B'z The Best "Treasure"
B'z The Best "Treasure" | ||||
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Compilation album by B'z | ||||
Released | September 20, 1998 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 64:11 | |||
Label | Rooms Records | |||
Producer | Tak Matsumoto | |||
B'z chronology | ||||
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B'z The Best "Treasure" is a compilation album released by B'z on September 20, 1998, just one day prior to the band's 10th anniversary. Unlike the majority of best of albums released by mainstream artists, the entire tracklisting was determined by fan polling. The album came some four months after the first official B'z compilation release, B'z The Best "Pleasure". The tracks found on Pleasure made it more of a traditional best of release, featuring several of the band's biggest hits from over the years, and were ineligible for inclusion here. As was the case with its predecessor, all tracks included here were remastered from their original forms in order to bring out the greatest possible audio fidelity.
This album marks the first occasion for many classic B'z songs to have been collected on one of the band's albums. Fan favorite B-side and top vote-getter "Koi-Gokoro (KOI-GOKORO)" appears in album form here for the first time, as do singles "BLOWIN'", "Negai", "MOTEL", and "Mienai Chikara ~INVISIBLE ONE". The only physically-released English B'z single, "Real Thing Shakes", is collected here for the first time and would not be collected again until 2013's B'z The Best XXV 1988-1998.
Upon release, B'z The Best "Treasure" premiered in the top spot on the weekly Oricon albums chart and remained at that position for three consecutive weeks, making it the top selling album for the month of its release. Despite being released only in September and just months prior to the end of the year, it was the second highest selling album for the year of 1998, trailing only its sister album, B'z The Best "Pleasure". The Recording Industry Association of Japan has certified the album as 10x Platinum for sales in excess of over four million copies, solidifying its place as the fifth highest selling album in the history of Japanese music.
Another compilation album in the same vein was released for the band's 20th anniversary, titled B'z The Best "ULTRA Treasure", that once again featured songs selected by fans.
Production and information
Track listing
All music and guitar by Tak Matsumoto. All lyrics and vocals by Koshi Inaba.
- BLOWIN' — From single BLOWIN' (1992)
- Voted to 2nd place by fans. Originally released in 1992 as a single. This marked the first and only time this version of the song was included on a B'z album. For B'z The Best "ULTRA Treasure" in 2008, the band recorded a new version with the appended title of "ULTRA Treasure Style" that served as an update to the sixteen year-old song.
- Koi-Gokoro (KOI-GOKORO) — From single ZERO (1992)
- Voted to 1st place by fans. Originally released in 1992 as a B-side on the "ZERO" single. This album was the first time the song was collected on a B'z album but not the last, as it would again be voted to near the top of the rankings for B'z The Best "ULTRA Treasure" in 2008.
- TIME — From single BLOWIN' (1992)
- Voted to 5th place by fans. Originally released in 1992 as a B-side on the "BLOWIN'" single. With its inclusion, both songs from the aforementioned single were voted onto the album. It would make further appearances on The Ballads ~Love & B'z~ in 2002 and was selected once more by fans for B'z The Best "ULTRA Treasure" in 2008.
- Liar! Liar! — From single Liar! Liar! (1997)
- Negai — From single Negai (1995)
- Voted to 3rd place by fans. Originally released as a single in 1995 and later included on the band's eighth studio album, LOOSE, albeit in an altered state. For the band's greatest hits collections in to commemorate their twentieth anniversary, "Negai" would be found on B'z The Best "ULTRA Pleasure" and thus was ineligible to be voted again by fans for its Treasure counterpart.
- Itoshii Hito yo Good Night... — From single Itoshii Hito yo Good Night... (1990)
- Pleasure'98 ~Jinsei no Kairaku~ — Original version from single LADY NAVIGATION (1991)
- Voted to 8th place by fans. The original version, "Pleasure'91 ~Jinsei no Kairaku~", was released as a B-side on the "LADY NAVIGATION" single in 1991. While the 1991 edition was the one voted onto the album, the band decided to see to the fan's request by recording an updated rendition. Apart from being an entirely new recording, differences include a thicker sound for the guitar, a lyrics change in the second verse, and the outro being played by keyboard this time around.
- Mienai Chikara ~INVISIBLE ONE~ — From single Mienai Chikara ~INVISIBLE ONE~/MOVE (1996)
- Voted to 11th place by fans. Originally released as a double A-side in 1996. This collection would be its first time being included on a B'z album, but in 2008, it would be gathered with a number of the band's other well-known singles for B'z The Best "ULTRA Pleasure".
- Mou Ichido Kiss Shitakatta — From album IN THE LIFE (1992)
- Voted to 4th place by fans. Originally released in 1992 as an album song for IN THE LIFE. The highest ranking album song in the polls, it has enjoyed tremendous popularity in recent years and was even considered as the lead single from the album in place of "ALONE". Again the song would be selected as worthy by fans for B'z The Best "ULTRA Treasure" in 2008, and was previously collected on The Ballads ~Love & B'z in 2002.
- FIREBALL — From single FIREBALL (1997)
- Real Thing Shakes — From single Real Thing Shakes (1996)
- Voted to 10th place by fans. Originally released as a single in 1996, the song is the only B'z single in their catalogue to be entirely in English and is also their only one-track single after Tak deemed one song as enough due to the power of the track. This marked the first and last time that the song would be included on a Japanese-released B'z album.
- MOTEL — From single MOTEL (1994)
- Voted to 9th place by fans. Originally released as a single in 1994. This marked the first occasion in which the song was found on an album, and would again be voted for inclusion by the fanbase for the 2008 follow-up, B'z The Best "ULTRA Treasure".
- Itsuka no Merry Christmas — From mini-album FRIENDS (1992)
- Voted to 6th place by fans. Originally released in 1992 as the lead song from the mini-album FRIENDS. An instant classic from the day of its 1992 release, the song only continued to grow in popularity until, in 2008, it was this time found on the band's hits-oriented collection, B'z The Best "ULTRA Pleasure", where it was one of only three non-singles to be included. One of the band's most frequently collected songs, it would also find a place on The Ballads ~Love & B'z~ in 2002 where it opened the collection in its original incarnation, and served as a hidden track with a more up tempo version after the final song. A further, acoustic version would be released on B'z The Best "Pleasure II" in 2005.
- RUN -1998 style- — Original version from album RUN (1992)
- Voted to 12th place by fans. The titular song of their 1992 album of the same name, the original version of "RUN" became one of the band's most well-known and well-regarded songs. As is the case here, it is often reserved to be played as a final and encore song during live performances. For this reversion, according to Koshi, the goal was to showcase the growth of the band since the original's release. The resulting edition of the song featured a more rock-oriented sound and more prominent guitar work, as well as a new intro. In addition, this version of the song served as the theme to commercial promotions for the then-new Nissan Avenir.
- HOME (Short Acoustic Version) appears as a hidden song that plays after twenty seconds of silence in the final listed track. A back to basics edition of the song featuring only Tak and Koshi, it only features a portion of their then-recent single "HOME" in acoustic form. For the chorus, Tak joins for backing vocals.
Voting results
Top 14
The fourteen songs that amassed the most votes were the songs that made up the tracks on the album. Their order on the album itself does not reflect the actual vote total, however, as B'z rearranged the top fourteen tracks to give the album as smooth a flow as possible.
No. | Song | Origin |
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1 |
Koi-Gokoro (KOI-GOKORO) |
|
2 |
BLOWIN' |
|
3 |
Negai |
|
4 |
Mou Ichido Kiss Shitakatta |
|
5 |
TIME |
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6 |
Itsuka no Merry Christmas |
|
7 |
Liar! Liar! |
|
8 |
Pleasure'91 ~Jinsei no Kairaku~ |
|
9 |
MOTEL |
|
10 |
Real Thing Shakes |
|
11 |
Mienai Chikara ~INVISIBLE ONE~ |
|
12 |
RUN |
|
13 |
"Itoshii hito yo" Good Night... |
|
14 |
FIREBALL |
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Remaining Top 100
Apart from the top fourteen that were included on the release itself, B'z also revealed the songs that received enough votes to round out the top 100. Though these songs did not make the cut for this album, the results were later taken into consideration as B'z compiled B'z The "Mixture" just two years later.
Also of note is that when the follow-up compilation album B'z The Best "ULTRA Treasure" was released a decade later, several songs that were on the brink of making this album but fell short ended up making the cut the second time around. "Wonderful Opportunity" from IN THE LIFE ranked in at number twenty in the original Treasure polls, but for ULTRA Treasure was voted in as the fourth most requested track. "Yumemi ga Oka" from LOOSE underwent a similar resurgence with fans, as it was originally voted in as thirty-fifth but, ten years later, ranked as sixth. Notably, "Swimmer yo!!", "YOU & I", and "Gekkou", which all narrowly missed the cut for this album, were all voted in on ULTRA Treasure. Most notably, "LOVE IS DEAD", the lead track from The 7th Blues, a song that only ranked fifty-seventh in the original polling, ended up at number twenty-four for the 20th anniversary and was included.
No. | Song | Origin |
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15 |
Swimmer yo!! |
9th Album 「SURVIVE」 2nd track |
16 |
OH! GIRL |
2nd Album 「OFF THE LOCK」 8th track |
17 |
MOVE |
19th Single 「Mienai Chikara ~INVISIBLE ONE~/MOVE」 Second A-side |
18 |
Sayonara Nanka wa Iwasenai |
6th Album 「RUN」 8th track |
19 |
Kodoku no Runaway |
3rd Mini Album 「MARS」 1st track |
20 |
Wonderful Opportunity |
5th Album 「IN THE LIFE」 1st track |
21 |
YOU & I |
16th Single 「Negai」 B-side |
22 |
Dakara Sono Te wo Hanashite |
1st Single 「Dakara Sono Te wo Hanashite」 A-side |
23 |
NATIVE DANCE |
6th Album 「RUN」 6th track |
24 |
Happiness |
9th Album 「SURVIVE」 5th track |
25 |
Kienai Niji |
8th Album 「LOOSE」 6th track |
26 |
Gekkou |
6th Album 「RUN」 9th track |
27 |
HOT FASHION - Ryuukoukata - |
4th Album 「RISKY」 3rd track |
28 |
Shoushin |
5th Mini Album 「FRIENDS II」 3rd track |
29 |
Koi Jyanakunaru Hi |
4th Mini Album 「FRIENDS」 SCENE 3 |
30 |
GIMME YOUR LOVE |
4th Album 「RISKY」 2nd track |
31 |
Aikawarazu na Bokura |
5th Album 「IN THE LIFE」 9th track |
32 |
BAD COMMUNICATION |
1st Mini Album 「BAD COMMUNICATION」 Title song |
33 |
Crazy Rendezvous |
5th Album 「IN THE LIFE」 5th track |
34 |
Hi |
24th Single 「Samayoeru Aoi Dangan」 B-side |
35 |
Yumemi ga Oka |
8th Album 「LOOSE」 4th track |
36 |
Kimi no Naka de Odoritai |
2nd Single 「Kimi no Naka de Odoritai」 A-side |
37 |
LADY-GO-ROUND |
3rd Single 「LADY-GO-ROUND」 A-side |
38 |
The Loose |
8th Album 「LOOSE」 2nd track |
39 |
WILD LIFE |
5th Album 「IN THE LIFE」 7th track |
40 |
Naite Naite Nakiyandara |
9th Album 「SURVIVE」 8th track |
41 |
Akai Kagerou |
6th Album 「RUN」 3rd track |
42 |
Akai Kawa |
7th Album 「The 7th Blues」 9th track (DISC1) |
43 |
Odekake Shimasho |
7th Album 「The 7th Blues」 2nd track (DISC1) |
44 |
Tokyo |
17th Single 「love me, I love you」 B-side |
45 |
Urei no GYPSY |
5th Album 「IN THE LIFE」 4th track |
46 |
Hoshi Furu Yoru ni Sawagou |
4th Single 「BE THERE」 B-side |
47 |
TONIGHT(Is The Night) |
5th Album 「IN THE LIFE」 2nd track |
48 |
VAMPIRE WOMAN |
4th Album 「RISKY」 7th track |
49 |
JOY |
12nd Single 「Ai no Mama ni Wagamama ni...」 B-side |
50 |
Kirei na Ai Jyanakutemo |
8th Album 「LOOSE」 11th track |
51 |
STARDUST TRAIN |
3rd Album 「BREAK THROUGH」 11th track |
52 |
Survive |
9th Album 「SURVIVE」 Title song |
53 |
Haru |
7th Album 「The 7th Blues」 6th track (DISC2) |
54 |
DEEP KISS |
9th Album 「SURVIVE」 1st track |
55 |
GUITAR KIDS RHAPSODY |
2nd Album 「OFF THE LOCK」 5th track |
56 |
Tonari de Nemurasete |
3rd Album 「BREAK THROUGH」 7th track |
57 |
LOVE IS DEAD |
7th Album 「The 7th Blues」 1st track (DISC1) |
58 |
Doushite mo Kimi wo Ushinaitakunai |
4th Mini Album 「FRIENDS」 SCENE 5 |
59 |
BREAK THROUGH |
3rd Album 「BREAK THROUGH」 Title song |
60 |
hole in my heart |
15th Single 「MOTEL」 B-side |
61 |
KARA・KARA |
13rd Single 「Hadashi no Megami」 B-side |
62 |
BIG |
8th Album 「LOOSE」 12nd track |
63 |
Do me |
9th Album 「SURVIVE」 7th track |
64 |
Yaburenu Yume wo Hikisutte |
7th Album 「The 7th Blues」 7th track (DISC2) |
65 |
HOLY NIGHT ni Kuchizuke wo |
4th Album 「RISKY」 6th track |
66 |
NEVER LET YOU GO |
2nd Album 「OFF THE LOCK」 3rd track |
67 |
SNOW |
5th Mini Album 「FRIENDS II」 2nd track |
68 |
Soredemo Kimi ni wa Modorenai |
5th Album 「IN THE LIFE」 8th track |
69 |
Love & Chain |
3rd Single 「LADY-GO-ROUND」 B-side |
70 |
GUITAR wa Naiteiru |
3rd Album 「BREAK THROUGH」 5th track |
71 |
Suna no Hanabira |
8th Album 「LOOSE」 10th track |
72 |
"Kairaku no Heya" |
5th Album 「IN THE LIFE」 3rd track |
73 |
FUSHIDARA 100% |
18th Single 「LOVE PHANTOM」 B-side |
74 |
SAFETY LOVE |
2nd Single 「Kimi no Naka de Odoritai」 B-side |
75 |
GO! NUDE! GO! |
6th Single 「Easy Come, Easy Go!」 B-side |
76 |
Pleasure'95 ~Jinsei no Kairaku~ |
Only performed live—viewable on 「"BUZZ!!" THE MOVIE」 |
77 |
Ima de wa... Ima nara... Ima mo... |
3rd Album 「BREAK THROUGH」 9th track |
78 |
ROSY |
2nd Album 「OFF THE LOCK」 9th track |
79 |
MY SAD LOVE |
7th Album 「The 7th Blues」 5th track (DISC1) |
80 |
Baby, you're my home |
6th Album 「RUN」 10th track |
81 |
THE GAMBLER |
6th Album 「RUN」 1st track |
82 |
HURRY UP! |
2nd Album 「OFF THE LOCK」 2nd track |
83 |
Biri Biri |
23rd Single 「Liar! Liar!」 B-side |
84 |
BAD COMMUNICATION (000-18) |
8th Album 「LOOSE」 5th track |
85 |
MR. ROLLING THUNDER |
6th Album 「RUN」 7th track |
86 |
Yoru ni Furarete mo |
2nd Album 「OFF THE LOCK」 6th track |
87 |
Miseinen |
7th Album 「The 7th Blues」 3rd track (DISC1) |
88 |
RISKY |
4th Album 「RISKY」 Title song |
89 |
LOVING ALL NIGHT |
2nd Album 「OFF THE LOCK」 7th track |
90 |
It's Raining... |
4th Album 「RISKY」 10th track |
91 |
Teki ga Inakerya |
8th Album 「LOOSE」 9th track |
92 |
WILD ROAD |
7th Album 「The 7th Blues」 10th track (DISC1) |
93 |
Yami no Ame |
7th Album 「The 7th Blues」 4th track (DISC1) |
94 |
CAT |
9th Album 「SURVIVE」 9th track |
95 |
Kimi wo Tsurete |
5th Mini Album 「FRIENDS II」 7th track |
96 |
Out Of Control |
6th Album 「RUN」 5th track |
97 |
DA.KA.RA.SO.NO.TE.O.HA.NA.SHI.TE |
1st Mini Album 「BAD COMMUNICATION」 3rd track |
98 |
FRIDAY MIDNIGHT BLUE |
4th Album 「RISKY」 9th track |
99 |
Kanashiki dreamer |
21st Single 「FIREBALL」 B-side |
100 |
GO-GO-GIRLS |
9th Single 「ALONE」 B-side |