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Cowboy Bebop’s “The Real Folk Blues” feat. Yoko Kanno, and other tunes

This stuff is golden! After a 2 year wait, we are finally at the ragged edge of having a Live Action version of Cowboy Bebop! And we didn’t have to do anything to get more, because Netflix already verified the second season was funded and green lit!

But for those who have forgotten what this means, a song or two to bring it front and center again! The songs in this set were done as part of Seatbelt’s 2020 Virtual Sessions, not one of the previous year’s postings. But they were all composed by Yoko Kanno, they were all part of the original movie and TV show, they were all performed by Seatbelt! And even scarier, watching how they did their musical collaborations while in Lock-down, you get a much better understanding of just how world class this collection of singers and musicians is! And for those who didn’t already know her, the one in the space suit helmet is Yoko Kanno herself!

To start us off, the Lock Down version of Space Lion:

Then two different versions of the Real Folk Blues, one with the original Seatbelts mix, and one where Yoko Kanno gets to run rampant all over the musical arrangement. Both versions are totally amazing!

Amy Lee and The Wagakki Band

I was not expecting the fusion of Evanescence and The Wagakki Band, but they have put together some really tasty music. The first track is the Evanescence hit Bring Me To Life posted on their YouTube Channel, with the two lead singers sharing the vocals and Wagakki Band bringing their unique sound to the party. The second track is Sakura Rising from Wagakki Band’s new album Tokyo Singing, which just came out a few weeks ago.

There has been some amazing music released during the pandemic, which has been one of the main things helping me get through the year. So far, the tracks from this session have been the best of them from my perspective.

TANK! Virtual Session 2020 by SEATBELTS

Yoko Kanno is doing the soundtrack for the Live Action version of Cowboy Bebop, and produced SEATBELTS doing this Virtual Session of the shows original theme song TANK! That wasn’t SEARBELT’S only recent virtual session, they also did Space Lion from the same show, LION, The Real Folk Blues, Don’t bother none, and the list goes on. Having the iconic compositions of Yoko Kanno (with possibly some new tunes when the show finally comes onto the small screen) and the Jazz presentation of Seatbelts in the new incarnation of Cowboy Bebop is just one of the reasons I can’t wait for this program to finally air.

Stay Home! Stay Metal! …BabyMetal

Post updated again, about a year later! Everything previously posted has expired, and all the videos previously linked have evaporated. But you can still read about it if you land on this post, just so you will know it happened. A lot of bands stepped up to the plate during the pandemic supplying free live concerts to help keep folks from going over the edge as part of the Stay Home! Stay Alive! project. BabyMetal posted some very high quality work that I am sure was being held in reserve towards a future Blu-Ray/DVD release, and while there is a good chance that may still happen, their generosity in making it freely available at a time when there were no live concerts to go to speaks volumes about their attitude. And if it was really all driven by a music company marketing rep trying to boost their market share, that certainly doesn’t do anything to lesson its impact and therapeutic value on fans worldwide.

Post updated, because they ARE SHOWING THEM AGAIN! It doesn’t end there, because on May 10th, 2020 – 11:00PM JST / 4:00PM CEST / 10:00AM EDT / 7:00AM PDT they will post another one: LIVE AT WEMBLEY – ONLINE LIVE. Recorded at THE SSE ARENA, WEMBLEY on April 2nd, 2016, this will be another streamed-for-free live concert available to watch for 24 hours only.

BabyMetal just posted (15 hours ago as I write this) their Live at Tokyo Dome – BLACK NIGHT and LIVE AT TOKYO DOME – RED NIGHT concerts, in their entirety, for everyone trapped at home around the world to enjoy! Part of their Stay Home! Stay Metal! project, this was recorded live over two nights in 2016, and is being streamed for this extremely brief period (about one day; the streaming schedule is 8:00 PM (JST) April 11th – 7:00PM (JST) April 12th, 2020, so you still have about 8 hours to enjoy it before it evaporates). The two shows had completely different setlists, so between them you get about 3 full hours worth of BabyMetal goodness! I hope you manage to find this wonderful gift before it is no longer available, and enjoy it as much as I am.

For Yoko with Love: Platina Jazz

Yoko Kanno is one of the most amazing composers and band leaders ever, and it is always a treat to discover someone new singing her praises by playing her music (and yes, I do mean that literally). Back in 2009 a band called Platina Jazz got together to create covers of the best Jazz music in Anime, so I figure at least half of their music has to be created by her. Let me show off a few of their tunes so you can get an idea of who they are.

Starting off with the single most recognizable tune from Anime Jazz, Yoko Kanno’s TANK:

Then there is Inner Universe from Ghost In The Shell : Stand Alone Complex, another track composed and originally preformed by Yoko Kanno!

And another killer classic from Cowboy Bebop, Knock A Little Harder: