Urusei Yatsura: Gold Disc Kitty Records KACD-0028/29, 1991 Disc One, 51:37 (15 tracks) Disc Two, 58:07 (15 tracks) ¥6200
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This disc seems to be as rare as the metal for which it is named, as I
searched for it for nearly two years before finding it at Anime Expo
'94. I also have a friend who is currently trying to track this CD
down, but has as yet been unsuccessful.So, why should one bother to go through all
the hassle to try to find this disc? The "true Urusei Yatsura fan" will
want to add this collection for the greatest of all reasons, "just
because". Those of you who fall into that category need read no further
(unless, of course, you want to know more). Those of you who need some
additional coaxing, however, read on.First, this is the tenth anniversary
two-disc collection and contains all of the TV and movie opening themes,
except for "Begin the Kirei" from the sixth movie, as it wasn't released
until after the disc was pressed. You get such classic UY
songs as "Rock the Planet" and "Pajama Jama Da" ("Pajamas Get in the
Way") and "Ai wa Boomerang" ("Love is a Boomerang"). Of course, not all
of the best Urusei Yatsura songs are upbeat and fast. Among
the best of the slow songs are "Good Luck," (the final TV ED);
"Everyday", which is sung in English; and "Melancholy no Kiseki" ("Locus
of Melancholy"), the ending theme from Lum the Forever.Still not convinced? Well, you also get
the ending song from Final Chapter (the fifth movie), "Suki
Kirai" ("Likes, Dislikes"). And, as an added bonus, you get the opening
and ending from the Urusei Yatsura '87 ("Inaba, the Dream
Maker") OAV, "Monotone no Natsu" ("Monotone Summer") and "Sorry,"
respectively. These two tracks are not available on any other Urusei
Yatsura CD (except on the Urusei Yatsura CD Single Memorial
File, which is even harder to find than this disc). And "Monotone
no Natsu" is a great song.But still, this CD is not perfect. It
includes some tracks that I wouldn't mind if they had been omitted.
"Lum no Ballad" ("Lum's Ballad") springs immediately to mind. This is
the insert song from the first movie and is sung by Fumi Hirano (the
voice of Lum herself). All I can say is apparently there is a reason
that Ms. Fumi is not a singer. Another song that I would not have
missed is "Hoshizora Cycling" ("Cosmic Cycling"), also an insert song
from the first movie. Still another bomb on this CD is the song "I Love
You Lum." The title reveals most of the lyric content, and it's sappy
and slow. There are a few others that I am not crazy about, but these
are the tracks that I always skip over when I give these CD's a spin.So, on a 30-track, two-disc set--nearly two
hours of music--there are three tracks that I found to be awful, and the
rest range from good to absolutely fabulous. This CD is clearly worth
the money if you are looking for a good Urusei Yatsura CD, or
if you're a completist who has to own everything UY. If you
have both the Jukebox CD's, you may want to think about how
much you want the few songs (seven) that are not on the
Jukeboxes. (And yes, the CD is coated with gold). -- Charles McCarter
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