisashi also sounds like he is having a lot of fun with the guitar for this song and I can just imagine him laughing along as he plays the guitar here. A cute song to end the album.
* Review dated 20.05.00