6th Station ~Other Bands for H!P Fans~

[esm]

When I watch performances I just get disappointed because of all the lip-synching ...but I do like PVs and just listening to the songs.

[koregaboku]

I was watching some performances and I felt like some of the girls weren't even trying very hard to hide the fact that they were lipsyncing.

[wotakubrandon]

I think if you are lip synching then that's the thing to do but definitely go for it you know? Pull some funny faces or do something that you couldn't do when you sing live.

I like a few AKB songs. I like Iiwake Maybe because of the video and the Happy Birthday song one. I like the Suicide-y one and River and Beginner but just because of the video game PV. I REALLY like Ame no Pianist but that's SKE.

Majijo Teppen Blues is the only song I kind of jam out to though.

[mura_yo]

They have some pretty good stage songs. My fave are :
Team A:Bird,Faint,Junai no Crescendo ,Kuroi Tenshi,Tsundere,. Itoshisa no Accel.
Team K:Blue Rose, Kinjirareta Fuari,Maria,Kimi was Pegasus,Mammoth,Melos no Michi,Mushi no Ballad, Kokoro no Hashi no Sofa,Seifuku Resistance.
Team B:Wasshoi B!,Shonichi,Team B Oshi.

I think that some recordings of the stages have them singing live

[TotallyUncool]

I'm pretty much a casual listener when it comes to AKB, but here are my general impressions, in no particular order:

I'd like to hear a lot more live singing, even if it means taking a chance on some not-so-good voices. Real and raw is better than perfect and predictable.

Takamina's definitely their MVP, as far as I'm concerned. I really like her voice, but I also like her stage presence, her facial expressions, and the way that she carries herself -- there's something refreshingly earthy (even a bit vulgar), natural, and intense that makes her stand against all the pretty-pretty, in an ugly(but not really)-duckling sort of way.

A few songs stick with me -- Bird (one of my favorite songs by anyone), Beginner (they should have kept the original PV, and told everybody who didn't like it to close their eyes and STFU if they didn't want to see it!), River, and maybe a few others. But too many of them don't -- they're nice, but they just don't have the kind of power or catchiness that makes them stick in my head. Some of that is probably weak songwriting, and some of it comes from the arrangements, which tend to rely so heavily on everyone singing in chorus. I think that weakens the impact of a lot of the songs; I would like to hear more solo lines -- enough to give the songs the kind of impact that they could have.

Their live stage show: it is good, and they're worth seeing in person, if you get the chance (I saw them at Anime Expo a few years ago). It's also very, very different from what Morning Musume does on stage -- a different kind of show. It's basically cabaret, with small-group performances (three or four people) interspersed with the everybody-sing-together material. The staging and pacing is excellent, and live, the mix of solo lines and choral singing seems a lot better. I definitely did find myself wishing for live vocals, however, rather than what seemed to be pure lip-synch.

[Sohee]

They have a lot of good stage songs. And I recommend watching a stage performance to better understand AKB48. But for singles I recommend Oogoe Diamond, RIVER, 10nen Zakura and Iiwake Maybe. While their newer singles (2012/13) are catchy they aren't as great as their 2008-9 releases.

Agreed.

Oogoe is only so-so for me, and Seifuku and Keibetsu needs to be put in too. But that's basically it.
They were great back then, then they started doing the same mediocre but catchy thing over and over again and became less interesting.

[Panic Nancy]

I've actually liked every AKB48 song I've heard. I've only listened to like... five, though. I like Oogoe Diamond a lot, especially this version:



I also like a couple of their newer songs (Koisuru Fortune Cookie and Heart Ereki). And I like UZA and Mushi no Ballad.

[DARC1993]

The best AKB song is UZA it's amazing.
It irks me that they got that song lol.


Flying Get & Beginner are also great ones. But that's kinda it for me xD

^ Hitomi Shimatani's album? I love that album aaaaah. I miss her

Yes!
I started listening to it because on her 15th anni album she has a new song called GRAND HERO and it totally yells H&S track.

[rikkikow]

Enjoy the Live!

[stam4o]

When I watch performances I just get disappointed because of all the lip-synching ...but I do like PVs and just listening to the songs.

I agree. Same for me.

Most of AKB's songs are catchty - they're made to be catchy, it's like the top rule in pop. They're simple so it's easy to listen to them and just not think about anything... deep (?).
And yeah - PVs and outfits are interesting/cool too. And well-designed.
But that's kinda it. As a group, name (not referring to their actual 'name') and formation they suck.
So they're enjoyable but it's not like I'm gonna get to be a fan.