Today, we have a very, very special video to offer, one that has never been subtitled in English before and may well never have been if not for this release. This video is from the 20th anniversary concert held on September 21st, 2008, exactly twenty years to the day that B'z debuted on the music scene. This is the full retrospective segment of the show in which Tak and Koshi candidly explore the band's beginnings and perform a number of special songs while reminiscing about the past. This is not to be missed!
Expect another video next week, at around 6:00 PM EST!
[The full 24-minute subtitled video can be found below]
Tak Matsumoto's very own label, House Of Strings, has announced that Tak Matsumoto's latest album Strings Of My Soul is going to be released on June 20th, 2012. Tak's new album gives off a feeling that it is a best-of compilation as quite a few tracks have already been released on Tak's previous works.
A huge part of the album is made up of tracks from Tak's self-described solo magnum opus, Hana (2002). Tracks such as "Koi-Uta", "#1090 Sen Mu Ichiya", "Hana", "BLUE" ("Misudouji BLUE") and "Romeo & Juliet" are all from Hana, leaving it to account for five of the thirteen tracks from Strings Of My Soul.
While this may the vibe of a best-of compilation, all of the tracks on the album have been remixed and remastered. In addition, Grammy Award winner Paul Brown has been involved as producer, engineer, and mixer on a couple of tracks such as Tak's new song "Live Life". Tak's old friend Larry Carlton also makes an appearance on the track "SUKIYAKI" where the two play a cover together.
The album comes in two flavors: a CD-only edition and a limited CD+DVD version. The CD version will set you back 3,059 Yen while the CD+DVD version will cost you 3,780 Yen.
Pre-order:
CDJapan: [Regular Version] [CD+DVD Version]
Amazon(JP): [Regular Version] [CD+DVD Version]
HMV: [Regular Version] [CD+DVD Version]
See the track listing as well as the CD+DVD version content after the break.
It's been since Weekly #6 since we revisited MONSTER'S GARAGE, so let's see how things are going there now, shall we? This week, we have three especially hype performances in the opener of "ALL-OUT ATTACK", followed by the choreographed "MVP", and culminating in an epic performance of the standout B'z single "SPLASH!".
Expect another video next week, at around 6:00 PM EST!
[Notes on the songs included in this B'z Weekly release as well as the video itself can be found below]
At first, we weren't sure if we'd be able to get this release out in time today, but here it is: a "SURVIVE" special! All of the songs performed for today are from the band's 1997 album "SURVIVE" and it's all hard rock. If you've been waiting for a hard rock week, this is it! We have some especially hype videos planned for the upcoming weeks, so keep up!
Expect another video next week, at around 6:00 PM EST!
[Notes on the songs included in this B'z Weekly release as well as the video itself can be found below]
May 1st's morning papers are reporting a very interesting bit of news: K-Pop singer Kim Hyun-joong is going to collaborate with B'z on his new single "HEAT". Said single is going to be released on July 4th, 2012. Kim Hyun-joong became known as leader of the Korean boyband SS501 and has started a career as a solo artist last year, releasing his debut solo mini album Break Down on June 8, 2011.
As for the song itself, Tak provided the guitar work for the piece and Koshi provided the lyrics for the song. The two can even be heard on the track itself: Tak is supporting on guitar and Koshi is doing the vocals for the chorus!
This news has angered a considerable amount of Japanese B'z fans as they are disappointed by the band. If B'z was collaborate with another band, it should be a high profile one. B'z has played with Aerosmith, Linkin Park and Steve Vai in the past. Now a K-Pop singer? We'll see what else this year has in store for us!
Stay tuned!
UPDATE 5/1:
Apparently I have made a huge mistake here. I didn't think there would be a Kim Hyun-joong and a Kim Hyung Jun in the same boyband. And that there would be a difference. haha I apologize for the confusion this has caused.
This week we're covering even more classic territory with a subtitling of three songs from B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure'93 "JAP THE RIPPER", of which footage was utilized for the VHS and DVD release known as LIVE RIPPER on home video. Not only do we have a special performance of "GIMME YOUR LOVE" here, we also have the last tour for which "Kairaku no Heya" was performed and the only time it was included on a live B'z video release. The song hasn't been played live in the nearly twenty years since, so enjoy! Oh, and we also have "BLOWIN'", which you may have heard of...
Expect another video next week, at around 6:00 PM EST!
[Notes on the songs included in this B'z Weekly release as well as the video itself can be found below]
Today, we have a very special release to offer, and that is the finale to one of the absolute most pivotal B'z concerts in history: B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure'95 "BUZZ!!". When it was released on home video as "BUZZ!!" The Movie, it became a runaway success and became so synonymous with B'z LIVE-GYMs that a number of the performances featured in it were recreated almost verbatim for the band's 15th anniversary concert. The two songs we are featuring today are those that close out the concert, along with a special gem at the end that can only be heard in this home video release and nowhere else. In addition, this marks the only occasion that a performance of "ALONE" is on video, and that's likely because it would be hard to top. You get to see Koshi on piano here, so don't miss it!
Expect another video next week, at around 6:00 PM EST!
[Notes on the songs included in this B'z Weekly release as well as the video itself can be found below]
The ticket sale dates and prices for all venues have been announced, along with direct links to access them for when the time comes! Click on the venue of your interest to see further information!
* Means the price listed is the total price for the ticket for venues in which tickets are sold with a built-in fee.
There are also two presales that may be applicable for those interested in attending the New York and Los Angeles shows.
Presales for B'z at the Best Buy Theater in New York on September 30th
— American Express Customers Presale: Wed, May 23, 10:00 AM EDT ~ Fri, May 25, 10:00 AM EDT
Presales for B'z at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles on October 7th
— Citi Cardmember Presale: Fri, May 25, 10:00 AM PDT ~ Fri, May 25, 10:00 PM PDT
— Live Nation / Mobile App Presale: Fri, May 25, 10:00 AM PDT ~ Fri, May 25, 10:00 PM PDT
— Citi Cardmember Preferred Tickets: Sat, May 26, 10:00 AM PDT ~ Sat, June 9, 10:00 AM PDT
More than a year has passed since a very strong earthquake hit Japan. The resulting Tsunamis that hit the east coast of Japan caused the deaths of more than 10,000 people. But that is not all, the Tsunami that hit the coast of Japan destroyed the cooling systems of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which led to the most disastrous nuclear power incident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. The situation has still not been resolved although it's not that often on the news anymore.
B'z has been hard at work, trying to support the efforts to rebuild destroyed homes and provide supplies by donating 50 million yen in March 2011. Furthermore, during their tour in support of their latest album C'mon, fans in attendance were able to buy so-called "charity merchandise items" where 100% of the proceedings would go to charity. The band has announced on April 9, 2012 that they raised about 64,301,000 Yen which will be donated to Save the Children JAPAN as well as ChildFund JAPAN.
The band has also collaborated with Linkin Park on their Music for Relief project and decided to do a charity concert together in LA. Together, they were able to raise $357,000 for the people in Japan.
Check out the video after the break. Mike also explains how he got to know B'z.
This hasn't been posted on B'z Official Website yet, so this news is currently exclusive to B'z Party members. Good thing that I recently became one. B'z tour in support of their album C'mon entitled B'z LIVE-GYM 2011 -C'mon- will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 30th. Both editions will be priced at 6,300 Yen and will feature no additional content such as backstage footage. Runtime is approx. 150 minutes.
You can find the set list of the concert after the break.
