The 7th Blues
Encyclopedia
The 7th Blues is the seventh album released by Japan
ese hard rock band B'z
, released on March 2, 1994.
The First disc contains the pop-rock style songs that B'z built their career on. Notable tracks include "LOVE IS DEAD," which is very jazz oriented; "Strings of My Soul", an instrumental song that Tak performed during previous Live-Gyms, and "Akai Kawa", which features a lengthy string and keyboard introduction.
The Second disc bases itself more on blues and hard rock songs. Notable songs include "Jap the Ripper", a previously unreleased song that was played during the aforementioned tour; "Slave to the Night", a re-recording of "Heart wo Nureru Number" from the band's debut album
, comprising new English lyrics with an extended intro; "Lady Navigation", a bluesy acoustic version of the 1991 single with all English lyrics. Rounding out the balance of the album is "Mou Karimakka", a Kansai Blues-inspired track written in Kansai dialect, reflecting Tak's hometown of Osaka.
B'z took the time to experiment with several sounds, and draw upon their influences, including Aerosmith (Kohshi's vocal style is very reminiscent to Steven Tyler in "Don't Leave Me"), The Beatles (heard most directly in "farewell song"), Eric Clapton (The Leslie effected riff for "Queen of Madrid"), Led Zeppelin (most notably in Tak's homage to "Heartbreaker" in the bridge), Jimi Hendrix (intro riff to "SLAVE TO THE NIGHT"), and Van Halen (The intro riff to "JAP THE RIPPER"). Tak's eclectic studio session background, and his musical influences of blues, classical, jazz, pop, and rock are very apparent in the arrangement as well.
The catalog code for this album is BMCR-6601-2.
The logo featured in the middle of the album cover resembles the logo that Aerosmith
has been using in their album covers.
The album sold broke the million copies mark with over 1,049,900 copies sold in its first week and eventually sold over 1,630,450 copies in total.
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 hard rock band B'z
B'z
is a Japanese hard rock duo, composed of and .B'z has released 45 consecutive #1 singles, 24 #1 albums, and sold more than 79 million records in Japan alone...
, released on March 2, 1994.
Album information
The 7th Blues was released as a double album in March of 1994 after their successful "PLEASURE LIVE-GYM '93 - JAP THE RIPPER" tour. This album was to fully cement B'z evolution from synthesizer-driven pop to mainstream rock. The experimentation is also of note, as it follows the familiar pattern of excess that so frequently comes with most double albums in the rock and roll genre, most notably Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk", although nowhere nearly as wild or juxtaposed as Lindsay Buckingham's studio work on said album.The First disc contains the pop-rock style songs that B'z built their career on. Notable tracks include "LOVE IS DEAD," which is very jazz oriented; "Strings of My Soul", an instrumental song that Tak performed during previous Live-Gyms, and "Akai Kawa", which features a lengthy string and keyboard introduction.
The Second disc bases itself more on blues and hard rock songs. Notable songs include "Jap the Ripper", a previously unreleased song that was played during the aforementioned tour; "Slave to the Night", a re-recording of "Heart wo Nureru Number" from the band's debut album
B'z (album)
B'z is the self-titled debut album for the Japanese rock duo B'z. It was released on September 21, 1988, and only reached #47 on the Japanese charts...
, comprising new English lyrics with an extended intro; "Lady Navigation", a bluesy acoustic version of the 1991 single with all English lyrics. Rounding out the balance of the album is "Mou Karimakka", a Kansai Blues-inspired track written in Kansai dialect, reflecting Tak's hometown of Osaka.
B'z took the time to experiment with several sounds, and draw upon their influences, including Aerosmith (Kohshi's vocal style is very reminiscent to Steven Tyler in "Don't Leave Me"), The Beatles (heard most directly in "farewell song"), Eric Clapton (The Leslie effected riff for "Queen of Madrid"), Led Zeppelin (most notably in Tak's homage to "Heartbreaker" in the bridge), Jimi Hendrix (intro riff to "SLAVE TO THE NIGHT"), and Van Halen (The intro riff to "JAP THE RIPPER"). Tak's eclectic studio session background, and his musical influences of blues, classical, jazz, pop, and rock are very apparent in the arrangement as well.
The catalog code for this album is BMCR-6601-2.
The logo featured in the middle of the album cover resembles the logo that Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
has been using in their album covers.
The album sold broke the million copies mark with over 1,049,900 copies sold in its first week and eventually sold over 1,630,450 copies in total.
Disc 1
- "LOVE IS DEAD"
- "おでかけしましょ" [Odekake Shimashou]
- "未成年" [Miseinen]
- "闇の雨" [Yami No Ame]
- "MY SAD LOVE"
- "Queen of Madrid"
- "ヒミツなふたり" [Himitsu Na Futari]
- "Strings of My Soul"
- "赤い河" [Akai Kawa]
- "WILD ROAD"
Disc 2
- "Don't Leave MeDon't Leave Me (B'z song)"Don't Leave Me" is the fourteenth single by B'z, released on February 9, 1994. This song is one of B'z many number-one singles in Oricon chart. It sold over 1,444,000 copies according to Oricon. The song won "the best five single award" at the 9th Japan Gold Disc Award.It was used as the drama...
" - "Sweet Lil' Devil"
- "THE BORDER"
- "JAP THE RIPPER"
- "SLAVE TO THE NIGHT"
- "春" [Haru]
- "破れぬ夢をひきずって" [Yaburenu Yume Wo Hikizutte]
- "LADY NAVIGATIONLady Navigation"Lady Navigation" is the eighth single by B'z, released on March 27, 1991. This song is one of B'z many number-one singles in Oricon chart. The single was re-released in 2003. This song sold over 1,172,000 copies, becoming their first single to sell over one million copies, according to Oricon...
" - "もうかりまっか" [Mou Kari Makka]
- "farewell song"
Personnel
- Tak MatsumotoTak Matsumotois a Grammy Award-winning Japanese guitarist, producer, arranger, composer, singer and songwriter. In addition to guitarist and lead composer for the hard rock band B'z, he has also had a successful solo career.-Background:...
(guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
) - Koshi InabaKoshi Inabais a Japanese vocalist. His real name is . He graduated from the Faculty of Education at the Yokohama National University, and has a degree in mathematics.- Musical career :...
(vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
) - Masao Akashi (bass & manipulate)
- Jun AoyamaJun Aoyamais a Japanese footballer who plays for Urawa Red Diamonds in the J. League. He is a mid-fielder on the U-20 Japanese national teamplaying at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup...
(drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
) - Masayuki Nomura (engineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
) - Akira Onozuka (organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, piano, Fender Rhodes) - Takanobu Masuda (organ)
- Ryoichi Terashima (voice direction)
- Katsunori Hatakeyama (guitar technicianGuitar technicianA guitar technician is a member of a music ensemble's road crew who maintains and sets up the musical equipment for one or more guitarists during a concert tour...
)
External links
- B'z official Web site (in Japanese)