B'z

B'z
	; B'z is made up of guitarist-composer Tak Matsumoto and vocalist-lyricist Koshi Inaba.
Background information
Origin	Japan
Genres	Rock, Hard Rock, Pop Rock, Blues, Jazz, Dance, Adult Rock, Metal
Years	1988–Present
Labels	BMG Japan (1988-1995); Vermillion Records (1995-Present)
Website	Official website
Members
	Tak Matsumoto; Koshi Inaba

B'z is a Japanese rock band, comprised of guitarist-composer Tak Matsumoto and vocalist-lyricist Koshi Inaba. Since their debut in 1988, B'z have remained one of the most successful music acts in not just their home country but the world, having set a number of records that still stand today. Not only have they remained at the top of the charts for over two decades, they have done so while experimenting with a great many sounds in virtually every imaginable genre of music. In addition to their work as a group, both members have complimented their musical endeavors with storied solo careers.

Among the records set and held by B'z are the distinctions of having the most number one singles, of which all are consecutive, the most number one albums, and the most number one home video releases. Overall, B'z has sold over 35 million singles—the most in Japanese history—and have moved over 85 million records in total—the most ever sold by a band in their home country. B'z currently has over thirty releases that have sold over a million copies, including their first two best-of compilations, B'z The Best "Pleasure" and B'z The Best "Treasure", that remain the second and fifth highest selling albums in Japanese music history.

B'z concerts, referred to as LIVE-GYMs, have been characterized by their consistent quality, energy, and production value. In addition to playing shows all over Japan, the duo has performed live in the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Canada. In addition to their large-scale concerts, B'z also venture out to see fans in the form of SHOWCASE shows—concerts with setlists that typically include a great many scarcely-performed songs and take place at smaller, more intimate venues. Generally, they are often played as warm-ups to the larger LIVE-GYM concerts as well as a means of still touring for fans even when a major album promotion isn't in order, especially in areas of Japan that the band have not visited previously or have not visited in some time.

Since December 1988, a quarterly magazine has been available to members of the band's fanclub, B'z PARTY. Be With!, previously known as Be+wiZ!, began as more of a newsletter but has since evolved into a full magazine with thorough interviews with the band in each issue, recording diaries, detailed backstage reports, exclusive reveals, and a great deal of special features.

History

Origin of the name B'z

The origin of "B'z" comes in various forms, though both members have stated on more than one occasion that there was no deep meaning behind its creation, with it mostly being spontaneous and spur of the moment. The most prominent explanation was that they wanted to be an "A to Z" sort of band, a band from which you could expect any sort of music. This was shortened to "A~Z" and then "A'z", but the pronunciation possibly being mistaken for "AIDS" made it an unfavorable candidate, which led to "B'z". Koshi repeated this sentiment in the 2012 documentary Only Two in a New York interview during their latest United States and Canada tour. Additionally, the band wanted a name that was easy to recognize, something modern that would lend itself well to a logo and become a recognizable namesake.

The uncertainty behind the exact origin of the band's name has led to much fan and press speculation over the years. With the question being one of the most common the band have received in their decades on the music scene, a few additional and supporting explanations have also arisen. Tak mentioned in a 1989 interview that the idea of having a "Z" at the end was the result of a casual remark by a staff member, while the idea that "B'z" is associated with bees was supported when Koshi explained in an interview on TOKYO FM's "BEAT ZONE" program that the pronunciation of "B'z" was similar to "bees" in English, meaning a swarm of bees. Bee imagery would be featured during the year 1995 on the single for "love me, I love you" as well as serving as a motif for B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure'95 "BUZZ!!".

Later, Tak was also quoted as saying he liked the idea of using a "Z" in the name and thought having a "B" would be appropriately masculine, with the number of associated "B" rock artists out there. Thus, adding the two together formed "B'z". Another popular explanation that emerged in the press was that the band wanted to be inclusive of their favorite rock artists, and thus the name "B'z" included "B" for The Beatles and "Z" for Led Zeppelin.

1988-1994: Rise to Prominence

1988: Formation and Debut Album

In the mid-1980s, the music scene in Japan was awash with music that consisted primarily and often exclusively of digitally-generated sounds and rarely involved the full instrumentation one would expect of rock music. The state of popular music at the time was at odds with the rock culture that a young guitarist by the name of Tak Matsumoto had admired since his youth. Then a studio musician playing guitar on the albums of some of Japan's top emerging pop acts, such as TM Network and Mari Hamada, Tak was discontent with the lack of distinctive guitar work in the music industry and longed to create his own music. After a stint of touring and recording with Hamada and TM Network, the young guitarist was determined to emerge from the shadow of being a supporting artist and create his own musical identity.

After departing from his supporting commitments, Tak set out to embark on his solo career where he would have control over the sound of his music. Solo instrumental albums were seeing a niche trend within a market that was starving for some sort of innovation, and thus Tak took advantage. On May 21, 1988, Thousand Wave, the debut album from twenty-seven year old guitarist Tak Matsumoto, was released to the Japanese public. The ten track album laid the foundation for Tak's early compositional style and offered the world the very first example of the prototypical B'z sound that would be of vital importance in the years to follow. In addition to offering a taste of what would become B'z music, it was here that Tak cemented another element of B'z history when friend and keyboardist Takanobu Masuda played on over half the album. Masuda had previously served as a fellow supporting member to Mari Hamada and would go on to tour with B'z more so than any other supporting member, having done so beginning in 1992 and would still be doing so even as of 2012.

The young Tak was satisfied with Thousand Wave and his first experience of being in control of the studio. At the same time, he felt he still hadn't even begun to reach his potential for what he wanted to accomplish in his musical career. As such, with the release of Thousand Wave, Tak felt that chapter of his career had ended and the next was soon to begin. It was then that he set out to realize his dream and thus began his search for others with which he could form a band to take to the top of the charts.

In May 1988, Tak—feeling confident with a guitar and not so much in his vocal ability—began searching for a vocalist with which to pair himself and begin his band project with. It was at that time that a music producer and friend by the name of Daiko Nagato introduced Tak to a demo tape from his collection of aspiring artists. The tape was a recording made several years prior by a university student who had made the tape with the hopes of being noticed and becoming a professional musician. The songs from the session that were then heard by Tak were covers of T-Bone Walker's "T-Bone Shuffle", Led Zeppelin's "You Shook Me", and Billy Joel's "Honest". The tape went unnoticed and unrewarded at the time and was filed away. Years after it had been recorded, the solo guitarist Tak Matsumoto was listening to the tape and immediately sensed a connection with his style of music and the voice he was hearing.

The voice on the tape belonged to a recent Yokohama National University graduate by the name of Koshi Inaba. Though he had been a student at the time the demo tape was authored, he had now graduated with a degree in mathematics and had embarked on the path of teaching the subject instead. The young Koshi had excelled at academics, particularly in English and math, and felt comfortable teaching the latter considering that, during the course of his university days, he had ranked third in the entire country in mathematics. It was not in teaching that his heart really belonged, however, and while his dreams of being a musician had begun to diminish with the responsibilities of the real world, he was not ready to give up entirely. When he suddenly received a call from a man named Tak Matsumoto to request an audition with concern to a demo he had recorded years earlier, Koshi was floored and immediately accepted the meeting.

The rendezvous took place at a small studio in Roppongi, Tokyo called "SOUND JOKER". There, the two mused over the music that they liked and found a great many similarities between them, including a mutual fondness of The Beatles. The pair reconvened the next day without a solid plan and decided to become more familiar with one another's styles by playing Beatles songs together. It was then that the two played through covers of "Oh! Darling" and "Let It Be" with only a microphone and guitar. However, shortly after the second song, the guitar amplifier malfunctioned and they had no choice but to call it a day. Despite the sudden inconvenience, both Tak and Koshi had heard enough and their newfound band was on its way. Twenty years later, after they had long topped the Japanese music scene and become its biggest artists, the two relayed this story and performed "Oh! Darling" under the same conditions, with only a microphone and guitar, to a crowd of over 70,000 during their sold-out 20th anniversary tour.

While the formation of the band came quite easily, Tak and Koshi relayed in later years that it was more of an organic than an arranged decision to start a band, with it all happening naturally. During their 1993 tour, "RUN", Tak joked on-stage that, "Come to think of it, we never did [outright agree we should form a band]", to which Koshi responded, "Let's do it then!". In the Japanese music industry at the time, the perception was that rookie artists should give up if they are unable to produce a hit within three albums. As a result, Tak said to Koshi in the early days that they should score the cover of Gb, a popular music magazine at the time, within three years.

From the band's founding through writing the music, producing, and recording their original works, it all occurred in a short period of around four months. Finally, on September 21, 1988, the simultaneous releases of their self-titled debut album B'z and their first single, "Dakara Sono Te wo Hanashite", marked the beginning of a new era in the lives of Tak Matsumoto and Koshi Inaba as well as serving as the beginning of what would forever change the face and sound of Japanese music.

1989: Live Performances and OFF THE LOCK

< NOTE: This article is a perpetual work in progress that will be expanded gradually with time. >

1990:
1991:
1992:
1993:
1994:

1995-1999: Hard Rock Renaissance

1995:
1996:
1997:
1998:
1999:

2000-2004: New Era

2000:
2001:
2002:
2003:
2004:

2005-2009: 20th Anniversary

2005:
2006:
2007:
2008:
2009:

2010-2013: International Efforts

2010:
2011:
2012: Debut English Album and Largest North American Tour
2013: 25th Anniversary, B'z The Best XXV and Pleasure 2013 -ENDLESS SUMMER-

Records & Accolades

Success Abroad

The band's success has led them to receive accolades and acknowledgment far outside of Japan. In 2002, American rock icons Aerosmith were invited to headline the International Concert Day event at the 2002 FIFA World Cup that was co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, and they agreed, but with the stipulation that they would only do so if B'z headlined with them. Ultimately, B'z and Aerosmith shared the same stage as the two bands performed hit after hit until finally the two joined forces for a rendition of the classic rock tune "Train Kept A Rollin'".

On November 19, 2007, B'z received the honor of becoming the first Asian musicians to be inducted to the Hollywood RockWalk in Los Angeles, California. This was not the first time B'z broke new ground in the global music industry, however. In 1999, Tak became the first Asian guitarist to become a signature Gibson artist and has, ever since, sported and introduced to the public numerous Gibson guitars designed to his specifications—most of which have quickly sold out in their initial production runs.

B'z have forged relationships with many of the top personalities in rock music, including guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, fellow American guitarist Stevie Salas, Slash of Guns N' Roses, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Juan Alderete of the Mars Volta, the members of rock band Mr. Big, as well as Canadian drummer Shane Gaalaas and bassist Barry Sparks, who have become fixtures of the B'z touring crew as they tour in Japan and abroad. In 2010, Tak collaborated with renowned jazz guitarist Larry Carlton on an "east meets west"-themed instrumental album titled Take Your Pick, which would go on to earn the pair a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album and make Tak the first Japanese guitarist to be bestowed with the honor.