Eccentric Sound of Spider-Man (Japan TV Music)

Background

This is an album of soundtrack music from the Japanese Spider-Man TV show. Like all Japanese imports, this ain't a cheap CD, but if you're collecting Spidey Audio, this is a must-have.

The CD is apparently a reprint of the original record from 1978, around the time of the Japanese TV show. I don't have any info at all on the original as of yet.

Story Details

After listening to this, I'd have to say that 70's TV Theme Music in Japan really wasn't that different from anywhere in the world.

There's plenty of up-tempo skipping beats in here with tom-toms pattering along to get your blood pulsing. The Brass section offers plenty of clean-tooting fill, there's funky jazz flute solos, and some guy strumming away on funky rhythm guitar for all he's worth. Electric vibes are there too.

There's a few change-of-pace tracks with spooky mood music, rattling tubular bells, haunting flute, and abstract rhythms. Then back to chase scene music with timpani chugging out a pulsing rhythm with the trumpets tooting away.

I didn't pick up too much Japanese influence here, it's almost exclusively in western keys, with western rhythms. This could easily have been "The Love Boat" soundtrack. A couple of the more haunting tracks give a nod to oriental music, but little more than that.

The album is almost exclusively instrumental, with only a handful of vocal tracks. Vocals are in Japanese, in that peculiarly bland crooning style which blights nearly all modern Asian pop music.

Towards the end, the "Kakeru! Spiderman" is repeated endless times, with only subtle differences. I guess they wanted to make offer some bonus tracks for the CD and these are probably different versions, though it's hard to tell them apart.

The full track list (translated from Japanese) is:

1. Theme of Spider-Man
2. Theme of Chase
3. Super Ability
4. Ballad of Grief
5. Adventure of Spider-Man
6. Theme of Invasion
7. An Oath for Revenge
8. Under the Light of Daybreak
9. Kakeru! (Run) Spiderman (TV Size)
10. Secret Manuever
11. Chikai no Ballad (Ballad of an Oath) (Instrumental)
12. Conversion
13. Trace
14. Sanjou (Played whenever Spiderman appeared for a big fight of sorts)
15. Kakeru! Spiderman (Instrumental)
16. Peace
17. Chikai no Ballad (Ballad of an Oath) (TV Size)
18. Yokoku (Literally "Notice" but it's the trailer theme for the next episode)
19. Kakeru! Spiderman
20. Chikai no Ballad (Ballad of an Oath)
21. Kakero! Spiderman (TV Size Karaoke w/o Chorus)
22. Chikai no Ballad (Ballad of an Oath) (TV Size Karaoke)
23. Kakeru! Spiderman (Karaoke w/o Chorus)

General Comments

It's 70's TV music. You wouldn't know it was Spidey without reading the liner notes. If you want to bring prime-time 70's TV music back to your life, then this is what you need, but it's not particularly good stuff, and it doesn't bring back any memories for me.

Overall Rating

Truth be told, you can probably do without this in your life. Two webs will suffice.

Footnote

Thanks to the Japanese SpiderFans who helped translate!