When I first got my copy of this CD from a friend, it was before I had really seen much of the show at all. I had seen only one episode on Adult Swim and even with my little experience with the show, I still enjoyed the CD thoroughly. You may notice, that when you listen to the CD, it's mainly just remixes of the Theme Song of Lupin III throughout the years.
The Good I'm not the type of person who just likes rehashes of stuff thrown at me all the time. But, these remixes were excellently done. Each of the songs are unique in their own way, without losing the Lupin flavor. You'll notice the elementary traces are still there, but thrown at you in a funky new way. Some songs are nicely done, such as Masanori Ikeda's Lupin III - Latin & Calcutta Mix and Masashi Naka's Theme from Lupin III - Club Escape Mix. Not to mention the excellent horn sections in nearly every song. I never was a big fan of horns and wind instruments until I heard this album. It's great that you can just pick up and enjoy this CD without really knowing much about the series. Most songs carry a distinct driving beat throughout the entire track (Funny walk in Old Fashion - Mori no Blend Mix) and some of the songs change up their beats throughout the song (Afro Rock Theme - Rock Afro Mix, Lupin III '78 - Afro Rock Theme [Doushichattano Lupin Mix]). I’ve listened to this CD well over 10 times in the past week, and it still hasn't lost its touch.
The Bad While this CD is truly worthy of carrying the Lupin name, it’s not without its minor flaws. For instance, a few of the songs seem to drag on a little more than necessary (Toward the Patrol Line - You & Fantastic Explosion Mix), which isn’t really a good thing. It wouldn’t be bad if they didn’t just repeat the same beat over and over again such as with the song mentioned above, but the fact that it carries on for over 6 minutes is ridiculous. Other than that song, and maybe one or two others that seem to just drag on, this CD will rock your box.
Now, as I said above, all of these tracks have their own distinction. Take for instance Jun Sasaki's Love Squall - Fujiko's Love Mix, it combines nice drumming with maracas, some decent background effects, great vocals, and tops it off with some nice bass guitar playing. This album really shows that it doesn't just take some synthesizers to make a decent remix.
Note: If you haven't already, check out Lupin the 3rd on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.
