are a Japanese
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
duo, consisting of guitarist, composer and producer
Takahiro "Tak" Matsumoto and vocalist and lyricist
Koshi Inaba
(born September 23, 1964 in Tsuyama, Okayama) is a Japanese vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He is best known as the singer and lyricist of the rock duo B'z, the best-selling music act in their native Japan. He has also had a su ...
,
[ 佐伯明『B'z ウルトラクロニクル』ソニー・マガジンズ、2003年。][新型光]
B'zはなぜこれほど売れるのか ちょっと真面目に考えてみた
」 R25、2005年12月15日。(参照:2007年5月1日。) known for their energetic
hard rock tracks and
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
ballads.
B'z is one of
the best-selling music artists in the world and the
best-selling in their native Japan, having released 49 consecutive No. 1 singles, 25 No. 1 albums, 3 No. 1 EPs on the
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in ...
music charts and sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
In 2003
HMV Japan
Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom.
The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...
ranked them at number 30 on their list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts.
In 2007, B'z became the first music act from Asia to have their handprints and signatures put up in the
Hollywood's RockWalk.
In 2008 were awarded a ''
Guinness World Record'' for "Best selling album act in Japan", which also notes them to be the best selling act in Japan overall.
History
Early works (1988–1990)
![B'z logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/B%27z_logo.svg)
In the late 1980s,
Tak Matsumoto
is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist and main composer of the Rock music, rock duo B'z, the List of best-selling music artists in Japan, best-selling music act in their native Japan. He also ...
had been extremely busy as a guitarist with various recording sessions and live performances, including for
Tetsuya Komuro
is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...
's
TM Network
TM Network is a Japanese rock/new wave/pop musical band, made up by Tetsuya Komuro (keyboardist), Takashi Utsunomiya (vocalist) and Naoto Kine (guitarist). They became popular in Japan as the "futuristic pop songs with synthesizer" after the r ...
and
Mari Hamada
is a Japanese heavy metal and pop rock singer. Since her debut in 1983, Hamada has been known as the "Heavy Metal Queen" of Japan. Throughout her career, she has released 25 singles and 23 studio albums.
Biography Early history
Mari Ham ...
.
On 21 May 1988, Matsumoto released his first solo album, ''Thousand Wave'', with positive critical reception.
However, wanting to start a band he searched for band members, particularly a singer.
Eventually, through his management he listened to the demo tape of vocalist
Koshi Inaba
(born September 23, 1964 in Tsuyama, Okayama) is a Japanese vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He is best known as the singer and lyricist of the rock duo B'z, the best-selling music act in their native Japan. He has also had a su ...
in 1988, who would later form B'z with him.
At the first session they played
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
"
Let It Be" and "
Oh! Darling
"Oh! Darling" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, appearing as the fourth song on the 1969 album ''Abbey Road''. It was composed by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney). Its working title was "Oh! Darling (I'll Never Do Y ...
".
At the time, Japan's music scene was experiencing a band boom. With all the digital sounds in mainstream music,
the only sounds that Inaba and Matsumoto felt could not be expressed and replicated were the guitar and the human voice. As a result, they decided to keep it a two-man unit. On 21 September 1988, B'z made their debut with their first album, ''
B'z'', and single, "
Dakara Sono Te o Hanashite".
Their music was very much a product of its times, with synthesizers and
samplers sharing equal time with Matsumoto's guitar, producing an experimental sound, very different from their later well-known
hard rock sound.
Instead of immediately performing live after a debut album, as many Japanese bands were doing, B'z had a clear vision of how they wanted to perform and decided to wait until they had enough material to play live.
The two concentrated on recording, improving the quality of their music. Their efforts resulted in a second album, ''
Off the Lock
''Off The Lock'' is the 2nd studio album by the Japanese rock duo B'z.
The band's first-ever "Live Gym" tour was in support of this album, and despite them being relatively new, tickets were sold out, a taste of what was to come.
It was the se ...
'', released on 21 May 1989.
With this second album came their first series of live performances, known better to their fans as "Live-Gym".
"Live-Gym No. 00" started in
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...
, continued in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
, and finished in Tokyo. Tickets were sold out on the day they became available. On 21 October, their first mini-album (EP), ''
Bad Communication
''Bad Communication'' is the first mini-album by the Japanese rock duo B'z, released in 1989. The song was the first hit song for B'z. The album also includes the band's first two "E-Style" versions of previous hits—in this case "Out of the Ra ...
'' was released.
The title track was a blend of
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
and
dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...
, and is still a classic played during their "Live-Gyms". It charted for 163 weeks on the Oricon Charts.
Their first nationwide tour, ''B'z Live-Gym No. 001'', covered 16 shows around Japan.
On 21 February 1990, their third album ''
Break Through'' was released.
It charted at No. 3 on the
Oricon Albums Chart. To promote it, they started a tour with 22 shows nationwide. Their single "
Taiyō no Komachi Angel
is the fifth single by B'z, released on June 13, 1990. The song became the band's first single to reach #1, selling over 463,000 copies in Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that s ...
", was released on 13 June and peaked at No. 1 on the
Oricon Singles Chart. Every single since that release has debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon charts.
The following ''
Wicked Beat'', their second mini album, was released on 21 June. It also reached No. 3 on the charts. Like the band's other releases, it became commercially successful (reaching one million certifications) retroactively between 1990 and 1991.
Their fourth album, ''
Risky'', was released on 7 November, and was their first album to top the charts. It was the beginning of a steady shift in the duo's style from pop rock to 80's hard rock.
Their "Risky" tour, with 49 performances, also started in November. Their first
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
, ''
Film Risky
''Film Risky'' is the first music video compilation by Japanese rock duo B'z. To date, it is also the only music video collection released by the band, as well as their only video offering not available on DVD.
The majority of the album's video ...
'', was recorded in New York City and London in four weeks, and was released on 16 December. With a barrage of releases, 1990 came to be the busiest year for B'z.
Transitioning into hard rock (1991–1992)
The third mini album, ''
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
'' 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
''In the Life'' was a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) television newsmagazine, broadcast on public television and produced by In The Life Media. It was created in 1991 by the Emmy Award-winning producer John Scagliotti. Premiering o ...
'', on 27 November.
The release of the album marked B'z shying away from their advanced digital sounds and more towards rock.
Their first live video, "
Just Another Life
''Just Another Life'' is the first live VHS released by Japanese rock duo B'z. It features live footage of the band's early hits.
The concert is the first official "Live Gym" release, although it would take several releases before the "Live Gym ...
" was out on 11 December. For promotion, B'z also embarked on their "In the Life '91–'92" tour, with 66 performances in total. The tour started in December and managed to flow into 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 took place with 12 performances in 3 major cities. The arena-class tour had amazing features such as a huge lighting set, called the "Starfish", and seats that rotated 360 degrees. 28 October marked the release of their sixth album, ''
Run'',
and proved to be even 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)
In early 1993, the Run tour concluded after 49 performances in 21 locations. In March was released their twelfth and best-selling single "
Ai no mama ni Wagamama ni Boku wa Kimi dake o Kizutsukenai", certified double-million by
RIAJ in 2003.
Then they held an open-air concert for the first time, called "Jap the Ripper". The show took place in Bentenjima of
Hamamatsu-city,
Shizuoka
Shizuoka can refer to:
* Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture
* Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture
* Shizuoka Airport
* Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain, a predecessor of Shizuoka Prefecture
...
on 31 July and 1 August. The successful event gathered fifty thousand people per day, totaling 100,000 people in the end. Following this, B'z concentrated on recording once again, this time, producing a two-disc seventh album, ''
The 7th Blues
''The 7th Blues'' is the seventh album released by Japanese hard rock band B'z, released on March 2, 1994.
Album information
The 7th Blues was released as a double album in March 1994 after their successful "PLEASURE LIVE-GYM '93 - JAP THE RIPPE ...
''. The album title not only came from it being their seventh album, but also after the
seventh chord
A seventh chord is a chord consisting of a triad plus a note forming an interval of a seventh above the chord's root. When not otherwise specified, a "seventh chord" usually means a dominant seventh chord: a major triad together with a mi ...
, 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.
It included hit singles "
Don't Leave Me" and "
Lady Navigation".
On 9 February 1994, the "B'z Live-Gym '94—The 9th Blues" tour started. The tour became their longest and biggest tour thus far, managing 87 performances in the year. During the tour, the album, ''The 7th Blues'', was released on 2 March. The tour finished in
Sapporo
( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...
's
Tsukisamu Green Dome on 24 December. This album was a kind of "fans trap" because they made it to "clean" their fandom and just keep the rock and blues-loving people with them.
Adopting pop and temporary hiatus (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
Loose may refer to:
Places
* Loose, Germany
* Loose, Kent, a parish and village in southeast England
People
* Loose (surname)
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums
* ''Loose'' (B'z album), a 1995 album by B'z
* ''Loose'' (Crazy Horse album ...
'', 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 at the time.
The B'z Live-Gym '96 "Spirit Loose" tour, started on 15 March 1996 and held 44 performances in 21 locations. The show opened featuring a short B'z action movie, shot in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. A short while afterward, B'z released their 6th mini-album titled ''
Friends II'' on 25 November. The album displayed more of an adult-oriented rock.
During a short hiatus, in 1997 Inaba's released debut solo album, ''Magma'', writing all the music and lyrics. The album, which topped the Oricon charts,
showcased another side of him, different from that of his usual image in B'z.
In March, the dome tour "Pleasure '97 Fireball" consisted of 9 performances in 5 locations. Tickets for each dome, which have a capacity of about 30 to 50 thousand people each, were all sold out. The tour included stops at Tokyo (3 nights), Nagoya, Osaka,
Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...
, and
Maebashi
is the capital city of Gunma Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 335,352 in 151,171 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It ...
, all being successful. On 19 November, their ninth studio album ''
Survive'' showcased yet another new direction in sound and style.
B'z's first promotional effort for the album included performances in concert halls in
Akita
is a Japanese name and may refer to:
Places
* 8182 Akita, a main-belt asteroid
* Akita Castle, a Nara period fortified settlement in Akita, Japan
* Akita Domain, also known as Kubota Domain, feudal domain in Edo period Japan
* Akita, Kumamoto ...
,
Hakodate
is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households, and a population density of 412.8 ...
,
Kōchi,
Shiga
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 (1 October 2015) and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to the nort ...
, and
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan.
It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...
, before plunging into the main tour. "B'z Live-Gym '98 Survive" started on 24 January 1998. On 20 May, B'z released their first official compilation album, ''
B'z The Best "Pleasure"'', which also marked their 10th year since debuting. Every song included in this album was a huge hit and was highly acclaimed as it was the first Japanese album to sell more than 5 million copies, which achieved by the end of the year.
On 6 June, the "Survive" tour had successfully ended. In the mid-1998, B'z entered a period of both rest and recording. During the period, on 20 September, their second best-of album, ''
B'z The Best "Treasure"'' was released, selling almost 4.5 million copies until the end of the year.
Returning to the music scene (1999–2000)
B'z started off the year of 1999 by busily promoting their recent singles and their tenth studio album ''
Brotherhood
Brotherhood or The Brotherhood may refer to:
Family, relationships, and organizations
* Fraternity (philosophy) or brotherhood, an ethical relationship between people, which is based on love and solidarity
* Fraternity or brotherhood, a mal ...
'', which was released on 14 July. It is considered their heaviest rock album at that point.
The album's track "
Giri Giri Chop
"Giri Giri Chop" is the twenty-sixth single by B'z, released on June 9, 1999. This song is one of B'z many number-one singles in Oricon chart. "Giri Giri Chop" was used as the sixth opening song for ''Detective Conan'' and the song "One" was also u ...
(Version 51)" was recorded by the support of
Mr. Big drummer
Pat Torpey
Patrick Allan Torpey (December 13, 1953 – February 7, 2018) was an American drummer and singer, best known as the drummer and backing vocalist for the rock band Mr. Big. As well as playing for other various singers and artists such as; John ...
and its bassist
Billy Sheehan
William Sheehan (born March 19, 1953) is an American musician. He is best known for playing the bass guitar with acts such as Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Niacin, and The Winery Dogs. He is also known for his "lead bass" playing ...
. In July, another dome-class tour began starting in
Sapporo
( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...
. The title of the tour, ''B'z Live-Gym '99 "Brotherhood"'' included 14 performances in 7 locations. They did away with extra stage acts and concentrated on their musical performance, playing songs from the new album and many hits from the past. On 28 August and 29, they played in the
Yokohama International Stadium
, also known as , is a multi-purpose stadium in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, which opened in March 1998. It is the home stadium of Yokohama F. Marinos of the J1 League.
International Stadium Yokohama had the highest seating capac ...
. B'z concert was the first to be held in this stadium and gathered a stunning 140,000 people in just two days. Although the second day at Yokohama experienced heavy rain, the tour ended successfully. Shortly afterward, B'z started recording again and continued to do so throughout the rest of the year without rest.
On 23 February 2000, they released the album ''
B'z The "Mixture"
''B'z The "Mixture"'' is a compilation album of remastered hits by the Japanese rock duo B'z. The album reached 1st at Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics a ...
'', 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
Toyama may refer to:
Places and organizations
* Toyama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on the main Honshu island
* Toyama, Toyama, the capital city of Toyama Prefecture
* Toyama Station, the main station of Toyama, ...
, 30 May. The tour totaled 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
Juice is a drink made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat or seafood, such as ...
" was supported by drummer
Brian Tichy
Brian Tichy (born August 18, 1968) is an American musician, best known as having been the drummer for Whitesnake, Billy Idol, Foreigner, Sass Jordan, and Ozzy Osbourne. He was the drummer of Whitesnake from 2010 to 2013. His surname means ''si ...
.
When they released "Juice", on 12 July, the duo set a Japanese record of marking No.1 in the first week, making it their 25th No. 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.
B'z finished their work in 2000 with the appearance on the TV show
Music Station
is a Japanese music television program. Broadcasting live weekly on TV Asahi since October 24, 1986, it currently airs from 9PM-10PM on Fridays. The program is also colloquially known as , , and . The show is currently syndicated throughout th ...
Special and would start the rehearsal for the tour "B'z Live-Gym 2001 -Eleven-" which kicked off on 26 February, in the following year.
Induction into Hollywood's RockWalk (2001–2007)
On 26 February 2001, "B'z Live-Gym 2001 -Eleven-" kicked off at Ehime Kenmin Bunka Kaikan. Most of the shows were exclusive to fan club members. In March was released popular thirty-first single "
Ultra Soul".
After the
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
shows on 27 and 28 June, B'z traveled abroad. They officially released their CDs in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
and
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
and after having Live-Gym that year, they made a promotion trip for the first time there.
"B'z Live-Gym 2001 -Eleven-" had 46 shows in 19 locations and 600,000 attendees. After the Eleven tour, B'z prepared for their first Asian tour, which included "B'z Live-Gym in Taipei 2001" and "B'z Live-Gym in Hong Kong 2001".
While B'z started recording as soon as the year 2002 started, Tak finished his solo albums. which were released simultaneously: ''Dragon From The West'' which consists of hard rock tunes, and ''Hana'', which includes more melodic and Asian-influenced tunes. B'z finished their recording in the middle of May, and started rehearsal in Tokyo for the Live-Gym tour that year, as well as performing with
Aerosmith on the stage of
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
Korea/Japan Official Concert International Day, at
Tokyo Stadium
, also known as Tokyo Stadium in AFC Champions League, is a multi-purpose stadium in Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan. The stadium was founded at Kantō Mura, the redevelopment area formerly used by United States Forces Japan, in March 2001. It was the fi ...
on 27 June.
On 3 July, ''
Green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combi ...
'' was released,
and there was a supporting tour. The tour began in
Saitama Super Arena
is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It opened preliminarily on May 5, 2000, and then was officially opened on September 1 of the same year. Its maximum spectator capacity is 36,500, making i ...
on 8 July and ended at
Osaka Dome
The (official name: ) is a baseball stadium located in Osaka, Osaka, Japan. Opened in 1997, the stadium was the home field of the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes. In 2005, the stadium became one of the homes of the Orix Buffaloes, a result of the me ...
on 9 September, encompassing 700,000 attendees, 14 shows, and 11 cities. The live band was rounded out by bassist
Billy Sheehan
William Sheehan (born March 19, 1953) is an American musician. He is best known for playing the bass guitar with acts such as Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Niacin, and The Winery Dogs. He is also known for his "lead bass" playing ...
and Canadian drummer
Shane Gaalaas
Shane Gaalaas (born August 8, 1967) is a Canadian-born drummer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter best known for his long running affiliation with Japanese rock superstars B'z, whom he joined in 2002, and his extensive work with guitar virtuos ...
.
In September, after the last show at Osaka, B'z had their first US tour starting in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
at Canes on 22 September and The Palace in Los Angeles on 24 September. On 27 November, a live video ''
A Beautiful Reel'' was released in addition to "B'z Live-Gym 2002 Green ~Go★Fight★Win~", which packaged everything that happened on the Green tour. It also contained a second disc with material from "Live-Gym 2002 Rock n' California Roll". On 11 December, their first ballad compilation album ''
The Ballads ~Love & B'z~'' was released, with a similar flow as ''Friends''.
The year 2003 marked their 15th anniversary,
and the two started recording from the beginning of the year, traveling to the United States in February for additional recording. Along with continuous releases, the tour "B'z Live-Gym The Final Pleasure "It's Showtime!!"" started in July. The tour "Pleasure" series started since '91 would end this year. The tour kicked off 3 July at Hakodate Shimin Kaikan and finished at Nagisa-en on 21 September, which was ironically the day of their debut, having a total of 23 shows altogether. As it has been 10 years since B'z had performed at Nagisa-en since their 1993 performance of "B'z Live-Gym Pleasure '93 "Jap the Ripper"", it gathered 100,000 audiences for two days. Even though the shows were hit by
typhoon
A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
and it rained very hard, it managed to still attract thousands of audience.
After the Nagisa-en performance, B'z flew to the U.S. The tour "B'z Live-Gym 2003 Banzai in North America" concluded with 7 shows including
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, Los Angeles,
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
,
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
,
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
. 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". It was a dome tour in 6 locations, from Saitama Super Arena to
Tokyo Dome
is an indoor stadium in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium. Construction on the stadium began on May 16, 1985, and it opened on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of th ...
in December. The compilation cover album ''The Hit Parade'' with various vocalist was released on 26 November.
Kicking off 2004, B'z went back to the studio to begin recording again. 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, they worked mainly on their solo projects. Soon after finishing each solo tour, they began recording together again. On 6 April 2005, B'z released their fourteenth album ''
The Circle''. For the album's recording, the duo was particularly worried about its live sound. For promotional activities, B'z started the tour "B'z Live-Gym 2005 "Circle of Rock"" that ran from April to September, totaling 27 shows in 41 locations. On 1 August, their box set ''
The Complete B'z'' was digitally released only for the Japanese
iTunes Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
. 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. B'z kicked off the tour "B'z Live-Gym 2006 "Monster's Garage"" from Amami Bunka Center on 2 July, having 17 shows in all, including 5 big domes in 11 locations and 450,000 audience members altogether. By the end of 2007, more precisely on 5 December, B’z released their sixteenth album, ''
Action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
''. The drum parts of their two singles from ''Action'', "
Eien no Tsubasa" and "
Super Love Song
"Super Love Song" is the forty-fourth single by B'z, released on October 3, 2007. The song peaked at number one on the Oricon Charts, and is B'z 40th consecutive number one single, with 180,650 sales. The following week it dropped to #3. The B ...
", were recorded by drummers
Josh Freese and
Jeremy Colson
Steven Siro Vai (; born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a transcriptionist for ...
respectively.
On 19 November 2007, B'z was inducted into
Hollywood's RockWalk as the first Asian inductee in
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, United States. They were recommended by
Steve Vai
Steven Siro Vai (; born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a transcriptionist f ...
with whom they collaborated in 1999 (on ''
The Ultra Zone
''The Ultra Zone'' is the sixth studio album by guitarist Steve Vai, released on September 7, 1999 through Epic Records.
''The Ultra Zone'' is structurally similar to Vai's previous album, '' Fire Garden'', in that the first half of the album c ...
''), as well supported him during the 2007 tour in Japan.
20th anniversary (2008–2009)
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-
"Burn: Fumetsu no Face" is the forty-fifth single by B'z, released on April 16, 2008. The song was used in a commercial for the Kose Esprique Precious company. This is one of the many number-one singles by B'z at Oricon Singles Chart, as well fi ...
", which became their forty-first consecutive No. 1 single. The year also marked the twentieth anniversary of the band. To commemorate the occasion, the "B'z 20" campaign was launched that saw two further compilation albums; ''
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, while ''
B'z The Best "Ultra Treasure"
B'z The Best "Ultra Treasure" is a compilation album by the Japanese hard rock duo B'z. It was released on September 17, 2008, and it is part of their 20th anniversary celebration. The album track listing was decided by fans who voted on a pol ...
'' was released on 17 September 2008, which 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.
On January 25, 2008, B'z performed only the latest of its "Showcase" series, which are generally small-venue performances of older album songs and the more obscure
B-side that are mostly unsuitable for the larger arena concerts. Following this, B'z immediately embarked on their eight-month "
Action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
" tour that saw them perform all over Japan. Afterward, they segued into their 2008 Pleasure tour, titled "Glory Days". Throughout the month of September, B'z performed for hundreds of thousands of fans in nine performances across three cities. The special tour ended on September 21 at
Nissan Stadium, 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-
''B'z Live-Gym Pleasure 2008 -Glory Days-'' is the nineteenth live DVD released by Japanese rock duo B'z, on February 25, 2009.
Track listing
# BAD COMMUNICATION
# ultra soul
# Hadashi no Megami
# Blowin'
# Negai
# Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ...
''.
![Shibuya Scramble Crossway](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Shibuya_Scramble_Crossway.jpg)
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
Chad Gaylord Smith (born October 25, 1961) is an American musician who has been the drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Smith is also the drummer of the ...
.
The non full-track
ringtone downloads (''Chaku Uta'') of "Ichibu to Zenbu" began on July 13, 2009, and the full-track ringtone downloads (''Chaku Uta Full'') of the song also began on August 26, 2009.
For its strong download sales in August and September on Recochoku, the song served 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
() is a Japanese telecommunications operator formed on October 1, 2000 through the merger of DDI Corp. (Daini-Denden Inc.), KDD (Kokusai Denshin Denwa) Corp. (itself a former listed state-owned enterprise privatized in 1998), and IDO Corp. It ...
also announced that "Ichibu to Zenbu" was awarded the "Utatomo Award" of September 2009 for the sales on "Utatomo" via
au's
LISMO
LISMO is an online music service provided by au, a Japanese mobile phone brand run by KDDI, a Japanese telecommunication company. This service uses a mobile phone as a music player. This service was introduced on January 19, 2006, and the servic ...
. The second release was the single "
My Lonely Town
"My Lonely Town" is the forty-seventh single by B'z, released on October 14, 2009. The single features an original song and a ballad version of the previous single as b-sides. In addition, the single was also released in a limited edition, coming ...
", with 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
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
'', released on November 18, 2009. On December 10, 2009, it was announced that their single "Ichibu to Zenbu/Dive" won the "Hot 100 of the Year" award at the
Billboard Japan Music Awards
''Billboard Japan'' Music Awards are an annual set of music awards, founded by ''Billboard Japan
''Billboard Japan'' is a sister organization of the U.S.-based music magazine '' Billboard''. It is operated by the Japanese Osaka-based company Hans ...
.
30th anniversary (2010–present)
After the "B'z Live-Gym 2010 "Ain't No Magic" Tour", they began their solo activities each and did not release any single as a duo in 2010. Matsumoto released the album ''
Take Your Pick
''Take Your Pick!'' is a United Kingdom game show originally broadcast by Radio Luxembourg starting in 1952. The show was transferred to television in 1955 with the launch of ITV, where it continued until 1968. It was the first game show broa ...
'' with
Larry Carlton on June 2, 2010. Inaba's solo studio album ''Hadou'' was also released on August 18, 2010, debuting at number one on the Oricon album charts. ''Take Your Pick'' won the
Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album at the
53rd Grammy Awards
The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights pri ...
on February 13, 2011.
In 2011, they came back as B'z with the forty-eighth single "
Sayonara Kizu Darake no Hibi yo", which is written and used as a commercial song for Pepsi NEX. They have released their eighteenth studio album ''
C'mon'' on July 27, 2011, which featured forty-ninth single "
Don't Wanna Lie". "Don't Wanna Lie" is the theme song used for ''
Detective Conan: Quarter of Silence''. In summer 2011, B'z continued their live-gym tour with additional stops in North America: Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles. Their fourth North American tour has been confirmed for San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Silver Spring, New York City, and Los Angeles in 2012,
almost selling out the
Universal Amphitheatre. B'z shared their first English language songs with American audiences on their North American tour. Matsumoto explained, "This will be our fourth U.S. tour. We love playing for American audiences, and are excited to share our first English-language release with our fans". In anticipation of their upcoming American tour, the band released a five-song mini-album, titled ''
B'z'', featuring five re-recorded English versions of various hits such as "Juice", "Ultra Soul" and "
Splash", and "
Into Free-Dangan-" released as a digital single.
The songs were co-selected by their drummer
Shane Gaalaas
Shane Gaalaas (born August 8, 1967) is a Canadian-born drummer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter best known for his long running affiliation with Japanese rock superstars B'z, whom he joined in 2002, and his extensive work with guitar virtuos ...
.
The album is available internationally through the
iTunes Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
and was released on July 25, 2012.
In the same year was released their fifth single "
Go for It, Baby (Kioku no Sanmyaku)".
In 2013, the group was the third artist by total sales revenue in Japan with ¥5.379 billion. In 2015, was released the nineteenth studio album ''
Epic Day'', as well singles "
Uchōten" and "
Red
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
". In August 2017, the band released ''B'z Complete Single Box Set'', and although being a high-priced limited edition it managed to chart in the Top 10. B'z released their 53rd single "
Seimei/Still Alive" in June, and it is their 49th single to top the Oricon charts. Their 20th studio album, ''
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
'', was released in November 2017, followed by a tour to celebrate their upcoming 30th anniversary in 2018. According to Oricon, it is their 28 album to top the music charts. To commemorate the 30th anniversary, in 2018 was held a large exhibition between April and June at
Yūrakuchō
is a business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, situated in between the Ginza and Hibiya Park, southeast of the Tokyo Imperial Palace. The district takes its name from Oda Nagamasu (1547–1622), who was also known as Yūraku (有楽). Oda Naga ...
Infos building in Tokyo's
,
its music documentary ''B'z 30th Year Exhibition "Scenes" 1988-2018'' screened in theatres nationwide, 20 studio albums mastered for release as LPs, and was released commemorative book ''B'z The Chronicle''.
In July, was released home video ''B'z Live-Gym 2017-2018 "Live Dinosaur"'' which topped both DVD and Blue-ray charts, selling over 90 thousand copies in the first week. Their new track "Tsuwamono, Hashiru" was used for TV commercial of
2019 Rugby World Cup
The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match ...
which will be held in Japan.
On April 10, 2019, the band announced their long-awaited follow-up to ''Dinosaur,'' ''
New Love
"New Love" is the debut single by English singer Dua Lipa from her self-titled debut studio album (2017). It was written by Lipa and its producers Emile Haynie and Andrew Wyatt about the singer's struggle to find her place in the music indu ...
.'' The album was released on May 29, 2019 and features new backing band members who made their debut on that year's Whole Lotta New Love tour, as well as a guest appearance by
Aerosmith's
Joe Perry.
During the 2020 pandemic, B'z made their entire Live Gym catalog available to watch on YouTube for free, including their most recent one, ''Whole Lotta New Love.''
B'z covered "Sexual Violet No. 1" by Masahiro Kuwana for 2021's ''Take Me to Kazemachi!'', a tribute album to the song's lyricist
Takashi Matsumoto.
In May of 2021, the majority of the B'z catalog was made available on online music services such as
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
and
Apple Music
Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...
worldwide, including for the first time, in the United States. Previously, only the band's 2007 and 2012 self-titled EPs were available on Apple Music in the US, but currently only the latter is available.
Music style
The band's music is composed by guitarist
Tak Matsumoto
is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist and main composer of the Rock music, rock duo B'z, the List of best-selling music artists in Japan, best-selling music act in their native Japan. He also ...
, while the lyrics are written by vocalist
Koshi Inaba
(born September 23, 1964 in Tsuyama, Okayama) is a Japanese vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He is best known as the singer and lyricist of the rock duo B'z, the best-selling music act in their native Japan. He has also had a su ...
.
The band experimented with its style, "going from
dance-rock
Dance-rock is a dance-infused genre of rock music. It is a post-disco genre connected with pop rock and post-punk with fewer rhythm and blues influences. It originated in the early 1980s, following the decline in popularity of both punk and disc ...
to
hard rock to
blues to
J-pop
J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the ...
and back" according to
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
.
It has also been described as an "ultra-commercial blend of hard rock, blues, and synthesizer pop".
Despite frequent changes in musical style during the first 13 years, they didn't lose any support.
In the review of their best-selling album ''
B'z The Best "Ultra Pleasure"'', Adam Greenberg of AllMusic notes that they "had some criticism as being more of a pop band with a rock tinge than a full-fledged rock band", but throughout their career they show strong rock elements including "'80s-styled extended electric guitar solo" and "blues-based rock" with various Western rock influences combined with their distinctive style. Compared to other two big Japanese rock bands,
Mr. Children
, commonly referred to by their contracted nickname , are a Japanese pop rock band formed in 1989. Consisting of Kazutoshi Sakurai, Kenichi Tahara, Keisuke Nakagawa, and Hideya Suzuki, they made their major label debut in 1992. They are one of t ...
and
Glay
Glay (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese rock band, formed in Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan, in 1988. Glay primarily composes songs in the rock and pop genres, but they have also arranged songs using elements from a wide variety of genres, includ ...
, while the sound of the first can be described as "soft", the other two are "fast and rocking". On ''
Magic
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
'' (2009), for example, they have combined "happy-go-lucky moods and hard rock aesthetics", but instead to sound like Western
glam metal
Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam ...
it's more similar to Japanese
visual kei
is a movement among Japanese musicians that is characterized by the use of varying levels of make-up, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics, similar to Western glam rock.
Some ...
sound, indicating their influence on that movement and bands like
L'Arc-en-Ciel
L'Arc-en-Ciel ( French: 'The Rainbow', stylized as L'Arc~en~Ciel), also known as Laruku, is a Japanese rock band, formed in Osaka in 1991 by bassist tetsuya and vocalist hyde. Following the departure of original members hiro and pero, guitaris ...
as well.
Greenberg in the review of "
Ichibu to Zenbu/Dive", argued that most of their work has a "somewhat disjointed structure", "creative vocal descents and cascades", and "riff-heavy guitars".
Marty Friedman
Marty Friedman (born December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for thrash metal band Megadeth from 1990 to 2000. He is also known for playing alongside Jason Becker in Cacophony from 1986 unti ...
compared them to
Aerosmith, but stated to prefer more B'z because of Inaba's type of voice and high vocal technique, and Matsumoto's personality while playing the guitar solo. Matsumoto's guitar skills have been praised to suits the "top guitar master in Asia", with "fretboard histrionics" and "great sense of riff".
Influence and legacy
It is considered that Matsumoto's guitar style has been influenced by the hard rock sound of
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
and
Deep Purple, while Inaba who was interested in rock music since elementary school also listened to
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
,
Loudness
In acoustics, loudness is the subjective perception of sound pressure. More formally, it is defined as, "That attribute of auditory sensation in terms of which sounds can be ordered on a scale extending from quiet to loud". The relation of ph ...
,
Aerosmith and others.
In 2003,
HMV Japan
Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom.
The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...
ranked the band at number 30 on their list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts.
In 2007, B'z became the first music act from Asia to have their handprints and signatures put up in the
Hollywood's RockWalk.
By
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
are considered as the "biggest rock act in Japan and the entirety of Asia",
while the popular music historian Norman Abjorensen described them as one of the most notable
J-pop
J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the ...
music acts who achieved Asian and global fame.
Matsumoto through his B'z fame is also credited for "resurrection and reinvention of the Japanese guitar hero", alongside and in comparison to
X Japan
was a Japanese rock band from Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer and pianist Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power/speed metal band with heavy symphonic elements, they later gravitated towards a progressive soun ...
's guitarist
Hide for a model of guitarist more interested in technique, technology and equipment, popularising the electric guitar as a mass media product in Japan.
He also has
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:
People
* Gibson (surname)
Businesses
* Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment
* Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based
* Gi ...
signature models.
In the Oricon's yearly poll of 20,000 people for "Favorite Artist Ranking" which has started since 2004 they were regularly placed among the most popular music artists, in recent years ranked as 4th (2015, 2016, 2017). In 2015 survey by Oricon about the favorite song to relief stress their song "
Ultra Soul" was ranked as second.
Awards and achievements
In 2015 were reported certified sales of 35,809,000 single copies, for which held the first place until December 2015. In 2017 were reported certified sales of 46,576,000 album copies, for which still hold the first place, and with joint sales of more than 82 million certified records are ranked as the best selling music act in Japan.
In 2008, for their 20th anniversary were awarded a ''
Guinness World Record'' for "Best selling album act in Japan", which also notes them to be the best selling act in Japan overall.
Their albums have 25 Platinum and 31 Million physical certifications, singles have 9 Gold, 33 Platinum, and 20 Million physical certifications, while home videos have 11 Gold physical certifications by the
Recording Industry Association of Japan
The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969.
The RIAJ's activities include pr ...
. The compilation album ''
B'z The Best "Pleasure"'' (1998) was the first Japanese album to sell more than 5 million copies, which has achieved by the end of 1998, however it was surpassed by
Hikaru Utada's ''
First Love
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
'' in 1999.
Other sales records held by B'z in May 2018 include "the most number one singles (49), most consecutive number one singles (49), longest streak of number one singles (49), total weeks singles were at number one (66), longest consecutive period with a single at number one (20 Years), most singles in the top 10 concurrently (9), the most million-selling albums (19), most number-one albums (26), and the only artist in history to lead all six major categories tracked by Oricon" among others, including total CD shipment of over 100 million copies and other about home videos. During the week of 12 April 2003, they held eleven positions in the top twelve on the
Oricon Singles Chart, except the second position.
In 1999, at
World Music Awards
The World Music Awards is an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event is based in Monte Carlo. Awards are presented to the world' ...
won the award for "World's Best Selling Japanese Artist of the Year". At the WMA they received several nominations, including "World's Best Live Act" and "World's Best Group" in 2013.
Discography
*''
B'z'' (1988)
*''
Off the Lock
''Off The Lock'' is the 2nd studio album by the Japanese rock duo B'z.
The band's first-ever "Live Gym" tour was in support of this album, and despite them being relatively new, tickets were sold out, a taste of what was to come.
It was the se ...
'' (1989)
*''
Break Through'' (1990)
*''
Risky'' (1990)
*''
In the Life
''In the Life'' was a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) television newsmagazine, broadcast on public television and produced by In The Life Media. It was created in 1991 by the Emmy Award-winning producer John Scagliotti. Premiering o ...
'' (1991)
*''
Run'' (1992)
*''
The 7th Blues
''The 7th Blues'' is the seventh album released by Japanese hard rock band B'z, released on March 2, 1994.
Album information
The 7th Blues was released as a double album in March 1994 after their successful "PLEASURE LIVE-GYM '93 - JAP THE RIPPE ...
'' (1994)
*''
Loose
Loose may refer to:
Places
* Loose, Germany
* Loose, Kent, a parish and village in southeast England
People
* Loose (surname)
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums
* ''Loose'' (B'z album), a 1995 album by B'z
* ''Loose'' (Crazy Horse album ...
'' (1995)
*''
Survive'' (1997)
*''
Brotherhood
Brotherhood or The Brotherhood may refer to:
Family, relationships, and organizations
* Fraternity (philosophy) or brotherhood, an ethical relationship between people, which is based on love and solidarity
* Fraternity or brotherhood, a mal ...
'' (1999)
*''
Eleven'' (2000)
*''
Green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combi ...
'' (2002)
*''
Big Machine'' (2003)
*''
The Circle'' (2005)
*''
Monster'' (2006)
*''
Action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
'' (2007)
*''
Magic
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
'' (2009)
*''
C'mon'' (2011)
*''
Epic Day'' (2015)
*''
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
'' (2017)
*''
New Love
"New Love" is the debut single by English singer Dua Lipa from her self-titled debut studio album (2017). It was written by Lipa and its producers Emile Haynie and Andrew Wyatt about the singer's struggle to find her place in the music indu ...
'' (2019)
*''Highway X'' (2022)
Bibliography
* ''Brotherhood''
* ''Eleven''
* ''Survive''
* ''B'z The Best "Pleasure"''
* ''B'z The Best "Treasure"''
* ''B'z The "Mixture"''
* ''Green''
* ''西辺来龍 – Dragon From The West''
* ''Live -on- 1988~2003''
* ''Big Machine''
* ''The Circle''
* ''B'z The Best "Pleasure II"''
* ''Monster''
Tours
* Live-Gym No. 00 (1989)
* Live-Gym No. 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
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
2001 / Live-Gym in Hong Kong 2001
* Live-Gym 2002 "Green ~Go★Fight★Win~"
* Live-Gym 2002 "Rock n' California Roll"
** 22 September – Canes Bar & Grill:
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
** 24 September – The Palace: California
* Live-Gym 2003 The Final Pleasure "It's Showtime!!"
* Live-Gym 2003 Banzai in North America
** 12 October –
House of Blues
House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at Ha ...
:
Paradise, Nevada
** 14 October – House of Blues: Los Angeles, California
** 15 October – House of Blues: Los Angeles, California
** 18 October – The Fillmore:
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, Canada
** 19 October – The Fillmore: San Francisco, California
** 21 October – Showbox:
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
** 23 October – Commodore Ballroom:
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, British Columbia, Canada
* Live-Gym 2003 "Big Machine"
* Live-Gym 2005 "Circle of Rock"
* Live-Gym 2006 "Monster's Garage"
* B'z Showcase 2007
**The showcase 2007 is an unofficial tour. 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-
** 6 September –
Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium
is a multi-purpose stadium in Kobe Sports Park, located in Suma-ku, Kobe, Japan. It is currently used mostly for soccer matches. The stadium holds 36,000 people. It was built in 1985 for the 1985 Summer Universiade. It hosted the 2006 61s ...
:
Kobe,
Hyōgo Prefecture
** 7 September – Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium: Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture
** 13 September –
Toyota Stadium:
Toyota
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
,
Aichi Prefecture
** 14 September – Toyota Stadium: Toyota, Aichi Prefecture
** 20 September –
International Stadium Yokohama
, also known as , is a multi-purpose stadium in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, which opened in March 1998. It is the home stadium of Yokohama F. Marinos of the J1 League.
International Stadium Yokohama had the highest seating capac ...
:
Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...
,
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanag ...
** 21 September – International Stadium Yokohama: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
* Live-Gym 2010 "Ain't No Magic"
* Live-Gym 2011 -Long Time No See-
** 20 July –
Vogue Theatre
Vogue Theatre is an Art Deco/Art Moderne styled building originally built as a movie house, and currently used as an event venue for the performing arts. Situated on Vancouver’s “ Theatre Row", the building was designated as a National Hist ...
: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
** 22 July –
The Fillmore
The Fillmore is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California.
Built in 1912 and originally named the Majestic Hall, it became the Fillmore Auditorium in 1954. It is in Western Addition, on the edge of the Fillmore District and Upper Fillm ...
: San Francisco, California
** 24 July –
Club Nokia
Club Nokia was a mobile internet digital distribution portal, similar to an App Store, operated by Nokia to provide special offers, paid-for ringtones, picture messages and game content directly to members. Following resistance from its mobile ope ...
: Los Angeles, California
* Live-Gym 2011 -C'mon-
* Live-Gym 2012 -Into Free-
** 17 September –
The Warfield
The Warfield Theatre, colloquially referred to as The Warfield, is a 2,300-seat music venue located in San Francisco, California. It was built as a vaudeville theater and opened as the '' Loews Warfield'' on May 13, 1922.
History
In the 1920s, T ...
: San Francisco, California
** 19 September –
The Showbox SODO: Seattle, Washington
** 20 September – Orpheum Theatre: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
** 26 September –
Sound Academy
Rebel (originally the Docks Nightclub & Concert Theater and then Sound Academy) is a nightclub and concert venue located on the Polson Pier in Toronto, Canada. Relaunched in October 2016 as Rebel Night Club, the complex is on the edge of Lake Onta ...
: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
** 28 September – The Fillmore: Silver Spring, Maryland
** 30 September –
Best Buy Theater: New York
** 7 October –
Gibson Amphitheatre
Universal Amphitheatre (later known as Gibson Amphitheatre) was an indoor amphitheatre located in Los Angeles, California within Universal City. It was built as an outdoor venue, opening in the summer of 1972 with a production of ''Jesus Christ ...
: Los Angeles, California
* Live-Gym 2012 -Into Free Extra-
* Live-Gym Pleasure 2013 -Endless Summer-
* Live-Gym 2015 "Epic Night"
* B'z Showcase 2017 "B'z In Your Town"
* Live-Gym 2017-2018 "Live Dinosaur"
* Live-Gym Pleasure 2018 -Hinotori-
** 7 July –
Okinawa Convention Center:
Naha
is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 persons per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). The total area ...
,
Okinawa Prefecture
** 8 July – Okinawa Convention Center: Naha, Okinawa Prefecture
** 14 July –
Sekisui Heim Super Arena
(formerly Grande 21 General Gymnasium and Hot House Super Arena) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the Grande 21 Complex in Rifu, Miyagi, Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asi ...
:
Sendai,
Miyagi Prefecture
** 15 July – Sekisui Heim Super Arena: Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture
** 21 July –
Ecopa Arena:
Fukuroi,
Shizuoka Prefecture
** 22 July – Ecopa Arena: Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture
** 28 July –
Hiroshima Prefectural Sports Center
is an indoor arena located in Hiroshima, Japan. The original arena was built sometime shortly after World War II. The arena was rebuilt for the 1994 Asian Games. It hosted some of the group games for the 2006 FIVB Men's World Championship an ...
:
Hiroshima,
Hiroshima Prefecture
** 29 July – Hiroshima Prefectural Sports Center: Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture
** 4 August –
International Stadium Yokohama
, also known as , is a multi-purpose stadium in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, which opened in March 1998. It is the home stadium of Yokohama F. Marinos of the J1 League.
International Stadium Yokohama had the highest seating capac ...
:
Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...
,
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanag ...
** 5 August – International Stadium Yokohama: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
** 11 August –
Ehime Prefectural Budokan:
Matsuyama
270px, Matsuyama City Hall
270px, Ehime Prefectural Capital Building
is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan and also Shikoku's largest city. , the city had an estimated population of 505,948 in 243541 househo ...
,
Ehime Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Tok ...
** 12 August – Ehime Prefectural Budokan: Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture
** 22 August –
Sapporo Dome
is a stadium located in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, and is primarily used for baseball and association football. It is the home field of the association football club Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, and was also home to the baseball team Hokkaido Ni ...
:
Sapporo
( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...
,
Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The lar ...
** 28 August –
Nagano Big Hat:
Nagano Nagano may refer to:
Places
* Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan
** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture
*** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics
*** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano
*** Nagano Universi ...
,
Nagano Prefecture
** 1 September –
Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome
The is a baseball field, located in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, Japan. Built in 1993, the stadium was originally named and has the capacity of 38,585 seats. With a diameter of 216 meters, the Fukuoka PayPay Dome is the world's largest geodesic dome. T ...
:
Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...
,
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...
** 2 September – Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome: Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture
** 6 September –
Toyota Stadium:
Toyota
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
,
Aichi Prefecture
** 8 September – Toyota Stadium: Toyota, Aichi Prefecture
** 9 September – Toyota Stadium: Toyota, Aichi Prefecture
** 15 September –
Yanmar Stadium Nagai
, known as the Yanmar Stadium Nagai ( ja, ヤンマースタジアム長居) for sponsorship reasons, is a stadium in Osaka, Japan. It is the home ground of J. League club Cerezo Osaka. The stadium has a seating capacity of 47,000.
History
When N ...
:
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
,
Osaka Prefecture
** 16 September – Yanmar Stadium Nagai: Osaka, Osaka Prefecture
** 21 September –
Ajinomoto Stadium
, also known as Tokyo Stadium in AFC Champions League, is a multi-purpose stadium in Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan. The stadium was founded at Kantō Mura, the redevelopment area formerly used by United States Forces Japan, in March 2001. It was the fi ...
:
Chofu,
Tokyo Prefecture
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
** 22 September – Ajinomoto Stadium: Chofu, Tokyo Prefecture
* Live-Gym 2019 -Whole Lotta NEW LOVE-
* B'z SHOWCASE 2020 -5 ERAS 8820- Day1〜5
* B'z presents UNITE #01 with
Mr.Children and
Glay
Glay (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese rock band, formed in Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan, in 1988. Glay primarily composes songs in the rock and pop genres, but they have also arranged songs using elements from a wide variety of genres, includ ...
* B’z presents Live Friends
* Live-Gym 2022 -Highway X-
* Live-Gym Pleasure 2023 - STARS -
See also
*
List of records of Japan
*
List of best-selling albums in Japan
Japan is the second-largest music market in the world and the following lists cover the top-selling albums in the country of Japan, based on information provided by the Recording Industry Association of Japan and Oricon Inc.
Best-selling physica ...
*
List of best-selling music artists
*
List of best-selling music artists in Japan
The top music artists in Japan include Japanese artists with claims of 15 million or more record sales or with over 2 million subscribers. Japan is the largest physical music market in the world and the second largest overall behind the United ...
*
List of J-pop concerts held outside Asia
Japan has the second-biggest music industry in the world, although 80 percent of sales are attributed to physical formats. Due to the numerous record companies present in Japan, launching music streaming services has grown difficult, with YouTube ...
References
B'z biography at the official website
External links
B'z Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bz
1988 establishments in Japan
Being Inc. artists
Japanese musical duos
Japanese rock music groups
Japanese pop rock music groups
Japanese hard rock musical groups
Musical groups established in 1988
Musical groups from Tokyo
Rock music duos
World record holders