Color (stylized as COLOR) was a Japanese

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

band formed in 1985 by

Dynamite Tommy , better known by his stage name Dynamite Tommy, is a Japanese musician, record producer and businessman. He first rose to prominence as vocalist of the punk rock band Color in the late-1980s and early-1990s, but now predominantly works behind ...

, who founded the

Free-Will is a Japanese independent record label founded in 1986 by Color vocalist Hiroshi " Dynamite Tommy" Tomioka, with branches predominantly in Japan and the United States, as well as previously in Europe. It also continues to co-manage many of i ...

record label a year later.''Free-Will and Groove Productions Press Release''
Retrieved Sep 12 2007 They are considered to be important to the formation of

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 ...

. Their debut album ''Gekitotsu'' was named one of the top albums from 1989–1998 in a 2004 issue of the music magazine ''Band Yarouze''.

History

Color released their debut album ''Gekitotsu'', in January 1988. After releasing their second album ''Fools! Get Lucky!!'', they signed to

Crown Records Crown Records was a budget albums record label founded as a subsidiary of Modern Records in 1957. It has been the name of several different record labels, listed below. Discography Mono Stereo Other Crown Records * United Kingdom ** Crown Rec ...

and released their only major studio album a couple months later, ''Ask the Angels''.Amazon.com information on ''Ask the Angels''
Retrieved Sep 12 2007 It is said that the label made the band rewrite the album's lyrics, which were originally in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, in

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

to be more accessible by the mainstream. It seemed to have worked, as ''Ask the Angels'' reached number 16 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 Nov ...

chart and their popularity increased. However, in January 1990 at a concert on the album's tour, in their hometown of Osaka, a fan was accidentally stomped to death.Color bio
Retrieved June 4, 2011 The band decided to lay low and avoid media, they ended up losing their contract with Crown. During this hiatus, Tommy formed Sister's No Future with Ken-chan (

Kamaitachi is a Japanese yōkai often told about in the Kōshin'etsu region and can also refer to the strange events that this creature causes. They appear riding on dust devils and they cut people using the nails on both their hands that are like sickl ...

),Taiji, Kenzi, and Dynamite Tommy’s new band “Killing Red Addiction” to play in L.A.
Retrieved June 4, 2011 while Marry started Goatcore with You Adachi ( Dead End). Color returned with a concert in August, and in July 1991 released the single "The Exhibition". They held a coupling tour with Genkaku Allergy in March 1993. In 1994 they released their last album, ''Galaxy'', which has an electronic dance sound instead of their usual punk. In 1995 Color held what would be their last concert, after which the band disappeared without any announcement. The music magazine ''J-Rock'' published an article in 1997, labeling Color disbanded due to inactivity. On June 14, 2002, bassist Marry died in a car accident. On the one-year anniversary of his death, the remaining members organized and performed at the first "Marry Memorial" concert. It has been held every year since then; Color reunited for the 2008 concert.

Members

* Hiroshi "Dynamite Tommy" Tomioka –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music ( arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

(1985–1997, 2003, 2008), guitar (1985), bass (1990) * Tatsuya Niimi –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six string instrument, strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or Plucked string instrument, plucking the strings with the dominant hand, w ...

(1986–1997, 2003, 2008), drums (1990) * Cindy –

(1986–1997, 2003, 2008), vocals (1990) * Naotaka "Marry" Nakano –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

(1988–1997)†, guitar (1990) * Toshi – drums (1988–1997, 2003, 2008), guitar (1990)

Former members

* Iku – vocals (1985) * Bell – bass (1985) * Hide – drums (1985) * Ikuo – bass (1986) * Hideki – drums (1986) * Takahashi – drums (1986–1988) * Remmy – bass (1987–1988), support bass on June 14, 2008 * Den – support bass on June 14, 2003 (former roadie,

By-Sexual By-Sexual (stylized as BY-SEXUAL) was a Japanese visual kei punk rock band from Osaka. They were active from 1988 to 1995, when vocalist Sho left the band and they went on hiatus. In August 1996, the remaining members restarted the group under ...

Zigzo Zigzo (stylized as ZIGZO) is a Japanese rock supergroup that originally started activities in 1999 and disbanded in 2002. Each member came from a prominent band and they became very popular in the indies scene. They disbanded after their last s ...

)

Discography

Singles

* "Molt Grain" (March 23, 1987) * "Sandbag Baby I" (November 23, 1988) * "Sandbag Baby II" (November 26, 1988) * "Broken Tavern" (June 6, 1989)

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track download sales. In ...

Peak Position: No. 65 * "Back Tonight 5th Moon" (February 21, 1990) No. 27 * "Some Become Stranger" (August 21, 1990) No. 31 * "The Exhibition" (July 21, 1991)

Studio albums

* * ''Fools! Get Lucky!!'' (March 8, 1989) * ''Ask the Angels'' (December 5, 1989)

Oricon Albums Chart The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon A ...

Peak Position: No. 16 * ''Cherry's World'' (July 31, 1992) * ''Galaxy'' (October 1994)

Other albums

* ''Extremism: Best of Color'' (March 16, 1991, compilation album) No. 43 * ''Color Live! Shock Treatment and Rebirth'' (August 21, 1991, live album) No. 98 * ''Remind'' (December 25, 1992, self-cover album) * ''The Best'' (December 16, 1996, compilation album) *

Videos

* ''Shock Treatment'' (October 7, 1989) * ''Overwhelming Superiority'' (May 21, 1990) * * ''Land of Revolution'' (May 21, 1991) * ''The Exhibition'' (July 17, 1991, freely distributed at Kawasaki Club live)

References

{{Authority control Visual kei musical groups Japanese punk rock groups Musical groups from Osaka Musical groups established in 1985 Musical groups disestablished in 1995 Musical groups reestablished in 2003 Musical groups reestablished in 2008 1985 establishments in Japan English-language musical groups from Japan