GROUP: SMAP
ALBUM: COOL -Best Selection
LABEL: Victor
CATALOG #: VICL-631
DURATION: 1:06:23
RELEASED ON: February 31, 1996
- Yuki ga Futte kita
- Zutto Wasurenai
- Hajimete no Natsu
- Hanashi wo shite itakute
- Kimi wa Kimi dayo
- Kimi iro omoi
- Egao no Genki
- DON’T CRY BABY
- Kanashii hodo aoi sora
- Kimi ga nanika wo deitemo
- $10
- Hey Hey Ookini Maido Ari
- Ganbarimashou
- Kako no Hito
Wow! This album is about twelve years old and I still listen to it as if it was yesterday.
“COOL – Best Selection” was SMAP’s first best album and actually the first SMAP album that I purchased.
I remembered wanting to have certain songs but as a college student, didn’t want to spend on several SMAP albums to get the certain CD singles and so, during my stroll through Kinokuniya in Japan Town SF, picked up this album.
I remember seeing the back as it advertised the album as using “20 bit K2 SUPER CODING” and a noticeable comment on 20 bit K2 Mastering and thought, whoah…I’m owning something possibly related to “audio history” at the time. Naive, I know.
Nevertheless, “COOL – Best Selection” features the group’s 5th CD single “Egao no Genki” (rel. Nov. 11, 1992) up to their 13th CD single “Ganbarimashou” (Rel. Sept. 9, 1994).
Being the wannabe boy band member of SMAP, I would watch “Music Station” and learn the group’s dance moves and even tried to have similar hairstyles and check out certain fashion styles (no, not the performing concert outfits they wore back then).
And always thought the songs were cool and fun to sing during karaoke back then. So, learning songs such as “$10”, “Ganbarimashou” or “Kimi wa Kimi Dayo” was just so fun back then.
But I remember thinking about this album and how it was called a “Best Selection” and wondered what happened to the first four CD singles and why weren’t they included. Especially songs such as “Kokoro no Kagami” (which I remember them performing with the guys of TOKIO before they were known as TOKIO) and their sentai-ish track “Seigi no Mikata wa Ateninaranai”. Also, wondering why their 13th CD single “Original Smile” or even the c/w song “MAJOR” was not included.
But nevertheless, you get a lot of cool songs on this best album. The songs are:
- Yuki ga Futtekita (6th CD single)
- Zutto Wasurentai (7th CD single)
- Hajimete no Natsu (8th CD single)
- Hanashi wo shite itakute (c/w for $10)
- Kimi wa Kimi Dayo (9th CD single)
- Kimi Iro Omoi (11th CD single) – Theme song for the anime “Akazukin Cha Cha”
- Egao no Genki (5th CD single) – Theme song for the anime “Hime chan no Ribbon”
- DON’T CRY BABY (from SMAP 001)
- Kanashii hodo aoi sora (from SMAP 004)
- Kimi ga nanika wo deitemo (from SMAP 005)
- $10 (10th CD single)
- Hey Hey Ookini Maido Ari (12th CD single)
- Ganbarimashou (14th CD single)
- Kako no Hito (new track for this album)
Also, the songs were during the time the group had a sixth member (Mori Katsuyuki) who did a lot of the singing along with Kimura Takuya back then.
The CD insert featured pictures of the group and each member plus the lyrics to the songs.
All in all, for those who grew up during the time SMAP first appeared on the music scene, this best collection was definitely an awesome compilation of their CD singles and some of their earlier songs from previous albums.
Of course, a lot of people in the US probably are familiar with SMAP post-Mori Katsuyuki and are probably not familiar with their music before “Aoi Inazuma”.
But all in all, this album still makes it into my music rotation because it has a lot of the earlier songs that I enjoyed when I was younger and songs that I would sing in karaoke and dance to.
The album again contains their 5th through 14th CD singles, as of Spring 2008, the group is now in their 30’s and have released their 42nd CD single in March 2008. So, since this is an older album, I wouldn’t be surprised if you may find it cheaper and if you do, definitely check it out. A cool SMAP release from yesteryear!