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Translation into Japanese

Hi Doogie, Shopgirl and all,

Yes, I hope that Seiko understands the unbelievable level of patience and 
support that her fans have. 

I would LOVE to believe that she believes her statement that "challenging myself
to do something different, something new is just a part of me." My suggestion,
which I'm sure is the suggestion of more than a few fellow Seiko fans, is let
the "something different" be a different collaborator, as in anyone you'd like
to work with OTHER THAN Shinji Harada. Let the "something new" manifest itself
in a new Japanese album that DOES NOT sound like "Love & Emotion III" and runs
longer than 30 minutes.

Unfortunately, if Seiko does produce "Love & Emotion III" with Shinji in full
creative control, Seiko fans (myself included) will buy it, be disappointed,
and will say their usual "maybe the next effort will be better."

I thought that Area 62 was the kind of stretch and risk Seiko speaks of. I also
thought that giving a piece of it to Harada with "Ave Maria" was unforgivable.
I understand how business is conducted in Japan, and that it's all about 
relationships. That's how people lacking in skills, talents, common sense and
charisma find work in Japan. They have good relationships and precious little
else, but they're smart enough to set the right priorities.

For my own personal tastes, I feel that "Forever" was Seiko's last "great"
album. Although it is very different, I feel that strictly on a quality level
it is every bit as vibrant and significant as "Novelle Vague" or "My Story."
I still get cold chills when I hear "Koisuru Omoi ~Fall In Love~." 

I guess that's the part Seiko doesn't understand. I'm not saying "sing a sad
song" or "sing a happy song" or "make an album that sounds like Forever." 

I'm saying "please make me feel the way I felt when I first heard you sing
"Dear Mom & Dad" or "Angel," because I KNOW YOU CAN. Just be great again.

If Shinji has TRUE greatness in him, now is the time to use it. If he DOESN'T,
it's time to find someone who does. And if Seiko's choice is to do "Love and
Emotion III" I hope that she will show the appropriate level of respect to
her fans (and more importantly, herself) and no longer speak of "new" and 
"different" things and how they are a part of her. I would rather hear a truly
failed attempt..a bad album, an experiment that didn't quite work...as long as
Seiko acknowledged Harada's status as a one trick pony pretty boy and worked
with ANYONE else. Even Robbie Nevil managed to produce work on Area 62 that 
was not a duplication of Was It The Future. People who know me know that I am
not a Robbie fan, but he does deserve credit for Area 62. But as long as
Seiko's PERSONAL relationship with Harada remains intact, I think you'll see
him involved in her career at SOME level for a long, long time to come...until
someone comes along who makes a stronger impression on her and she does not 
see it as an act of betraying her friendship to work with someone else.

Of course, friendship is a two way street. Harada probably knows of the fans'
reaction to his songs, his stage presence, his performance, his production. As
a "friend" he COULD step back and say "You know what? The fans don't seem to
like me, and I haven't been able to make Seiko GREAT, so maybe I will go on
hiatus for the next album or two and see if I am the thing that's holding her
back. Maybe she would do better with someone else."

That's what a friend MIGHT say, but hey...he's getting a steady paycheck, and
he gets to appear on stage with a living legend and share the spotlight. Why
would he give that up?

It's one thing to support Seiko when she is doing far from her best work. It
is another when she allows the greatness to come out, and we stand stunned
and amazed...and only momentarily speechless...:-)

Best regards,

Mike 


Date:3/17/1998. Doogie 's message 

>Thanks Shopgirl for passing this along.
>At least we know that Seiko has been listening to what her fans like
>and what they don't like.  I hope Seiko realizes that we're not insulting her
>for her efforts, but rather trying to guide her to concentrate on what made her so successful in the past.
>
>Doogie
>
>
>Date:3/16/1998. Shopgirl 's message 
>
>>Hi everyone,
>>Here is a translation from Seiko's newsletter. It was a reply from Seiko on her
>>message to her fans in year 2003:
>>
>>".... I intend to continue to try out new things, and I hope that all of you
>>would be looking forward to the new me. I have often received comments from 
>>fans each time I do something new, eg "This new album is not good!" "This is 
>>not Seiko Matsuda!". But I am not changing even when I try out new things. 
>>Challenging myself to do something different, something new every time is just  
>>part of me. Therefore I do feel very lonely when I hear rejections and comments 
>>like "I do not like this Seiko!" especially when I have had put in so much 
>>effort. I really hope that my fans will take a broader perspective and accept 
>>this part (doing something different) of me. 
>>
>>It is not only me but for anyone else too, that it takes alot of pain and 
>>efforts to do something new even though we do not show it on the outside. 
>>Therefore, while I am happy to hear comments like "I like the Seiko when she 
>>sings all the happy songs" as I also personally like it, but I want to do and 
>>try out other things as well."
>>
>>
>>I don't know how you might want to interpret this, but if I have a chance to 
>>speak to Seiko, I would say "I have supported and respected you in your efforts 
>>to take up challenges etc. This has not change and will not. But either will my 
>>belief that you would be able to one day find your passion to sing from your 
>>heart and bring back the Magic of Seiko and Seiko Live once again. If I had to 
>>choose between being blind or deaf, I would choose the latter because I cannot 
>>forget how moved I was when I heard you sing on TV in the FUN program in 2001. 
>>Singers may be very much like sportsman and have their so-called peaks. But in 
>>that short 5min where there were only a piano, a microphone, Matsutoya, you and 
>>a whole whole lot of pride and passion, you showed the world that you were a 
>>class of your own even at 39. I certainly do not know what lead to the 
>>performance in the Red and White you last appeared in and/or what happened to 
>>the "Seiko at FUN" ....for I never could experience that since."
>>
>>
>>Am I disappointed? Am I indifferent? Am I moved? It doesn't matter. I am back 
>>to Seiko Suite, a mastery of remastering digital and indepth research and effort
>>at its best... I am back to "Koisuru Omoi", "Kanashimino Boat" etc... I am back 
>>to FUN, to ZEPP... 
>>
>>I am praying very hard that Sony would remaster all the albums, singles, lives 
>>up too ZEPP... even it it meant having to hear another HS produced album and 
>>lives. There is plenty of good materials already that I am really thankful for, 
>>even if I may never experience the Seiko Magic ever again.