Favorite J-Pop Singles: DEEN / Love Forever

When I received my 5th J-pop cassette Mix from my friend in April of 1996, I was blown away by not just one but two new Hirose Kohmi songs, two new Mr. Children songs, and a couple of songs from a cool rockin’ band I’d never heard before, DEEN! What a terrific group this was!

In a way it was like getting a crash course in DEEN goodness because the two songs that opened up side two of that cassette mix were just about their best songs ever: the catchy whimsical HITOMI SORASANAIDE and the dramatic rock ballad LOVE FOREVER!

Lead Singer Ikemori Shuichi’s vocals always sound great, and I have to say that in LOVE FOREVER, they’ve never sounded better, especially the parts that are double tracked and he’s harmonizing with himself! And that B-GRAM music style of the band sounds so much like ZARD, it almost feels like he’s subbing for Izumi while she takes a breather!

PS: Picked up DEEN’s greatest hits package KISEKI, and was shocked to find out that these were NEW versions of Hitomi Sorasanaide and Love Forever!!! Gack! Lucky I kept my hands on those original singles!!!

Favorite J-Pop Singles: DEEN / Hitomi Sorasanaide

When I received my 5^th J-pop cassette Mix from my friend in April of 1996, I was blown away by not just one but two new Hirose Kohmi songs, two new Mr. Children songs, and a couple of songs from a cool rockin’ band I’d never heard before, DEEN! What a terrific group this was!

In a way it was like getting a crash course in DEEN goodness because the two songs that opened up side two of that cassette mix were just about their best songs ever: the dramatic rock ballad LOVE FOREVER and the catchy whimsical HITOMI SORASANAIDE!

Though it was known to me that Izumi Sakai wrote (or, rather, co-wrote) Hitomi Sorasanaide, I didn’t think that there was a ZARD version of the song out there. Though later it became pretty common to hear ZARD’s take on songs later, (especially in regards to FIELD OF VIEW with songs like Kimi Ga Itakara, Totsuzen and DAN DAN Kokoro Hikareteku which all appeared on TODAY IS ANOTHER DAY) at the time I didn’t expect it, and so imagine what a pleasant surprise  I had when I first listened to ZARD’s “Forever You” CD, and this gentle, sweet acoustic version of Hitomi Sorasanaide closed the album!

After hearing these DEEN songs, I just had to have them, but at the time was only able to get Love Forever, and no matter where I ordered Hitomi Sorasaniade from, I kept getting the dreaded “OUT OF PRINT” message returned. It wasn’t until years later when a friend managed to get that rare DEEN single for me, and he had to go by hook and crook to acquire it! For that he has my eternal gratitude! AHAHAHAHAHA