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I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Monday, May 23, 2022

Mr. Children -- Machine Gun wo Buppanase（マシンガンをぶっ放せ） -Mr. Children Bootleg-

 

I figured that leader Kazutoshi Sakurai（桜井和寿）of Mr. Children could wear emotions on his sleeve such as ardent love and excitement, but I think that with this song, it was all about anger, fury and frustration.

"Machine Gun wo Buppanase" (Spray That Machine Gun) was Mischiru's（ミスチル）12th single from August 1996, and there is some pretty urgent and raunchy rock going on here as Sakurai unloads on listeners about all of the craziness taking place within humanity and between countries, and yet, people are more than willing to ignore it all to do their own thing. Mr. Children has been compared to The Beatles, and the melody and arrangement with "Machine Gun wo Buppanase" had me thinking of an irate John Lennon whipping up an anti-war song. Perhaps in this case, it was Sakurai penning an anti-complacency tune.


I was kinda wondering about that extra title of "Bootleg". According to the J-Wiki article for the song, during the recording of Mr. Children's June 1996 album "Shinkai"（深海...Deep Sea）, "Machine Gun wo Buppanase" hadn't been placed onto the album...whether that was on purpose or by accident, it doesn't say but the fact that it did eventually get shoehorned in got it that extra title. The single hit No. 1 and went Triple Platinum, becoming the 33rd-ranked single of the year. 

The song was something that I heard often in excerpts while I was living in Ichikawa, because it kept getting featured in the "CDTV" ranking show highlights. If the full music video is around, I would love to see that.


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4 comments:

  1. Jim LakerMay 23, 2022 at 4:32 PM

    Talking of comparisons with the Beatles, perhaps the band that most merits that comparison would be their Apple proteges Badfinger. Songs like Baby Blue (heard in the final scene of Breaking Bad) sound just like how late era Beatles in their rock moments might sound. On top of that, Without You merits comparison with the very best material that the Beatles have done.

    I found a couple of mentions in KKP, but I didn't know how familiar you are with them.

    Baby Blue
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R95f7VwXqIw

    Without You
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPco24LS31A

    Without You (Harry Nilsson version)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-ZDKirjQgM

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    Replies
    1. J-CanuckMay 24, 2022 at 9:16 AM

      Hi, Jim. Thanks for the information. I'd heard the name of the band but hadn't been aware of their comparison with the Beatles. Looking at their Wikipedia page, Badfinger suffered some very sad tragedies, but even so, they left their own remarkable legacy in power pop.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMay 23, 2022 at 10:55 PM

    I actually listened to this as well as their greatest hits albums from 1992-2000 in honor of their newest greatest hits album being released last week. Of course, the new release is currently CD-only, so hopefully it'll come to streaming soon.

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    Replies
    1. J-CanuckMay 24, 2022 at 9:17 AM

      Hi there. Part of the reason that I put up the article but failed to mention it above is that the band is celebrating its 30th anniversary. I'm sure that a lot of folks in my generation are getting very nostalgic for Mischiru.

      Delete

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