Hi-nrg attack releases

[DJ Mike TJG]

"Parapara Cool 5" took the first place in Bestsellers charts

LOL, slightly off-topic, but I love that Eurobeat Masters 18 is still that high up!

[DJ Mike TJG]

Old release put up on Juno today:

Ganguro Parapara Superstars

[drnrg]

I'm glad that these older songs are finally up.

What pisses me off are the song legnths to Maid Attack, Bazooka, Super Guts and Pum Pum Beam. These are not extended format at all, just the same old SEB versions and frankly, I feel a little ripped off. What's worse than a répeated SEB extended is a repeated SEB 4:00 format.

[DJ Mike TJG]

I'm glad that these older songs are finally up.

What pisses me off are the song legnths to Maid Attack, Bazooka, Super Guts and Pum Pum Beam. These are not extended format at all, just the same old SEB versions and frankly, I feel a little ripped off. What's worse than a répeated SEB extended is a repeated SEB 4:00 format.

The thing is I don't think HRG have made their songs longer than 4 minutes for some considerable time - about the limit is 4:30 as with songs like SEF Deluxe.

I guess they got sick of making 5-6 minutes worth of song only to have Avex chop it back to 4! Can you blame them?

[the_ditz]

REVIEW OF PARAPARA COOL VOL. 5 - PART 1

The two other albums seem to have gotten most of the praise after these recent updates, but I feel that Parapara Cool vol. 5 needs more love as it's a surprisingly varied and interesting release.

01 BOOGABOO - BURN BURN GET MY FIRE [05:20]
I really love this slower style with more emphasis on the kick drums and bass - it seems to give the whole production a much more rich sound. Taken from Euromach 4, this track still sounds great, with a classic Italo-sounding synth riff at the centerpiece of the song. The vocals are clear and well-delivered unlike many newer Hi-NRG Attack male tracks, and we get a more traditional extended edit to enjoy as well, which is nice. I don't really have to say much more as you've all heard this before, but it sets up this album nicely as being slightly different from the usual fast and frantic HRG fayre.
Score: 9+

02 GARCON - MAKKA MAKKA [04:04]
Wow, this sounds completely different for Garcon. The descending scale in the main hook makes me think of an air-raid warning during World War II or something similar - it has quite a menacing air about it. The vocals are a lot clearer than in many other Garcon tracks, and he actually sounds a bit younger somehow. The chorus is probably the part of this track that will stick in your mind the most, with its almost childish chanting of "Makka Makka", but the verses and bridge section are far more interesting for me - I love the shout of "EVERYBODY!" with the backing vocals just before the chorus. Overall, it's a complete departure from previous Garcon songs and may not appeal to everyone, but I'm initially quite impressed.
Score: 8+

03 LAURA VOX - SEXY WILD & CRAZY SOUND [04:12]
This seems to be getting most of the love from the sample reviews, and rightly so as this is a little gentle gem that doesn't scream or shout but leaves a lasting impression after listening! The intro phrases taken directly from the classic "Feel My Body And My Soul" are a nice retro throwback to the Eurobeat Flash days. The chord progression that kicks in around 00:13 is just irresistable, and we even get treated to some small electric guitar flourishes. The main hook sounds slightly out of place to me - not sure what it is, but it sounds too sprightly and Eurodancey somehow. The true appeal of this song however is the awesome vocal melodies. From start to finish, the lyrics and melody just work in perfect harmony - there's no arbitrary "fire and desire" stuff here! The chorus in particular is begging to be danced to with the high synchopation. Overall, I would probably say that this track is probably the highlight of the album and it's an absolute travesty that Avex has let slip away!
Score: 10+++

04 JEFF DRILLER - WORK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN [04:06]
This is definitely a slow-burning classic in my eyes. I've always loved Jeff Driller's tracks, and the production on this one harks back to one of HRG's strongest SEB appearances - 153. The synth sound in the hook is lifted more or less straight from Black Night Cadillac, although the melody is completely new. The vocal delivery - as with most Jeff Driller tracks - is great and I especially love the way they combine with the backing during the bridge section to create a sense of heightened tension in preparation for the chorus. The chorus itself is another classic with its typical HRG play on words. It clearly quotes the Bangles track "Walk Like An Egyptian" but the word Walk is substituted with Work (much like "Shake your body move" was substituted with Sheik Yarbati Moves!). My favourite quirk in the song is during the second half of the chorus when the melody shifts to the "minor" notes, giving the melody an added eastern/Egyptian flair. This track is another of my favourites on the album, and while some may dismiss it, I hope that others can see the uniqueness in the theme and production.
Score: 10

Continued...

05 NICK & SAMANTHA - BUBBLE GUM [04:33]
This is one of the few low points on this album for me. For some bizarre reason, I can't listen to this song without thinking that it's a Dave Rodgers & Annalise duet after they've had a few too many wines/beers!! Just the way the vocals are crafted and produced makes them sound like a poor A-Beat C sappy duet cover, with a sprinkling of alcohol and a silly theme during the chorus. Everyone should know by now that I've not a massive D. Rodgers & Annalise duet fan, so this sadly overshadows an otherwise fairly preppy and happy song. Its slow BPM and jingling bells give it an almost Christmassy feel, which makes it even more confused-sounding to me. The chorus in unison sounds a bit like a drunken sing-a-long at the end of a birthday party as well. Who knows - this may grow on me, but at the moment it's just a very confused and rather annoying mish-mash of styles that I'm not overly keen on.
Score: 6

06 JUNGLE BILL - SEXY TOY, SEXY JOY [05:14]
After "Work Like An Egyptian" took me back to HRG's SEB defining moment, imagine my joy when I heard the intro to this track! With the layered pads, stuttering chants and effects and that awesome punchy bass line, I was instantly transported back to the glory days of Eurobeat Flash! And then of course we have that synth hook - utterly divine!! It's definitely one of my favourite synth sounds that HRG used back in the day, and I'm really happy to hear its triumphant return here - think about the synth from Live Music Gang's "I Loose My Shoes" but with more power and you're more of less there! The vocal melody is classic Hi-NRG Attack, and I love the small key change from the hook into the verse. There's not much I can pick out from this track that annoys me at all - it's just a very well structured and well produced Eurobeat Flash-esque track - not quite of the same caliber as Shake Me Up, but not far behind!
Score: 10-

07 NICK TURBO - RIDE ON FIRE [04:16]
This tracks instantly stamps its mark with the brash orchestra hits during the intro, which can be a little tough on the eardrums if you have the volume too loud on your headphones! I'd say that this track will probably appeal the most on this album to people that enjoyed The Speed & The Furious, as while it is slightly mellower (with an "airier" synth as some will probably state) the vocal melody and theme is very similar to tracks from that release. Bizarrely, the vocal melody in the verse especially also makes me think of a Franz Tornado Russian themed track, but I can't quite put my finger on which one! Anyway, overall this is another strong track with a really catchy melody, especially in the chorus with all the ascending and descending scales and key changes between measures - it's a rollercoaster ride!
Score: 9+

08 P. STONE - DANCE AROUND THE WORLD [05:04]
This one starts off fairly mellow to be honest - the gentle whistling melody and the muted "woah-ho-ho" vocal strands sit pleasantly overly the beat, and I was half expecting to hear a bell/chime-style hook follow. Imagine my surprise when an explosive synth hit my eardrums - the same one that was used in Control Alt Delete And Blow! I didn't really have many preconceptions about a P. Stone track (unlike Jeff Driller and Garcon for example) so overall, I'm quite impressed. The chorus reminds me so much of the Hi-NRG All Stars track "Love And Peace For Christmas" that I wondered for a minute if the rest of the track was a copy of this track as well. I can see this track being loved by paralists in particular for some reason and I absolutely adore the breakdown around 3:13 when the beat drops out and we are left with just the vocals and bass. Another great track!!
Score: 10

09 FESUTARU - DEAD OR ALIVE [04:24]
People that have come into the Eurobeat community from the Metal world will probably really enjoy this track. The typical Hi-NRG production is still present, but instead we are treated to a half-drunk and half menacing snarling vocal delivery that is sometimes a little difficult to listen to and follow. I've never been a massive metal fan at all, so this particular direct marriage of the two styles doesn't really sit too well with me, but I can tell that other people will probably lap this one up in buckets! The frantic chorus continues the demonic and playful theme in terms of the lyrical and melodic structure and by the reprise starts at 03:03, things are starting to sound a bit more together even for me. Another unique feature is the fragmented vocals that stutter along in the background during the interludes, sounding like some evil spirits coming to cause havoc! A very atmospheric and different production that certainly can't be described as "bland".
Score: 8

10 JEFF DRILLER - ROCKET IN MY POCKET [05:36]
Great to see a full extended version of this track from Eurobeat Flash! As I've said before, Jeff Driller has been one of my favourite Hi-NRG Attack aliases since the amazing Control Alt Delete And Blow, and this track is probably one of the better male HRG tracks from the Eurobeat Flash. A classic Italo-style vocal melody combines with that trademark stronger bass and kick drum style (bring that back every now and again please HRG!!!) to create a very infectious and complete-sounding production. I am still a little concerned about the third line in the first verse which sounds a little like "want a finger when you touch down" - after Leslie Hammond's revelations in Feel My Body And My Soul, that's perhaps a bit too much information!! Regarding the extended version we have here, it does sound a little hastily put together to my ears - the main song seems to end just before 04:00 and then the synth hook is hastily resurrected with some Euromach style beat repeats. Perhaps not the best structures track, but still a mega-catchy song nonetheless!
Score: 10

11 GARCON - I AM MISTER BLASTER
Finally! I've been waiting for another super-catchy Garcon song with some Super Kaiser-style sing-a-long lyrics, and it looks like HRG have delivered this here. After a sprightly and direct brassy synth hook, we are straight into a bouncy and incredibly infectious vocal melody that you can't help but bop your head along to. The bridge section seems to be structured in a similar way to Super Kaiser as well, with the extended notes at the end of each phrase. However, my favourite part of this song is the chorus. It's chaotic, catchy, melodic, messy, polyphonic - but somehow it works. I adore all the "oh-ohs" that are ended to the end of phrases, adding that all-important Garcon sing-a-long appeal, and the production is a lot more complex than many other HRG track, meaning you can appreciate something new almost everytime you listen to the track. This track is definitely the best track I've heard from Garcon since the breakthrough Super Kaiser, and it will be a firm favourite of mine for a long time!
Score: 10+

12 FRANZ TORNADO & BAZOOKA GIRL - VELFARRE 10 [04:10]
Wow, this is cool. The intro for this track sounds like an instrumental song I made on my Casio keyboard when I was about 9 years old!! The chord progression is the same, and it's using more or less the same synth sound. Heck, I could've been an HRG producer if my life had gone differently!! Anyways, moving onto the song itself, it has a strong pedigree to live up to, with Bazooka Girl's tributes to the Tokyo superclub "The Class Of Velfarre" and "Velfarre 2000" still winning new fans today. On the whole, I reckon this track does a pretty good job to appeal to the Parapara massive while still differentiating itself from the previous Velfarre tracks we've had before. This isn't so much a duet however, but rather Franz Tornado on lead vocals and Bazooka Girl playing back-up. I love the addition of the 2nd chorus after the second reprise of the main chorus, as it gives the song another edge. Sadly, a lot of this song comes off sounding quite similar to productions we've heard in the past, and it doesn't have a really strong personal identity overall. It's still fun and fitting tribute to the Velfarre legend!!
Score: 9

13 NIKITA JR - PARAPARA LEMONADE [04:10]
I've been racking my brain all weekend trying to work out what song Nikita reminds me of when she sings "Parapara Lemonade" and it finally hit me this morning! This song is basically like a reply to Vibration/LED's track by Otello "Para Para Para Night". It's only the title line that has the same melody, but for me it's enough to forever link the two tracks. As for the rest of this track, I've never been a massive Nikita Jr fan - she's a bit too childish and girly for my tastes - but this track is definitely a catchy and ultra-happy track that pretty much captures the HRG spirit in a 4 minute slice of fizzy nonsense. The synth hook is probably the best part of the track for me, as the vocal sections generally come off sounding a little contrived and bland in melodic terms, but it's still worth a listen.
Score: 8-

OVERALL SCORE: 9+
I adore this album, and think it far outshines the quality of previous Parapara Cool volumes. There are a few tracks here that have instantly become HRG classics for me (Sexy Wild & Crazy Sound, I Am Mister Blaster, and Work Like A Egyptian especially) and the only track I really skip when playing through the album is Bubble Gum, which is pretty darn good for a Hi-NRG Attack album. It worries me that a lot of people don't see the variety and quality this album holds and that it will on the whole simply live under the shadow of The Trailblazers and The Speed & The Furious. Give it a chance, and after a few listens I promise you won't be disappointed.

More like this please Hi-NRG Attack!!

[-Speedy-]

"Parapara Cool 5" took the first place in Bestsellers charts

LOL, slightly off-topic, but I love that Eurobeat Masters 18 is still that high up!

By the way, Delta sells "Eurobeat Masters" also in Japan/Asian countries (90% of the market), and HI-NRG Attack in USA-Europe only.
Therefore, HI-NRG Attack is top rank with only 10% of the market

[DJ Mike TJG]

Isn't Juno just the one website for all of the world, though?

[the_ditz]

Isn't Juno just the one website for all of the world, though?

My thoughts exactly. I'm pretty sure so long as you have a Credit Card or Paypal account, anyone can buy from Juno.

[-Speedy-]

No. It depends on territorial restrictions that are contained in the metadata.

[Lebon14]

No. It depends on territorial restrictions that are contained in the metadata.

That statement kinda fails because WAV files doesn't have metadatas. FLAC can but because it's an option when you buy WAV files (that have no metadatas), there are are no metadata transfered.

Anyway, because WAV don't have metadata, anyone can buy those

[pokecapn]

No. It depends on territorial restrictions that are contained in the metadata.

Maybe for itunes junk, but mp3s don't work like that.

[the_ditz]

MAAAAAAAAAAAAATRIOSKA NIIIEEEEETT KATIUSKA!!!!

I adore this song more than words can say - way better than all previous HRG Russian themed tracks and perhaps my new favourite HRG track full stop. I didn't think anything could topple Laura Vox from her lofty pedestal, but Mad Cow has just blown my mind with this Turbo Polka masterpiece!!!

[Jay]

I guess they got sick of making 5-6 minutes worth of song only to have Avex chop it back to 4! Can you blame them?

Are you kidding? Look at all the avenues available now for those interested in extended mixes of their favourite songs. HRG haven't been able to use that excuse since mu-mo and mora came to the forefront many years ago.

If HRG can deviate from that repetitive formula they keep using, it may stimulate their creativity. One can hope...

[Jion]

I guess they got sick of making 5-6 minutes worth of song only to have Avex chop it back to 4! Can you blame them?

Are you kidding? Look at all the avenues available now for those interested in extended mixes of their favourite songs. HRG haven't been able to use that excuse since mu-mo and mora came to the forefront many years ago.

If HRG can deviate from that repetitive formula they keep using, it may stimulate their creativity. One can hope...

Read my response in the 192 thread.

[drnrg]

ditz

10 JEFF DRILLER - ROCKET IN MY POCKET [05:36]
Great to see a full extended version of this track from Eurobeat Flash! As I've said before, Jeff Driller has been one of my favourite Hi-NRG Attack aliases since the amazing Control Alt Delete And Blow, and this track is probably one of the better male HRG tracks from the Eurobeat Flash. A classic Italo-style vocal melody combines with that trademark stronger bass and kick drum style (bring that back every now and again please HRG!!!) to create a very infectious and complete-sounding production. I am still a little concerned about the third line in the first verse which sounds a little like "want a finger when you touch down" - after Leslie Hammond's revelations in Feel My Body And My Soul, that's perhaps a bit too much information!! Regarding the extended version we have here, it does sound a little hastily put together to my ears - the main song seems to end just before 04:00 and then the synth hook is hastily resurrected with some Euromach style beat repeats. Perhaps not the best structures track, but still a mega-catchy song nonetheless!
Score: 10

Since the lyrics section is still down, I got my liner notes form EBF 16. He actually says
"What a finger when you touch down" Is that that line is about getting a B.J. next line is "many lips are ready over the top" in Rocket in my pocket line is he talking about his prick? Some would say so, but take a closer look at the lyrics. I think he is singing about playing the saxxaphone. The finger and lips lines suddenly make sense. He also says "What a hell of leader boy you can be" as if leading the band in song. Hence an old vynil sleeve I made with that in mind.




Anyway, that is my favourite song of that cd and you gave it a well deserved 10, but you forgett to mention the amzing job Corraini does vocals:)

the_ditz

05 NICK & SAMANTHA - BUBBLE GUM [04:33]
This is one of the few low points on this album for me. For some bizarre reason, I can't listen to this song without thinking that it's a Dave Rodgers & Annalise duet after they've had a few too many wines/beers!! Just the way the vocals are crafted and produced makes them sound like a poor A-Beat C sappy duet cover, with a sprinkling of alcohol and a silly theme during the chorus. Everyone should know by now that I've not a massive D. Rodgers & Annalise duet fan, so this sadly overshadows an otherwise fairly preppy and happy song. Its slow BPM and jingling bells give it an almost Christmassy feel, which makes it even more confused-sounding to me. The chorus in unison sounds a bit like a drunken sing-a-long at the end of a birthday party as well. Who knows - this may grow on me, but at the moment it's just a very confused and rather annoying mish-mash of styles that I'm not overly keen on.
Score: 6

I totally disagree here. being the only HRG Attack duet that at least comes to my mind, I think they did a great job. What did you expect from HRG duet. What makes this one so much worse than a SCP ACE duet with X female? Anyway, I actually thought that was the one song that broke from HRG Attack norm and really sounded fun without being Tacky Stinky and Wang ridiculous.