Since it is difficult to find a lot of information about Yuming in English, I have added a bit more product details in my review than I would normally.
This box set is a wonderful collection of Yuming's early works. It includes all the singles, including the B-sides, as well as the 4 albums that she released as Yumi Arai before she got married and changed her name to Yumi Matsutoya. It also contains a DVD that features the lone promotional video from the era, "紙ヒコーキ (Kami Hiko-Ki)" from her first album, ひこうき雲 (Hikoo-Ki Gumo).
Needless to say it includes both of her wonderful songs from the Ghibli Studios film, "Kiki's Delivery Service"; "やさしさに包まれたなら (Yasashisani Tsutsuma Rtanara)" (the album version was used in the film) and "ルージュの伝言 (Rouge No Dengon)".
Yuming's voice was in fantastic form at this early stage of her career. This box set includes some of my favourite Yuming songs and the remastering is excellent!
These early albums showcase Yumi Arai's funky side, as well as her rock side. The ballads soar with a pure voice and heartfelt delivery. The band is tight and the sound is spectacular and crisp. The influences of then-contemporary western musicians is very evident on many of the tracks. You can't do better than this as an introduction to Yuming's impressive body of work!
Included in the box set are songs like "ベルベット・イースター (Velvet Easter)" and the title track from her first album, "ひこうき雲 (Hikoo-Ki Gumo)"; Misslim's "瞳を閉じて (Hitomi O Tojite)"; Cobalt Hour's "少しだけ片想い (Sukoshi Dake Kataomoi)"; as well as 14th Moon's "さざ波 (Saza Nami)" and "天気雨 (Tenki Ame)", all of which have never sounded better.
Also included is a special SINGLES CD which includes all her singles and B-sides, as well as non-album tracks from the era, 14 tracks in all, and is exclusive to this box set. Included are songs like "返事はいらない (Henji Hairanai)", "きっと言える (Kitto Ie Ru)", and "12月の雨 (12 Gatsu No Ame)". Although all of the songs are available elsewhere (such as the compilation CD YUMING BRAND), this is the only CD that features all of these singles, B-Sides, and non-album tracks on one CD.
One of my the most interesting tracks on the SINGLES CD is the original 7inch single version of "やさしさに包まれたなら (Yasashisani Tsutsuma Rtanara)", originally found on the album YUMING BRAND, which is completely different from the album version, and which was the version used for the 2003 album FACES (Yuming Compositions), in which Yumi Matsutoya sang parts of the song anew, creating a sort-of duet across the years with her younger self, Yumi Arai (not included in this box set).
The only fault I found with this wonderful box set is the number of duplicated songs. Many of the songs on the 5th disc, "SINGLES", also appear on their respective albums in the same form, so that also seems like a bit of a waste. Also, many of these songs appear on the 2007 and 2008 compilations, "Seasons Colours". I would have liked a few extras in the form of rare songs, demos, or live recordings from the era. This box set should also, in my opinion, have included the "DUET" version of "やさしさに包まれたなら (Yasashisani Tsutsuma Rtanara)" from the 2003 album, FACES (Yuming Compositions).
Despite the lack of rareties, however, this box set is very satisfying and a great addition to your Yuming library, or any library that features great pop music!
ウェブプレーヤーを開く
