B'z as hell !! It's Showtime !

Hi everybody ! I'm SO sorry for the lack of updates... I've been working my @SS off lately; actually I've been so busy that I thought about posting something from jrock/power pop duo B'z ! (Get it ? Bu-sy... B-Z...? Ok, nevermind... :-S).

B'z is formed by Tak Matsumoto in guitar and heartthrob Koshi Inaba on vocals. They kicked off their career in 1988 with the release of their self-titled debut album. By that time they showed off a promising sound that mixed hard rock with pop at times, with the guitar expertise of Tak on the forefront and the brilliance of Koshi's vocals shining in each rock song.

Still, that first period wouldn't prepare the guys for the MASSIVE success they would achieve starting a couple of albums later. I mean, this guys RULED the 90's and are already LEGENDS, having put out 36 singles that went straight to the top of the Japanese charts on the day of their release ! I think this is something, to my knowledge, really unheard of in any other point of the planet...

The album I'm posting today is "B'z The Best: Pleasure", which compiles 14 of those # 1 hits and is a perfect introduction for the newcomer to the music that this duo makes. Released in 1998 together with a second Greatest Hits called "Treasure", the album below has songs varying from the euro-pop infused "Bad Communication" of the early 90's (sung in English), to the rock balladry of "Alone", to the loud energised hard-rock of "Samayoeru Aoi Dangan".

There's a little something for everybody in this album, but you have to go pass the kitsch and absurd intro to the first track, "Love Phantom", which to this day makes me laugh like mad... ^_^. My favorites here are the three I just mentioned, plus "Hadashi no Megami", "Be there" & "Easy come, easy go". Both members of this group have also developed successful solo careers.

Here you have the official video of "Easy come, easy go", courtesy of cubdukat @ YouTube. It may look dated (and silly... specially Koshi's moves when he dances) but the music's still good:

The guys have collaborated with animation projects in the past, most notably contributing the openings "Giri Giri Chop" & "Shoudou" to the TV series of Detective Conan, and the ED "Mienai Chikara" (featured in their "Treasure" compilation) to TV series Jigoku Sensei Nube. Koshi on his own extended his partnership with "Conan" by adding his song "Overture" to the list of ED songs of that anime. Take a look at Conan's 20th OP, Shoudou, uploaded by coolish 17 @ YouTube, and then to Nube's ED, courtesy of nuonemeisuke @ YouTube:

Fortunately for all of their fans around the world, like me, these guys happen to be complete workaholics, and don't show any intention of retiring. Their last album, "The Circle" was released last year and it's great to see they are still popular and growing strong in their artistry just as their career is about to turn 20 years old ^_^.

Here is the album, enjoy it in a loud volume !

And check the comments section for a little p.s. ...