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| Koshi Inaba (Vo.) & Tak Matsumoto (Gt.) |
The band B'z
(pronounced Biizu) may only consist of two members, but they're
considered to be one of the biggest rock bands in Japan. They are
also one of the best-selling music artists in the world, the
best-selling in Japan, and they sold more than 80 million records
worldwide. B'z is known as a rock band, but they have many
influences. At the start of their career they had more of a pop
sound, but since the members found inspiration in rock legends
“Aerosmith”, “Van Halen” and “Led Zeppelin”, they went
through almost every possible rock style. They went from pop-rock to
blues rock and heavy guitar riffs with less keyboard work. Similar
bands are GLAY and WANDS.
Guitarist
Tak Matsumoto gained reputation after working as a support guitarist
for 80's legends “TM Network” and Mari Hamada. On May 21, 1988,
Tak released his first solo album “Thousand Wave”. The album
received praise from music critics, but Tak felt a desire to start
his own band. He then placed an ad in a magazine, hoping that he
would find a vocalist who could match his musical standards. After
some failures, Tak got a demo tape from Koshi Inaba. Back then he was
an unknown guy who had just finished his studies and wanted to become
a math teacher. Koshi got an audition and performed “Let it be”
and “Oh Darling” by “The Beatles”. Tak had found his match in
the aspiring math teacher and so B'z was formed. B'z consist of only
two members, but the rest of the positions are filled in by support
musicians.
The first
single (Dakara Sono Te Wo Hanashite) and album (B'z), were released
on September 21, 1988. Instead of going on an album promo tour, B'z
chose to wait. They were still thinking over their stage performance
and decided to wait until they had material to perform for at least
90 minutes. The duo went back into the studio and started to work on
new songs. They concentrated on recording, which raised the quality
of their music.
Their hard
work payed off, and on May 21, 1989, second album “OFF THE LOCK”
was released. At the same time the second single, “Kimi no Naka de
Odoritai”, also went on sale. This time a tour called “Live Gym
#00: Off the lock” followed. They played in Nagoya, Osaka and
Tokyo. Tickets for all the shows were sold out as soon as they became
available. On October 21 mini-album “Bad Communication” was
released. More than a million copies were sold in the following
years, but it could never claim a spot in the Oricon top 10.
February 21,
1990, was the release date of B'z's new album, “Break Through”.
To promote the album they went on a nationwide tour and played 22
shows in total. Later, on June 13, single “Taiyō no Komachi Angel”
was released. The single peaked at #1 on the Oricon charts. Every
single since than has debuted at #1 on the charts. Second mini-album
“Wicked Beat” followed shortly on June 21. Unlike “Break
Through”, “Wicked Beat” received only a bit of promotional
efforts. After the release, the band went back to the studio to start
recording again. For the recording of the next album, “Risky”,
B'z went to New York. It was then released on November 7 and went
platinum. The “Risky” tour, with a total of 49 performances, also
started that month. Their first music video, “Film Risky”, was
recorded in New York and London within 4 weeks, and was released on
16 December.
Third
mini-album, “Mars”, went on sale on May 29, 1991. Once again,
there was little promotion for this release. After releasing two more
singles, the fifth album “In the Life” got released on November
27. The album was the mark of a new style. They stepped away from
their advanced digital sounds and started to lean more towards rock.
Their first live video, “Just Another Life” was released on 11
December. For promotion, B'z also started their “In the Life
'91–'92” tour, with 66 performances in total. The tour started in
December and stopped in the next year. The total number of
“Live-Gyms” they did during this year exceeded 100.
In the
summer of 1992, the “Pleasure '92-Time” tour was planned. There
were 12 shows in 3 major cities. The arena-class tour had special
features. They used a huge lighting set called “Starfish”, and
seats that rotated 360 degrees. Album “Run” got released on
October 28 and leaned more towards the hard rock genre. To end they
year, B'z released a mini-album called “Friends”. It differed
from “Run” since the album concept was similar to a movie
soundtrack.
Early in
1993 the “Run” tour ended after 49 shows were given in 21
locations. That same year B'z held their first open-air concerts
called “Jap the Ripper”. The performances took place in
Bentenjima of Hamamatsu-city, Shizuoka on 31 July and 1 August. The
shows were a success since they were able to gather 100 000 people in
those two days. After the successful performances they returned to
the studio to create their new album.
On February
9, 1994, the “B'z Live-Gym '94—The 9th Blues” tour kicked off.
It became their longest and biggest tour so far. They managed to give
87 shows in the year. During the tour, on March 2, seventh album “The
7th Blues” was released. The album title was inspired by
the fact that it was their 7th album and by the seventh
cord, which is frequently used in Blues. B'z had switched from hard
rock to a more soulful and “bluesier” sound.
The first
half of 1995 was spend on recording. After the numerous recordings
they started the “Pleasure '95 Buzz Stadium” tour, playing 12
shows in 7 cities. The next album release followed on November 22.
Their latest creation, “Loose”, focused on the original concept
of a two-man band. It was a well balanced pop-rock album. “Loose”
sold over 3 million copies, which made it the band's best seller.
The “B'z
Live-Gym '96 "Spirit Loose"” tour began on March 15,
1996. This tour counted 44 shows in total. The shows started with a
short B'z action movie, which was shot in Los Angeles. On November
25, mini-album “Friend II”was released.
January 29, 1997, was the release date for vocalist Koshi's first
solo album “Magma”. All the music and lyrics were written by
Koshi. The album topped the charts and let the fans see a different
side of the vocalist. The dome tour “Pleasure '97 Fireball” began
in March and consisted of 9 shows. Tickets for each dome, with a
capacity of about 30 to 50 thousand people each, were sold out. Later
that year, on November 19, album “Survive” was released. It
showed yet another change of sound and style.
To promote “Survive”, B'z first held performances in Akita,
Hakodate, Kōchi, Shiga, and Nagasaki, before they started their
actual tour. The “B'z Live-Gym '98 Survive” tour kicked off on
January 24, 1998. May 20 was the release date of the first
compilation album “B'z The Best "Pleasure"”. The album
was to celebrate their 10 year anniversary. The first shipment of the
album had sold more copies than any other Japanese artist in history.
With this album, their sales in Japan surpassed 50 million records.
They were the first artists to achieve this after Oricon started.
In the middle of 1998, B'z took a break. Tak & Koshi wanted to
focus on their solo projects for a while. Even though they were on
hiatus, the second best-of album, “B'z The Best "Treasure"”,
was released on September 20. Near the end of the year, on December
16, Koshi released his maxi single “Tooku Made”.
On March 25, 1999, Tak released his single “The Changing”. It was
the first time he had sung on a released record. The single claimed
the #2 spot on the Oricon charts in it's first week. On 14 April, Tak
released the album “Knockin' "T" Around”. However, even
before the release of the album, B'z had already started recording
again.
After
the release of Tak's single, B'z returned to the music scene and
started to promote the new album “Brotherhood”, which was
released on July 14. For the track “Giri Giri Chop (Version
51)” drummer Pat Torpey and bassist Billy Sheehan from the band
“Mr. Big” helped out. Also in July, yet another dome tour
started. The title of this tour was “B'z Live-Gym '99
"Brotherhood"”. On August 28 & 29, B'z was the first
music act to play at the “Yokohama International Stadium”. They
were able to gather 140 000 people in two days. For the rest of the
year B'z disappeared in the studio again.
Another
best-of album, “B'z The "Mixture"”, was released on
February 23, 2000. The album included re-mastered tracks of past
songs, songs from past singles that were not the featured track,
remixes, and a new song. On June 20 they started their “B'z
Live-Gym Pleasure 2000 -Juice-” tour at the famous “Nippon
Budokan”. Single “Juice” was released on July 12. For this
single they had the support of drummer Brian Tichy who has played for
Whitesnake, Billy Idol, Foreigner, and Ozzy Osbourne. With “Juice”
B'z set a new record. The single topped the chart in its first week,
making it their 25th #1 single in a row. On August 2 the
DVD “Once Upon a Time in Yokohama ~B'z Live Gym'99 "Brotherhood"~”
was released. The last release of 2000, album “Eleven”, was on
December 6. B'z finished the year with an appearance on the TV show
“Music Station”.
For B'z the
year 2001 started on February 26, when they kicked off their “B'z
Live-Gym 2001 -Eleven-” tour. Most of this tour's shows were fan
club members only events. Around this time B'z also officially
released their CDs in Taiwan & Hong Kong. After their “Eleven”
tour in Japan, they started their first Asian tour and brought the
shows to Taipei & Hong Kong.
Tak released
his two new albums “Dragon From The West” & “Hana” on
February 27, 2002. B'z finished their recording in the middle of May,
and started rehearsals in Tokyo for the Live-Gym tour that year. They
also performed with “Aerosmith” at the “FIFA World Cup
Korea/Japan Official Concert International Day” on June 27. The
members of Aerosmith were impressed by the extremely high standard
that B'z showed in their performance. Later they invited Koshi and
Tak to be their opening act in America.
July 3 was
the release date of album “Green”. Like always a support/promo
tour followed. The tour started on July 8 and ended on September 9.
Also in September, B'z made their US debut. They performed in San
Diego at “Canes” on 22 September and “The Palace” in Los
Angeles on 24 September. The next month, on October 9, Koshi
released his second solo album called “Shian”.
In 2003 B'z
celebrated their 15h anniversary. They were recording from the
beginning of the year, but traveled to the US in February for
additional recordings. Koshi also released a new solo single on June
11. In July their “B'z Live-Gym The Final Pleasure "It's
Showtime!!"” tour kicked off. The “Pleasure” tour series
had started in 1991 but came to an end in 2003. The tour started at
“Hakodate Shimin Kaikan” and finished at “Nagisa-en” on 21
September, which was also the date of their anniversary.
After the
last show they traveled to the US and began their “B'z Live-Gym
2003 Banzai in North America” tour. B'z performed in Las Vegas,
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle & Vancouver. When album “Big
Machine” was released on September 17, the duo started their 3rd
tour of the year, “B'z Live-Gym 2003 Big Machine”.
The year
2004 started with more recordings. On 25 February, a DVD, “Typhoon
No.15 ~B'z Live-Gym The Final Pleasure "It's Showtime!!" in
Nagisaen~”, was released. For the rest of the year, both members
worked mainly on their solo projects. When both of their solo tours
were finished they teamed up again.
April 6,
2005, was the release date of album “The Circle”. To promote
their latest album they went on tour again. “B'z Live-Gym 2005
"Circle of Rock"” started in April and ended in
September. On 30 November, “B'z The Best "Pleasure II"”,
the third compilation album, was released.
On June 28,
2006, album “Monster” was released. Most of the recording for
this album took place in Los Angeles. Like always, a promo tour
followed. “B'z Live-Gym 2006 "Monster's Garage"” began
on July 2.
At the end
of the next year, on December 5, 2007, B'z released album “Action”.
For the track “Super Love Song” Jeremy Colson recorded the drum
part. On November 19, B'z was inducted into “Hollywood's RockWalk”
as the first Asian inductee in Sunset Boulevard, California, US.
In February
2008, B'z released a DVD titled “B'z Live in Nanba”. The show was
recorded in 2006 and was also broadcast online. The show featured
songs from “The Circle” and “Monster” albums, along with a
number of older hits and also a few English versions. On April 16,
2008, the duo released their 45th single, “Burn -Fumetsu
no Face-”.
The year
2008 was also the year of B'z's 20th anniversary. The
celebrate this event, the “B'z 20” campaign was launched. Two
more best-of albums would be released. “B'z The Best "Ultra
Pleasure"” was released on 18 June 2008 and featured the
greatest hits of the band on a two-disc collection in chronological
order and with two all-new modern recordings of older tracks. “B'z
The Best "Ultra Treasure"” was released on 17 September
2008. Its two-disc track listing was decided by fans who were invited
to vote for three of many songs at the B'z 20th Anniversary website,
which featured an exclusive song on a three-disc gift bundle, as well
as a re-recording and a remix.
Throughout
the month of September, B'z performed for hundreds of thousands of
fans in 9 performances across 3 cities. The special tour ended on
September 21 with a concert on the 20th anniversary of their first
release. This performance was later released on DVD February 25, 2009
as “B'z Live-Gym Pleasure 2008 -Glory Days-”.
After the
heavy touring in 2008, it was time to get back into the studio and
record new material. Single “Ichibu to Zenbu / Dive” was released
on August 5, 2009. This single featured drummer Chad Smith. The non
full-track ringtone downloads (Chaku Uta) of “Ichibu to Zenbu”
began on July 13, 2009. The full-track ringtone downloads (Chaku Uta
Full) of the song began on August 26, 2009. For its strong download
sales in August and September on “Recochoku”, the song got the
“Monthly Recochoku Award, Best Song Award Grand Prix” for Chaku
Uta and Chaku Uta Full each for two consecutive months. On October
13, 2009, “KDDI” also announced that “Ichibu to Zenbu” was
awarded the “Utatomo Award” of September 2009 for the sales on
“Utatomo”. The second single of that year “My Lonely Town”
was released on October 14. Album “Magic” followed the next month
on November 18. On December 10 there was an announcement that “Ichibu
to Zenbu” had won the “Billboard Japan Hot 100 of the Year 2009”
award.
After the
“B'z Live-Gym 2010 "Ain't No Magic” tour, the duo split up
again for a while to pursue their solo careers. Tak released his
album “Take Your Pick” with Larry Carlon on June 2, 2010. “Take
Your Pick won the Grammy Award for “Best Pop Instrumental Album”
at the 53rd Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011. Koshi released album
“Hadou” on August 18. It debuted at #1 on the Oricon charts.
In 2011 B'z
was united again and released their single “Sayonara Kizu Darake no
Hibi yo” on April 13. The titular song was written and used to
promote “Pepsi NEX”. A couple of months later, on June 1, single
“Don't Wanna Lie” was released. The title track was used as the
opening theme song for the anime “Detective Conan: Quarter of
Silence”. In the summer B'z went back to touring in North America.
They performed in Vancouver, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
In the fall
of 2012, yet another North American tour had been planned for San
Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Silver Spring, New York City,
and Los Angeles. B'z shared their first English songs with the
American audience on their tour. Tak said, “This will be our fourth
US tour. We love playing for American audiences, and are excited to
share our first English release with our fans.” The band released a
5 song mini-album featuring re-recorded English versions of various
hits such as "Juice," "Ultra Soul" and "Splash."
The album is internationally available through the iTunes Store. It
was released on July 25, 2012.
To celebrate
their 25th anniversary, B'z released two best-of albums on
June 12, 2013. The albums are called “B’z The Best XXV 1988-1998”
and “B’z The Best XXV 1999-2012”. The supporting tour, “B'z
LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2013 -ENDLESS SUMMER-”, started on June 15 an
will end on September 22.
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