Sim City (album)

Sim City
Studio album by Susumu Hirasawa
Released August 2, 1995 (1995-08-02)
Recorded January – March 1995
Studio
Genre
Length 49:49
Language Japanese, Thai
Label Polydor K.K.
Producer
  • Susumu Hirasawa
  • Yūichi Kenjo (Executive)
Susumu Hirasawa chronology
AURORA
(1994)		 Sim City
(1995)		 SIREN
(1996)

Sim City is the fifth solo album by Susumu Hirasawa. Inspiration came from Hirasawa's visits to Thailand, where he developed a strong interest in the country's transsexuals. The album's name refers to its story, in which a futuristic Thailand is portrayed as a simulation city.

Hirasawa had originally planned to make this album a 90s version of The Dark Side of the Moon, but his newfound fascination with Thailand led him to create Sim City instead.[1] It's the first part of a trilogy of Thailand-influenced albums partially recorded in Bangkok, followed by SIREN and Technique of Relief. Due to the irresponsible nature of the Thai studio used and Hirasawa's lack of trust with their dealing with his gear, he only brought a small hard disk recorder to the country for work.[2] Aiming for a caustic nuance, Hirasawa applied significant amounts of reverb to the album's sound. Some of the lyrics were written in Thai, although Hirasawa is not proficient in it; he cross-referenced four language guidebooks to write those lyrics, and was told by a singer that the meaning of what he wrote is completely different from what he wanted to convey.[3]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Susumu Hirasawa, except "Recall", "Sim City" and "Prologue", with lyrics by Hirasawa and Miss N. 

No. Title Length
1. "Recall"   1:23
2. "Archetype Engine"   4:42
3. "Lotus"   4:26
4. "Kingdom"   5:16
5. "Echoes (CHARAN SANITWONG 24)"   6:19
6. "Sim City"   5:04
7. "Dark Side of the Moon" (月の影 Tsuki no Kage) 6:11
8. "Pacific Rim Imitation Network" (環太平洋擬装網 Kantai Heiyō Gisō Mō) 3:28
9. "Colony"   4:50
10. "Caravan"   5:48
11. "Prologue"   2:19

Track information

Echoes (CHARAN SANITWONG 24)

Shares its name with a P-Model song (originally from Fu Kyoka Kyoku Shū, re-recorded for Another Game). Both are tributes to Pink Floyd. It was also the basis for the Berserk song "Gats". The song was conceived in Bangkok. The song's subtitle, a reference to the address of Miss N.'s parents' house in the Bang Phlat District, appears only on the album's lyric sheet.[4]

Pacific Rim Imitation Network

Conceived in Bangkok. The only song in the album with guitar playing.

Personnel

Release history

Date Label(s) Format Catalog Notes
August 2, 1995 Polydor K.K. CD POCH-1510
July 1, 2005 Universal Music Japan, Universal Sigma Digital Download none
February 29, 2012 Chaos Union, Teslakite CD CHTE-0058 Remastered by Masanori Chinzei. Disc 5 of the HALDYN DOME box set.
November 5, 2014 Universal Music Japan SHM-CD UPCY-6931 Part of Universal's "Project Archetype" (supervised by Osamu Takeuchi & Kasiko Takahasi). Remastered by Kenji Yoshino (supervised by Chinzei) with both original liner notes and new ones.[5]

Interactive Live Show

INTERACTIVE LIVE SHOW 1995
SIM CITY TOUR
Video by Susumu Hirasawa
Released December 1995 (1995-12)
Recorded September 6, 1995 (1995-09-06)
Venue Shibuya Public Hall, Udagawa, Shibuya, Tokyo
Genre
Length 1:44:00
Language Japanese, Thai
Label Hirasawa Bypass
Producer Susumu Hirasawa
Susumu Hirasawa chronology
HIRASAWA error ENGINE
Hirasawa Three Acts in Three Hours
(1994)		 INTERACTIVE LIVE SHOW 1995
SIM CITY TOUR
(1995)		 Unreal Soprano
INTERACTIVE LIVE SHOW
SIREN
(1997)

Interactive Live Show 1995 "SIM CITY TOUR" was the fourth Interactive Live Show played by Hirasawa. The story follows Wiwat Tarasongop (Thai: วิวัฒน์ ธาราสงบ, Japanese: ウィワット・ターラーサンゴップ, Hepburn: Uiwatto Tārāsangoppu; "Susumu Hirasawa" rendered into Thai) who unexpectedly finds himself in Sim City and seeks to understand the nature of its reality.[6]

Unlike previous Interactive Live Shows, which drew songs from all Hirasawa solo albums, the songs that appeared on "SIM CITY TOUR" were mainly taken from its parent album - the other songs were taken from Water in Time and Space, Virtual Rabbit, AURORA and the P-Model album KARKADOR; while the songs from the 90's albums were performed with small changes in arrangement, the ones from the 80's albums received Thai themed rearrangements. Miss N. appeared as a guest performer, after a series of hurdles by the show's staff to bring her to Japan. Hirasawa barely remembers the rest of the show's production due to the power of the events surrounding Miss N.'s invitation.[7]

Songs

All songs written and composed by Susumu Hirasawa. 

No. Title Length
1. "Recall"    
2. "Archetype Engine"    
3. "Kingdom"    
4. "HOT POINT"    
5. "CYBORG" (サイボーグ Saibōgu)  
6. "Sim City"    
7. "Dark Side of the Moon" (月の影 Tsuki no Kage)  
8. "Bandiria Travellers" (バンディリア旅行団 Bandiria Ryōkōdan)  
9. "HOT POINT"    
10. "AURORA" (オーロラ Ōrora)  
11. "Pacific Rim Imitation Network" (環太平洋擬装網 Kantai Heiyō Gisō Mō)  
12. "TAKE THE WHEEL" (舵をとれ Kaji wo Tore)  
13. "Colony"    
14. "HOT POINT"    
15. "LOVE SONG"    
16. "Echoes (CHARAN SANITWONG 24)"    
17. "Caravan"    
18. "Lotus"    
19. "Haldyn Hotel" (ハルディン・ホテル Harudin Hoteru) (encore)  

"IN THE SQUARE" (広場で Hiroba de) was also performed at this concert, between "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Bandiria Travellers". However, it wasn't included in either release.

Release history

Date Label(s) Format Catalog Notes
December 1995 Hirasawa Bypass VHS none Titled SIM CITY TOUR 1995-9-6 TOKYO SHIBUYA KOKAIDO. Fanclub-only release.
November 26, 2003 Chaos Union, Teslakite DVD CHTE-0027 Titled INTERACTIVE LIVE SHOW 1995 SIM CITY. Fanclub-only release if bought from the Japanese Teslakite website.

References

  1. ↑ "月の影 / Tsuki no Kage / Moonlight". Hirasawa Lyrics.
  2. ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "ソーラー・スタジオ レコーディング リポート page 1 – 2001/07/20". Hirasawa Energy Works. Chaos Union. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  3. ↑ "バンコクのスタジオはいい加減なところでしたが、私にとっては、それで十分だと思えるシンプルでコンパクトなものでした。" [The Bangkok studio was an irresponsible place, but I personally found it simple, compact, and good enough for me.]. Sound & Recording Magazine (in Japanese). No. 9 (Rittor Music). September 1995. p. 27. ISSN 1344-6398.
  4. ↑ "エコーズ / Ekoozu / Echoes". Hirasawa Lyrics.
  5. ↑ Takeuchi, Osamu. "wilsonic works 41". wilsonic journal. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  6. ↑ "Sim City Tour Prologue～". Hirasawa Lyrics.
  7. ↑ "1995 Sim City Tour Interactive Live Show DVD - Back Cover Text". Hirasawa Lyrics.

External links

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