-A short B'z history
- Info about B'z support artists
-Information about the official B'z fanclub
-Q/A about interesting B'z backround information
-Sexy article about B'z live-gyms
-Funny article about B'z invasion in Hong Kong
B'z history :
About "how it all began" red Keen's interesting introduction on B'z (making the band, choosing B'z as a name)
B'z are one of the topsellers in Japan. After "Taiyou no komachi angel" all their singles went straight to number one after the release.
They sell out Japan's biggest arenas every summer when it's time for "live-gym". In terms of money, Inaba and Matsumoto are top-earners in the japanese music industry. Both of them also focus on their solo projects. My impression is that Inaba prefers a more "indie" style in his soloworks, whereas B'z together deliver more rock-ish sounds.
Many people accuse B'z of copying and ripping off tunes of other bands. I must say, yes every once in a while I am reminded of songs that rockbands in the west wrote when I listen to one of the B'z songs. Fact is that both Matsumoto and Inaba have enough talent that makes ripping off totally unneccessary.
Aerosmith (whose music I seem to recognize here and there in older B'z songs) are actually great B'z fans and they played a live together at the closing ceremony of the FIFA worldcup in 2002.
Tyler and Inaba sang arm in arm and the probably funniest part was Tyler licking Inaba's face which made millions of Inaba fans howl out with jealousy and protesting that a hentai oyaji like Tyler dares to lick the blessed cheek of 178-3.
B'z first step into the world outside of Japan was to play lives in Taiwan and HK in 2001, of course a complete success.
Next, B'z will play in the USA (San Diego at Canes Bar & Grill (9/22) and in Los Angeles at The Palace (9/24)) and I am convinced also this will be a huge success.
(..........more to come)
Info about B'z support artists (click)
The official Fanclub :
B'z fanclub is called "B'z party" and has millions of members.
As a fanclub member, you have priority on everything about B'z (tickets, merchandise and so on).
This fanclub however, for reasons none of us can understand, is only open for people inside of Japan.
The members receive a regular magazine called "Be with" - a.k.a. "Be wiz" which contains tons of news, pictures, interviews, fanart and pics of the B'z fans. They also receive seasonal greeting cards and on your birthday, if you are lucky, you might receive a signed birthday greeting.
All info about the club can be found on the B'z official homepage (japanese only)
MY WORLD’s B’z Q & A
by Nami
http://movetobz.heha.net/index1.htm
* What is the meaning of 178?
178 is Inaba Kohshi. Many new B’z fans don’t know why this is so, but the reason is simple. 178 in Japanese is pronounced Ichi Nana Hachi, the first syllables of which resemble Inaba.
* What is the meaning of B’z?
There are 5 possible reasons (well we all know what Tak explained).
1. No special meaning, just want a name convenient to remember.
2. B stands for “bokutachi” (us) and Z stands for Zekkocyou (very successful).
3. The Buzzing sound bees make.
4. Tak’s B and Inaba’s Z (????).
5. Wanted to use A’z at first, but sounded like AIDS, so changed to B’z.
* Meaning of B.U.M.?
Stands for B’z Unreal Music. Started out as production company that oversaw B’z, but was dissolved in 1995 and now is B’z management.
* What is the meaning of the hand gesture B’z like to make, with the index finger and little finger extended?
According to Matsumoto, it means “Rock.”
* What is the meaning of the kanji character “rei” Matsumoto puts on much of his equipment? [I think it's rei...]
Should mean beautiful sound. [But some say it’s his daughter’s name?]
* Why was the 1995 live-gym called BUZZ?
Buzz is the noise bees make when they fly about, and at the time Tak was fascinated by bees. He likes bees so much, when they went to LA last year to record, an outside musician they were working with gave Tak honey as a gift.
* The secret of SURVIVE?
Survive is an enhanced cd. When placed in a computer, one can watch the Liar!Liar! pv and view all the lyrics, but on the condition that you have the 16 bit version of QuickTime. However, if you have too new a version of QuickTime, you can still see the video. Go to My Computer, click on the drive with the cd in it, right click, and select Explore (not the auto play/run option). You will see a file called B’z.mov. That is the Liar Liar pv, and you can click on it and play it if you have QuickTime. If you do not see a file called B’z.mov, that is because you have not selected display all file types. Go to Tools, Folder Options, View, and select all file types to remedy the situation. Using Survive, you can also look at pictures from “Deep Kiss” and “Happiness.” Those are not pvs, but stills with kanji on them. You have to go online and download a program called “Web-sync” to view these. The address is http://www.being.co.jp/bz/ws/websync.html. Remember to use this in conjunction with the Survive cd.
* The Secret of B’z The Mixture?
When used with the B’z Media Player, available only for a limited time on the The Mixture site, one can listen to about 1 minute of the English version of Raging River. However, the site has been taken down, so you cannot download the Media Player from there anymore.
* The Secret of ELEVEN?
When used with the B’z Media Player 2, available only for a limited time on the ELEVEN website, (and you must also be online), you can watch the “juice” pv. However, since the site is now closed, even if you have the media player 2, you can’t watch the pv anymore.
* The Meaning of “TV-Style?”
At the time, karaoke shown on TV was known as “TV Version” or “TV Edit,” so B’z named their no-vocals, instrumental-only cd “TV-Style.”
* In the ELEVEN album, the meaning of “juice (PM Mix)?”
Many people feel that there is not much difference between “juice” the single, and “juice (PM Mix).” But actually, the vocals and the guitar have been hiked up higher in scale. The guitar work is also different in some places. “PM” stands for the Spanish “Poquito Mas,” which means “a little more” or “adding more.”
* In the album The 7th Blues Disc 1, who is the woman whose
voice is heard in “WILD ROAD?”
Her name is Takashima Rin, and is part of the group “FUNK THE PEANUTS.”
* The female speaker at the beginning of the “BAD
COMMUNICATION” single?
She is a radio station DJ named Amy.
Sexy article about B'z live-gyms:
Most importantly, B'z, comprised of Matsumoto Takahiro (guitarist and composer) and Inaba Kohshi (vocalist and lyricist) have, in no uncertain terms, demolished the myth that Japanese men lack sex appeal. Former adult video queen and current-day TV celeb Iijima Ai once went on record in the mid-90s in an high-profile interview by saying, "Japanese men are missing only one thing: Sex appeal." Ms. Iijima's busy TV career, has obviously not afforded her the time to see a B'z concert and observe the effect that front-man Inaba, in particular, has on his multitudes of females fans in packed arenas across Japan. At a B'z concert that this writer went to at Budokan, Inaba brought the show to a climax by first lying face up on the stage floor, then, lifting his torso acrobatically skyward by propping himself on the tips of his fingers and toes, began thrusting his pelvis repeatedly and indefatigably to the beating of the music and the orgasmic shrieks of teenage girls soaked in their own profusion of sweat. That kind of confidence in front on thousands of young women is not what I'd call lacking in anything, least of all sex appeal.
Denny Fongheiser, a California drummer that often appears as guest performer with B'z, says that while the good looks of Inaba come naturally, he works incredibly hard to maintain his ultra-lean physique. After Fongheiser and Matsumoto have stretched and lifted weights for a back-breaking two hours, Inaba is just getting warmed up. Inaba is known to finish a morning of working out by power-walking on the treadmill for another two hours! He, along with Matsumoto would be more accurately described not so much as people who are dedicated, but rather as people who are driven. They put every last drop of energy into every show. It is widely known that fans can always count on a B'z show as being performed as though it were the last. (read full article)
Funny article about B'z invasion in Hong Kong
Japanese Bands Compete for Fans: B'z "Joke Cantonese" VS Dir en Grey Vomiting Milk
http://www.the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20010831/20010831004730_0003.html 31/08/01
Japanese heavyweights B'z and underdog band Dir en grey both staged concerts in Hong Kong last night. On one side, the B'z vocalist used his "sing-till-your-lungs-explode" style, and funny Cantonese to attract fans; on the other side Dir en grey pretended to throw up blood, while their fans headbanged and wore only bras, enough to make one lose their appetite.
Crowned as Japanese music leaders, B'z performed their first Hong Kong concert last night. Vocalist Inaba Kohshi and guitarist Matsumoto Takahiro not only did splits in the air, but even used accurate Cantonese. We can say that they win first place for best Cantonese out of all the foreign artists.
"I'm very happy, very honored [he missed a word] to be here, let's all have fun together tonight!" Inaba read from a paper that clearly said "cat paper" [means cheat sheet]. But he was afraid the fans didn't understand him, so he repeated his comments in fluent English.
Next, when Inaba saw the fans were quieting down, he shouted, "Is everyone happy? Let's have some reaction here! [he mispronounced a word here] Hong Kong is the best, Hong Kong Number 1!" The several thousand fans were laughing, but also touched by B'z sincerity.
B'z sang a total of 19 #1 songs, when they got to the theme song for Beautiful Life," everyone sang it together. Inaba's "lung-rupturing" high range vocals deserve praise, and Matsumoto was no weaker, displaying his "guitar sweeping" style. But in deciding what the biggest eye-opening moment of the concert was, we cannot dismiss the sight of Inaba repeatedly doing splits in the air and dousing himself with water, causing the fans to scream in delight. At the end of the concert, when Inaba took off his shirt to bare his upper body, it seems the female fans were most reluctant to leave.
Dir en grey fans crazy: take off clothes Summary: Visual rock group perform in Kowloon. Japanese fans show up to support them, dress for the occasion. Much headbanging, fainting, and stripping among fans; concert ended with the vocalist pretending to vomit.