SPEED – SPEEDLAND The Premium Best Re Tracks (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

GROUP:  SPEED

ALBUM: SPEEDLAND The Premium Best Re Tracks

LABEL: SONIC GROOVE

CATALOG #: AVCD-16187

DURATION: 1:11:18

RELEASE DATE: August 5, 2009

1. Long Way Home
2. Ashita no Sora
3. Body & Soul
4. STEADY
5. Wake Me Up!
6. ALIVE
7. White Love
8. Snow Kiss
9. Breakin’ out to the morning
10. 熱帯夜
11. ALL MY TRUE LOVE
12. Precious Time
13. Go! Go! Heaven
14. my graduation

My first introduction to SPEED was back in 1995. The girls were brought onto a karaoke variety show titled “Yoru mo Hit Parade” and it was around the time that Okinawa talent Namie Amuro and MAX (formerly known as the Super Monkeys) were dominating the charts together during the mid-90′s. And SPEED was the latest unveiling of the group and eventually they scored a major hit with their first single “Body & Soul” in 1996. I can remember how amazed everyone was that this group of young teenagers, especially a 12-year-old named Hiroko would surprise Japan by their vocals and their choreography.

I can remember seeing the music video and immediately purchasing the CD single from Japan and from that point on, I was purchasing every CD single and VHS tape released of the group. Needless to say, I was a big fan.
Ten years ago, I can remember seeing on the big video screen in Shibuya, the music video of “ALL MY TRUE LOVE”, going through Yokohama to find their film “ANDROMEDIA” at a lock Blockbuster and then remembering near the time of my graduation in college, being amazed with their hit “Long Way Home” and playing it to my friends. This was in 1999 and a year later, the group would call it quits.
In 2008, the group reunited permanently after several “reunion” concerts and in 2009, the group has released “SPEEDLAND The Premium Best Re Tracks”.

It’s hard to believe that when we saw SPEED, they were in their young teens and now, here they are in their mid-to-late 20′s and they have matured as young women who have had solo music careers, acting careers, one became a mother, one become a painter and suffice to say, these women have matured as with their fans who grew up along with them.

“SPEEDLAND” for me, represents the group’s maturity.

Listening to “SPEEDLAND”, this is not a greatest hits album, this is a reinterpretation of their classic hits, resung and some with different musical arrangements. Needless to say, I am more biased towards the original versions of their hit songs.

There are quite a few key differences with the newer songs compared to their past, outside of musical arrangements. Back then, the recording of their past hits were when the girls were around 12-14 years old.

Hiroko was able to belt out very high vocals and even at times, some felt was a bit squeaky or high pitched for their taste, while others appreciated her vocal style. Eriko was always the singer with a mature vocals and this time around, things have changed. With age, Hiroko no longer has that high pitched vocals which she had when she was 12-years old, Eriko’s vocals sound much more mature and refined. In fact, for the most part, that is what people will notice is that their vocals are much more polished, refined and much better now than they were back then.

But the difference is that SPEED was a teen girl group that sound as they were supposed to be at that time, they were simply talented but teenagers that still had a lot of grow up to do and for an idol pop group, that was their shining point as a group.

But if people want the originals, it’s easy to go back and find their greatest hits albums and those interested in this album are interested in the reinterpretations and so, it all comes down to if the new musical arrangements agree with their more mature vocals.

The first track “Long Way Home” which started with this cool bass line and really jamming groove now features a new intro and pretty much a whole entire groove. It’s pretty much a completely different track and the chorus in the background just didn’t seem right.

The third and fourth tracks “Body & Soul” and “STEADY” retain the musical of the original. “Body & Soul” has a more well-defined studio sound and seems a bit slower than the original, while “STEADY” retains the original musical style.
The fifth track “Wake Me Up!” has a more vibrant, samba style of sound but I have to admit that the use of auto-tune was a bit surprising and seemed a bit out-of-place.

As for the ballads, “ALIVE” retains the original style of their classic movie hit song (used for their film “ANDROMEDIA”) but a track that evidently showcases a more mature vocals than the original. While “White Love” sports a more prominent drumtrack and more acoustic guitar, still as solid interpretation of the group’s most successful hit.

But a track that I was interested in hearing is the group’s most popular coupling track from their single “Wake Me Up!” and that’s “Nettaiya” and is a track that showcases Hiroko’s mature vocals, especially the second half of “ALL MY TRUE LOVE”. But on “my graduation”, the vocals was a bit flat for me compared to the original.

Not all songs are reinterpretations as “SPEEDLAND” also contains their 2008 single “Ashita no Sora”. The album also can be found with just the CD but for those who want the CD+DVD version, for a few dollars more they can purchase the album which comes with a DVD featuring the music video for “Ashita no Sora”.

As for the CD insert booklet, included is a booklet with the lyrics and production credits but also solo photos of each member and a mini flier “Welcome to SPEEDLAND” concert tour.

“SPEEDLAND” is an album that is a mix bag and I personally believe that it’s an album that will generate mixed opinions.

As a fan of SPEED, in one sense you feel excited that the group are together and have released an album featuring a reinterpretation of their classic hits. But I realized the classic hits I enjoyed back then were in part, the vocals were of young teenagers. They weren’t refined music artists and if anything, they were on TV nearly every night, on many magazines and commercials.

Needless to say, SPEED was the quintessential Japanese idol pop group of the mid-to-late 90′s but similar to their senpai Namie Amuro and the women of MAX, they built a unique aura with their Okinawa roots and easily distinguishing themselves from other female pop groups.

“SPEEDLAND” represents maturity. Gone are the high, squeaky vocals of Hiroko. Gone are those little vocal quirks that one can catch on each song of Eriko and Hiroko.   And some songs that received a different arrangement entirely, some of those tracks are nowhere as good as the originals.

Where Avex has tested the reinterpretation of 90′s songs by the original group/vocalists this year alone (LINDBERG and KIYOHARU’s latest albums), for rock bands, it works…and also it helps that those albums, the vocalists were already adults. Definitely so much has happened since the mid-90′s and these are not young girls, SPEED are now women approaching their 30′s. And with their own solo careers, have managed to refine themselves as music artists through their experiences.

Some tracks work, some didn’t. That is the feeling I came away with by listening to their modern reinterpretations of their classic hits.

With the group reunited and about to go on their Fall 2009 SPEEDLAND tour, this album gave us a look at how SPEED has matured vocally and musically. As mentioned, if we wanted their classic hits from the past, finding those best hit albums or previously released albums are not that hard, but for those who grew up along with the group will embrace the group’s new sound and support them now, as they did back then.