is 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 ...
band founded by Masahiro Naoe in 1983. During their heyday, they were dubbed "the Japanese
XTC
XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (guitars, vocals) and Colin Moulding (bass, vocals), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing in ...
" due to their similar styles.
History
Masahiro Naoe (then known as Masataro Naoe) formed the band in 1981. In December 1983, the band was renamed "Carnation" and released their first independent single "
Yoru no Entotsu" a year later. The band released their first full album ''Young Wise Men'' in 1988. Within the same year, the band left the independent scene and signed with
Tokuma Japan
is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company’s product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, m ...
. The band participated in the production of
J-pop idol Chisato Moritaka
(born 11 April 1969) is a Japanese pop singer who also is notable as a songwriter. She is affiliated with Up-Front Create, a subsidiary of the Up-Front Group. 's 1989 album ''
Hijitsuryokuha Sengen
is the fourth studio album by Japanese singer/songwriter Chisato Moritaka, released on July 25, 1989 by Warner Pioneer. It features two versions of Moritaka's cover of the 1971 Saori Minami song "17-sai". The album is themed around Moritaka's awar ...
'', which features her cover of "Yoru no Entotsu". In addition, Moritaka provided guest vocals on the band's 1991 album ''Elec.King''. Naoe continued to contribute to Moritaka's other releases throughout the first half of the 1990s.
The band signed with
Nippon Columbia
, often pronounced ''Korombia'', operating internationally as , is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as Nipponophone Co., Ltd. It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK C ...
in 1994, with their album ''Edo River'' becoming popular with FM stations. They hosted a successful concert at
Shibuya Public Hall
is a theatre located in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It was completed in 1964 to host the weightlifting events in the 1964 Summer Olympics.
The theatre was sponsored by Dentsu and Suntory, which paid 80 million to rename it C.C. Lemon Hall (after the ...
in 1997. The band switched to
Cutting Edge Records in 2003, but left two years later when Naoe formed his own label Hurricane Records.
In 2013, the tribute album was released to celebrate Carnation's 30th anniversary. The album features contributions by Moritaka,
Yasuyuki Okamura
(born 14 August 1965) is a singer-songwriter and music producer active in the Japanese music market. Alternate pen name . He started his professional career in 1985, and is known internationally for the ''City Hunter 2'' ending theme "Super Girl" ...
, and others.
Three years later, Carnation signed with
Nippon Crown
is a Japanese record label established as Crown Records on 6 September 1963. It is a spin-off of Nippon Columbia and is owned by karaoke maker Daiichikosho. The record label singles which topped the Oricon Singles Chart are Kaze's "22-Sai no ...
. The band celebrated its 35th anniversary with their "Sunset Monsters" concert at the
Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall
The is an outdoor theater in Tokyo, Japan's Hibiya Park. There are actually two concert halls; the smaller was erected during the Meiji era, and the larger was first built in the Taishō era. The larger venue is colloquially abbreviated to .
No ...
.
Members
Current members
* – lead vocals, guitar (1983–present)
:* Formerly known as
* – bass, backing vocals (1992–present)
Former members
* – drums, percussion (1985–2009)
* – keyboards, backing vocals (1987–2002)
* – guitar (1991–2002)
* – bass, backing vocals (1983–1991)
* – guitar, backing vocals (1984–1990)
* – drums, percussion (1983–1985)
* – saxophone
* – keyboards
Discography
Singles
* (September 1984)
* "It's a Beautiful Day" (August 15, 1995)
* (January 20, 1996)
* (April 20, 1996)
* "Garden City Life" (July 20, 1996)
* "Superman" (October 10, 1996)
* "No Goodbye" (February 21, 1997)
* "New Morning" (September 20, 1997)
* (July 1, 1998)
* (January 30, 1999)
* "Real Man" (September 1, 1999)
* (January 21, 2000)
* "Angel" (May 13, 2004)
* (August 11, 2004)
* (July 6, 2005)
* (July 6, 2005)
* "Lady Lemonade" (July 6, 2005)
* "Wild Fantasy" (April 2007)
* (April 15, 2009)
* (December 26, 2014)
Albums
* ''Duck Boat'' (February 21, 1986)
* ''Young Wise Men'' (March 25, 1988)
* ''Gong Show'' (August 25, 1988)
* (May 25, 1991)
* (August 25, 1992)
* ''Edo River'' (August 21, 1994)
* ''A Beautiful Day'' (August 19, 1995)
* ''Girl Friend Army'' (August 21, 1996)
* ''Booby'' (September 20, 1997)
* ''Parakeet & Ghost'' (February 10, 1999)
* ''Love Sculpture'' (February 19, 2000)
* ''Living/Loving'' (August 27, 2003)
* ''Super Zoo!'' (November 25, 2004)
* ''Wild Fantasy'' (July 26, 2006)
* ''Velvet Velvet'' (November 25, 2009)
* ''Sweet Romance'' (September 19, 2012)
* ''Multimodal Sentiment'' (July 13, 2016)
* ''Suburban Baroque'' (September 13, 2017)
Mini albums
* (March 21, 1998)
* ''Venture Business Vol. 01'' (October 16, 2002)
* ''Venture Business Vol. 02'' (December 10, 2002)
* ''Venture Business Vol. 03'' (March 11, 2003)
* ''Utopia'' (November 16, 2011)
Live albums
* ''Wacky Packages'' (November 21, 1994)
* ''505 ~ Five Oh! Five ~'' (April 10, 2002)
* ''Runnin' Wild Live'' (September 21, 2005)
* ''Carnation Wild Fantasy Tour 2006'' (November 29, 2006)
* ''The Sounds of Rock Love'' (October 3, 2007)
* ''Carnation Billboard Live 2015 (Live Direct) "A Beautiful Day" 20th Anniversary Live'' (August 22, 2015)
Compilations
* ''Mellow My Mind'' (July 29, 1987)
* ''Spy for the Band (Singles + More)'' (September 21, 2000)
* ''Carnation Is the Great R&R Band! ~C-Side of Carnation~'' (August 25, 2004)
* ''The Very Best of Carnation "Long Time Traveller"'' (June 20, 2018)
Boxed sets
* ''Early Years Box'' (April 17, 2013)
References
External links
*
* (Nippon Columbia)
*
*
{{Authority control
Japanese rock music groups
Japanese pop rock music groups
Musical groups from Tokyo
Musical groups established in 1983
Nippon Columbia artists