glay - Nt2099

A J ! - E N T S P E C I A L F E AT U R E A R T I C L E
GLAY
BY WYNNE IP
IMAGES CO URT ESY OF TOSH I BA-EMI
G L AY O F F I C I A L W E B S I T E :
w w w. g l a y. c o . j p
J!-ENT
GLAY (from L-R): TERU (vocalist), TAKURO (guitarist), HISASHI (guitarist) and JIRO (Bass). Image courtesy of TOSHIBA-EMI.
In this day and age in Japan, the
word GLAY should already be a household name.
After all, the four-member rock
band has been atop the Japanese
music charts for years since their major
debut in 1994, after they met YOSHIKI,
the leader of yet another famous rock
band, X-JAPAN.
Members of GLAY include vocalist TERU, guitarist TAKURO, guitarist
HISASHI, and bassist JIRO.
Thanks to GLAY’s leader TAKURO,
who also composes and writes the
great majority of the band’s work, their
melodious music appeals to listeners
of all ages, and their deep lyrics touch
the hearts of many.
From all-time rock pieces such as
“Yuuwaku” and “Kanojo no “Modern…””, classic love songs like
“HOWEVER” and “HAPPINESS”, to
high-energy concert favorites such
as “SHUTTER SPEEDS no teema”
and “Minamigochi”, as well as darker
power ballads like “Winter, again” and
2
“Missing You”, GLAY’s broad music
style is what separates them from
many rock bands in the Japanese
music world.
In fact, the band’s name is often
considered a misspelling or a play on
the word “gray”, which is a blend of
black and white, a symbolism of their
sound ranging from rock to pop.
Just as their music has developed
and transformed throughout the
years, so has their fashion sense: loud,
multi-colored, spiky rocker hairstyles
with extravagant outfits have been
replaced by a milder, friendlier, and a
more mature rock star version.
Following a series of highly successful singles and albums in the
late 90s, including the then all-time
best-selling album “REVIEW” in 1997,
GLAY held their first “GLAY EXPO”,
an exhibition and an outdoor live,
on July 31, 1999, drawing a singleconcert record-breaking audience of
200,000 people.
Subsequent “GLAY EXPO” events
were held in July 2001, and then in
July 2004, at the height of their 10th
year celebration, following the release
of their 8th album “THE FRUSTRATED” on March 24, 2004.
GLAY concluded the celebration
in March 2005, when they completed
their “GLAY 10th Year Final WHITE
ROAD” performance in Okinawa.
Rumors of dispute with their record
label surfaced during 2005, as the
band remained quiet for the most part
of the year, except for one collaboration project with EXILE to produce
the song “SCREAM” under the group
“GLAYxEXILE” in the summer.
Individually, the members were
keeping themselves active.
TERU participated in the worldwide “Hottokenai: Sekai no Mazushisa
(Don’t Let It Be: World Poverty)”
campaign in the summer, and brought
GLAY along for a RED RIBBON December live event that promoted
AIDS awareness.
JIRO has formed a sideband called
MAY 07 | J!-ENT
GLAY (from L-R): TERU (vocalist), HISASHI (guitarist), TAKURO (guitarist), and JIRO (Bass). Image courtesy of TOSHIBA-EMI.
THE PREDATORS with Sawao Yamanaka from the pillows and Shinpei
Nakayama from STRAIGHTENER,
and has released a mini album in
July while performing at several rock
festivals during the summer.
HISASHI led fellow member
TERU, Kouji Ueno from Radio Caroline, and Miyagami Motokatsu from
THE MAD CAPSULE MARKET to
form a band called rally to cover the
song “Aku no hana” in BUCK-TICK’s
20th anniversary tribute album.
TAKURO took this time to refresh
himself and write new songs for the
band, and then during the latter half
of 2005, GLAY was back in music
production as a group again.
The wait was finally over when
they revealed their new compositions “ROCK’N’ROLL SWINDLE” and
“LAYLA” in February 2006 during
their five lives in Zepp Tokyo and
Nippon Budokan.
It was an indication of many good
things to come and a new GLAY that
we should expect.
J!-ENT | MAY 07
GLAY released their long-waited
new single “G4” in July 2006, one
year and seven months after their
previous release, which officially kickstarted their “re-birth” promotion, a
keyword often associated with their
hiatus, leaving their old behind, refueling, and eventually emerging again
with new music.
As TAKURO has put it, the single
contained four songs of distinct styles,
with all their love and feelings poured
into its making, as a gift for each fan
that has waited for them this whole
time.
GLAY also held a joint concert with
Japan’s rock leader, Kyosuke Himuro,
after a special release of their joint
single “ANSWER” under the name
“GLAY feat. KYOSUKE HIMURO” in
August 2006.
Another new single “Natsuoto/Hen
na yume ~THOUSAND DREAMS~”
containing three songs was released,
and a 25-venue nationwide hall tour
rounded up the year 2006.
In 2007, GLAY began their “GLAY
ARENA TOUR 2007 LOVE IS BEAUTIFUL” on January 13, and during the
same month, they also released a new
single called “100 man kai no KISS”
with five different versions, and then
their highly anticipated full length
album “LOVE IS BEAUTIFUL”, which
achieved the number one spot on the
Oricon music chart.
GLAY has just released a new
single “Kodou” in April 2007, which is
the theme song of the fantasy Japanese martial arts movie, “Taitei no
ken”, in theaters April 7.
With music production in high
gear, be certain to watch out for the
re-energized GLAY in the remainder of
2007 and in years to come!
WYNNE IP is an entertainment writer-atlarge for J!-ENT.
For more information on GLAY, please visit:
www.glay.co.jp
3
GLAY
worldgroove
J!-ENT
A J!-ENT MUSIC REVIEW
GLAY
G4
Capitol Records/Toshiba-EMI
TOCT-22277
RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2006
1. ROCK’N’ROLL SWINDLE
2. Dareka no tame ni ikiru
3. Koi
4. LAYLA
The single “G4” ended GLAY’s silence
for a year and seven months by providing
their fans a loud bang that kick-started
their re-birth campaign.
The four songs featured in “G4”,
though having completely different styles,
were full of heart in both music and lyrics,
as GLAY was able to express all their
frustration, their relief, and their gratitude
into their work in their new era.
While TERU unleashed his vocal
chords on top of the heavy guitars of
“ROCK’N’ROLL SWINDLE” and the
relatively lighter “Dareka no tame ni ikiru”,
he clearly conveyed the bitterness and
sadness in “Koi”, and the outlook and
encouragement in “LAYLA” by molding
the words of GLAY and its sound into one
voice.
Definitely check out the extended
instrumental portion in the middle of
“ROCK’N’ROLL SWINDLE”, because
it dedicated significant play time for
TAKURO and HISASHI’s guitar solos, and
JIRO’s funky bass line.
In terms of lyrics, “Koi” was my favorite
on the single, which was about a harsh
romance that was never quite the perfect
kind, even though two people started out
believing they were meant for each other.
TAKURO has mentioned that this single
was a gift for each fan who has waited
long for them during their silence, and he
apparently meant it quite literally as well.
The packaging of the single is a special
treat, as its cardboard design folds out
from the four edges of the CD base panel,
similar to unwrapping a present, with
each panel focusing on one of the four
members.
The first edition also contains printed
notes of thanks and autographs from the
members on the back side of the cover
image.
Overall, this CD single is a must for
those who are GLAY fans.
And even if you are not, you will not be
disappointed by the effort that the band
has poured in for their work.
— WYNN E I P
< THE RETURN OF GLAY
After a year and seven months of silence, GLAY makes their return with “G4”.
THE VARIOUS SHADES
OF GLAY
GLAY
Natsuoto/Hen na yume - THOUSAND
DREAMS~
Capitol Records/Toshiba-EMI
ITOCT-40035, Rel. Sept. 13, 2006
The “Natsuoto/Hen na yume ~THOUSAND DREAMS~” single definitely
provides the listeners yet another
chance to experience the various sides
of GLAY in the same release.
The wind chimes, the strings, the
quietness of the A-melody and the contrast of the full chorus, Natsuoto takes
the listeners to the pure summer night
sky, which unveils the sad, old memories of someone who was once loved
and now lost in this power ballad.
“Hen na yume ~THOUSAND
DREAMS~”, on the other hand, has an
energetic, groovy tune that tells us to
go enjoy life and be ourselves.
A special mention must be made to
the third track, “Lock on you”, composed and written by TERU, because it
brings out the fun, hot, and sexy voice
from our vocalist.
The cover art shows four birds perched on
branches, in a dreamy, artistic way, and none
of the illustrations included in the CD show the
faces of the members, which I think further supports the non-existence in the theme of dreams
and distinguishes the present from memories.
All in all, this is a typical GLAY single that
gives the listener a bit of everything, to make
them come back for more.
- WYNNE IP
worldgroove
J!-ENT
A J!-ENT MUSIC REVIEW
GLAY
LOVE IS BEAUTIFUL
Capitol Records/Toshiba-EMI
TOCT-26187
RELEASE DATE: January 31, 2007
1. ROCK’N’ROLL SWINDLE (album ver.)
2. Hen na yume ~THOUSAND DREAMS~
3. 100 man kai no KISS
4. Natsuoto
5. AMERICAN INNOVATION
6. ANSWER (album ver.)
7. Bokutachi no shouhai
8. Saragi no tou
9. WORLD’S END
10. SCREAM (album ver.)
11. Koi
12. I will~
13. LAYLA (album ver.)
14. MIRROR
After two years and ten months, GLAY
released their latest album, “LOVE IS
BEAUTIFUL”, as they broke their silence and put
all their efforts in this “Re-birth” period into the
making of this album.
Four previously released tracks were
tagged “album version” of their earlier singles
– “ROCK’N’ROLL SWINDLE’s “ vocal track
was most obviously re-recorded, “ANSWER”
and “LAYLA” were slightly rearranged with
more guitar, bass, and drums, while the GLAY
half of “SCREAM” was definitely heightened
as the newly mixed version has dimmed the
synthesized dance beat half of EXILE.
Of the new songs, JIRO’s “AMERICAN
INNOVATION” sounded somewhat like a
concert favorite that could pump up the
atmosphere, whereas HISASHI’s piece could
be clearly identified with those funky chord
progressions in “WORLD’S END”.
The deep lyrics of “Bokutachi no shouhai”,
“MIRROR”, “Saragi no tou”, and TERU’s
composition “I will~” that described themselves,
their lives, and this world, were messages and
confessions from their hearts.
The first edition of the album comes with a
special 36-page booklet, a DVD with six music
videos, and a LOVE IS BEAUTIFUL ROAD
MOVIE, all in a special slip case packaging.
Set to the music of “MIRROR”, the LOVE IS
BEAUTIFUL ROAD MOVIE shows the behindthe-scene footage of the album and booklet
photo shoots, in the mountains and by the sea.
Of the six music videos included in the DVD
format, “ROCK’N’ROLL SWINDLE”, “Koi”,
and “Natsuoto” were previously unreleased,
whereas “ANSWER”, “SCREAM”, and “100 man
kai no KISS” can be found on the DVD version of
the respective singles releases.
Overall speaking, since eight out of the
fourteen tracks are previously released songs,
some might feel disappointed because they
were expecting to hear more new songs, but
in the same breath, those who have hesitated
to buy their earlier singles no longer have an
excuse to not purchase this beautiful album,
because it is full of all their latest hits, their
hearts, and their love.
— WYNNE IP
< LOVE IS DEFINITELY BEAUTIFUL.
Nearly three years later, GLAY releases their latest full-length album “LOVE IS BEAUTIFUL”.
A BEAUTIFUL BALLAD
THAT YOU WILL LOVE
GLAY
100 man kai no KISS
Toshiba-EMI
TOCT-40070 (CD)
Four other limited editions available with
DVD - all versions come with “100 man kai
no KISS” music video, plus the following
content:
- TOCT-40071 (CD+DVD) Feb 6, 8, 9, 2006 Nippon Budokan LIVE “LAYLA” special edition ver.
- TOCT-40072 (CD+DVD) Aug 5, 6, 2006 AJINOMOTO STADIUM LIVE “ANSWER”
- TOCT-40073 (CD+DVD) Aug 27, 2006 Mujitou
Fes. LIVE “Natsuoto”
- TOCT-40074 (CD+DVD) Oct 29, 2006 GLORIOUS NIGHT CRUISE at YOKOHAMA BLITZ
“Re-birth” LIVE “100 man kai no KISS”
Rel. January 17, 2007
“100 man kai no KISS” is a gentle,
loving ballad that would give the listener
a warm and fuzzy feeling.
The first time I listened to the song,
I imagined that I was listening to the
background track of a wedding video
montage.
In a big contrast, LONE WOLF is one
of GLAY’s harder rock songs – if you love
“Yuuwaku” and “MERMAID” from their
earlier albums, you will love this song.
The DVD opening sequence included
a short animated clip about a “MIS GLAY
SHOW”, in which a lady with fake lashes
ended up putting on heavy make-up in a room full
of GLAY images and posters.
As she finished and looked at herself in the
mirror, she was horrified at what she saw, and it
led to the first feature on the DVD, which in my
version was the rock & roll jamming session of
GLAY and Kyosuke Himuro at AJINOMOTO STADIUM performing “ANSWER” in front of a sea of
audience waving their hands in unison.
The second feature on the DVD is the music
video of the title song, and my earlier thoughts
were further validated as it also included clips
of ordinary people, their family lives, and joyful
weddings.
The bonus DVD content definitely makes this
single worth buying, and the only headache you
might have for yourself is simply deciding which
version to buy. - WYNNE IP
worldgroove
J!-ENT
A J!-ENT MUSIC REVIEW
GLAY
Kodou
Capitol Records/Toshiba-EMI
TOCT-40096
RELEASE DATE: April 4, 2007
1. Kodou
2. Bokutachi no Shouhai
3. Toge
Don’t be fooled by the quiet piano sound
in the introduction of “Kodou”, this song
is as grand an epic as the new movie it is
featured in.
As the ending theme of the fantasy
martial arts movie, “Taitei no ken” (April
2007), Kodou’s oriental style melody spoke
the heart of a hero who must leave the past
behind to follow his dream; the piano and
strings background definitely added a touch
of sorrow and determination to the song.
As far as I could tell, “Bokutachi no
shouhai” is the same as what can be found
on the album, “LOVE IS BEAUTIFUL”.
The harder rock piece, “Toge”, has a
rather twisted melody and some darker
lyrics that go with it.
If not for that middle track, the “Kodou”
single certainly has a completely different
sound compared to “LOVE IS BEAUTIFUL”,
and so for those of you who enjoy the not
too conventional sound of GLAY, this would
be something you might want to give it a
listen.
— WYNN E I P
COMING SOON
TO J!-ENT
LiN
CLOVER
< MUSIC FROM THE HEART
GLAY’s latest CD single “Kodou” is the theme song to the April 2007 film “Taitei no Ken”.
The Re-birth of GLAY...
GLAY Re-birth ~ROCK’N’ROLL
SWINDLE at NIPPON BUDOKAN~
Capitol Records/Toshiba-EMI
Catalog #: TOBF-5498, 99
Format: DVD, Region 2
Disc 1: approx. 150 minutes, 16:9
Disc 2: approx. 90 minutes, 4:3
Release date: October 4, 2006
CONTENTS:
DISC 1
01. ROCK’N’ROLL SWINDLE
02. Yuuwaku
03. Ikiteku tsuyosa
04. Glorious
05. FATSOUNDS
06. coyote, colored darkness
07. HEAVY GAUGE
08. San nen go
09. Kiseki no hate
10. BELOVED
11. Tsuzure ori ~so far and yet so close~
12. KISSIN’ NOISE
I
t is not often that a rock band can survive over a decade.
Enter GLAY, who has endured and
overcome many obstacles since the
band’s career debut in 1994, and has numerous hit songs under their belt over
the last 13 years.
This “Re-birth” live DVD, “ROCK’N’ROLL
SWINDLE at NIPPON BUDOKAN”, containing many of their classics as well as new
compositions, was their first sign of breaking
out of their hiatus since March of 2005.
The DVD was filmed on February 9, 2006,
the final day of their GLAY IN BUDOKAN
2006 “ROCK’N’ROLL SWINDLE” live in
Tokyo.
The first thing that was really noticeable
was the stage being in the middle of the concert hall, with audience surrounding it from
all directions, which is quite different than
how most rock concert seats are arranged.
GLAY took the center stage in an explosion after a “ROCK’N’ROLL SWINDLE”
promotional video was played in the large
monitor screens, followed by screams of fans.
Looking at their stage clothes as they
were greeting their fans, they were not
particularly elaborate, that is if you compare
to the ones they had donned back in the
late 90s, but worthy of note was guitarist
HISASHI’s platinum blonde hair, his black and
feathered top hat, and his cane.
Although GLAY started the concert with,
at the time, the new song “ROCK’N’ROLL
SWINDLE”, the excited fans, as if they were
told before hand, synchronized with their
pumping hands and moved to the beat.
If you have never seen GLAY’s live before,
you might even wonder how fans would
know when to make certain motions with
their hands, or when to jump at different
parts of different songs.
Whether it is classics such as “Yuuwaku”
and “Ikiteku tsuyosa”, the darker and more
mysterious “coyote, colored darkness” and
“HEAVY GAUGE”, or their ballad perfor-
8
mance such as the beautiful “Tsuzure ori
~so far and yet so close~”, you can definitely tell that the performers on stage were
feeding off the energy that came from the
audience, while the audience was truly enjoying the atmosphere created by the band.
Vocalist TERU seemed to be off-key at
times, particularly when he got overly emotional because of the lyrics in the slower
songs, or too excited because of the fans in
the faster ones.
Other powerful rock numbers include
the all-time GLAY concert favorites: “Kanojo
no “Modern…”” – check out those guitar
duets in the middle, “SHUTTER SPEEDS no
teema” – bassist JIRO’s most popular and
wildest performance, “Peak hateshinaku
Soul kagirinaku” – watch the interaction
between GLAY and the fans.
GLAY responded the first encore with
their most popular and famous song from
1999, “Winter, again”, and as I was watching this song, it realized how much I love
this live version, and that their sound had
matured a whole lot throughout these
years.
GLAY could not thank their fans enough
during the various MC segments in the
concert, and TERU even promised that they
would be visiting and performing at a place
near everyone’s neighborhood.
The climax of the encore came at the last
song, “ACID HEAD”, which has always been
much more entertaining during lives than its
album version, as it featured guitarist and
leader TAKURO in the extended introduction, lots of interactions among the band
members, as well as plenty of group-jumping and waving arms among the audience.
The band responded to a second encore
with the classic, “I’m in Love”, which contained a segment that was sung only by the
fans, as GLAY listened closely with gratitude
to the unison from the stage front.
I can go on and on to describe how great
this concert DVD is, but no words can truly
J! DVD REVIEW
13. Kanojo no “Modern…”
14. SHUTTER SPEEDS no teema
15. Peak hateshinaku Soul kagirinaku
16. BEAUTIFUL DREAMER
17. LAYLA
-ENCOREEN-1 Winter, again
EN-2 More than Love
EN-3 ACID HEAD
-ENCORE 2EN2-1 I’m in Love
DISC 2
- Making Movies
- Re-birth short film 120-second TV SPOT
- Re-birth short film preview 15-second
SPOT x 10
SPECIAL BONUS
- A 32-page special photo booklet
FIRST EDITION BONUS
- Slip case packaging
express how GLAY was able to put on an
enormous show that was powerful, fresh,
fun, and nostalgic at the same time.
As for the extras, the making movie
raised a question – Why did GLAY remain
silent for the entire year of 2005 since
concluding their 10th anniversary celebration?
The opening segment asked, is it in
order to fulfill the individual members’
musical desires, is it in order to further
evolve the band, or is it in order to convey
their true feelings to everyone out there?
The answer? In order to use only their
own power and no one else’s, to start
from zero, GLAY asked and thanked their
fans for waiting for them, and began their
new journey in 2006.
For those of you interested in seeing GLAY without make-up, you can find
plenty of scenes with them in their natural, make-up-less faces.
Viewers can really see the effort that
is put into a tour in this 90-minute bonus
disc, through member interviews, scenes
from rehearsals, and backstage footage.
The band also discussed the making of
the song “LAYLA” and the planning of the
secret on-stage celebration for Hisashi’s
birthday on the February 2nd live at Zepp
Tokyo.
A number of songs performed during
the February 2nd live were also included
in this bonus disc, and of course the actual
birthday celebration was also included
towards the end.
The disc concluded with promotion
clips of their Re-birth campaign.
This 2-disc DVD set is a must-get for
those of you who love GLAY, and highly
recommended for those who just love to
see how one of Japan’s top rock bands
does a concert right.
- WYNNE IP
MAY 07 | J!-ENT
CO M I NG SO ON TO J!-ENT
ANNA TSUCHIYA