Bluem of Youth
Encyclopedia
Bluem of Youth is a Japan
ese pop
group whom achieved their greatest success in the late 1990s after being the subjects in a reality television
series called Susunu! Denpa Shōnen
. The name is a mix of 'bloom of youth' and 'blue
'. Its members are Yuji Bessho (別所悠二) and Hiroyuki Matsugashita (松ヶ下宏之). They went on permanent hiatus on New Year's Eve
of 2002, but played a 10th anniversary concert commemorating their debut in 2005.
by Trans-Siberian Railway
for seven months from March to October 1999, for a Japan
ese television program
called Susunu! Denpa Shōnen
. Their career was at a crossroads due to poor sales and their contract with their record label
was not renewed.
Therefore, they were given a challenge by the producers of Denpa Shōnen. The two were taken to Moscow
by the program's staff. They were told to travel from Moscow to Vladivostok
via the Trans-Siberian Railway while earning their living by only playing street concerts. They then had to compose a good song by the end of their travels and gather 10,000 or more people for a concert in the Nippon Budokan
on 4 October 1999. If they couldn't do this, then they had to quit their careers as musicians and break up.
Finally, they composed the song "Last Tour" on the bank of Amur River and played the song at the Budokan. They were able to gather more than the required 10,000 people. (The concert was going to be done only once, but there was an encore performance because it was a huge success.)
In 2000, they released "Subasība" (СПАСИБО) album which collected songs composed in Russia. "Supasiba" is a Japanized word for "Спасибо" which means "Thank you" in Russian language
. "Stairway" which was released next to "Last Tour" was composed in Russia, too.
In 2003, they were invited to the "Japan Festival in Moscow" at the Malyi Theatre.
Russia is like a home away from home for them now, and they have been there frequently for private travel.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group whom achieved their greatest success in the late 1990s after being the subjects in a reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series called Susunu! Denpa Shōnen
Susunu! Denpa Shonen
was a Japanese reality TV show which aired from November 1, 1998 to September 29, 2002 on the Nihon TV network and has once again started airing on the Internet from October 2009....
. The name is a mix of 'bloom of youth' and 'blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
'. Its members are Yuji Bessho (別所悠二) and Hiroyuki Matsugashita (松ヶ下宏之). They went on permanent hiatus on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
of 2002, but played a 10th anniversary concert commemorating their debut in 2005.
Travels in Russia
The duo traveled across RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
by Trans-Siberian Railway
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
for seven months from March to October 1999, for a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
called Susunu! Denpa Shōnen
Susunu! Denpa Shonen
was a Japanese reality TV show which aired from November 1, 1998 to September 29, 2002 on the Nihon TV network and has once again started airing on the Internet from October 2009....
. Their career was at a crossroads due to poor sales and their contract with their record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
was not renewed.
Therefore, they were given a challenge by the producers of Denpa Shōnen. The two were taken to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
by the program's staff. They were told to travel from Moscow to Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
via the Trans-Siberian Railway while earning their living by only playing street concerts. They then had to compose a good song by the end of their travels and gather 10,000 or more people for a concert in the Nippon Budokan
Nippon Budokan
The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in central Tokyo, Japan.This is the location where many "Live at the Budokan" albums were recorded...
on 4 October 1999. If they couldn't do this, then they had to quit their careers as musicians and break up.
Finally, they composed the song "Last Tour" on the bank of Amur River and played the song at the Budokan. They were able to gather more than the required 10,000 people. (The concert was going to be done only once, but there was an encore performance because it was a huge success.)
In 2000, they released "Subasība" (СПАСИБО) album which collected songs composed in Russia. "Supasiba" is a Japanized word for "Спасибо" which means "Thank you" in Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
. "Stairway" which was released next to "Last Tour" was composed in Russia, too.
In 2003, they were invited to the "Japan Festival in Moscow" at the Malyi Theatre.
Russia is like a home away from home for them now, and they have been there frequently for private travel.
Singles
- Saigo no Negai (10 October 1995)
- 10 Calls After (13 December 1995)
- TRUTH (1 July 1996)
- Time goes by ... Kimi ga Irudake de / Senrozoi no Koi' (1 October 1997)
- Garden (21 March 1998)
- Russian Roulette (20 June 1998)
- Koe (2 December 1998)
- Last Tour ~Yakusoku no Basho e~ (1 December 1999)
- Stairway (23 February 2000)
- Lover's slit (2 August 2000)
- If (12 October 2000)
- Yudachi -sound of the memory- (8 August 2001)
- Saruveju (9 October 2002)
- Hitohira no Yume (4 December 2002)
Albums
- bloom of youth (1 February 1996)
- Target (1 July 1998)
- Supasība (Спасибо, en: Thank you) (15 March 2000)
- Early Singles+ (19 April 2000)
- Fuyu no Shizuku (5 December 2001)
- Gift -Bluem of Extra- (27 March 2002)
- GROWIN' DAYS (18 December 2002)
- 20021228 LIVE COMPLETE (23 April 2003)
DVD
- Supasība Tour 2000 (23 August 2000)
- 12 Clips+ (28 March 2001)
- Ichiya Ensōkai -classical premium- (18 December 2002)
- GROWIN' DAYS CLIPS + (19 February 2003)