As the title indicates, Hotchpotch is a collection of Maaya's earlier singles and works from 1996 to 1999.
The cd was released in Japan in 1999, and Geneon Entertainment released a US version in 2005. The track lists
of both versions are identical. The US release mirrors the Japanese one quite closely, even the cd label is
exactly the same with exception of company logos. The main differences lie in the insert booklets. The US version
contains English translations of song titles and lyrics. There are a few extra pages and images in
Geneon's booklet, and some of the pages have been reordered. The US release also includes a note from
Maaya,
which you can see here.
Here's a rundown of all the tracks. The first is Yakusoku wa iranai,
the OP theme song to the Vision
of Escaflowne TV series. Long time anime fans probably best know Maaya from this song.
It's the first song that I and many other fans heard from her. To date, it's still one of my favorite anime OP songs.
It amazes me that Maaya recorded this song when she was 16 years old. One item I'll note about the
instrumentals is the use of bagpipes. I don't know what Yoko Kanno was thinking, but the bagpipes worked great.
Tomodachi is one of several insert songs used in Escaflowne. It's very
lighthearted and upbeat. Maaya also performed an English version of the song, which is on
her first album, Grapefruit.
Tracks 3 thru 5 were used for the
CLAMP School Detectives anime.
Bokura no Rekishi was used in one of the show's radio dramas.
Gift is the ED song of the anime, and
Kimi ni ai ni ikou is the c/w track on the single. All
three tracks are very upbeat and easy to listen to.
The 6th track, Hikari no naka e (Into the Light), is another
insert song from Escaflowne. It has a somewhat melancholy tune and was used in a very touching
episode towards the end of the show. Without even watching Escaflowne or understanding the Japanese
lyrics, one could easily surmise that Hikari no naka e is a love song.
Light of Love is an insert song for the anime
Brain Powerd.
As the title implies, it's another love song and is probably the longest anime song Maaya has performed.
The tracks starts with a haunting melody, but completely changes in tune around the 5 minute mark. As usual,
Kanno's music composition is brilliant.
The 8th song, Kiseki no umi (Sea of Miracles), is the OP to the
Record of Lodoss War:
Chronicles of the Heroic Knight TV series. This is another popular Maaya song with anime fans. The c/w track is
Active Heart, which contrasts the OP song and provides
a good balance to the single.
Pilot is the c/w track on Maaya's Hashiru jpop single. The song
was also included on her second album, Dive.
Platinum is the 3rd OP to
Cardcaptor Sakura. I've always thought the song stood out from all the other theme songs
for CCS. The c/w track on the single is 24, one of
Maaya's earlier English performances.
The 13th track, Koibito ni Tsuite, is one of two songs on
Hotchpotch that was not previously released on another cd. Maaya actually recorded an English version titled
"Dreams in a Pie" for the Napple Tale - Kaijyuu Zukan soundtrack cd. I think I actually prefer the
English version over the original Japanese one.
Pocket wo kara ni shite is the 4th Escaflowne song on this cd. This
is another upbeat track with quite a catchy melody. And the last track is Call
Your Name, is the other new song on Hotchpotch. The song starts with slow piano playing and Maaya singing
very soulfully. Violins accompany the piano music about halfway into the song. I can't think of many other Maaya
songs that are so subtle yet powerful at the same time.
