Virtual Rabbit

Virtual Rabbit
Studio album by Susumu Hirasawa
Released May 25, 1991 (1991-05-25)
Recorded 1991
Studio
Genre
Length 32:06
Label Polydor K.K.
Producer
  • Susumu Hirasawa
  • Yūichi Kenjo (Executive)
Susumu Hirasawa chronology
The Ghost in Science
(1990)		 Virtual Rabbit
(1991)		 AURORA
(1994)

Virtual Rabbit is Susumu Hirasawa's third album. It is the final part of a trilogy, with Water in Time and Space being the first, and The Ghost in Science being the second, that explores reality, religion, science and dreams.

Overview

The album's liner notes include a 2-page long "Virtual Rabbit Story", which was written by Hirasawa, the liner notes also include a note saying that the listener is free to rearrange the order of the songs if s/he so wishes, something that Hirasawa would later repeat with Sim City 4 years later. He has also said that this album is reminiscent of The Martian Chronicles.[1]

Virtual Rabbit goes in the same style as its previous albums (mix and experimentation of various different music styles), although it has a more epic feel than the others, with multipart compositions more in line with his later solo work and a larger focus on orchestral styled instrumentation. With this album, Hirasawa continues to digitize his production methods: Hikaru Kotobuki (former P-Model member and keyboardist of Hirasawa's live band) introduced him to the Amiga software sequencer Bars & Pipes, whose ability to handle hundreds of MIDI tracks freed Hirasawa from the constraints of the Korg M1's built-in sequencer and the studios' multitrack recorders (the use of Bars & Pipes is credited on this and later albums as "Computer programming"). The use of guest musicians in the album is almost completely reduced to choral backing. There is no live percussion on the album, all drumming is Hirasawa with a Yamaha RX-5.

This was the first Hirasawa album to be engineered by Masanori Chinzei, who has since worked as engineer on everything Hirasawa has worked on. A significant number of songs from this album were used in the original video animation series Detonator Orgun, whose music was made by Hirasawa, and its first installment was done simultaneously with Virtual Rabbit".[2]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Susumu Hirasawa, except "Bandiria Travellers" with string & choral arrangements by Hirasawa & Kayo "Kokubo" Matsumoto. 

No. Title Length
1. "Stormy Sea" (嵐の海 Arashi no Umi) 3:32
2. "Bandiria Travellers" (バンディリア旅行団 Bandiria Ryōkōdan) 5:00
3. "Hawk In My Heart, Don't Take The Moon Away [Planet Eagle]" (我が心の鷲よ　月を奪うな[プラネット・イーグル] Waga Shin no Washi yo, Tsuki wo Ubau na [Puranetto Īguru]) 3:31
4. "Virtual Rabbit" (ヴァーチュアル・ラビット Vāchuaru Rabitto) 3:15
5. "Please Push "UNDO" Key" (UNDOをどうぞ UNDO wo Dōzo) 4:08
6. "Clear Mountain Top" (山頂晴れて Sanchō Harete) 4:09
7. "Quiet Sea" (静かの海 Shizuka no Umi) 3:25
8. "Immortal Man" (死のない男 Shi no Nai Otoko) 2:56
9. "A Tree Of Sun" (太陽の木 Taiyō no Ki) 5:55
10. "Russian Tobiscope" (ロシアン・トビスコープ Roshian Tobisukōpu) 1:55

Track information

Stormy Sea

Made in the style of P-MODEL openers.

Bandiria Travellers

The word "Bandiria" is a play on "bandphilia".[3]

Hawk In My Heart, Don't Take The Moon Away [Planet Eagle]

The ending of this song is "Fanfare", released on the Model House Works tape included with the first issue of the "Moire Club" newsletter.

Virtual Rabbit
Please Push "UNDO" Key

A continuation of the storyline of QUIT from the The Ghost in Science album.

Clear Mountain Top

A sample of the song's chorus played backwards was included in the P-MODEL song "Power to Dream" from the album Fune.

Quiet Sea

Made in the style of Andean folk that is prominent throughout the trilogy.

Immortal Man

Made in the same style as "Amor Buffer". Hirasawa wrote the song to test out the skills of Toshihiro Ōe, his chief stage lighting technician at the time; during the song's writing it was referred to as Ōe Taisaku (オオエ対策, Ōe Countermeasures).[9]

A Tree Of Sun

An atmospheric symphonic number, featuring baby gurgle samples.

Personnel

Release history

Date Label(s) Format Catalog Notes
May 25, 1991 Polydor K.K. CD POCH-1084
July 1, 2005 Universal Music Japan, Universal Sigma Digital Download none
February 29, 2012 Chaos Union, Teslakite CD CHTE-0056 Remastered by Masanori Chinzei. Part of Disc 3 of the HALDYN DOME box set, alongside "Haldyn Hotel [Fractal Terrain Track]". "Bandiria Travellers [Physical Navigation Version]" is on Disc 1 (CHTE-0054).
September 24, 2014 Universal Music Japan SHM-CD UPCY-6911 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.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu (2012). "Disc 01－07". Haldyn Dome (PDF file included on Data Disc) (in Japanese). Chaos Union, TESLAKITE. p. 25. CHTE-0056.
  2. ↑ "「何をそこまで」がキーワード" ["What is 'Too Much'?" is the Keyword]. Monthly Newtype (in Japanese). Vol. 7 no. 9 (Kadokawa Shoten). September 1991. p. 165.
  3. ↑ B-CLUB SPECIAL Detonator Orgun (in Japanese). Bandai Publishing. June 1992. ISBN 978-4891892241.
  4. ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "「バンディリア旅行団」スケッチ　１". The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS. Chaos Union.
  5. ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "「バンディリア旅行団」スケッチ　２". The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS. Chaos Union.
  6. ↑ Hirasawa, Susumu. "「バンディリア旅行団」スケッチ　3". The Aggregated Past KANGENSHUGI 8760 HOURS. Chaos Union.
  7. ↑ "NO ROOM - 『変弦自在』より「バンディリア旅行団 」 - Downloads". TESLAKITE FREE MP3s. Chaos Union.
  8. 1 2 "the scene in Perfect Blue where CHAM’s new single makes the charts". Hirasawa Lyrics.
  9. ↑ http://twilog.org/hirasawa/date-140801
  10. ↑ Takeuchi, Osamu. "wilsonic works 41". wilsonic journal. Retrieved 15 November 2014.

External links

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