It finally arrives ...

Got my Robotech 20th Anniversary Soundtrack today via FedEx. Eight damn dollars shipping, and it arrives in a cracked case -- a small nick on the top of the front cover, a split along the bottom of the cover that prevents the case from ever closing securely again, both of the tabs holding in the booklet on the side of the cover opposite the hinge broken off and floating around inside, a small pair of cracks along the right hand spine, and a tiny crack on the back to match the one on the front. There's also a nice long crack on the inner tray. Thankfully, there's nothing wrong with the discs, but man that case is in really iffy shape.

The new music is interspersed nicely among the original tracks from the 10th Anniversary Soundtrack, slotted into logical spots in the course of the original playlist. I especially like how "Reflections" is placed right before the eyecatch -- that just sounds right to me. I also like how the alien sound of "Cosmic Harp" breaks up the the very department store muzak sound of "Minmei's Theme" and "Sweet Sixteen," which used to be one right after the other. "Hard Times" is a fairly common New Generation piece that I didn't realize I'd missed until I heard it; its very urgent synth sound comes after the mournful "Reconstruction Blues," another transition that somehow feels right. I haven't listened to the vocal disc yet; "Lifeline" and "Flower of Life" have been floating around on the internet for years, so I've heard them plenty, and "The Right Move" is only the four lines that appear in episode #28, if the lyrics in the booklet are to be believed.

The booklet is awfully nice, containing the introductions from the 10th Anniversary edition, three interviews (the Michael Bradley one is especially candid and amusing) and lots of appropriate images placed throughout -- tons of screen shots, and some new and recent Tommy Yune artwork of each generation's key singer. I was awfully surprised to open the case and see, on disc 1, a shot of Musica's legs and hand, holding Flowers of Life as opposed to the microphone Minmei is holding on the front cover. Secondary acknowledgement of Masters rather than New Gen ... that's something different. Then again, I suppose putting Lancer's crotch and legs on the front would have been sort of ... awkward.

While I would have preferred something a little more different from the release from ten years back, with a little more new material, I'm still well satisfied with my purchase. Though I'm honestly more than a little peeved at the cracked case ... seriously, I've never owned a two-CD set that hasn't wound up with a cracked case within the first day or two, but still, to get it in this shape ... ugh.