4.5 stars - One of the best Anime soundtracks out there
M. B. Link | USA | 06/08/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Project A-Ko Soundtrack(1994). Soundtrack to the the '86 anime movie Project A-Ko.Project A-Ko was an anime movie that I enjoyed many years ago when I was younger, and one of the most enjoyable aspects of it was its excellent 80s soundtrack. If you normally read my music reviews, you would get the distinct impression that I only listen to Heavy Metal, Progressive rock, classic rock, and other forms of hardrock music, so it might strike you as odd that I'm reviewing a little known 80s pop rock Anime soundtrack. Just goes to show that I have music interests in a LOT of places. Anyways, after MANY YEARS of searching, I finally secured a copy. Though it's been a long time since I've seen the movie, I was worried that I wouldn't enjoy the music as much as I used to. Thankfully, my worries flew right out the window when I found out that this soundtrack is surprisingly better than I remembered it! Produced by Joey Carbone and Richie Zito who worked with many different soundtracks and music artists, the Project A-Ko soundtrack consists of three female vocal-fronted pop rock songs, and nine various instrumental score pieces (two of them are actually just instrumental versions of two of the vocal songs). With the exception of the Top Gun movie soundtrack, I'd say this ties with Transformers: The Movie as the best 80s movie soundtrack ever released. Here's a lowdown of the tracks:For the vocal songs, there is 'Dance Away', 'Follow Your Dream', and 'In Your Eyes'. 'Dance Away' is a mellow pop rock song with decent vocals, while 'Follow Your Dream' is more of an optimistic, upbeat pop song. Both are good, though the latter one is my favorite on here. 'In Your Eyes' is just a soft ballad-type song. Tracks 8 and 10 are the aformentioned instrumentals of these songs. 'Morning Light Type B' is also similar to 'Dance Away' but the instrumentation is different. 'Morning Light Type C' is simply a slow piano-played instrumental to the movie's theme. My favorite tracks on the soundtrack are #'s 1, 3, 7, 9, and 10. In other words, the really exciting instrumentals that are the most memorable from the movie. 'Morning Light Type A' is a short, fast synth rocker, whereas 'Max 5000' is a slowpaced heavy instrumental. 'Spaceship In The Dark' is just AWESOME, reminding me of a battle, and then slowing down towards the end. 'Jealous Eyes' is a nice surprise, starting out like an instrumental version of 'In Your Eyes', and then at 1:42, changes into an EXCELLENT FAST MELODIC ROCKER with outstanding guitarwork. Definitely one of my favorites. Of course, my absolute favorite track is 'Explosion' which is the EXTREMELY MEMORABLE midpaced hardrock theme played at the beginning of the movie. It sort of reminds me of the Bon Jovi 7800 Degrees Fahrenheit song 'Only Lonely', plus it's hard to get out of your head once you hear it.Overall, this is an outstanding soundtrack to a relatively little known anime movie. While the movie is a bit odd, its soundtrack screams of an old-school 80s style that may appeal to anyone who likes this sort of music. I love it. The only complaints I have are that certain songs were repeated a few more times than are needed, and that a couple of the Japanese instrumental music parts from the movie weren't included on here. Oh well. That doesn't hinder the disc too much. If you have heard of the movie and like it, then it would be well worth your time to hunt down this excellent soundtrack.Other similar soundtracks:
-Top Gun movie soundtrack
-Transformers: The Movie soundtrack
-Robotech Perfect Soundtrack Album"
Wonderful soundtrack, with english songs.
P. Krug | portland, OR USA | 07/11/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Project A-ko is one of the best anime that was ever made, and the music score fits it perfectly. Then there are the songs-"Dance Away", "In Your Eyes", and my favorite, "Follow Your Dreams". They are in english, each is sung by a different woman, and they sound beautiful. The other music peices are quite riveting, also. This is a good buy."
True Fan
Stephanie A. Kelly | Illinois | 10/25/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you loved the movie you will ofcourse love the soundtrack! I love the Morning Type C track and all the ones with vocals, like Follow Your Dream and Dance Away. They are a great pick-me-up song and can make you feel better. Love it!!"