Search - Tomoyasu Hotei :: Battle Without Honor Or Humanity

Theme for an ultimate bad-@$$

Brent A. Anthonisen | Alpharetta, GA, USA | 11/04/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you saw "Kill Bill Vol. 1" or have watched a Jaguar ad on TV over the last couple of months you have heard this song. And it is unbelievably cool, the sort of music you envision being played while you are walking while dressed all in black with sunglasses as you are filmed in slow motion. It is obviously Led Zeppelin-influenced, slow and slinky, hypersexy with overdriven percussion, a razor-sharp brass arrangement (you can see the flash of Katana blades as swordsmen duel), and the finest middle-eight I've heard in ages.



The song is also a terrific example of a guitarist knowing exactly what and when to play...and when not to. His technique is not a devastating virtuoso attack along the lines of Joe Satriani or Eddie Van Halen; rather, he plays around a song, using his instrument as a support piece in as much as a lead voice. This is borne out by listening to the "karaoke guitar" mix on track 3 of this single. It is basically the standard song but without the lead guitar track (the intimation being that you as the guitarist can supply the solos yourself). The result is that the listener gets a chance to hear the brass arrangement more clearly (which again is brilliantly used) and appreciate the subtlty and zen-like mastery with which Hotei plays exactly the right notes for the right mood and the right timing within the song. He understands unequivocably that the song itself is the artistic statement, not any pretentious display of six-string wizardry.



Track 2, the "Samurai mix" is the tonic for everyone who thinks "Battle..." is a great song that ends too soon. The Samurai mix clocks in at almost 3 times the length of the basic edit, and as such has three distinct phases, running from the initial mild reinterpretation, a stepped up quickening, and eventually a supertechno drum-and-bass crescendo, all the while punctuated with various "KIAI" samples from Samurai movies. The original mix of the song is both recognizable and honored in this treatment, unusual for a remix project.



Considering that all three tracks are essentially the same song, this single makes a wise purchase for anyone who really appreciates it. If you're not especially fond of the other songs on the "Kill Bill V. 1" soundtrack, this CD single is definitely the way to go (particularly if you're not fond of paying the import price for the full length -and categorically briliant- "Electric Samurai" CD)."

Excellent Import

K. Hammer-Wells | Richmond, VA USA | 10/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Three different but very good versions of the same song made popular in Kill Bill and the Jaguar commercials. Looking forward to listening to more Hotei music."