BLUE HEARTS
BLUE HEARTS
Genres: punk, japanese, J-rock, rock, japanese punk
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↑THE HIGH-LOWS↓
About BLUE HEARTS
THE BLUE HEARTS (ザ・ブルーハーツ) was a Japanese punk rock band active from 1985 to 1995. Members: ** Vocals, Harmonica: 甲本ヒロト (Hiroto Kōmoto) ** Guitar, Backing Vocals: 真島昌利 (Masatoshi Mashima) ** Bass, Backing Vocals: 川口淳之介 (Junnosuke Kawaguchi) ** Drums: 梶原徹也 (Tetsuya Kajiwara) ** Keyboards: 白井幹夫 (Mikio Shirai, support member) Ex members: ** Bass: 望月正水 (Masami Mochizuki) ** Drums: 英竜介 (Ryūsuke Hanabusa) ** Bass: 山川のりを (Norio Yamakawa) History: They have been compared to bands like the Sex Pistols, the Clash and the Ramones. In 2003, HMV ranked them at number 19 on their list of 100 most important Japanese pop acts. In September 2007, Rolling Stone Japan rated their self-titled debut album number 3 on its list of the “100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time”. Its members were Hiroto Kōmoto (vocalist), Masatoshi Mashima (guitarist), Junnosuke Kawaguchi (bassist) and Tetsuya Kajiwara (drummer). Mikio Shirai was not an official member of the band, but often toured with them as their keyboardist. Formed in 1985, the group made its major debut in May 1987 and released its first album, the self-titled The Blue Hearts, followed by seven more albums. Though they started on an independent label, each album sold more copies than the previous one, with their last recording selling in the millions. In 1990, The Blue Hearts released a self-titled EP in the United States and supported it with a US tour. In 1982, Hiroto Kōmoto, Masatoshi Mashima, and Junnosuke Kawaguchi first played together in a session at a pedestrian zone event in Shinjuku. By November 1984, the three were spending a lot of time together as friends. On December 24, at a party held in an abandoned house in Sasazuka that served as Kōmoto’s home at the time, Mashima, who had just decided to disband his band THE BREAKERS, approached Kōmoto, who had also recently dissolved his band The Coats, with the idea of starting a new band together. This conversation led to the formation of what would become The Blue Hearts. On January 5, 1985, Mashima suddenly showed up at Kōmoto’s place with several friends, guitars in hand, and ended up moving in. Later that same day, former bassist Masami Mochizuki arrived in Tokyo from Shizuoka and also began living there. THE BREAKERS officially disbanded on January 25. In late January, Kōmoto, Mashima, and Mochizuki attended a Johnny Thunders concert at Harajuku Crocodile, and on their way back, they met Ryūsuke Hanabusa, who was practicing drums alone in Yoyogi Park. This was their first encounter with him. In February 1985, the band was officially formed, centered around Kōmoto and Mashima. The original lineup consisted of Kōmoto on vocals, Mashima on guitar, Mochizuki on bass, and Hanabusa on drums. Their first live performance took place on April 3 at Shinjuku Loft, with tickets priced at 1,000 yen including a drink. In June, Mochizuki left the band. During the interim period before a permanent bassist was decided, Norio Yamakawa, who had been active in bands such as The Coats, Great Richies, and Deep & Bites, joined temporarily. On August 17, Kawaguchi, who had been managing the band up to that point, officially joined as bassist. On December 24, they held their first one-man live show titled “The World’s Best Christmas” at the now-defunct Toritsu-Kasei Super Loft, drawing an audience of 256 people and performing their entire repertoire of 21 songs. In 1986, the band performed at the “JUST A BEAT SHOW” live event at Shibuya Yaneura on March 8, later released as part of an omnibus album. On March 20, they appeared at the anti-nuclear event “Atomic Cafe Festival” at Shibuya Toei, sharing the stage with established bands such as Uchōten, ZELDA, and ECHOES. Despite being the only amateur band on the lineup, they captured the full attention of the audience. The following day, March 21, Hanabusa left the band after a performance at Meguro Rokumeikan. On April 19, Tetsuya Kajiwara officially joined as drummer. The band made their first television appearance on May 19 on TV Tokyo’s program “Super Magazine: Subarashiki Jinsei.” On June 9, they held their second one-man concert, titled “Be Kind to People,” again at Meguro Rokumeikan, drawing 489 attendees and performing 24 songs. In 1987, they launched the “Hammer Tour” in January. On February 25, they released the independently produced single “Hito ni Yasashiku / Hammer.” Their major debut followed on May 1 with the single “Linda Linda / Boku wa Koko ni Tatteiru yo,” and on May 21 they released their first album, The Blue Hearts. That same day, they appeared on Nippon Broadcasting’s All Night Nippon, hosted by Sunplaza Nakano of Bakufu Slump. On July 4, they performed at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall to a sold-out crowd of 3,382 people. Their first nationwide tour, the “Dobunezumi Tour,” began on October 1 and spanned 40 shows. In 1988, they embarked on the “Tour ’88 Pretty Pineapple,” which included 65 performances starting February 8, followed by the “Pineapple Counterattack Tour” beginning October 3, consisting of 40 shows. In 1989, Mikio Shirai was introduced to the band by Itsuki Sugiura. On August 16, they carried out their first overseas tour, the “Portland Tour ’89.” In September, they switched record labels from Meldac to East West Japan. On October 25, 1993, they released their 17th single, “Yūgure,” which would become their final single as The Blue Hearts. Their last live performance took place on August 13, 1994, at the Anzu no Sato Rock Festival in Chikuma, Nagano. Later that year, on December 25, Kōmoto and Mashima made their final television appearance as The Blue Hearts on the comedy show Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!!, where they participated in various comedic segments alongside GEISHA GIRLS. In 1995, the band became independent from their management company, and Kōmoto and Mashima established Happy Song Co., Ltd. On June 1, they officially announced their breakup on the NHK-FM program Music Square (the segment had been recorded on May 17). Their final original album, PAN, was released on July 10. In addition to popular albums, they had many well-known singles. Two of the most famous are “Train-Train” and “Linda Linda”, both common on karaoke machines. A cover version of “Linda Linda” was used in the 2004 dramas Socrates in Love and Gachi Baka, as well as the 2005 film Linda Linda Linda, which centers on a high school girls’ band preparing Blue Hearts songs for a school festival concert. The song also appears in the 2005 Nintendo DS game Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan. Other tracks like “Train-Train”, “Owaranai Uta” and “Hito ni Yasashiku” were featured in Konami arcade games Drummania and Guitar Freaks. The 2015 anime series The Rolling Girls includes covers of several Blue Hearts songs performed by the cast. They were considered controversial in Japan, with actions such as using the taboo, broadcast-prohibited word “Kichigai” during a performance of “Owaranai Uta” and spitting on television cameras reportedly leading to a one-year ban from TV. After the band broke up in 1995, Kōmoto, Mashima and Shirai formed a new group, ↑THE HIGH-LOWS↓/THE HIGH-LOWS. The band retained many Blue Hearts fans and attracted new ones, continuing for another decade. After The High-Lows disbanded in 2005, Kōmoto and Mashima formed ザ・クロマニヨンズ (The Cro-Magnons) in 2006. Kawaguchi became a record producer and occasionally supported other bands, and in 2009 he became deputy director of propaganda for the Happiness Realization Party. Kajiwara formed The 3Peace in 1997, later The Big Hip in 2005 with Shirai, and began his solo project Thunderbeat in 2008. After the breakup, both Kōmoto and Mashima largely avoided performing Blue Hearts songs, with a few exceptions. Kōmoto has performed “Boku no Migite” live with other artists, and Mashima has occasionally played “Aozora”. About the members: Hiroto Kohmoto (born March 17, 1963) - Vocals, Harmonica, Guitar Former member of Roundabout and The Coats. After their breakup, he was in The Houstons, ↑THE HIGH-LOWS↓, and currently The Cro-Magnons. His nickname is "Hiroto." He is known for his deep, resonant singing voice. He occasionally plays the harp, which he taught himself and has reached a high level, although he says that techniques such as bending and tremolo came to him "by chance." He sometimes plays guitar depending on the song. Kohmoto is usually the one who answers questions in television interviews and other media. He had a shaved head when he debuted. There was a period when he dyed his hair blonde along with Kawaguchi. He likes milk. Masatoshi Mashima (born February 20, 1962) - Guitar, Vocals, Chorus Former member of THE BREAKERS. After the band's disbandment, he formed ↑THE HIGH-LOWS↓, now The Cro-Magnons. His nickname is "Marcy." He is characterized by his husky singing voice. Compared to the other three, he doesn't talk much when appearing on television, and often shows little emotion. He and Kohmoto wrote songs in roughly equal proportions. His trademark is a bandana on his head, but he has also worn Native American feather headdresses. Junnosuke Kawaguchi (born April 26, 1961) - Bass, Chorus, Vocals After the band's disbandment, he formed THE LONDON TIMES and The Time Travelers. His nickname is "Kawa-chan." Initially, he managed the band, but after about six months, the bassist left, so he was hastily added as an official member in August 1985. His real name is Hiroyuki Kawaguchi, and he initially used his real name, but started using the name "Junnosuke" just before his debut. In addition to bass, he also sings backing vocals with Mashima. He is characterized by his clear, high-pitched singing voice, which is in contrast to Mashima's. There was a period when he dyed his hair blonde along with Kohmoto. He joined Happy Science in 1991. Tetsuya Kajiwara (born September 26, 1963) - Drums After the band's breakup, he played in The 3peace, Salsa Gumtape, THE BIG HIP, and THE EX-FIVE. His nickname is "Kaji-kun." He was originally a fan of The Blue Hearts and worked as a ticket taker at their concerts. After learning of the drummer's departure, he persistently called Hiroto's home to audition and became an official member in April 1986. He is known for his mohawk hairstyle, but when he first joined, his hairstyle was closer to a crew cut rather than a mohawk, and in later years, he sometimes wore his hair long and tied up. Past Members Masami Mochizuki - Bass Nickname: Masami. He was an original member, but his health deteriorated due to drinking problems, and he left the band after about six months. The bassist on the recording made at Shinjuku Loft on June 7, 1985, is believed to be him just before he left the band. After leaving, he worked as a tow truck driver and formed "Cabarets" with Kikujiro Shima of THE JUMPS and others. He later left the band and is currently active in a band called NATIONALS (now MASAMI & THE NATIONALS). Ryusuke Hanabusa (March 11, 1961 - January 24, 2017) - Drums Nickname: Ryusuke. Although he left the band in March 1986, his playing can be heard on the flexi disc "1985," which was distributed for free in 1985 ("1985" is included on the best-of album "SUPER BEST"). Other recordings of him playing are relatively common. As for video footage, the 1985 footage from "Blue Hearts ga Kikoenai ~ HISTORY OF THE BLUE HEARTS" is from THE BLUE HEARTS' first solo concert, "Sekaiichi no Christmas," held on December 24, 1985, at the Toritsu Kasei Super Loft, and you can faintly see Ei playing the drums. Also, at the same concert, Kohmoto mentions Ei's name in his MC before "Blue Hearts yori Ai wo Komete." After leaving Blue Hearts, he worked as a backing band member and studio musician for artists such as Ayumi Nakamura and Tetsuro Oda. After gaining experience as a damage insurance investigator and a truck and taxi driver, he established a company that operated horse-drawn carriages at hotels and other establishments. He passed away in January 2017 from leukemia. Noriwo Yamakawa (born November 11, 1965) - Bass His nickname is Norio. He was formerly a member of The Coats, Great Richies, DEEP&BITES, and Norio & Ice Cream Man. After Mochizuki's departure, he was active as a support member for only about two months. He left the band when Great Richies' national tour began. During live performances, he mentioned that he would remain a member until the end of the year. There is a recording of them together, made on July 25, 1985, at Shinjuku Loft. After leaving, he formed DEEP&BITES. Around the same time, he was active as 2・3s with Kiyoshiro Imawano, Kenji Oshima, and Akifumi Nakasone. He also participated in Majima's solo tours for a period. After DEEP&BITES disbanded, he was part of Norio & Ice Cream Man, and is currently active as a solo unit, Guitar Panda. Shinichiro Sato (born August 16, 1964) - Drums Nickname: Shin-chan. Former member of THE POGO, KENZI & THE TRIPS, the pillows, and The Pees. He served as a support drummer from the time of Ryusuke Ei's departure until Kajiwara officially joined. Recordings from that period can be found on the omnibus album "JUST A BEAT SHOW". While difficult to obtain, the only available video footage is from the Atomic Cafe Festival on March 20, 1986 (titled "SUMMER TIME BLUES"). He is close friends with the members of thee michelle gun elephant. Support Player Mikio Shirai (born May 31, 1950) - Keyboards He played keyboards in live performances and recordings from the ON TOUR 1989 (May 3 - 31, 1989) until the band's disbandment. He joined The Blue Hearts through an introduction by Itsuki Sugiura, a friend of Majima. Although he was a support member, he was introduced with a photo in the lyric booklet for the album "HIGH KICKS," and when The Blue Hearts appeared on "Music Station," he not only performed but also appeared alongside the members in the studio talk segment. During live performances, he was introduced by Hiroto Kohmoto as the fifth member, showing that he considered himself an official member of The Blue Hearts. He was a member of the legendary band Mentanpin (4th generation - ) and is a talented musician who has also backed Maki Asakawa and Masato Minami, but he is entirely self-taught on the piano, stating in a fan club newsletter that he "just put guitar chords on the keyboard." He later became an official member of THE HIGH-LOWS, but left the band in 2003.
Taken from Last.fm
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