Customer Reviews

Cowboy Bebop CD Box (Limited Edition)

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Cowboy BeBop is one of the best anime titles out there, and one of my favorites. I was so happy when I first heard of this set! I know that this is a little pricey, but it's well worth your money. If you've never seen Cowboy BeBop, you still might like this collection, but you'd appreciate it more if you've seen it. This is four disks, and it has a 88 page book. The text is mainly in Japanese (some stuff in in English), but it has plenty of pictures!
Disk 1
2. Tank! (TV Edit) The name pretty much describes it.
4. Want It All Back - This is an alternate version of the original song on No Disk.
5. Sax Quartet - I love this song! It was played in Session 3.
7. Encore un verre - This is the vocal version of Black Coffee and was played in Session 4 (without words).
8. March for Koala - This played in Session 4.
10. Felt Tip Pen - Played in Sessions 1 and 8, and was also on O.S.T.1
11. The Egg and You - An alternate version of The Egg and I, also on No Disk. Played in Sessions 4, 17, and 23.
13. Pot City II - A shorter (and better) version of Pot City, and wasn't on the show.
15. NY RUSH - An alternate version of RUSH. Played on Seasons 3 and 19, also on Blue.
17. Fe - Played in Season 3.
18. PIANO BLACK - Played in Season 3 and 14, also on O.S.T.1.
20. Spokey Dokey - An alternate version of Spokey Dokey, played in Season 6.
21. Forever Broke - Played in Seasons 1, 8, 10, 21, and 26. Was also on No Disk.
23. Road to the West (with rhythm) - A shorter version of Road to the West.
25. Meteor - Plays in Session 6.
27. DIGGING MY POTATO - Longer version of DIGGING MY POTATO (I love this song!!)
29. Rain (demo ver.) - Plays in Session 5, also on Future Blues.
31. Green Bird - Plays on Season 5, also on No Disk.
Disk 2
2. Cats On Mars - Plays on Season 9, also on Vitaminless and No Disk.
3. Doggy Dog II - Plays on Season 7, alternate version of Doggy Dog.
4. Doggy Dog III - Plays on Season 7, alternate version of Doggy Dog (and my favorite version!).
6. Piano Bar I - Plays on Seasons 3, 5, 7, 15, and 21. Also on Vitaminless.
7. Give and Take - Plays in Season 17.
9. Cat Blues - Plays on Season 10, also on O.S.T.1.
11. The Singing Sea II - Alternate version of The Singing Sea.
13. ELM - Plays on Season 10, also on No Disk.
14. WALTZ for ZIZI - Plays on Seasons 5, 10, 15, 21, 24, and 25. Also on O.S.T.1.
17. Farewell Blues - Alternate Version of Farewell Blues.
19. Words That We Couldn't Say - Plays in Season 13, also on Blue.
21. Space Lion (orgel ver.) - Plays in Season 13.
22. Waste Land - Plays in Season 13.
24. Goodnight Julia - Plays on Seasons 12 and 13, also on Future Blues.
25. Space Lion - Plays on Season 13, also on O.S.T.1.
Disk 3
2. Go Go Cactus Man (guitar ver.) - Plays in Season 22.
4. Too Good Too Bad - Plays on Seasons 4 and 19, also on O.S.T.1.
6. Eyeball - Plays on Season 20.
8. Yuuenchi - Plays on Season 20 (the carnival song).
9. On the Run - Plays on Season 20.
11. 23Hanashi - Plays on Season 23.
13. Don't Bother None (long ver.) - Plays on Seasons 6 and 19.
15. WO QUI NON COIN - Shorter version of WO QUI NON COIN.
17. Call Me Call Me - Plays on Season 24, also on Blue.
19. Memory - Plays on Seasons 1, 25, and 26. Also on O.S.T.1.
20. Adieu (long ver.) - Longer version of Adieu.
22. SEE YOU SPACE COWBOYS NOT FINAL MIX MOUNTAIN ROOT - Plays on Season 26, the second to last song in the series.
24. Blue - Plays on Season 26, also on Blue. THE LAST SONG IN THE SERIES! :(
Disk 4
1. Tank! - Live
2. RUSH - Live
3. WHAT PLANET IS THIS - Live
4. Too good too bad - Live
5. Bad dog no biscuit - Live
6. Call me call me - Live
7. Mushroom hunting - Live
8. The real folk blues - Live
9. Piano solo - Live
10. Ask DNA - Plays on the Cowboy BeBop movie, also on Ask DNA.
11. SF GAME CENTER - Plays on the Cowboy BeBop movie.
12. ROUYA - Plays on the Cowboy BeBop movie.
13. OLD SCHOOL GAME - Plays on the Cowboy BeBop Movie.
14. Sasurai no Cowboy - Vocal Version of Tank! (with Ed singing!).
15. Miwaku no Horse Riding - Vocal version of Go Go Cactus Man.
16. Sasurai no Cowboy (Karaoke Version) - Same as Sasurai no Cowboy, but with no words.
(This is the same review I did for the imported version, but it's out of stock. I figured more people would come here to read reviews instead, so my review would be more helpful here. ^-^)

This title went out of print in 2002. The market is currently OVERLOADED with bootleg versions of it by k-ocd. I bought from one of the Amazon sellers and ended up with one of these bootlegs. Although it is very well produced and includes nice graphics, it is missing the 5th mini-CD and the 52 page booklet. (The tracks from the 5th mini-CD *are* included however on disc 4 in the k-ocd bootleg digipack.) This bootleg is in a white digipack with silhouettes of the characters on the cover. The artwork on the 4 CD's is different than the legitimate version.

Chances are the ones you can find in the Amazon stores are the bootlegs (be VERY suspicious if it's listed for under $50). The sellers are probably unaware that they are bootlegs due to the good quality packaging and design... very well produced bootlegs are extremely common in the anime markets.

The LEGITIMATE VERSION of this includes 5 discs and a 52 page booklet. The cover is brown with lineart of Spike's head wearing a hat (as pictured here on Amazon). The artwork on each of the 4 CD's is in a different color - one red, one yellow, one blue, and one green. The mini-CD inside has an orange and yellow floral cover with Japanese characters. The label is JVC-Victor and the famous RCA dog "Nipper" (listening to the phonograph) is pictured.

Cowboy BeBop is one of the best anime titles out there, and one of my favorites. I was so happy when I first heard of this set! I know that this is a little pricey, but it's well worth your money. If you've never seen Cowboy BeBop, you still might like this collection, but you'd appreciate it more if you've seen it. This is four disks, and it has a 88 page book. The text is mainly in Japanese (some stuff in in English), but it has plenty of pictures!
Disk 1
2. Tank! (TV Edit) The name pretty much describes it.
4. Want It All Back - This is an alternate version of the original song on No Disk.
5. Sax Quartet - I love this song! It was played in Session 3.
7. Encore un verre - This is the vocal version of Black Coffee and was played in Session 4 (without words).
8. March for Koala - This played in Session 4.
10. Felt Tip Pen - Played in Sessions 1 and 8, and was also on O.S.T.1
11. The Egg and You - An alternate version of The Egg and I, also on No Disk. Played in Sessions 4, 17, and 23.
13. Pot City II - A shorter (and better) version of Pot City, and wasn't on the show.
15. NY RUSH - An alternate version of RUSH. Played on Seasons 3 and 19, also on Blue.
17. Fe - Played in Season 3.
18. PIANO BLACK - Played in Season 3 and 14, also on O.S.T.1.
20. Spokey Dokey - An alternate version of Spokey Dokey, played in Season 6.
21. Forever Broke - Played in Seasons 1, 8, 10, 21, and 26. Was also on No Disk.
23. Road to the West (with rhythm) - A shorter version of Road to the West.
25. Meteor - Plays in Session 6.
27. DIGGING MY POTATO - Longer version of DIGGING MY POTATO (I love this song!!!!)
29. Rain (demo ver.) - Plays in Session 5, also on Future Blues.
31. Green Bird - Plays on Season 5, also on No Disk.
Disk 2
2. Cats On Mars - Plays on Season 9, also on Vitaminless and No Disk.
3. Doggy Dog II - Plays on Season 7, alternate version of Doggy Dog.
4. Doggy Dog III - Plays on Season 7, alternate version of Doggy Dog (and my favorite version!).
6. Piano Bar I - Plays on Seasons 3, 5, 7, 15, and 21. Also on Vitaminless.
7. Give and Take - Plays in Season 17.
9. Cat Blues - Plays on Season 10, also on O.S.T.1.
11. The Singing Sea II - Alternate version of The Singing Sea.
13. ELM - Plays on Season 10, also on No Disk.
14. WALTZ for ZIZI - Plays on Seasons 5, 10, 15, 21, 24, and 25. Also on O.S.T.1.
17. Farewell Blues - Alternate Version of Farewell Blues.
19. Words That We Couldn't Say - Plays in Season 13, also on Blue.
21. Space Lion (orgel ver.) - Plays in Season 13.
22. Waste Land - Plays in Season 13.
24. Goodnight Julia - Plays on Seasons 12 and 13, also on Future Blues.
25. Space Lion - Plays on Season 13, also on O.S.T.1.
Disk 3
2. Go Go Cactus Man (guitar ver.) - Plays in Season 22.
4. Too Good Too Bad - Plays on Seasons 4 and 19, also on O.S.T.1.
6. Eyeball - Plays on Season 20.
8. Yuuenchi - Plays on Season 20 (the carnival song).
9. On the Run - Plays on Season 20.
11. 23Hanashi - Plays on Season 23.
13. Don't Bother None (long ver.) - Plays on Seasons 6 and 19.
15. WO QUI NON COIN - Shorter version of WO QUI NON COIN.
17. Call Me Call Me - Plays on Season 24, also on Blue.
19. Memory - Plays on Seasons 1, 25, and 26. Also on O.S.T.1.
20. Adieu (long ver.) - Longer version of Adieu.
22. SEE YOU SPACE COWBOYS NOT FINAL MIX MOUNTAIN ROOT - Plays on Season 26, the second to last song in the series.
24. Blue - Plays on Season 26, also on Blue. THE LAST SONG IN THE SERIES! :(
Disk 4
1. Tank! - Live
2. RUSH - Live
3. WHAT PLANET IS THIS - Live
4. Too good too bad - Live
5. Bad dog no biscuit - Live
6. Call me call me - Live
7. Mushroom hunting - Live
8. The real folk blues - Live
9. Piano solo - Live
10. Ask DNA - Plays on the Cowboy BeBop movie, also on Ask DNA.
11. SF GAME CENTER - Plays on the Cowboy BeBop movie.
12. ROUYA - Plays on the Cowboy BeBop movie.
13. OLD SCHOOL GAME - Plays on the Cowboy BeBop Movie.
14. Sasurai no Cowboy - Vocal Version of Tank! (with Ed singing!).
15. Miwaku no Horse Riding - Vocal version of Go Go Cactus Man.
16. Sasurai no Cowboy (Karaoke Version) - Same as Sasurai no Cowboy, but with no words.

The true cd box set has a catalog number of VIZL-64. The one I purchased turned out to be from Alion, catalog number ALCA-8032/5. Some manufacturing flaws in the cd led me to do some looking into this.

This box set, like much of Cowboy Bebop, has been out of print for some time now, and the existing box sets are somewhat of a collectors item, so beware of low priced items.

The set I recieved has trouble being read by most of the cd and dvd drives I have, 'fortunately' one external drive can read them. I'd advise some digging around to be sure you're actually getting a box set from Victor Entertainment and not a bootleg if you are sensitive to such things.

I've liked the music of Cowboy Bebop since I saw my first episode, and I saw this as a convenient way to get a fair portion of the soundtracks. The bootlegged versions of this product may not live up to your expectations of quality. Cowboy Bebop gets 5 stars. Bootlegs, well, can't go below 1, would if I could.

As you may have experienced, much of anime features some fairly medicore to awfully souless and plastic-sounding soundtracks that fall flat when standing alone as listenable music.

Cowboy Bebop is NOT one of those. Yoko Kanno is a creative force to be reckoned with and the Seatbelts (the band) are adept at a variety of musical styles, all crafted at above even America's music industry standard.

The Review:
Even though you've heard many of these songs on other Bebop cds, this set includes a lot you haven't heard. In between the songs are short [narrative] bits of the actual series, that even in Japanese are identifiable to the hardcore fan (like me, -I admit it!)

The cool 'bonus' is the Seatbelts live (cd #4) that is every bit as infectious as the studio material. And again, there are some extras here as well. The song "Call Me" is so beautiful that I swear if you don't get choked up hearing it, -you 'aint human.

The box also contains a booklet of info on the series and the music (all in Japanese) as well as a bunch a crisp, albeit small, photos of Yoko Kanno and the other Seatbelts.

This is a very nice cd set, a must for the Cowboy Bebop fan, and for anyone else wanting some extremely well composed funk-infused-jazz-bebop-rock from one of the best anime series ever.

Any Cowboy Bebop fan knows how pivotal the music is to the series, and this boxed set makes the perfect companion to it. At four CDs (plus a bonus mini-CD including a very odd vocal version of Tank!) it's an almost encyclopedic collection for anyone who doesn't have the music, while the handful of alternate takes, new tracks (The original version of Fe makes AFAIK its first appearance here) and the like should make it almost as appealing to people who already have the original OST discs. For those people, the highlight of the set is bound to be disc 4, primarily a collection of live tracks from a Seatbelts show at Shibuya AX. The packaging lives up to the content, with stylish design and a booklet packed with interviews, song information, lyrics, etc. I have only a few minor knocks against it; it's not a complete collection (it includes more than is on the other OST discs, but also less), they didn't include any of the tracks from the Music For Freelance remix collection, and it IS a little pricey -- but it's less than four individual OST discs will set you back, and the live set alone is almost worth the price of admission. Highly recommended.

Everyone should be aware that the real copy of this set includes 4 CDs and 1 MINI-CD -- For a total of 5 CDs. There are 96 total tracks on the real thing, so if you've got 90 or 93, congrats, you got the crappy bootleg. NONE sold through Amazon are anything but the crappy 4 CD only bootleg sets. Being a bootleg set, they should not be sold for over $25, yet these crooked dealers are ripping off the brilliant composer of this series, Yoko Kanno, by selling it for $30 to $100. For comparison, the original authentic version was going for $102 full retail wrapped and sealed and shipped to the US. Unfortunately, it is out of print, so getting a used copy is the only way to get the original... But don't get ripped off paying ridiculous amounts for a bootleg. If you're really going to do that type of thing, you might as well grab it straight off the internet, and not support the bootleggers.
For the authentic version of this set, I'd give it 5 stars, the music is brilliantly composed and though a few tracks are likely to make you say "wha?," the rest are quite enjoyable. The low rating here is only for the bootleg which is missing a whole disc, and for dishonest sellers who are deliberately ripping you off.

A true original in animation as well as sci-fi. A great deal of the effectiveness of Bebop is due to the tremendous jazz, pop and blues score of Yoko Kanno. All the best tracks from the previous soundtrack releases are here as well a lot of material that has never been available before. A must have for any Bebop fan. Well worth the price. Which leads me to mention a previous review here by Paul Tremonti. Be very careful where you purchase anime soundtracks. The sight he mentions is selling this box set for a suspiciously reduced price. the reason being is that it is a bootleg. The way to tell is look for the company name on the product. If it says Son May it is a Korean bootleg and the quality of the cd as well as the packaging will be inferior. This is true of all anime cd's. So be careful, and remember just because it may be cheaper doesn't mean it's better.

Yoko Kanno's music defined the style of the _Cowboy Bebop_ TV show and movie. With her proficient jazz band, Seatbelts, and a varying cast of singers, Yoko Kanno worked her aural legerdemain for everything from blues to pop to heavy metal to opera--but mostly, as you might guess, jazz. I can't think of a single show or movie that's been so inextricably, almost symbiotically, tied to its music; when I think of the voice of _Cowboy Bebop_, I don't think of a character's voice, but of Mai Yamane singing end themes "The Real Folk Blues" and "Blue."

Many favorites from great moments in series reside on the first three discs. Even one-time viewers may recognize the opening and closing themes, "Ballad of Fallen Angels"' evocative "Rain" and "Green Bird," "Ganymede Elegy"'s haunting "ELM," and "Hard Luck Woman"'s touching "Call Me Call Me." Others appeared as background music or during episode teasers, so this may be the first time you'll hear some of these songs uninterrupted. Some tracks can't be found on any of the other _Bebop_ CDs, so if there's a song that's been eluding you, this collection may well have it.

Snippets of Japanese-language dialogue from the series frames some of the songs--as fans of the subtitled version, my husband and I recognized some important scenes, but those who watched only the dub may regard these excerpts as little more than a curiosity.

The fourth disc contains several tracks from a Seatbelts concert in Shibuya. I often don't consider live versions much of a bonus, but the energy of Seatbelts cutting loose really got me, and Yoko Kanno's piano medley was excellent.

The bonus mini-disc includes two hilarious versions of the usually instrumental opening theme, "Tank!" as sung by adorable mutant child Ed and the superintelligent Corgi, Ein.

Not every single _Bebop_ song is on these collections. If you're interested in, say, "Flying Teapot" (Faye's song from "My Funny Valentine"), "Live from Baghdad" (the deafening theme from "Heavy Metal Queen"), or "Knock a Little Harder" (the end theme from the movie) you'll have to look to one of the other CDs. We won't be selling off any of our other _Bebop_ CDs.

The handsome packaging contains new art, and there's a book full of information (alas, mostly untranslated, leaving most of us to just look at the pictures). One of the more useful features is the source-and-episode listing for each track...especially handy if you heard just a few tantalizing moments of a song you really liked, or if you're enjoying a song on the CDs and can't place it in the series.

All this adds up to a danged fine gift for a _Cowboy Bebop_ fan.

Well, first off you get five discs. When you break that down, that a whole lotta music. Secondly, many of the tracks in this collection are new mixes that differ greatly from the ones that you may have heard on the OSTs not to mention the as yet unpublished music. Third, the packaging in itself is almost worth the money. The set itself comes in a brown box with the bonus mini-disc taped to the back with special tape. The box itself contains not only the four cds but also a rather nice 58 page booklet with information about The Seatbelts and Yoko Kanno along with almost every lyric to every song in the series. The booklet is beautifully designed and compliments the overall package quite nicely. Number Four, disc number four. This disc alone is quite a treat. Live renditions of eight wonderful beats as well as a masterfully played piano solo that meshes together many of the shows underlying themes such as Piano Black, Goodnight Julia, The Green Bird, ELM, and others. That's four reasons why every Cowboy Bebop or Yoko Kanno fan should buy this collection. It's 96 tracks of pure cool.