Cowboy Bebop VitaminlessCowboy Bebop OST 1

Review donated by Nick Melton (9/27/2001)

Cowboy Bebop soundtracks are anime soundtracks. You will find the track list plus an extensive track-by-track analysis below the standard review. It is my hope that you will gain a better understanding of anime music by reading exactly what it has to offer as it is different from American film music.
Composed by:
Yoko Kanno

Performed by:
The Seatbelts

I thought about it a while, and then I realized that I would be completely pointless. Why write two reviews when the second CD to be reviewed only has 8 songs on it? Therefore, I decided to combine the two reviews to make this one. "Cowboy Bebop" is written by Yoko Kanno, considered a genius by many anime and non-anime fans throughout the world. She is known for her ability to write in almost any genre; she has written both authentic classical and authentic jazz. In "Cowboy Bebop", Kanno dives into the rich world of bebop jazz to great result. The OST 1 and Vitaminless are little gems which any fan of great music could enjoy. Many people would consider the rating I give it to be a bit extravagant (the FF6 soundtrack is better, they'd argue); however, orchestral soundtracks (such as FF6) are very hard to compare to jazz, and therefore I ignored all orchestral soundtracks to come up with my rating. By the way, any track with a V in parenthesis next to it is from the "Vitaminless" CD.


Track-by-track review:
Disc 1
  1. Tank!

    The main theme of "Cowboy Bebop". This song is a perfect opening to the disc. It's an awesome, big-band song that never loses intensity. It's also got a mind-blowing saxophone solo about halfway through that's truly a great listening experience. Wonderful beginning!

  2. Rush

    Another fast big-band piece, not as good as "Tank!" but nearly there. Cool!

  3. Spokey Dokey

    A blues piece played entirely on guitar and harmonica (there are some chimes that come in for a short bit too near the end of the song, but they really don't play a big part). It's a soullful song with a beautiful ending. No bad songs so far on this disc.

  4. Bad Dog No Biscuits

    The sound effects in the background should not have been put there, it screws up the listening experience. None the less, this song is also awesome. After about the 1:12 minute mark, it looses the crappy sound effects and really swings until the restatement of the main theme. Cool cool cool.

  5. Cat Blues

    This a charming piece, but for some reason I just don't like it that much. I suppose other people would call it good, and it's not bad. I'd say it's mediocre.

  6. Cosmos

    This is a muted trumpet solo. It's slow and jazzy. I usually skip it. It's good, but not enough action for me.

  7. Space Lion

    Another slow piece, very similar to "Cosmos", except about seven times longer. Really.

  8. Waltz for Zizi

    I *love* this piece! It's a slow jazz waltz that's so beautiful you never want it to end. It almost sounds Hawaiian after about a minute. One of my favorites.

  9. Piano Black

    Another great piece. It's got a very interesting percussion section with the piano as the lead voice. Neat.

  10. Pot City

    This is the only song out of the entire soundtrack that I absolutely cannot stand. SKIP SKIP SKIP!

  11. Too Good Too Bad

    A big-band song in the style of "Tank!" and "Rush". Very cool, and notable for it's bass saxophone solo.

  12. Car 24

    This is a quick and light piece. It's fun, but its ending is so sudden you think at first there's a glitch in the CD ("Hey, why isn't the whole song on this thing?!")

  13. The Egg and I

    This is probably the only non-jazz song on the disc, with the exception of "Rain" that comes later. That doesn't mean it's not good though.

  14. Felt Tip Pen

    This is a guitar piece, played fairly quickly and lightly with jazz percussion in the background. Another great piece.

  15. Rain

    I don't like this piece very much. It's got too much organ and the vocalist gets on my nerves.

  16. Digging My Potato

    This is another harmonica piece with drums as backup. Like "Spokey Dokey", this is a blues piece.

  17. Memory

    This is a great little piece played on the celeste (I think), a piano-like instrument that plays bells instead of strings. It's short but it lives up to its title.

  18. The Real Folk Blues (V)

    This is the ending theme to "Cowboy Bebop". It's not really blues, but it's not really rock either. It goes straight for the throat. Awesome!

  19. Odd Ones (V)

    This is a four-person ensemble playing a really cool jazz piece. One of my favorites.

  20. Doggy Dog (V)

    I really don't like this one. You can listen to it, but I usually don't.

  21. Cats on Mars (V)

    This is just freaky.

  22. Spy (V)

    This is SO cool. It's a piece they'd play in a James Bond movie. It lives up to its title. A highlight of the Vitaminless CD.

  23. Fantaisie Sign (V)

    A not very noteworthy vocal piece.

  24. Piano Bar (V)

    This is one my all-time favorites. I really wish I could play this. It's not quick or anything, but it's plain awesome.

  25. Black Coffee (V)

    This is Vitminless's hidden track. It's cool, but there's no real harmony and there's a constant skit being played where this really desperate guy keeps trying to ask this woman to go out and have some coffee with him. She always says "no", even at the end. Ha.

These are wonderful great CDs. I would recommend them to any fan of great music. I listen to them all the time, and are my favorite anime CDs of all time (FF albums don't count; they're video game soundtracks). BUY THEM NOW! You won't be disappointed.


Cowboy Bebop is Copyright 1998 Victor Entertainment. This review is written by and is the property of Nick Melton and does not reflect the opinions of Tripod.