B'z
Summary:
B'z (ビーズ) is a Japanese hard rock duo, composed of Matsumoto Takahiro (producer, composer, guitarist) and Inaba Kōshi (lyricist, vocalist).
B'z has released 45 consecutive #1 singles, 23 #1 albums, and sold more than 79 million records in Japan alone.[1] Under the recommendation of Steve Vai, B'z became the first band from Asia to have their handprints and signatures put up in the Hollywood's RockWalk.
Koshi Inaba (left) and Tak Matsumoto (right),
just after B'z initiation into the Hollywood's Rock Walk.
Members:
Matsumoto Takahiro
Matsumoto Takahiro. born on March 27, 1961 in Toyonaka-Osaka, is a Grammy Award-winning Japanese guitarist, producer, arranger, composer, singer and songwriter. In addition, he has also had a successful solo career.
Solo works:
Albums
1. Thousand Wave (May 21, 1988)
2. Wanna Go Home (April 22, 1992)
3. Knockin' "T" Around (April 14, 1999)
4. Dragon From The West (February 27, 2002)
5. 華 (Hana) (February 27, 2002)
6. Rock'n Roll Standard Club (May 15, 1996)
7. Thousand Wave Plus (October 7, 1996)
8. The Hit Parade (November 26, 2003)
9. House Of Strings (November 24, 2004)
10. Ultraman Original Soundtrack(July 20, 2005)
11. Theatre Of Strings (October 19, 2005)
12. Take Your Pick (June 2, 2010)
Singles
1. '88 ~ Love Story/Love Ya (September 25, 1991) (8th in Oricon)
2. #1090 Thousand Dreams/LIFE (March 18, 1992) (3rd in Oricon)
3. The Changing (March 25, 1999) (3rd in Oricon)
4. 異邦人 (Ihoujin) (August 27, 2003); features Zard (2nd in Oricon)
5. イミテイション・ゴールド [Imitation Gold] (October 8, 2003); features Mai Kuraki (1st in Oricon)
Inaba Koshi
Inaba Koshi, born on September 23, 1964, in Tsuyama-Okayama Prefecture, is a Japanese vocalist. His real name is Inaba Hiroshi. He graduated from the Faculty of Education at the Yokohama National University, and has a degree in mathematics. He started his solo career in 1997 with album Magma. Whereas B'z songs are composed by Tak Matsumoto, Koshi composed songs for his own solo albums.
Solo works:
Albums
1. Magma (29 January 1997)
2. Shian (9 October 2002)
3. Peace of Mind (22 September 2004)
4. Hadou (18 August 2010)
Singles
1. "Tooku Made" (16 December 1998)
2. "KI" (11 June 2003)
3. "Wonderland" (14 July 2004)
4. "Okay" (23 June 2010)
Guest appearances
1. The Ultra Zone (on the track "Asian Sky") — Steve Vai, 1999
2. Slash (on the track Sahara) — Slash, 2010
History:
(it is very long )
Early works: 1988–1990
Tak Matsumoto, who was already a professional guitarist in band TM Network led by Tetsuya Komuro, had been extremely busy with various recording sessions and live performances. On 21 May 1988, Tak released his first solo album, Thousand Wave. He saw this as a finishing of a chapter as a solo guitarist, and began his search for band members. He later met vocalist Koshi Inaba, who would later start the band with him. On 21 September 1988, B'z, with their first album, B’z, and single, "Dakara Sono Te Wo Hanashite (だからその手を離して)", made their debut.
Their second album, Off the Lock, released on 21 May 1989. On 21 October, their first mini album, Bad Communication was released. It was charted for 163 weeks on the Oricon Charts.
On 21 February 1990, the third album Break Through was released. Their single "Taiyō no Komachi Angel", was released on 13 June and was able to peak at #1 on the Oricon Chart. Wicked Beat, their second mini album, was then released on 21 June. Their 4th album, Risky was released on 7 November and went platinum.
Transitioning into hard rock music: 1991–1992
The third mini album, Mars was released on 29 May 1991. Little promotion was done for it and after releasing only two singles, B'z released their fifth album, In the Life, on 27 November. Their first live video, "Just Another Life" was out on 11 December.
28 October marked the release of their sixth album, Run, and proved to be more hard rock oriented than the previous. On 9 December, they released a slightly different mini album Friends. Different from Run, its concept is somewhat similar to that of a movie soundtrack.
Switching to blues: 1993–1994
B'z concentrated on recording once again, this time, producing a two-disc seventh album, The 7th Blues. The album title not only came from it being their seventh album, but also after the seventh chord, that is frequently used in Blues. Becoming much more "bluesier" and soulful, this album evidently shows their lean towards blues, the roots of rock music.
Adopting pop: 1995–1998
In the first half of 1995, B'z spent their time recording and after creating numerous demos, they held the "Pleasure '95 Buzz Stadium" tour with 12 shows in 7 cities. Their eighth album, Loose, was released on 22 November. Loose was concentrated on the original concept of a two-man band. While combining rock with pop, this album is well balanced with a variety of sounds. The album sold over 3 million copies, marking it as the best seller for B'z. A short while afterwards, B'z released their 6th mini-album titled Friends II on 25 November. On 19 November, their ninth full album Survive showcased yet another new direction in sound and style.
On 20 May, B'z released their first official compilation album, B'z The Best "Pleasure", which also marked their 10th year since debuting. By this album, their sales in Japan surpassed 50 million records, making them the first artist to do so after Oricon started.
On hiatus: 1998–1999
In the mid 1998, B'z entered a period of both rest and recording. Both Tak and Koshi had wanted to start on their own solo projects since the "Survive" tour, and finally got a chance to begin. During the period, on 20 September, their second best-of album, B'z The Best "Treasure" was released.
Returning to the music scene: 1999–2000
B'z started off the year of 1999 by busily promoting their recent singles and their tenth album Brotherhood, which was released on 14 July. The album's track "Giri Giri Chop (Version 51)" was recorded by the support of Mr. Big drummer Pat Torpey and its bassist Billy Sheehan.
On 23 February 2000, they released the album B'z The "Mixture", which included re-mastered tracks of past songs, songs from past singles that were not the featured track, remixes, and a new song. In the middle of May, they started a rehearsal for the summer tour B'z Live-Gym Pleasure 2000 -Juice-, starting a hall class venue show in Toyama, 30 May. The tour totalled 18 shows in 10 cities, including a performance on the famous Nippon Budokan on 20 June as a start. The recording of their single "Juice" was supported by drummer Brian Tichy. When they released "Juice", on 12 July, the duo set a Japanese record of marking No.1 on the first week, making it their 25th #1 single in sequence. During the tour, Once Upon a Time in Yokohama ~B'z Live Gym'99 "Brotherhood"~ was released. The year of 2000 was finished with the release of the eleventh album Eleven on 6 December.
Continuing into the 2000s: 2001–2007
After the Okinawa show on 27 June and 28, B'z departed abroad. They officially released their CDs in Taiwan and Hong Kong and after having Live-Gym that year, they made a promotion trip for the first time there. After the Eleven tour, B'z prepared for the first Asia tour which includes "B'z Live-Gym in Taipei 2001" on 25 August 26 and "B'z Live-Gym in Hong Kong 2001". The first B'z Asia tour was successful.
B'z started recording as soon as the year 2002 starts, and finished their recording in the middle of May, then started the rehearsal in Tokyo for the Live-Gym tour soon beginning. B'z performed with Aerosmith on the stage of FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan Official Concert International Day, at Tokyo Stadium on 27 June.
On 3 July, right before the main tour started, a new album Green which is also the name of the tour that year was released. On 11 December, their first ballad compilation album The Ballads ~Love & B'z~ was released.
The year 2003 marked their 15th anniversary and the two started recording from the beginning of the year, traveling to U.S. in February for additional recording. Their thirteenth album, Big Machine, was released on 17 September. As they flew back to Japan, B'z started their third tour in 2003, "B'z Live-Gym 2003 Big Machine."
Kicking off 2004, B'z went back to the studio to began recording again. On 25 February, a DVD, Typhoon No.15 ~B'z Live-Gym The Final Pleasure "It's Showtime!!" in Nagisaen~, was released. On 6 April 2005, B'z released their fourteenth album The Circle. On 1 August, their box set The Complete B'z was digitally released only for the Japanese iTunes Store. House of Strings label, which Tak established a year before, released the artist's second album, Theatre of Strings, on 19 October. On 30 November, B'z The Best "Pleasure II", the third compilation album, was released, reaching one million by the end of 2005. On 28 June 2006, their fifteenth original full album Monster was released. Most of the recording took place in Los Angeles. In the end of 2007, more precisely on 5 December, B’z released their sixteenth album, Action. The drum parts of their two singles from Action, "Eien no Tsubasa" and "Super Love Song", were recorded by drummers Josh Freese and Jeremy Colson respectively. On 19 November 2007, B'z was inducted into Hollywood's RockWalk as the first Asian inductee in Sunset Boulevard, California, US.
B'z 20th Anniversary: 2008
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 concert featured songs from The Circle and Monster eras, along with a number of older hits as well as several English versions. On April 16, 2008, the band released their forty-fifth single, "Burn -Fumetsu no Face-", which became their forty-first consecutive #1 single.
2008 also marked the twentieth anniversary of the band. To commemorate the occasion, B'z The Best "Ultra Pleasure" was released on 18 June 2008 and featured the greatest of the band's hits on a two-disc collection, and in chronological order, 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.
2009–present
Following their massive tour in 2008, B'z returned to the studio to record new material. Their first release of the year was a Double A-side single, "Ichibu to Zenbu/Dive", released on August 5, 2009 that features drummer Chad Smith. The second release was the single "My Lonely Town". The physical CD of the single was released on October 14, 2009. Both singles are featured in the band's next studio album, entitled Magic, released on November 18, 2009. On December 10, 2009, it was announced that their song "Ichibu to Zenbu" won the "Billboard Japan Hot 100 of the Year 2009" award.
In summer 2011, B'z will continue their live-gym tour with additional stops in North America: Vancouver, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Discography:
Studio albums
1988: B'z
1989: Off the Lock
1990: Break Through
1990: Risky
1991: In The Life
1992: Run
1994: The 7th Blues
1995: Loose
1997: Survive
1999: Brotherhood
2000: Eleven
2002: Green
2003: Big Machine
2005: The Circle
2006: Monster
2007: Action
2009: Magic
2011: C'mon - release July 27, 2011
Other appearances:
Live-Gym (concert tours)
Live-Gym #00 (1989)
Live-Gym #001 "Off the Lock" (1989)
Live-Gym "Bad Club-Gym" (1989)
Live-Gym "Break Through" (1990)
Live-Gym '90~'91 "Risky"
Live-Gym "Pleasure '91"
Live-Gym '91~'92 "In the Life"
Live-Gym Pleasure '92 "Time"
Live-Gym '93 "Run"
Live-Gym Pleasure '93 "Jap the Ripper"
Live-Gym '94 "The 9th Blues" Part 1
Live-Gym '94 "The 9th Blues" Part 2
Live-Gym Pleasure '95 "Buzz!!"
Live-Gym '96 "Spirit Loose"
Live-Gym Pleasure '97 "Fireball"
Live-Gym '98 "Survive"
Live-Gym '99 "Brotherhood"
Live-Gym Pleasure 2000 "Juice"
Live-Gym 2001 "Eleven"
Live-Gym in Taipei 2001 / Live-Gym in Hong Kong 2001
Live-Gym 2002 "Green ~Go★Fight★Win~"
Live-Gym 2002 "Rock n' California Roll"
o 22 September – Canes Bar & Grill: California
o 24 September – The Palace: California
Live-Gym 2003 The Final Pleasure "It's Showtime!!"
Live-Gym 2003 Banzai in North America
o 12 October – House of Blues: Las Vegas, Nevada
o 14 October – House of Blues: Los Angeles, California
o 15 October – House of Blues: Los Angeles, California
o 18 October – The Fillmore: San Francisco, California
o 19 October – The Fillmore: San Francisco, California
o 21 October – Showbox: Seattle, Washington
o 23 October – Commodore Ballroom: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Live-Gym 2003 "Big Machine"
Live-Gym 2005 "Circle of Rock"
Live-Gym 2006 "Monster's Garage"
B'z Showcase 2007
o The showcase 2007 is an unofficial tour they made this year. They visited a few cities (3 to 5) and played to small audiences. They played a lot of their old songs. Many of them were rarely played live including their new English song, that was released with Burnout Dominator's soundtrack, "Friction".
Live-Gym 2008 "Action" – Nagasaki Brick Hall
Live-Gym Pleasure 2008 -Glory Days-
Live-Gym 2010 "Ain't No Magic"
B'z covers by other musicians
Eric Suen covered "Easy Come, Easy Go!" as the theme for the 2000 Taiwanese drama, Huai Yu Gong Zhu (懷玉公主). The title of the cover is "Wei Feng Shi Ke" (威風時刻).
Priscilla Chan has created a Cantonese version of "Native Dance" called "放鬆三分鐘".
For her second major label single, Aya Kamiki has covered "Pierrot", the B-side of "Yuruginaimono Hitotsu".
Aya Kamiki has also covered "Love Phantom" and "Juice" in several of her live performances.
A cover of "Atsuki Kodō no Hate" (熱き鼓動の果て) appeared as a stage theme in the Nintendo DS rhythm game Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan. The performance is credited to Tetsushi Kimura.
Covers by B'z
"This Love" by Maroon 5 .
"Oh! Darling" and "Let It Be" by The Beatles.
"Train Kept A-Rollin'" by Tiny Bradshaw (with Aerosmith)
Featured songs
During the height of The X-Files' popularity in Japan, the B'z single "Love Phantom" was used as the closing credits theme song.
Their song "Devil", an English cover of their song "Tokyo Devil", was produced for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan.
Their song "Atsuki Kodou no Hate" appears in the arcade drumming game Taiko no Tatsujin 4, and recently in the Nintendo DS rhythm game Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan.
Their song "Bad Communication" appears in the Game Boy Color rhythm game beatmania GB GotchaMIX2.
Their song "Kon'ya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni" was used in the 2000 TV drama Beautiful Life.
Their song "Ocean" was used in the 2005 TV drama of the Umizaru Evolution project.
Their song "Liar! Liar!" appears in the arcade and PlayStation 2 rhythm game GitaDora! GuitarFreaks 4th Mix & DrumMania 3rd Mix.
Their song "ultra soul" appears in the arcade drumming game Taiko no Tatsujin 2.
Their English song "Friction" is featured on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable game Burnout Dominator. This marked their debut on an official United States property. It is also included in the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game Burnout Paradise.
Several B'z songs were used in the Detective Conan anime series.
o "Giri Giri Chop" (TV series OP from Ep. 143–167)
o "Shoudou" (TV series OP from Ep. 425–437)
o "One" (Movie #3 ED)
o "Everlasting" (Movie #6 ED)
o "Yuruginaimono Hitotsu" (Movie #10 ED)
o "Don't Wanna Lie" (Movie #15 ED & TV Series OP31 from Ep. 613 onwards)
o Koshi Inaba's song "Overture", was an ending theme for Detective Conan (episodes 300-306)
"Roots" by B'z was also used as the ending theme to the four-part Black Jack OVA series to promote the then newest TV series. Tak Matsumoto also did a guitar-lead instrumental as the opening.
"Lonely Stars" by B'z was used in the ending credits in the movie, The Legend of Raoh II: Fierce Fighting Arc (ラオウ伝Ⅱ 激闘の章, Raō Den II Gekitō no Shō?) which is part of the Fist of the North Star anime series.
"Ore to Omae no Atarashii Kisetsu" (オレとオマエの新しい季節) is currently used as the ending theme to the Japanese dub of The OC.
The song "Mienai Chikara ~Invisible one~" was the first ending theme to the anime Hell Teacher Nube.
The song "Ichibu to Zenbu" was used as the theme song for the Fuji TV 2009 drama Buzzer Beat starring Yamashita Tomohisa and Keiko Kitagawa.
The songs "Signal" and "Utsukushiki Sekai" were used as the opening theme and the ending theme respectively for the 2002 female-oriented dating sim video game Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side.
Some of their songs:
Ichibu to zenbu (LIVE)
Spoiler
Dive
Spoiler
source : en.wikipedia, youtube
Personal Opinion:
I know B'z because of ichibu to zenbu - OST. Buzzer Beat..
then get hooked to them because my friends sang their songs a lot every time we went to karaoke.
I think I've heard all of their songs, and I like all of them.
They changed their music some times, but I still like them no matter what genre the music is.
and by watching their live video, I love them more..
I want to go to their concert!!!!!!!
