DISCOGRAPHY | SHIINA RINGO
 
ALBUMS | SINGLES | DVD/VHS | ANALOG | COMPILATIONS/OTHER
 
1999.02.24
1st Studio Album

無罪モラトリアム
 Muzai Moratorium

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TRACKLIST
 01 Tadashii Machi (正しい街)
02 Kabukichou no Joou (歌舞伎町の女王)
03 Marunouchi Sadistic (丸の内サディスティック)
04 Koufukuron (Etsuraku Hen) (幸福論(悦楽編))
05 Akane Sasu Kiro Terasaredo... (茜さす　帰路照らされど...)
06 Sid to Hakuchuumu (シドと白昼夢)
07 Tsumiki Asobi (積木遊び)
08 Koko de Kiss Shite. (ここでキスして。)
09 Onaji Yoru (同じ夜)
10 Keikoku (警告)
11 Morphine (モルヒネ)

 STATS
Highest chart position: #2
Weeks on chart: 79
Units sold in Japan: 1,432,000
Price: ￥3,059
Code: TOCT-24065
Toshiba-EMI

AWARDS
Rock Album of the Year (Japan Gold Disc Awards 1999).

Album Credits...

CREDITS
 All music and lyrics by Shiina Ringo.

Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
Played by Zetsurin Hectoplasm band.
Track 3
Played by Zekkyou Solphege band.
Tracks 5, 7, 9, 11
Played by Momoiro spanner band.

Zetsurin Hectoplasm
Princess Shiina "Sadist" Ringo
Vocals, drums, handclaps, whistle
His Highness Nishikawa "Switch" Nobu
Electric guitar, guitar
Professor Kameda "Man Shintan" Seiji
Electric bass guitar, handclaps
Boss Nishimura "Christ" Tomohiro
Drums, vocals, handclaps

Zekkyou Solphege
Princess Shiina "Sadist" Ringo
Vocals, piano, harmonica, hand- and footclaps
Professor Kameda "Man Shintan" Seiji
Electric bass guitar, vocals
Boss Nishimura "Christ" Tomohiro
Drums, vocals, hand- and footclaps

Momoiro spanner
Princess Shiina "Sadist" Ringo
Vocals, koto, whistle
Chief conductor Suzuki "Ceulen" Akira
Electric guitar, guitar, vocals
Professor Kameda "Man Shintan" Seiji
Electric bass guitar
Boss Nishimura "Christ" Tomohiro
Drums, percussions

Guests
Mori Toshiyuki
Electric organ (Tracks 1 and 10); Piano (Track 5)
Saitou Neko-sama
Violin (Track 9)
Kanabara Chieko
Strings arranger (Tracks 1 and 5)
Yashiro Tsunehiko
Electric organ (Track 8)


Credit to Ringo Jihen for the credits information.
2000.03.31
 2nd Studio Album

 勝訴ストリップ
Shouso Strip

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TRACKLIST
 01 Kyogenshou (虚言症)
02 Yokushitsu (浴室)
03 Benaki Debussy (弁解ドビュッシー)
04 Gips (ギブス)
05 Yami ni Furu Ame (闇に降る雨)
06 Identity (アイデンティティ)
07 Tsumi to Batsu (罪と罰)
08 Stoicism (ストイシズム)
09 Tsuki ni Makeinu (月に負け犬)
10 Sakana (サカナ)
11 Byoushou Public (病床パブリック)
12 Honnou (本能)
13 Izonshou (依存症)

STATS
Highest chart position: #1
Weeks on chart: 30
Units sold in Japan: 2,332,000
Price: ￥3,059
Code: TOCT-24321
Toshiba-EMI

 INFORMATION
Two editions of Shouso Strip were released. The normal edition includes the black cover (shown above). The limited edition is enclosed in a pink cardboard slip-case and a pink opaque CD case (click here). It also includes a limited edition photobook.
It was the #3 album of 2000.

AWARDS
Best Album of the Year (Record Awards 2000).
Rock Album of the Year (Japan Gold Disc Awards 2000).

SYMMETRY
Shouso Strip was Shiina Ringo's first album that used her unique style of album 'symmetry'. It occurs in this album through track titles. For example the first and last tracks both have 3 kanji in their name, then the second and second last tracks have 2 kanji. It continues to the centre of the album (Tsumi to Batsu) which stands alone.

Album Credits...

CREDITS
 All music and lyrics by Shiina Ringo.

 Musician
Instrument (Which track number they appear on)
Shiina Ringo
Vocals (all); Piano (2); Guitar (6, 8, 11)
Nakoshi Yuuki
Guitar (1, 9, 12)
Kameda Seiji
Bass (1-7, 9-13)
Kawamura Bosuke
Drums (1, 4, 5, 10); Tambourine (4)
Asakura Kouichi
Drums (1, 9); Percussion (1)
Nakayama Nobuhiko
Program (1-5, 10, 12, 13); Synthesizer (12); Synth Programming (13)
Mori Toshiyuki
Production (1); Organ (11); Piano (13)
Kanahara Chieko
Strings arrangement (1)
Nishikawa Nobu
Guitar (2, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 13); Tuning guitar (8)
Saitou Yuuta
Synth & Harp (2); Organ (7); Piano (12)|
Todani Makoto
Guitar (3)
Minagawa Masato
Synth & Chorus (3); Tambourine (6)
Houjou Koushi
Program (4)
Ikusa Gen'ichi
Strings (5)
Muraishi Masayuki
Drums (3, 6, 7, 11, 12)
Yamamoto Niou
Turntables (6)
Asai Ken'ichi
Guitar & Whistle (7)
Tokitsu Rino
Samples (8)
Mizue Hiroshi
Trumpet (10)
Yamamoto Moog
Turntables (13)
Credit to Ringo Jihen for the credits information.



 

2002.05.27
Cover Album

唄ひ手冥利～其ノ壱～
Utaite Myoli ~Vol 1.~

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TRACKLIST
DISC 1
亀パクトディスク
Kame-Pact Disc
01 Haiiro no Hitomi (灰色の瞳) (with Kusano Masamune)
02 More
03 Chiisana Kinomi (小さな木の実)
04 I Wanna Be Loved By You
05 Shiroi Kobato (白い小鳩)
06 Love is Blind
07 Momen no Handkerchief (木綿のハンカチーフ) (with Matsuzaki Nao)
08 Yer Blues
09 Nobara (Bonus Track)


DISC 2

森パクトディスク
Mori-Pact Disc
01 Kimi wo Aisu (君を愛す)
02 Jazz a Go-Go
03 Kareha (枯葉)
04 I Won't Last a Day Without You (with Utada Hikaru)
05 Kuroi Orufe (黒いオルフェ)
06 Mr. Wonderful
07 Tamanegi no Happy Song (玉葱のハッピーソング) (with Shiina Junpei)
08 Starting Over
09 Komori Uta (子守唄) (with Saitou Koutarou on cello) (Bonus Track)

STATS
Highest chart position: #1
Weeks on chart: 9
Units sold in Japan: 397,000
Price: ￥3,600
Code: TOCT-24780 and TOCT-24781
Toshiba-EMI

Click to see Tracklist Details...

TRACKLIST DETAILS
DISC 1
01 Hajiro no Hitomi
    Originally 'Aquellos ojos grises' by Uña Ramos, sung in Japanese.  
    Katou Tokiko and Hasegawa Kiyoshi also sung this song more
    recently.
02 More
    Originally by Andy Williams, sung in English.
03 Chiisana Kinomi
    Japanese tradiitional from Bizet, sung in Japanese.
04 I Wanna Be Loved By You
    Originally by Marylin Monroe, sung in English.
05 Shiroi Kobato
    Originally by Akari Eiko, sung in Japanese.
06 Love is Blind
    Originally by Janis Ian, sung in English.
07 Momen no Handkerchief
    Originally by Oota Mari, sung in Japanese.
08 Yer Blues
    Originally by The Beatles, sung in English.
09 Nobara
    Originally 'Heiden Röslein' by Franz Schubert, sung in German.

DISC 2
01 Kimi wo Aisu
    Originally 'Ich Liebe Dich' by Carmen Dragon, sung in German.
02 Jazz a Go-Go
    Originally by France Gal, sung in French.
03 Kareha
    Originally 'Les Feuilles Mortes' ('Autumn Leaves') by Edith Piaf, sung
    in French and English.
04 I Won't Last a Day Without You
    Originally by The Carpenters, sung in English.
05 Kuroi Orufe
    Originally 'Manhã de Carnaval' from the Brazillian movie 'Orfeu
    Negro's OST, sung in Portuguese and English.
06 Mr. Wonderful
    Originally by Peggy Lee, sung in English.
07 Tamanegi no Happy Song
    Originally 'The Onion Song' by Marvin Gaye, sung in English.
08 Starting Over
    Originally by John Lennon, sung in English.
09 Komori Uta
    Originally 'Op.34 No.2' by Chopin, with Shiina Ringo's own lyrics, sung
    in Japanese.

INFORMATION
A collection of covers sung by Shiina Ringo. Although it technically is, Shiina does not count it as her third album.

Utaite Myoli is split into two disc's with two covers. The Kame-Pact Disc (the white cover) was produced by Kamede Kame, and the Mori-Pact Disc (the black cover) was produced by Mori Toshiyuki.
Several tracks are duets and the album contains a mixture of English, Japanese, French, German and Portuguese.

Utaite Myoli was released on the anniversary of her debut single, Koufukuron, as well as the same day as the release of her older brother's (Shiina Junpei, who appears on Utaite Myoli) album, discover. Shiina Ringo also appears on a track named WHERE IS THE LOVE on the discover album.

'Utaite Myoli' is translated to 'A Singer's Luck', and it should be noted that 'Utaite' is a traditional word, being rarely used compared to the modern word for singer, 'Kashu'. The way it is spelt is also outdated.

2003.02.23
3rd Studio Album

加爾基　精液　栗ノ花
Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana

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TRACKLIST
01 Shuukyou (宗教)
02 Doppelgänger (ドツペルゲンガー)
03 Meisai (迷彩)
04 Odaiji ni (おだいじに)
05 Yattsuke Shigoto (やっつけ仕事)
06 Kuki (茎)
07 Torikoshi Gurou (とりこし苦労)
08 Okonomi de (おこのみで)
09 Ishiki (意識)
10 Poltergeist (ポルターガイスト)
11 Souretsu (葬列)

12 Ichijiku no hana (映日紅の花) (ONLY ON ANALOG/VINYL EDITION)

STATS
Highest chart position: #1
Weeks on chart: 20
Units sold in Japan: 409,000
Price: ￥3,059
Code: TOCT-24942
Toshiba-EMI

INFORMATION
Shiina's third and final album is held by the majority as her most perfected and artistic album. The first press came with a sticker (click here).
The lyrics are written entirely in ancient Japanese style, and the booklet is composed right to left, and therefore begins at what would be known as the back of a Western booklet. It also uses formal kanji script for the numbering of each track (壱、弐、参、肆、伍、陸、漆、捌、玖、拾、拾壱). This style is generally only used for formal legal documents.
The album contains over 30 instruments, some of which Shiina played herself (see below for a list of credits for each song).
KZK was the 28th highest selling album of 2003.

ROMANIZATION OF THE TITLE
Before the release of the Electric Mole live DVD, which held the proper romanization of Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana, there was much debate on the title of this album. This is because of Shiina's use of obsolete kanji to sound out foreign words.
-Kalk means 'Chalk' in German.
-Zamen means 'Seed' in German, and is a euphemism for 'Semen'. The album was presented under the alias "KSK" on promotional posters, making this word 'Samen'. Many believe the 'S' symbolises Shiina's name.
-Kuri no hana means 'Chestnut flower' in Japanese.
The title therefore can be translated as 'Chalk, Semen, Chestnut Flower'. But is not necessarily correct.

Another popular romanization is Karuki Zamen Kuri no Hana.

ALBUM SYMMETRY
 The album also has a 'symmetrical' style, with each track relating to the track symmetrically opposite to itself on the album. For example, tracks 1 and 11 have similarities, as do tracks 2 and 10, 3 and 9 and so on. See below for an explanation of each of these similarities. Shouso Strip presents similar symmetry in each of it's track titles.

Click to see details of the symmetry as well as track credits...

SYMMETRICAL SIMILARITIES & CREDITS

Shuukyou & Souretsu (Tracks 1 & 11)
Both start with S. Both dealing with the topic of religion. Both titles consist of two kanji. Shiina sings in the same manner for each of these songs, and the same instruments and musicians appear in both songs.

Todo Kazuhiro - Electric guitar
Ikebata Junji - Drums
Mori Toshiyuki - Pipe organ, arrangement
Inoue Amami - Electric bass, hurdy-gurdy, mandolin, lute, sitar, bender, electric beat
Shiina Ringo - Koto, pipe organ, strings arrangement
 
Doppelgänger & Poltergeist (Tracks 2 & 10)
Both deal with the topic of the supernatural. Both titles are katakana and contain the same amount of characters. Both words are borrowed from the German language. The same instruments and musicians appear in both songs.

Mori Toshiyuki - Strings arrangement
Inoue Amami - Mellotron, electric bass

Meisai & Ishiki (Tracks 3 & 9)
Both appear on the Kuki(STEM) ~Daimyou Asobi Hen~ single in the same order. Each title consists of two kanji. The same instruments and musicians appear in both songs.

Uki Ataru - Telecaster
Inazawa Ato - Drums
Watanabe (?) - Electric bass, wood bass
Takamori Hideyo - Flute
Saitou Neko - Violin
Tabu - Didgeridoo
Shiina Ringo - Percussions

Odaiji ni & Okonomi de (Tracks 4 & 8)
Both titles begin with an honorific 'O' and end in a particle. Both are written in hiragana and consist of the same amount of characters. The same instruments and musicians appear in both songs.

Saitou Koutarou - Cello
Yamanobe Junko - Viola
Mizue Hiroshi - Brasses
Oota Yuuei - Announce
Inoue Amami - Electric bass, electric guitar, drums
Shiina Ringo - Piano, strings arrangement

Yattsuke Shigoto & Torikoshi Gurou (Tracks 5 & 7)
Each title has four hiragana followed by two kanji. Other than that there is no apparent similarities.

Yattsuke Shigoto
Mori Toshiyuki - Piano, arrangement
Shiina Ringo - Whistle, harpsichord
Torikoshi Gurou
Uki Ataru - Mouth rhythm
Mori Toshiyuki - Cornet
Inoue Amami - Electric bass
Shiina Ringo - Koto, shamisen, harmonica, art recorder, marimba, harmonium, mouth koto, whistle, piano, drums, electric guitar

Kuki (Track 6)
Kuki does not have a symmetrical counterpart, and is the only single featured on KSK.

Sekida Kanako - Drums
Inoue Amami - Electric bass
Shiina Ringo - Koto, arrangement


Credit to Ringo Jihen for the credits information.
2007.02.21
4th Studio Album
Shiina Ringo x Saito Neko
平成風俗
 Heisei Fuuzoku

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TRACKLIST
 01 Gamble (ギャンブル)
02 Kuki (茎)
03 Sakuran (錯乱) (TERRA ver.)
04 Hatsukoi Shoujo (ハツコイ娼女)
05 Papaya Mango (パパイヤマンゴ)
06 Ishiki (意識)
07 Yokushitsu (浴室)
08 Meisai (迷彩)
09 Poltergeist (ポルターガイスト)
10 Karisome Otome (カリソメ乙女) (TAMEIKESANNOH ver.)
11 Oiran (花魁)
12 Yume no Ato (夢のあと)
13 Kono Yo no Kagiri (この世の限り)
STATS
Highest chart position: #1
Price: ￥2,913 yen (Limited Edition: ￥3,400)
Code: TOCT-26210 (Limited edition: TOCT-26211)
Toshiba-EMI

INFORMATION
Heisei Fuuzoku, although often advertised as a comeback to the solo music industry, is a collaboration album with violinist and composer Saito Neko. It also serves as an 'image album' for the movie adaptation of the manga Sakuran. Shiina Ringo was also credited as the Music Director of the movie.

The album includes new songs, covers and self-covers, all re-arranged and re-recorded with Saito Neko. Kuki, Ishiki, Meisei and Poltergeist are all recorded in a similar style to that performed on the Baishou Exstacy DVD. Yokushitsu is both a vocal and musical mix between the original and the "English version", La Salle de Bain.

Both a limited and a normal edition were released. The limited edition includes a cross-shaped special digipak, a coaster and three stickers.

Heisei is the current era in Japan, and Fuuzoku can either mean manners, customs or sex service, usually referring to prostitution or the like. The tracklist also carries a strong theme of prostitution, relating to Sakuran. Hatsukoi Shoujo can be translated as 'First Love Prostitute', Otome as "Virgin", and Oiran, being Tsuchiya Anna's character in the film. However, Shiina Ringo's translation of the title is "Japanese Manners".

Saito Neko featured in both the Baishou Exstacy and Ringohan 05 ADULTS ONLY performances, as well as a number of Shiina Ringo's older recordings.

TRACK TITLE TRANSLATIONS
Unlike all of Shiina Ringo's/Tokyo Jihen's (bar Muzai Moratorium) previous albums, Heisei Fuuzoku's tracklist is not completely symmetrical. However, the symmetry is evident in the track title "translations" provided in the album booklet.

01 gamble
02 stem
03 confusion (Terra ver.)
04 "firstlove" singer
05 papaya mango
06 consciously
07 la salle de bain
08 camouflage
09 poltergeists
10 "temporary" virgin (Tameikesannoh ver.)
11 courtesan
12 scar
13 memory