Big Body (P-Model album)
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| Studio album by P-Model | ||||
| Released | March 25, 1993 | |||
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| Length | 35:19 | |||
| Label | Polydor K.K. | |||
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| P-Model chronology | ||||
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Big Body (stylized as big body) is the ninth studio album by P-Model and the second & last by the band's "Defrosted" lineup.
Overview
The album has the same techno style as the band's self-titled album, holding a dual relationship between them (similar to the one between In A Model Room and Landsale). The energetic new wave numbers are toned down, with a larger melodic variety, layered somewhat like Susumu Hirasawa's solo work, in place.
Big Body is a concept album based on science fiction stories. It tells a story where the human race was transformed into a species named "Homo Gestalt" by computer networks, having a "Journey Through Your Body" theme.
The album's artwork revolves around a CG model of an orange male figure with a wire grid pattern overlaid atop its body; Hirasawa reused this model, without the pattern, on later solo videos. Satoshi Kon referenced the album twice: A copy of the album appears as a background object by a CD player on the first chapter of the manga OPUS, and a pizza box with the album's title appears on the film Perfect Blue.[1] In a chapter of the manga The Sorrow of a Perfectly Healthy Girl, a poster of the album's cover can be seen on a wall.
P-Model appears wearing all black costumes with a colored geometrical shape in their chests: Hirasawa a yellow square, Akiyama a red circle, Kotobuki a pink triangle, Fujii a blue rhombus; Hirasawa's and Fujii's are at the center of their chests, while Akiyama's and Kotobuki's are to their left of the center. The band first used the costumes on the December 1992 Nōritsu no Yokan tour and later on the May–June 1993 Big Body Tour. The Sorrow of a Perfectly Healthy Girl protagonist Hiroe Ogawa wears Hirasawa's costume on a chapter of the manga.[2]
The front cover has the inscription "Nsetn.... Oirao Ivook", which, when read from the lower right to upper left vertically, means "kono ato revisION...". Seven months after the album's release, the "ERROR OF INFORMATION Wait" (ERROR OF INFORMATION 待機 ERROR OF INFORMATION Taiki) show was performed on 11 October at the Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall (released on the Pause album), and P-Model was placed into a period of inactivity, with the "Defrosted" lineup's members splitting and continuing their projects outside of the band. The group was sustained by small-scale releases through the SYUN label until its return on 1 December 1994 with a "Revised" lineup.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Susumu Hirasawa, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cluster" | 3:44 | |
| 2. | "Chevron" | 3:14 | |
| 3. | "Biiig Eye" | 3:32 | |
| 4. | "Big Foot" | 3:36 | |
| 5. | "Welcome to the House of "Time's Leaking Through Equal Distance Curve"" (時間等曲率漏斗館へようこそ Jikantō Kyokuritsu Rōtokan e Yōkoso) | 3:19 | |
| 6. | "Journey Through Your Body" | Katsuhiko Akiyama | 3:38 |
| 7. | "Neoteny Box" (幼形成熟BOX Yō Keisei Juku BOX) | Hirasawa, Hikaru Kotobuki | 2:39 |
| 8. | "Burning Brain" | Akiyama | 4:06 |
| 9. | "Binary Ghost" | 2:40 | |
| 10. | "Homo Gestalt" | 4:44 |
All tracks arranged by Hirasawa, except 6 & 8 by Akiyama and 7 by Kotobuki. All track titles are stylized in all caps.
Track information
Live performances of six of the album's tracks appear on the live album Pause, recorded at the end of the touring for Big Body.
- Cluster
- A live version performed by the Revised P-Model is on the Non-Locality LIVE Video.
- Chevron
- A live version performed by Hirasawa as Kaku P-Model is on the Live Vistoron video.
- Hirasawa rearranged it in a symphonic, orchestral, string-oriented style as part of "The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS" project, this version was released on the Totsu-Gen-Hen-I album, where the structure of the second half of the song was slightly altered and drill sounds were incorporated throughout; this version of the song had 4 sketches released by Hirasawa on the Kangen Shugi website as he worked on it.[3][4][5][6]
- A live performance of this version by Hirasawa was included in the Tokyo I-jigen Kudou video.
- Hirasawa released the instrumental mix of this version, titled "DreamBoat" on his website as part of Free Music for Free-Lance Journalists and Independent Media, which also has a theme-only edit of the instrumental titled "Theme_DreamBoat".
- Biiig Eye
As a joke, Hirasawa used elements of "Singin' in the Rain" in this song.[7]
- A live version performed by the Revised P-Model is on the Ending Error video.
- Big Foot
- A live performance aired on the June 12 episode of the NHK Educational TV music series Pop Jam'93,[8] alongside a cover of the opening theme of The Three Musketeers Anime with Noriko Sakai.[9]
- Welcome to the House of "Time's Leaking Through Equal Distance Curve"
Inspired by the Kurt Vonnegut novel The Sirens of Titan. "Jikantō Kyokuritsu Jōgo" (時間等曲率漏斗) is the official kanji spelling of "Chrono-Synclastic Infundibulum" (クロノ・シンクラスティック・インファンディブラム Kurono-Shinkurasutikku Infandiburamu), a phenomenon in the novel described as "those places ... where all the different kinds of truths fit together".
- Journey Through Your Body
It has sparse, heavily filtered vocals, performed by Akiyama.
- Live performances mixed vocals on the style of the album arrangement, as well as unfiltered vocals, with lyrics that were not included in the album arrangement.
- Neoteny Box
Has a P-Model counterpart in "2D or Not 2D". The song has a fast tempo and a frequent thin synth phrase; with Kotobuki singing filtered lead vocals. Translated on the Pause album's page in Hirasawa's website as "MATURNIG BOX".[10]
- Kotobuki remade the song (with Phnonpenh Model), this version opens with theme played soothingly on mandolin (by Phnonpenh MODEL member Thaniya Patpong), with the rest of the song sounding mostly similar to the P-MODEL version, with one notable difference being Kotobuki's unfiltered vocals; this version was released on the Desk Top Hard Lock album.
- Burning Brain
Akiyama sings lead vocals.
- Binary Ghost
The AMIGA program "Say" sings the verses, heavily, while Hirasawa sings the chorus. It has a P-Model counterpart in "Error of Universe".
- Homo Gestalt
Inspired by the Theodore Sturgeon novel More Than Human. Has an epic style, being heavily layered and arranged. It has a P-Model counterpart in "Wire Self".
- Rejected from the voting polls early on the "The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS" project by Hirasawa due to it being too similar to the already chosen "Wire Self".
Personnel
- Susumu Hirasawa - Vocals, Electric guitar, Synthesizers, Programming, Amiga, Production
- Katsuhiko Akiyama & Hikaru Kotobuki - Synthesizers, Programming, Amiga, Vocals
- Yasuchika Fujii - Electronic Drums
- Yūichi Kenjo - Production (Executive)
- Masanori Chinzei - Engineering
Release history
| Date | Label(s) | Format | Catalog | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 25, 1993 | Polydor K.K. | CD | POCH-1195 | |
| May 10, 2002 July 4, 2014 |
Chaos Union, Teslakite | CHTE-0011 | Remastered by Hirasawa. Part of Disc 7 of the Ashu-on [Sound Subspecies] in the solar system box set, alongside P-Model. Re-released with new packaging by Kiyoshi Inagaki. | |
| September 8, 2004 December 5, 2012 |
UM³, USM Japan | UPCY-6022 UPCY-9273 |
Part of the "GOLDEN☆BEST" budget bundle brand, packaged with P-Model. Reissue available for sale for a limited time. | |
| May 2, 2012 | Universal Music Japan, Tower Records | PROT-1023 | Limited reissue, sold only through Tower Records. | |
References
- ↑ "Perfect Blue (movie) [Trivia]". Anime News Network. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- ↑ "『嘆きの健康優良児』第３・４巻より。".
- ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "CHEVRONスケッチ１". The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS. Chaos Union.
- ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "CHEVRONスケッチ２ 間奏前". The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS. Chaos Union.
- ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "CHEVRONスケッチ3 ギター間奏". The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS. Chaos Union.
- ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "CHEVRONスケッチ4 ヴォーカルスケッチ". The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS. Chaos Union.
- ↑ https://twitter.com/hirasawa/status/615506753782984704 & https://twitter.com/hirasawa/status/615508142118600704
- ↑ BIG FOOT TV performance
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpcDqROagF8
- ↑ "[PO-04] PAUSE - Discography". NO ROOM. Chaos Union.
External links
- big body at NO ROOM - The official site of Susumu Hirasawa (P-MODEL)
- big body at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
- big body at Universal Music Japan's official site
- GOLDEN☆BEST (reissue) at Universal Music Japan's official site
- big body at Tower Records Online
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