This particular album by AA= was the first to be released by Speedstar Records, a sublabel of Victor Entertainment which released Mad's albums from Digidogheadlock onward, so in a sense, Takeshi is returning to a label which was once home to him. This is also the first AA= release packaged in a typical jewel case, which the single for The Klock and #, the first half of AA='s recent split album, were also released in.
The limited edition of this album has the patch on the front cover thrown in as a bonus, but the limited edition's obi has much more writing on it than the regular's, while a "LIMITED PACKAGE!" sticker adorns the front. I actually bought the standard edition in a lot and purchased the patch separately, so I kinda schlubbed it out a bit, but the patch is still mine!
In the liner notes, Takayoshi Shirakawa, who was the main vocalist on AA='s first two albums, is only credited as "team member" separate from the rest of the band. The reason for this is, while Shirakawa's vocals are prominent on the first real track Working Class, the rest of the album is dominated by Takeshi's much higher vocals. The album also has a bit of a lighter sound than the first two albums, which may have been caused by the label switch, but I doubt that was the main factor. In any case, I would highly recommend this album as well.
It also contains the AA= version of "We're Not Alone", a song Takeshi recorded for his AA= AiD charity in the wake of the devastating 2011 tsunami in Japan. This version omits contributions from guest musicians on the main version of the song, which includes a pretty neat guitar solo. This version can be heard here.
The tracklisting is as follows:
1. #3 Intro
3. Distortion
4. posi-JUMPER
5. sTEP COde
7. coLors
8. Sunshine glow
9. People Power
10. Dreamer
11. We're not alone (AA= Ver.)
12. #3 Outro
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