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--- Gatchaman Episode 41 - Murder Music (http://www.gatchamania.net/threadid.php?threadid=2640)
Posted by Transmute Jun on 24-08-2009 at 12:19:
Gatchaman Episode 41 - Murder Music
I'm back! And with another one of my favorite episodes...
*****
Episode 41 - Murder Music
Leader X is scatting. There's no other word for it, so if you're unfamiliar, here's a definition.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scat_singing
Well, he doesn't sound like Ella Fitzgerald, but it's quite amusing.
But Berg Katse isn't amused.
"Are you all right, Leader X?" he asks. "You're acting strangely."
"I'm fine, Katse." X replies in an annoyed tone. "I've got the music in me for conquering the world."
"We're going to conquer the world with music?" Katse is surprised.
"Yes, I've composed a weapon of sound that will kill anyone who hears it." X informs him. "It's the Sonic Mecha."
"The Sonic Mecha? Can people truly be killed by sound, Leader X?" Katse asks. Clearly Katse has not played D&D, where sonic damage is par for the course. 
Nor has he watched BOTP, to understand the concussive power of Mark’s Sonic Boomerang.
"Oh yes!" X assures Katse. "With my intelligence, I single-handedly composed a murderous piece of music."
"Oh my! You're truly miraculous, Leader X!" Katse praises Sosai.
"The only problem is that no one in Galactor's ranks can play my music." X says.
"However, I've heard that a rock band called the Demon 5 possesses brilliant musical skills." he continues. "Berg Katse, I order you to capture them and bring them here, understand?"
And Katse does his usual elaborate bow as he accepts the orders.
The screen goes black, but it's not a commercial break. An announcer is introducing the Demon 5 at their latest concert as 'the hottest band in the world'. Brilliant psychedelic patterns and colors flash across the screen, as well as very strange images of a zombie-like demon, a unicorn demon, and a butterfly demon. No, I'm not kidding.
I'm guessing there are 5 demons, for the Demon 5?
In any case, the Demon 5 seem like a hippie 70s rock band and they're jamming it up onstage with their Janis Joplin look.
I should point out that the ADV version has lyrics to the song the band is playing, which were not part of the original Japanese episode. And to show that the ADV people appreciate the past of many of the people who are watching their work, here are the lyrics.
There’s something on the horizon
Something cruel and cold
We’ve gotta keep on tryin’
To let a power take hold
Look to the spirit within us
Look to the rising sun
There’s a long war coming up now
But I know it can be won
Battle of the planets
G-Force and rock ‘n roll
Battle of the planets
The Demon’s got control
Save us from the Spectran
You’ve gotta pay the toll
The Demon 5’s got it
Got the power of rock ‘n’ roll
The power of 5 of us
Will keep you alive with us
And the Demon 5 fans appear to be a strange mixture of ages. Many of the men appear to be shirtless, and I'm guessing this concert group was supposed to appear very 'Woodstock-like'.
The old guy with the glasses in the last picture cracks me up! He looks like he was dragged to the show by his kid...
The narrator tells us that the Demon 5 are 'genius musicians who have sent the whole world into a rock 'n roll fantasy'. They are considered to be the greatest rock band of the 20th century. Well, I guess Utoland has never heard of the Beatles...
And to prove that the Demon 5 are the greatest band in the world, the camera pans back on the crowd, far away to the back of the lawn, and we see some familiar faces in the crowd.
Although not all of them are impressed with the music.
You may have noticed that Jinpei and Ryu are wearing wigs. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's a new trend in Utoland? In any case, Jinpei pulls of Ryu's wig.
"What's the big idea?" Ryu asks, grabbing Jinpei's wig. "Gimme that!"
Jinpei calls Ryu a jerk (even though Jinpei is the one who started it) and Ryu calls Jinpei a twerp, and before long...
Jun tells them to knock it off.
She smiles dreamily, closing her eyes.
"I've never seen her so stoked about a band before!" Jinpei says.
"Do you really think the Demon 5 is really that groovy?" Ryu asks. And yes, he really does say 'really' twice in the same sentence.
"Oh they're the most." Jun sighs.
"You think they're cooler than Big Bro and Joe?" Jinpei asks.
"Yeah!" Jun answers, in a 'Duh!' kind of voice.
Ken and Joe are amused.
But the guys are all getting tired.
At least, until Ken and Joe spot something in the sky.
It's some kind of strange ship!
Onboard, Katse is with his goons.
"All of those dirty little hippies down there, enjoying the concert." Katse sneers. "All right, Sam, go!"
I'm shocked! A goon has a name! A real name! Not just a number, like we see in later episodes. I guess they haven't instituted the goon numbering system yet. (As a side note, this is an ADV extra. The original Japanese doesn't give the goon a name.)
A strange, triangular-shaped tube is lowered down to the stage, to cover the Demon 5.
The band members are whisked away, and the triangular tube retracts, to the sounds of horror from the crowd. The ship has developed more 'pipes' on its front now, and bears a strong resemblance to a pipe organ, with ashtrays for wings.
A nasty laugh echoes over the concert area.
"That laugh sounds like Berg Katse!" Ken shouts.
"But what the hell would Galactor want with a rock band like the Demon 5?" Joe asks.
"This is awful!" Jun cries, as the mecha disappears into the distance.
__________________
Posted by Transmute Jun on 24-08-2009 at 12:21:
The Sonic Mecha has returned to the latest Galactor base, and Katse and his men enter a room that appears to have some kind of padded door.
It's a recording studio!
"Greetings, Groovers!" Katse says exuberantly. "Sorry if I frightened you. You've been selected to assist Galactor with our greatest mission."
The Demon 5 don't look impressed.
"This magnificent studio is part of Galactor's secret underground base," Katse goes on, "now turn it up, and play our song, Demons!"
"What?" But this is crazy! I've never seen a song like this in my life, man!" one of the band protests.
I love the Galactor drum set!
"Please don't be startled!" Katse replies. "It was written by the greatest composer in the world! Murder Music Number One."
"Whoa!" says the keyboardist. "This guy's like a total genius!" He can hardly believe that anyone could even compose a song like this.
The drummer (who looks an awful lot like Ryu) complains that the song is too hard.
"Nonsense!" scoffs Katse. "I'm sure you've got the chops to pull this one off! In fact, I know you will." He signal to his goons, who come forward with syringe.
Yes, welcome to the Galactor Drug Ring! 
The goons rush up and inject everyone in the band. This scene is a little creepy, especially for someone like me who has needle-phobia. I’m not surprised that this bit was cut from BOTP.
"Just a little something to keep you from having heart attacks while performing." Katse explains. That makes sense. If the music is supposed to kill everyone who hears it, the band themselves would need some kind of protection.
"Rock on!" Katse says, as he and his goons exit the room. And the Galactor Recording Studio is in business!
Katse gets a strange black stripe on his forehead as he orders the band to 'kick out the jams'.
In addition to their injections, the Demon 5 have to wear helmets too, which descend from the ceiling and land on their heads. Katse explains that they are soundproof, so they can't hear what they're playing.
"And to the young lady who's singing," Katse adds, "I don't care what kind of crap comes out of your mouth, but you can't sing any intelligible words, understand?" Ooh, so Katse is a scat fan! And see, here I didn't know how to explain it, and Katse has done it for me perfectly!
"Okay, let's go platinum!" Katse says. "Roll the tape!" He puts on a big pair of headphones, which remind me vaguely of Kempler in Gatchaman Fighter.
Interestingly, none of the goons have headphones, yet they seem to be doing okay. Perhaps this is evidence that they are indeed brainless?
And the Demon 5 begins to play. The result is surprisingly melodic, not at all the cacophonous sound you might have expected, other than the gibberish coming from the singer's mouth, which is reminiscent of someone trying to speak with a swollen tongue sticking out of their mouth.
Katse bops to the beat, but the Demon 5 see psychedelic colors, and turn purple!
Katse is having a great time!
We cut to a scene of a peaceful city. But people on the street have seen something in the sky. It's the Sonic Mecha!
Katse is onboard (still wearing his headphones, while the goons have no similar protection). Katse orders the testing of Murder Music Number One.
Needless to say, the people on the street don't like it.
Buildings crumble and windows break. People fall to the ground, clutching at their ears.
"Boogie on down 'till you're six feet underground!" Katse laughs.
Cars begin exploding and other cars loose control, crashing into buildings. The Sonic Mecha leaves a path of destruction in its wake!
But back at Center Neptune, there is only the quiet, peaceful scene of the daily Fish Parade.
Inside, the Science Ninja Team is quiet too, waiting for their briefing on the Sonic Mecha. For a change, they're all sitting today.
Nambu walks in, brandishing a copy of a bootleg recording of Barry Manilow in concert.
Okay, it's just a tape of the Murder Music. (and FTR, I like a couple of Barry Manilow's songs )
"I think you all should give this a good listen." Nambu says.
Great... people are dying from listening to this, and Nambu wants to demo it for the Team. Smart...
And while we're talking about dead things, what do you think of that great audio cassette technology?
At first, Nambu is the only one who can't deal with this song…
But after a moment...
"I'll stop the tape at this point," Nambu says, "because if you heard anymore you'd go insane."
Ken isn't happy to hear this.
Nambu tells them that this is Galactor's latest weapon: a sonic killing machine.
Jun says that the tape sounded like the Demon 5, and she's sure it's them.
"So that's why Galactor kidnapped them!" Ken exclaims.
Nambu, the man who knows everything, hasn't heard of the Demon 5, so Jun explains who they are.
Ken says that he thinks Galactor is forcing this band to perform their Murder Music. Nambu says that he will start working on a way to defeat the music, while the Team tracks down Galactor's secret base. Yep, they already know there's a secret base. Gone are the days when everyone was surprised by the Galactor M.O.
"But how are we going to do that?" Ryu asks. "We can't just follow the music."
But Ken thinks that's the only way to find the base.
Nambu tells them that this is a dangerous task, 'even for the God Phoenix'.
Back at the Sonic Mecha, X is asking Katse how the mecha is performing.
Katse reports that it is 'brilliant'. They have managed to throw 25 cities around the world into chaos.
"Excellent!" Our test is complete." replies X.
X then reveals that he has prepared an even more incredible piece of music. Wait for it... Murder Music Number Two! He orders Katse to return to base to record it.
But before they can even turn around, the God Phoenix is spotted!
Katse orders his goons to 'show them the power of the Sonic Mecha', putting on his headphones again.
I'm still wondering how these goons are surviving playing the music if Katse needs headphones.
Inside the God Phoenix, everything is shaking and the occupants aren't happy to hear the music.
Ken tells everyone that they should be fine with their helmets on, but Ryu says that the God Phoenix itself can't take much more.
"Ken, the God Phoenix is going to be ripped to shreds!" Joe reports.
"I'm scared!" cries Jinpei.
"Time to shoot a couple of Birds into those screamin' demons!" Joe says.
But Ken stops Joe, saying that the missile will explode before they can even launch it.
So I have to wonder... why aren't the Bird Missiles exploding right now?
"Ken, we're gonna crack like an egg, here!" Ryu warns.
Ken says that they have no choice, and orders a retreat at maximum speed.
Katse tells his men not to let the God Phoenix get away.
__________________
Posted by Transmute Jun on 24-08-2009 at 12:22:
Jun suggests that if they go underwater, the sound waves will dissipate. Jinpei agrees.
The God Phoenix dives into the sea, and Katse takes off his headphones in disgust.
I'm wondering why they can't shoot a Bird Missile now, with the mecha just above the surface of the water?
But the Science Ninja Team is far under the surface, although Joe still looks like he's thinking about Bird Missiles...
Or maybe not.
"Too close for comfort that time, Dudes." Joe says.
"Yeah, I thought we were about to eat it!" Ryu agrees.
But Ken is only concerned with finding Galactor's base.
After a commercial break, we're back in the Galactor Recording Studio, the Demon 5 are shocked to hear that they are expected to perform again.
The guitarist complains that they're 'all played out', while the singer has a more noble protest of 'we don't want our music to be used for murder and destruction'.
"Too bad, Sunshine!" Katse tells her. "But that's the way we roll around here."
Katse sends a sonic charge into the band's helmets that silences any further protest.
"All right, let's lay this one down." Katse says.
And another tune begins playing. It's different from the first one, but not by much. This time, the band members turn purple as they play, but the psychedelic background is red.
The narrator tells us that Murder Music Number Two ravaged important cities around the globe. Even now, the Sonic Mecha is approaching another city, which is mustering its defense forces. Katse orders his goons to play Murder Music Number Two.
A number of fighter jets approach the Sonic Mecha, but they explode before they even get close.
Ground-based rocket-launching trucks explode as the mecha passes by. Katse laughs evilly.
Meanwhile, the God Phoenix is floating on the surface of an ocean. Its nose has retracted, and a large dish is mounted in front of the G-2.
This is different from the Ant mecha episode, where I think the G-2 was replaced with the Solar Beam dish.
Inside the God Phoenix, two cords are connected to the sides of Jun's helmet.
"Man, it really chaps me off that we have to hide around in the shadows like this!" Jinpei whines.
"He's right." Jun agrees. "Can't we get any closer?"
Ken says that if they get closer the God Phoenix will be destroyed.
Jun says that she's getting a strange reading. She suggests that they head back to the base.
It turns out that the Demon 5 have been relaying a message via Morse Code with their drumsticks! Jun found the code, and Dr. Nambu was able to translate it. The Science Ninja Team is excited by this news.
The message is: Andes... Titicaca... Galactor... Secret base here... Request help... the Demon 5…
That's a heck of a long message!
Ken wants to know if they mean the Andes mountain range in South America.
No, Ken, they mean the Andes in my backyard! 
"But I don't get it. What the heck's a 'Titicaca'?" asks Ken cluelessly.
"It must be something dirty!" Jinpei jokes. Jun isn't impressed.
Dr. Nambu informs the Team that Titicaca is a giant lake in the Andes Mountains. And I think everyone who went to elementary school in North America knows that. Somehow, this is one of those places whose name you never forget...
To make sure we understand, Nambu points it out on a map.
Wow... I never realized how tiny Mexico and Central America are!
Ryu figures out all by himself that Galactor's secret base must be near the lake.
Uh huh... that's what the message said, Ryu!
"I can't believe it!" Jun exclaims. "The Demon 5 are so righteous!"
"Even as they perform they were calling out for help." she sighs.
Nambu orders everyone to sneak into the base and rescue the Demon 5.
Roger!
In their prison cell, the Demon 5 drummer is still doing his Morse Code, with a spoon on the bars.
The guitarist isn't impressed, but the drummer says he's doing his best to 'blow this joint'. The signer agrees, but the guitarist thinks it's 'not gonna happen'. But the singer and the drummer keep going with their Morse Code.
Of course, the goon guard isn't impressed.
The drummer explains that as musicians, they have to keep practicing their rhythms.
The God Phoenix arrives at Lake Titicaca.
Ken asks Jun to activate the audio sensor and see if she can pick up anything.
The audio sensor turns out to be the dish in front of the G-2.
Jun reports that the sensor is online.
It isn't long before she catches a weird scream.
Jun says that it is the same Morse Code signal they received earlier, but this one is accompanied by the swollen tongue singing.
Ken tells Ryu to dive.
Underneath the water, they find sunken ruins of the Incan Empire.
Ken is sure that Galactor is using the ruins for their secret base!
Inside the base, the members of the Demon 5 are being subjected to their own music.
But Katse wants more volume.
"I'll bet you never realized that your music was 'to die for', did you?" Katse jokes.
But there is a sudden explosion, and the God Phoenix pokes its nose (now closed up, with the G-2 and audio sensor out of sight) into the recording studio. The water of Lake Titicaca pours in.
Um... didn't Dr. Nambu say that their orders were to 'sneak into' the base? Strange interpretation...
Katse quickly figures out that the Science Ninja Team has arrived.
Sure enough, everyone (except Ryu, poor Owl) is standing on the hull, waiting for the dome to open.
"That's right, Katse!" Ken shouts. "As long as Galactor continues its evil deeds, we will be here to protect the Earth!"
"Damn you, Science Ninja Team! How'd you find this place?" Katse asks. But before waiting for an answer, he orders his goons to fire.
Everyone jumps off of the God Phoenix. Ken throws his boomerang on the way down to the floor, knocking out goons.
And so begins the fight scene.
Ken is at the controls, and calls for Jinpei and Jun to help the Demon 5.
Jinpei whirls his bolas. He breaks the glass partition into the recording area, and jumps through. Jun quickly follows.
__________________
Posted by Transmute Jun on 24-08-2009 at 12:25:
Meanwhile, Katse is cowering in the presence of Gatchaman.
"Berg Katse, it's finally time for me to finish you off!" Ken declares.
"Fool!" Katse smirks. "You think I'd allow myself to lose to you, Gatchaman? Hasta la vista, Bird Boy!"
Ken throws his weapon anyway, but it hits a triangular glass tube that has come down over Katse.
Ken is still screaming at Katse to 'come back' as Jun enters with one of the rescued Demon 5.
Jun points out that Katse is going to try and escape in the Sonic Mecha. She wants to go back to the Crescent base.
Joe agrees. He says that the Demon 5 are all unconscious, but look like they will be okay.
So Ken agrees to 'blow this joint'. After all, this mission was only to rescue the band.
Now we get a great shot of the God Phoenix stuck into the side of the base.
On the God Phoenix, Jun and Jinpei are watching over the Demon 5.
Ken orders Ryu to surface.
But as they break through the water, they see the Sonic Mecha is waiting for them! Katse vows to annihilate them with Murder Music.
"Damn it! What the hell are we gonna do now?" Ken asks.
Of course, the obvious solution is to make a break for the ocean, since the Andes are close to the edge of South America, but Ryu decides to fly the God Phoenix further inland, as the Sonic Mecha destroys forests along the way.
Joe points out that while the Team is okay because of their helmets, he doesn't think the Demon 5 will make it through this.
"It's just one damn thing after another!" Jinpei complains.
Ken tries to figure out what to do.
"Turn it up to 11, baby! Kill them all!" Katse crows with victory.
Conveniently, Nambu contacts the God Phoenix, telling them that he has figured out a way to defeat the Sonic Mecha.
Nambu explains that if they broadcast the music a half beat behind Galactor, the sound waves will cancel each other out. Everyone is astonished by the simplicity of this plan.
"I get it! It's like an eye for an eye and a bee for a bee, right?" Joe asks. Uh, whatever you say, Joe.
Ken agrees not to run away, but 'hit them head on'.
Nambu prays for everyone's success.
Ken tells Jun to 'get set to roll the tape'.
I’m not even going to mention how my DH makes fun of me when I say tape, since technically no one records audio or video on tape anymore. Oh wait, I guess I just mentioned that…
Ryu is ordered to bring out the speakers.
The speakers turn out to be the metal pole that held the dish in front of the G-2.
Onboard the Sonic Mecha, Katse laughs.
"They must be crazy! They're headed straight for us!" he says.
And even though Katse has clearly learned that he should always have an escape plan, he hasn't yet quite perfected his knowledge of when to run.
Ken tells Jun to increase the volume slowly.
"Then, when we're exactly half a beat behind them, crank those bad boys up to 11!" Ken orders.
"Crank it up!" Ken shouts.
And as the God Phoenix broadcasts... the music disappears.
"What the hell?" Katse asks. "Why did you shut down the tunes?"
Katse is shocked to hear that the tape is playing, but no music is coming out of the speaker.
Katse has just enough time to gasp before the tape player explodes, taking the poor Sam goon with it.
Cut from BOTP:
It even looks like Katse might get caught in the blast!
The Sonic Mecha explodes, and Ken is relieved.
Jinpei admits that he didn't think they were going to make it. O Swallow of little faith…
But a small piece of the Sonic Mecha is still there... and not surprisingly, it is Katse's escape pod.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, ooh!" he yells, pounding the control panel.
Clearly Katse’s vocabulary expands exponentially when he is angry.
"How could I have possibly failed again?" he wants to know. "You're going to pay dearly for this one, Gatchaman!"
But not now, as the members of the Demon 5 are back to playing concerts, and the Science Ninja Team is back to attending, wigs and all.
"Do you really like listening to this noise?" Jinpei asks Ryu, as their wigs instantly disappear.
"It may not be my kind of music, but it's better than that Murder Music!" Ryu says, grooving to the beat.
Jun adds that the Demon 5 are 'just so dreamy'. The narrator tells us that the Demon 5 will continue to spread their righteous music to the youth of the world 'like a wave of sonic peace'.
__________________
Posted by Transmute Jun on 24-08-2009 at 12:27:
BOTP Episode 11 - The Space Rock Concert
Zark tells us that Center Neptune is hidden away at the bottom of the sea, and it's the nerve center for all Galaxy defenses and security. And Zark is in charge of this 'huge, complex operation'. Wait, Zark is in charge of Center Neptune? Where does that leave Chief Anderson?
Zark reminds us that he keeps watch on the entire galaxy 'day and night'. He invents all of the amazing gadgets the G-Force Team uses. Oh yes, and he also designed their command ship: the Phoenix. Excuse me while I take a puking break. 
Zark flies over to his control panel, but his cape doesn't seem to flutter as much as it does in later episodes (remember, this is a very early episode for BOTP, even though it's almost mid-series for Gatchaman).
When he gets there, Zark extends his legs, pulls a cloth out of his 'belt', and starts wiping down the monitors.
"I even do windows." he says.
Now he can tune his 'sensitive probes' in on Planet Spectra. Zark, trust me, we really don't want to hear about your 'sensitive probes'.
Could Spectra be plotting some new, devilish scheme to endanger Earth? And why is Zark so worried about Earth only? Isn't he supposed to be guarding the entire Federation?
While I ponder these questions, on Spectra, the Luminous One is asking Zoltar if the Spectran Leader has done his bidding.
Zoltar says that everything has been prepared as was ordered.
"Using sound as a weapon... Excellent! It must work." says the Great Spirit.
Zoltar assures him that it will.
"At last we have found a way that cannot fail to bring those defiant Earthlings to their knees!" the Luminous One gloats.
"We have waited a long time for such a victory, most illustrious Spirit!" Zoltar agrees.
"Your mission must not fail, Zoltar!" the Great Spirit warns. "The future of Spectra depends upon it, and your own, as well!"
We see generic footage of a rocket taking off, and movement through space, this time, mercifully without Zark's overlapping narrative.
Oops! I spoke too soon. Zark has detected the ship, calling it one of Spectra's 'attack vehicles'. And as usual, it's heading straight for Earth. He must try to reach G-Force quickly.
But right now, the Team is attending a 'big outdoor rock concert'. Zark hates to break in on their rare moment of fun, but he's going to do it anyway.
"This is 7-Zark-7. Red alert! Calling G-Force!" he says, but no one answers. All we see are flashing lights and psychedelic patterns as music plays.
Hey, they even left in the demons! Cool!
Instead of the nice singing from the ADV dub, we get tuneless female singing of 'ooh baby, I love you' over the same backing music.
"Oh dear!" Zark frets in the background. "I can't reach them over all of that sound! They're so wrapped up in the music of the Dirty Name 5, the most famous rock band in the Milky Way!"
Princess, Keyop and Tiny look wrapped up, anyway. Mark and Jason look like they're trying to sleep, and would rather be elsewhere.
Tiny and Keyop have a fight over removing each other's wigs.
"It rings my bell!" says Tiny.
"I can't take you two anywhere!" Princess complains.
"Haircut!" Keyop burbles as he tries to explain.
"Just stay out of my hair, dig?" Tiny asks. I think they're still talking about the wigs...
"I don't know why you two can't be quiet and enjoy good music." Princess says. Mark and Jason open their eyes, look at each other, and smile, as if sharing a secret joke.
Tiny and Keyop yawn, but Mark and Jason spot something in the sky.
In the ship, Zoltar tells his men to activate 'vacuum pressure'. The triangular tube appears and takes away the Dirty Name 5.
"Hey, a Spectra plane!" Mark exclaims.
"And they've got the band!" Jason adds. "Better alert Security Chief Anderson."
"Come on, let's go!" Princess says.
All of their voices sound much calmer than their faces would suggest.
In a Spectran secret base, Zoltar walks into a recording studio to meet the Dirty Name 5.
"I'm afraid I've interrupted your concert." he apologizes politely. "I owe you an explanation, I suppose. Shall we say that I am a great fancier of musical talent? And so, we are all going to make beautiful music together! You will find my new amplification process quite interesting."
"Look, Dad," says the guitarist, pointing at his sheet music, "it'd be a lot more interesting to find out what you want with us." Strangely enough, he sounds like Shaggy. I'm wondering if Scooby Doo is anywhere.
"I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse." Zoltar says. "Surely you want to hear yourselves as you've never been heard before!" He still sounds incredibly soft-spoken and polite. Not at all like the Zoltar voice I am used to.
The keyboardist leafs through his music and says that he'd rather be released, if it's all the same to Zoltar.
"Same goes for all of us, Dad!" says the drummer, who looks like Tiny.
"If you refuse, I shall have to be harsh with you. Very harsh." Zoltar says softly. "Understand?" He raises his hand and…
Nothing. The scenes of goons injecting the band are cut. Zoltar says that there has been enough delay, so they have to get to work.
From the control room, Zoltar sees the helmets dropping down from the ceiling and going onto the band members' heads.
"There is one thing I neglected to tell you." he says. "I am going to use your music to make you Earthlings a little more flexible in your dealings with my distant planet. And you, my musical friends, will make it possible. Roll the tape!"
Okay, I'm confused. There doesn't seem to be any reason for the Dirty Name 5 to cooperate. So why would they start playing?
But they do. The female singer is toneless again, but that's probably what Zoltar wants for whatever is the Spectran version of Murder Music Number One.
The band members play, and purple psychedelic backgrounds appear, but the band members do not turn purple.
The Spectran ship flies over a city.
"Raise the volume level, and activate all the speaker horns!" Zoltar orders.
The music coming out of the ship sounds horribly distorted, and much more dissonant than the music in the studio. In that, I think the BOTP version is better than the Gatch version. I can actually imagine this music damaging people's brains and causing buildings to crumble.
"Let them hear it! Full volume!" Zoltar orders.
We see buildings crumbling in the city, but there are no shots of people hearing the music.
Back at Center Neptune, the G-Force Team is listening to a news report that says that the destruction has a radius of 10 miles. The announcer mentions that fortunately no human lives were lost in the assault.
Chief Anderson walks in, brandishing a cassette tape. He says that a young girl had the presence of mind to make a recording during the attack on the city.
The Chief plays the tape, and the G-Force Team cover their ears, even though the music doesn't sound distorted like it did in the city.
"It's difficult to recognize, but that's the rock music of the group called the Dirty Name 5." Anderson says. I guess Anderson is more 'with it' than Nambu, as he's heard of this band before!
"And now we know why Zoltar grabbed them." the Chief adds. "I believe their lives are in grave danger. They’re up against forces that stop at nothing."
"What can Zoltar hope to gain with weird music like that?" Princess asks.
"I don't know, but he sure hasn't got a hit record." Mark says. And hearing Casey Kasem's voice talking about hit records... I'm !
"He's already made demands." the Chief tells them.
"What does he want?" Princess asks. "Our biggest stadium so he can hold his own crazy rock concert?"
"Well whatever it is, I'll bet it's something we're not gonna give him." Mark guesses.
"You're right, Mark." Anderson replies. "Spectra is demanding all our food and processing plants.â€
"Is the command ship ready for takeoff, Tiny?" the Chief asks.
"It'll be ready, just as soon as I sit down at the controls!" Tiny says.
"Let's blast off!" Mark suggests. "While we're rapping, Zoltar's raiding." Ouch...
"Go after him, but be careful." Anderson warns. "Remember, he has those musicians with him."
Wait, so the Dirty Name 5 are on the ship, and not in a secret base? Hmmm...
Insert generic footage from another episode of the Phoenix launching.
This is bad. They show the Phoenix turning underwater, and then immediately afterward they show a mostly-dry Phoenix in the airlock, which is being filled with water. Someone was asleep at the editing table!
The rousing Gatchaman launch music makes a bad segue to the rousing BOTP launch music. I guess in the 'music' episode, both scores wanted to be heard.
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Posted by Transmute Jun on 24-08-2009 at 12:32:
Zoltar sees the Phoenix from his ship, and decides to give G-Force a 'very big taste' of his music.
The music doesn't sound distorted anymore, but it has the same effect on the Phoenix as it did on the buildings in the city Zoltar just attacked.
"Their music always did rock me, but this is ridiculous!" Mark says.
"Mark, look at the gauges!" urges Tiny. "The needles are going space-happy!"
"I hope they don't play a second chorus!" Jason comments mildly, as the ship begins to crack apart right in front of his face.
"Activate ejector chutes!" Jason says, moving to press an ominous-looking red button.
What is Jason going to eject? And why does the ejector button look like the missile launcher?
"Jason, wait!" Mark says, grabbing Jason's arm. "Tiny, can we lose them?"
"I'd sure like to give it a try!" Tiny responds.
Hold on! Was Jason suggesting that G-Force eject and abandon the Phoenix? That doesn't sound like him at all! What were these writers thinking?
In any case, Mark tells Tiny to 'go for it' and to 'kick in the reserve jets'.
"Slam it down, and blast!" Mark instructs Tiny. Clearly Tiny doesn't know how to fly the Phoenix without explicit directions from Mark.
"Not this time!" shouts Zoltar. "There's no escape!" What, can he hear everything going on aboard the Phoenix?
"The Spectra ship is right on our back!" Princess says.
"Tailgater!" Keyop adds.
"Hit the water!" Mark orders. I guess Princess isn't as smart as Jun, since she didn't come up with that idea.
"That's only a temporary refuge." says Zoltar, not sounding the least upset. "Right now we have more important concerns."
And the Spectran ship flies off.
In the Phoenix, Jason says that they're safe, but Zoltar's still out there.
"We made it. That's what counts!" says Tiny.
"We didn't even slow Zoltar down a little. That's what counts." Mark notes grimly.
Back at Center Neptune, Zark is wearing his Number 7 sweater and ascending the long elevation tube to his oil changer.
"Watching G-Force escape from almost certain destruction nearly made my dino-mometer magnetize!" he says. "But now that I know they're safe, I can take my ten-second oil break and relax."
As he arrives, Zark thinks the Dirty Name 5 is a fitting name for 'that rock group', now that they're in the clutches of Zoltar. Zark can only hope that G-Force can help them get away.
Zark lies down and starts to oil himself.
Yeah, I know, sounds worse than it actually looks, doesn't it?
Zark thinks that 'light body oil' is refreshing. 1998 was a very good year for oil.
He knows that G-Force is safe, but Zark wonders what Zoltar is up to now.
Meanwhile, back in the recording studio...
"I've had all I can take!" says the drummer.
"This is a bad session. Let's jet!" say the guitarist.
"If you've got a plan, I'd sure love to hear it!" says the singer.
Zoltar's plan is to send a piercing noise into the band's helmets.
"We're wasting time! Play!" he orders.
The band plays, and the music sounds 'normal'. There are no vocals, and the background goes psychedelic red. And look! The band members are turning purple as they play! Perhaps because the tuneless vocals have come into play again...
Now the Spectran ship is flying over another city. Zoltar wants to show what 'our Spectra sound can really do'.
The new music comes out, sounding just as it did in the recording studio. Darn it. BOTP dropped the ball here. It was much more effective when they added the distortion sounds the first time around.
Fighter jets go to meet the Spectran ship, and rocket-launching trucks shoot, but we don't see what happens to them.
"Their robot planes were no match for our music!" Zoltar laughs.
Elsewhere, the Phoenix is floating on the water, and Princess has cords attached to her helmet, presumably connected to the big dish outside.
"Sitting…" broops Keyop, "Big drag!"
"I know how you feel, Keyop." Princess says.
"There's no feedback on Zoltar." Mark says. "We'll go to Center Neptune and sweat it out."
"I'd feel a lot better if we were going back with good news." Princess comments.
Suddenly, Zark is n the main viewscreen!
He tells the Team that he is picking up strange signals from the region of Lake Titicaca. He tells them to fly down and investigate.
In a cell, the drummer for the Dirty Name 5 is banging a spoon on the bars of his cell.
"Hey man," says the guitarist, "one of the guards is gonna dig that signal for help!"
"Nah, they won't tumble!" the drummer insists. "Like, cons always bang when they chow's terrible!"
"We're prisoners, but we're not cons." protests the singer.
"We're not cons? Then what are we doing locked up in a place like this, eh?" asks the guitarist.
"Okay, Eddie, I'm with you!" the singer says, as she picks up a spoon and a metal bowl.
"Right on!" Eddie (the drummer) says.
The Phoenix arrives at Lake Titicaca. And we didn't even need a geography lesson on where it was!
Mark tells Princess to 'activate the detectors'. Princess soon finds something that's 'giving the scope a fit'. Mark decides that it's a signal for help, and orders Tiny to 'go down'.
"So this is where Zoltar's been holing up!" Mark says, when he sees the Incan ruins. "If it's okay with you, Team, let's go in without knocking."
Inside the base, the band members are being tortured with their own music. They beg Zoltar to make it stop.
"This will teach you a lesson!" Zoltar lectures. "Try to signal for help again, and it will go even worse for you!"
But Zoltar stops laughing when the nose of the Phoenix bursts through the wall of his base.
"Sorry to break in, but you can stop the music, Zoltar!" Mark says. "The concert's over."
"No." Zoltar replies. "You are merely an annoying interruption!â€
Suddenly, Keyop is on the floor and he is swinging his bolas. He jumps through the broken window into the recording room, and Princess follows.
"Time to say farewell!" Zoltar shouts, as Mark corners him.
"If you like new sounds, listen to this one!" Mark suggests, holding up his boomerang. Oh yeah, I had almost forgotten that in BOTP, Mark's boomerang does sonic damage. Interesting correlation… sound/sonic weapon in the music episode.
"Your Sonic Boomerang does absolutely nothing for me." Zoltar smiles. "Sorry to disappoint you!" And indeed, Mark throws it too late to prevent Zoltar from escaping into the Spectran ship.
"There shall be music!" Zoltar's voice echoes as he gets away.
Princess tells Mark that the Dirty Name 5 singer is okay, but they got there 'just in time'.
"They're all gonna be okay. We've got to stop Zoltar!" Jason insists.
"He's already taking off." Mark says.
And sure enough, we see the Spectran ship rising out of the base.
Everyone gets back on the Phoenix and Mark gives instructions to Tiny for getting them out of there.
When Zoltar sees them, he gets angry.
"They never give up, like irritating bees! Activate the sound tapes!" he shouts.
"They're trying to get above us for another rock concert!" Mark says, as the Phoenix starts to shake.
"That Zoltar gets hold of a tune he likes and just plays it to death!" Jason grimaces.
"Whatever happened to Soul Music?" Princess wants to know.
"I didn't... take it!" Keyop breets.
Chief Anderson contacts the Phoenix, telling them that Zark has found a way out of this. They must turn the sound back against Zoltar by following Zark's instructions. They have to deflect the sound rays and refocus the beam directly at Zoltar's craft.
Anderson tells them to activate the sonar probe in the forestructure of the Phoenix.
Jason thinks it sounds like a long shot.
"What if the sonar probe attracts instead of deflecting?" Mark wants to know.
"Zark guarantees it." says Anderson, signing off before Mark can respond.
I guess that's good enough for everyone, because they do what Zark says.
"Ol' Zark never goofs." says Mark happily.
"I know." Princess smiles back. Okay, I know they’re clean cut and all, but I swear, they must be drugged to talk like this.
Mark tells Tiny to release the sonar probe.
"Look at that! They're headed right into the sound pipe." Zoltar comments casually. He apparently sees nothing wrong with this.
Mark asks Princess to keep her eye on the scope and let him know when it peaks.
"It just might work, if we don't shake apart first." Mark says. So much for blind faith and trust in Zark. I guess those drugs are wearing off.
Princess gives the signal, and they refocus the beam.
Zoltar wants to know why the music has stopped, and a goon tells him that the sound waves are reversing.
"No!" Zoltar yells, as the tape deck begins to smoke. "Prepare to abandon!"
The Spectran ship explodes rather quickly.
"That's that." Mark grins.
"Bullseye!" says Keyop.
Of course, we see Zoltar's escape pod leaving the scene.
"Will I never, never defeat them?" Zoltar asks himself. "My mind will not rest until I find a way to be rid of G-Force forever!" he vows.
And with that, the Dirty Name 5 is back to playing at their concert, and the G-Force Team is back to listening from the crowd.
"No wig?" Keyop asks Tiny.
"Nah, who needs a wig to be groovy?" Tiny replies. "And I'm really with it!" He begins grooving to the music.
"Oh no!" Princess sighs. "Here we get free tickets, and I don't think I can stay awake!"
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Posted by Transmute Jun on 24-08-2009 at 12:37:
Zark can't blame Princess for being tired, but this time he tells us that G-Force is going to enjoy the rock concert in peace.
Zark finds it hard to believe that Zoltar used that music to drive people crazy. Of course, it always did drive Zark crazy. So now we know, Zark is an old codger who doesn't like rock music. Why am I not surprised?
"But I suppose that's because I have a tin ear." Zark says. Groan...
"Well I don't have to be programmed for music." Zark reminds us. "As long as I'm at the controls here in Center Neptune, I can set the whole Galaxy singing... Singing the praises of G-Force!"
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Posted by lborgia88 on 24-08-2009 at 14:52:
Welcome back, TJ!
I'm still laughing...
Great recap here, of one of the funnier episodes.
I really enjoy ADV's dub version -it gave Katse some good lines and the actor seemed to be really having fun with the part.
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I'm thinking little foam ear plugs (like I wear in nightclubs or when I'm mowing the lawn) and the protection of being brainless (great theory!)
Anyone could really tell that Gatchaman was made in the early 70s, watching this episode (if the bell bottom pants didn't clue people in). I'm trying now to imagine what sort of band the "Demon 5" would have been if this episode had been made in the 80s...
Actually, this episode makes me think of an old Kate Bush song, Experiment IV.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6hvNe11r9U
Maybe in an 80s version, Katse would have just kidnapped her.
Posted by Springie on 24-08-2009 at 15:55:
I watch this episode every time I want a good laugh...Katse is "da bomb" in this ep!!
Fabulous ep review, TJ! And I am so amazed that you can get back...jet lagged and all...and post this on time! I would have been happy to post this one for you so you could rest!
We're so glad to have you back!! 
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Posted by Condorfan on 24-08-2009 at 16:27:
It's wonderful to have you back TJ! How was your trip? Tell us all about it--it sounded like so much fun!
This is one of the funniest episodes with one of the most riduculous mecha! When I see that bit where Nambu plays the tape and the team are covering their ears in pain I keep thinking it should have the caption "Nambu plays his tryout tape at American Idol"!
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Old age is a high price to pay for maturity.
Posted by tatsunokofan on 24-08-2009 at 19:07:
Hi all!
It might interest you to know that the basic principle used to defeat the Sonic Mecha in this episode is actually based on real world science, though they explain it in such a simplistic fashion that it makes no sense.
The idea that they're working with is that sound waves of matching amplitude, but of opposite phasing, will cancel each other out. Think of it like two guys of equal strength arm wrestling -- neither one can move the other because they are pressing against the other equally, cancelling out the efforts of their opponent.
This principle is used to beneficial effect in TV studios all the time, where the low hum from the air conditioning units can be picked up by the microphones worn by the anchors. By having the microphones worn by two of the anchors set at opposite phasing from each other, the sound waves from the air conditioners cancel each other out, eliminating that hum from the sound heard by viewers.
Unfortunately, as shown in the episode itself, there is no way that the Ninja Team could use this effect to cancel out the audio from the Sonic Mecha. To do so would require that both the Sonic Mecha and the God Phoenix remain at stationary points away from each other, without changing their distance or angles in relation to each other at all, and that's virtually impossible for two objects flying in opposite directions to each other.
Also, it should be noted that, while the effect can result in the audio being cancelled out, it does not result in the equipment that generated that audio exploding, or each TV stations across the world would be exploding every day.
So, while the notion that they were trying to convey in this episode makes sense, it does not work as explained or in the manner in which it was shown.
James.
Posted by Transmute Jun on 24-08-2009 at 19:24:
WHAT? James! I am shocked!!!!
Are you actually implying that the science in Gatchaman is not accurate?
Vive le Gatchascience!
I like your idea, Condorfan, about Nambu at American Idol.And you know he'd do so well, given that he wasn't even aware of the Demon 5's existence, even though they've 'taken the world by storm'.
You know, LB, it might be more than that the goons are brainless... perhaps it's like they say on ER and BOTP, and the goons really *are* robots....
Springie, thanks for the offer! Honestly, I wrote this up before I left and just copied and pasted it this morning. So it wasn't a big deal to post. But you are so sweet to think of me! 
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Posted by tatsunokofan on 25-08-2009 at 00:04:
Hi all!
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Actually, in this instance, the science is sound, but the application of that science is faulty.
James
Posted by gatchamarie on 25-08-2009 at 07:43:
Great job, TJ, as always! You kept me 
with laughter with your comments!
I guess we're laughing at those days' apparatus because the world has made a lot of progress during these last three decades and everything from the past seems very outdated and funny! When watching Gatchaman during my childhood I didn't see those things strange as we still used tapes, etc! Even the hairstyles and clothing were ok to live with! Wow I'm surely feeling old!
I wonder how Galactor were able to construct secret bases equipped with all the trimmings so fast! Maybe there was some indefinite time between Leader X's commands and their execution! It was a very ingenious way of the band to morse code and call for help! Every action, coincidence, and faulty science seem to bind together in order to arrive at the salvage of the band and the destruction of the mecha. There must always be some happy ending! (at least almost every time!)
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To be or not to be a gatchamaniac - that's the dilemma!
Posted by Transmute Jun on 25-08-2009 at 12:21:
Marie, I have a theory about the bases. I think Galactor did far more than any of us ever suspected. They acquired a ton of resources and took over countries without the ISO ever knowing (until it was too late). To combat the KNT and the Un they must have done so. So I think that at any given time they would have had hundreds of bases operating around the world, which is why it was so important that the KNT find Galactor's HEADQUARTERS. Any random base wasn't a big deal, and we can surely see that Galactor was easily able to bounce back form the destruction of a single base, time and time again.
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Posted by clouddancer on 25-08-2009 at 13:02:
I like that theory TJ and have even used it in my AU where the team or individual member of the team go undercover into a minor base and try to work their way up, through the ranks or what ever, to Headquarters.
Although in BOTP there were not so many bases on Earth but in my AU I center it around Earth more than visiting other Planets. That saved me from having to come up with lots of different planet names and characteristics.
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Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.
Posted by gatchamarie on 25-08-2009 at 19:01:
You've come out with a great theory, TJ, and it makes a lot of sense! I was mostly impressed by the recording studio as even Katse was surprised by Leader X's idea of attacking with music!
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To be or not to be a gatchamaniac - that's the dilemma!
Posted by Firebird on 26-08-2009 at 16:19:
WElcome Back Tj and as always great recaps. I always love your BOTP comments!
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Like the Phoenix I rise from the fire. Beware all who try to tame me, you may get burned 
Posted by Transmute Jun on 26-08-2009 at 19:18:
Thanks, FB! Glad you liked it!
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Posted by UnpublishedWriter on 27-04-2010 at 14:14:
doe ray me fa so la tee doe
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