Macross 7: Let's Fire! / Fire Bomber Victor Entertainment VICL-573 7 Jun 1995 Disk One, 58:52 (13 tracks) ¥3000

The Music of Macross 7 The music of Super Dimensional Fortress Macross is undoubtedly one of the most memorable aspects of the show. Its sequel Macross 7 is no exception; the story centers around a group of singers called "Fire Bomber," so needless to say a great deal of emphasis was placed on the music. Music styles and tastes shift with the passage of time, however, and this is reflected in Macross 7's music. While the vocals of the original consisted mostly of sweet ballads sung by Iijima Mari (the singing voice of Lynn Minmay), Macross 7's music style borrows heavily from rock--electric guitars and drum beats dominate most of the vocals in the show. The songs aren't so much sophisticated as they are straightforward; fast paced, upbeat, and accompanyed by great singing voices--in short, good ol' rock and roll. Speaking of great singing voices, most vocals in anime--the good ones at least--seem to be dominated primarily by female vocalists. Macross 7 proves to be one of the few welcome exceptions. Basara's singing voice has a great singing range, at times sweet and romantic, at times sharp and extremely powerful. The singer is capable of handling both ballads such as "My Soul For You" and thunder-raging songs like "Holy Lonely Night" with equal ease. In contrast, the female vocalist Mylene doesn't share the same range as Basara, let alone her predecessor Iijima Mari. For what it's worth, Mylene's singer only bites off as much as she can chew; most of her singing is done in a lower voice, and the ballad "Sweet Fantasy" sounds, well, quite sweet. Let's Fire! The CD contains both the OP "Seventh Moon" and the first ED song of the show, as well as the vocals from the first part of the show. With exception of track 6, where Mylene attempts to sing in a husky voice (ugh), the songs on the CD are consistently good stuff. Two tracks are repeated in different versions: "Seventh Moon" comes in both a short version (used in the TV opening) as well as an extended version, while Planet Dance comes in a duet version (Basara and Mylene) and a Remix version that takes place during actual combat, with various voices shouting over the Valkyrie intercomms. My most favorite track on the CD? I'd say it's a toss-up between "Remember 16" and "Submarine Street," with the other tracks such as "My Soul For You" and "Sweet Fantasy" not too far behind. Although the show wasn't well received by the viewers in the USA, contrary to popular belief Macross 7 did rather well in Japan, and the show's music did much to contribute to its success. Even if you haven't seen the show or gave up on it after the first few episodes, I'd heartily recommend this CD. -- Keith Rhee MACROSS 7: LET'S FIRE! Copyright ©1995 Bandai / Victor / BigWest