Differences between album/single tracks?

sanctum

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Hi,

I used to post on here a long time ago (10 years?), I recently dug out my Malice Mizer singles collection the other day and have since 'rediscovered' the band so I decided I should get around to purchasing my favourite album, Merveilles.

To pass the time while I waited for it to arrive I downloaded the album to listen to, I noticed from the MP3 tags that it had been cobbled together from a variety of sources and apart from an extended intro to Bel Air (ticking clocks etc.) and Le ciel there wasn't too much difference between the singles and the album versions that I could detect.

Skip to my legit copy arriving and I notice a few things -
Illuminati - The P-Type has the bass guitar replaced with a synth bass along with some minor changes.
au revior - The single version has one violin during the interlude, the album version has two.

Does anyone know of any other differences?
 

flowersofnight

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I think you got 'em all - Illuminati is definitely the one with the most noticeable differences.
I think "gekka no yasoukyoku" was at least re-recorded for the single but I didn't notice any particular difference.

So yeah, Columbia was mostly just milking the fans on this XD
 

sanctum

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Just found another for the list - the video box single edition of Bel Air is almost 20 seconds shorter than the album version and has a slightly different mix.
The single version lacks the ticking clock intro and the music box interlude runs for about half the length.
 

guroseii

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When I got my album Illuminati was really noticeably different, so you got that. But I've never noticed the Bel Air differences :P
 

sanctum

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When I got my album Illuminati was really noticeably different, so you got that. But I've never noticed the Bel Air differences :P

Yeah, the single lists it as P-Type, Le ciel is of course also different, but that one is fairly obvious given that the songs have different names.
 

Witchka

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I heard Merveilles long after I heard the singles, when I heard the album ver of ILLUMINATI I was extremely underwhelmed... even a tad disappointed. On another note, I feel like that track in general just felt out-of-place on the whole album (but Közi's gotta get his fair share too, right?)

But nothing beats the album version of Au Revoir - LOVE me them double-strings. They need to remaster that song with a full string quartet, imho
.


 

guroseii

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Yeah, the single lists it as P-Type, Le ciel is of course also different, but that one is fairly obvious given that the songs have different names.
ah so the single version of le ciel is the version in the music video/tv performances right?
 

sanctum

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ah so the single version of le ciel is the version in the music video/tv performances right?

Yes, but the live recording uses the album version, as far as I can remember.

I feel like that track in general just felt out-of-place on the whole album (but Közi's gotta get his fair share too, right?)
All of Kozi's contributions feel out of place, maybe with the exception of Gekka.
 

Nimbus

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Yes, but the live recording uses the album version, as far as I can remember.


All of Kozi's contributions feel out of place, maybe with the exception of Gekka.

Hey, what about Seraph? In my opinion, it was a very fitting song. And what about Madrigal or Kagami no butou genwaku no yoru? I mean, ok, Közi is kinda weird ::gaku::, a very creative person, but he did express the band's style when he wanted to.
 

sanctum

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Hey, what about Seraph? In my opinion, it was a very fitting song. And what about Madrigal or Kagami no butou genwaku no yoru? I mean, ok, Közi is kinda weird ::gaku::, a very creative person, but he did express the band's style when he wanted to.

I was only referring to Merveilles, I love Seraph (and Sadness) and Kozi's songs on Bara no Seidou.
 

flowersofnight

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Maybe Közi's contributions to Merveilles (except Gekka) were just a middle-finger to Columbia Nippon and Gackt for signing the band into a major record label. ::meev:: That is so punk-rock.
I know it's a joke, but Mana has actually gone on-record about this, and said that Malice Mizer signed with Nippon Columbia because they were the only record label who didn't insist on their making changes.
 

Witchka

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Mana ain't no dummy, that's for sure. Thanks for the trivia, flowers! :)

And we love the element of chaotic surprise Közi brings to the group and fans... as well as all the flavors the other members throw into the pot. MALICE MIZER really was its own special beast and it's amazing the length some labels and managers are willing to go to preserve the creative integrity of their artists - I'm actually surprised with Columbia... at least their Japanese branch.
 

Hampo

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Közi had tracks on Bara no Seidou? If my memory serves me, the last time I checked the album booklet it was a Mana's Malice Mizer record by Mana's Malice Mizer with a Mana's Malice Mizer sound for Mana and Mana's Malice Mizer fans. I always assumed that was part of the reason why they split, actually.

Seriously, though, I always liked it when MM used synths. The retro synth sound and compositions that sounded like a mixture of chanson and some demented circus were pretty inspiring. NPS NGS is probably the strangest genre bender ever, going from military industrial pop to Bach playing tango.

If Mana is telling the truth, then Nippon Columbia was the best label for them. Producing Malice Mizer and expecting them to be more normal is like purchasing a race horse and turning it into glue. And after all, they did make Merveilles with them.
All the Japanese musicians seem to consider Voyage to be their best album, but honestly, I think it's probably Merveilles. I think it's genuinely one of the best albums ever made. A lot of different styles, no repetition and every track is a banger. None of the single to album changes are that distracting either. I dig both versions of Illuminati, and honestly, it's pretty cool that there's some differences that make the collecting worth it.
Was it Kaya's third solo album that was almost completely just a collection of his recent singles with no changes whatsoever. Good songs, but as a fan who bought all the singles, it was kind of a bummer.
 

sanctum

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Közi had tracks on Bara no Seidou?
鏡の舞踏 幻惑の夜 and 地下水脈の迷路

Merveilles is actually the album with the most Kozi composed tracks, clocking in at 4 and if you don't count ~demerveilles that puts him at a tie with Mana. Yu~ki and Gackt filling in the other two tracks and the final track being credited collectively to the group.
 

kozifran

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鏡の舞踏 幻惑の夜 and 地下水脈の迷路

Merveilles is actually the album with the most Kozi composed tracks, clocking in at 4 and if you don't count ~demerveilles that puts him at a tie with Mana. Yu~ki and Gackt filling in the other two tracks and the final track being credited collectively to the group.



I thought the song "地下水脈の迷路" was all Yuki's work :o
 

sanctum

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I thought the song "地下水脈の迷路" was all Yuki's work :o
It can appear that way due to it being a pseudo-bass solo on the live DVD, but in the 薔薇の聖堂 booklet it is credited to Közi.
 
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