Review Summary: You said "bell peppers and beef". There's no beef in here. So you wouldn't really call it "bell peppers and beef" now, would you?
It's easy to imagine the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack as a single oeuvre divided into three LPs and one EP purely for the sake of commercialism. Indeed, nearly all this wonderful music was composed and recorded for a single purpose at about the same time, and was released to coincide with the show's aborted first airing on TV Tokyo (
Cowboy Bebop and
Vitaminless) and capitalize on the start (
No Disc) and finish (
Blue) of the show's full run on WOWOW.
However, each album does retain its own character. The first album,
Cowboy Bebop is mostly jazz in a variety of forms with the occasional country-bluesy tune ("Spokey Dokey", "Waltz for Zizi", "Felt Tip Pen") and a couple weirdies thrown in (the ambient "Space Lion" that carries on for seven minutes, the distorted "Pot City", the percussive "The EGG and I", and the choral epic "Rain"). It's a solid album to be sure, and one that's worth revisiting from time to time, but the music makes for strenuous listening if taken in excess.
Contrast this with
No Disc. Opening with the delightfully fun bluegrass ditty "American Money" (complete with spacey vocal sampling), this album grabs you from the get-go. Moreover, once it has your attention it holds it by treating you to a myriad of musical styles, more than you'd find on most other albums, soundtrack or non.
It is on this album that we have the surging metal of "LIVE in Baghdad", upbeat late 90's alt/pop rock of "Want It All Back", Celtic folk[-esque] of "ELM", and the arpeggiating piano nursery melody of "Green Bird" (which lacks the intensity of "Rain" but more than makes up for it with its beautiful harmonies). "Don't Bother None" is a stellar track in its own right that starts out all slide guitar before settling into a nice groove with soulful, smokey female vocals that fit the song perfectly. Forget the soundtrack, this song is good enough to stand on its own.
Two tracks are repeated from the previous mini-CD,
Vitaminless: the quirky electropop "Fantaisie Sign" and the bizarre "Cats on Mars", which are both worthy inclusions here.
At the tail end of the album you'll find "The EGG and YOU", which substitutes the military march, flute, and twanging guitar of the original for piano, bass, and hi-hat to produce an engaging smooth jazz number you'd expect to hear in a lounge or elevator or Charlie Brown feature film.
Another tasteful rehash, "POWER OF KUNG FOOD REMIX", transforms the well-known show opener "Tank!" into a more laid-back version with phasers blaring, effects laid on thick and heavy, and plenty of samples from the show (engines roaring, guns blazing, lasers blasting, and action happening!). It's almost enough to act as a synopsis of the show itself.
To call this album eclectic would be an understatement. And in spite of its desperation to be considered a serious album (three interludes, careful track placement), it does seem to lack something. It could be that while these songs ooze style--and about half are immediately recognizable to a casual fan of the show--they lack relevance with respect to the show's central themes. None of the show's weightier theme songs or ballads are here, and the album, while moving and exciting, doesn't carry that essential
je ne sais quoi that defines Cowboy Bebop. Much as the show had its one-off adventures and lighthearted moments, this album is great fun. But as life and love go on, the show teaches us, the fun never lasts. All good things must come to an end, and when they do we'll have nothing but memories of what used to be.
See You Space Cowboy...
