The Best Bang!!
Encyclopedia
The Best Bang!! is Japanese
rock
singer-songwriter
Masaharu Fukuyama
's fourth compilation album, released on November 17, 2010. The compilation was an all-time greatest hits album, featuring Fukuyama's songs from both his time with record labels BMG Japan and Universal Music Japan.
The album was released in other Asian territories in March and April 2011. The album was re-released in Japan in April with an added disc, titled the Asia Limited Bang!! version, featuring With Special Guests: Fukuyama Masaharu Remake, a tribute album
performed by South Korea
n musicians, sung in Korean
. The tribute album was also released separately in territories outside of Japan.
The compilation also featured new songs, such as the singles "Hatsukoi
" and "Hotaru/Shōnen
," and a single for the song "Kokoro Color (A Song for the Wonderful Year)" featuring three completely unpublished songs. On the limited edition CD+DVD version of the album, six instrumental compositions were added to the third disc, including the unpublished "Denderaryūba," which was performed at Fukuyama's 20th anniversary We're Bros. tour.
Three versions of the album were released: a CD+DVD limited edition version, a version limited to 15,000 copies that came with a special towel and a regular version. The DVD featured eight songs' music videos, including "Kokoro Color (A Song for the Wonderful Year)."
s albums charts, debuting at number one for the week, with 381,000 copies sold. This became his 8th number one album, and was the highest sales for a solo vocalist in Japan for 2010, as well as the highest sales for an album by a male soloist in five years, since Ken Hirai
's Ken Hirai 10th Anniversary Complete Single Collection '95—'05 "Utabaka". Despite being released in November, The Best Bang!! was the 9th best sold album in 2010 in Japan. The Recording Industry Association of Japan
(RIAJ) have certified the album as double platinum for a shipment of more than 500,000 copies.
The additional single "Kokoro Color (A Song for the Wonderful Year)" was released digitally as a full-length cellphone download a week before the album on the 10th of November. The song was promoted heavily on radio for two weeks, peaking at number 7 on Billboard
Japan Hot 100
. The song reached number 13 on the RIAJ Digital Track Chart
.
All songs written and composed by Masaharu Fukuyama, except "Tsuioku no Ame no Naka" which features additional music written with Hideo Sano, "Peach!!" which features music co-written with Motohiro Tomita and "Ishikure no Pride" which features lyrics by Sion.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Masaharu Fukuyama
Masaharu Fukuyama
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, actor, radio personality, and photographer from Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture. He is the best-selling male solo artist in Japan. He is a member of entertainment company Amuse, Inc. and is known for his low, deep voice. Among fans, he is...
's fourth compilation album, released on November 17, 2010. The compilation was an all-time greatest hits album, featuring Fukuyama's songs from both his time with record labels BMG Japan and Universal Music Japan.
The album was released in other Asian territories in March and April 2011. The album was re-released in Japan in April with an added disc, titled the Asia Limited Bang!! version, featuring With Special Guests: Fukuyama Masaharu Remake, a tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
performed by South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n musicians, sung in Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
. The tribute album was also released separately in territories outside of Japan.
Background and development
The compilation is a collection to celebrate Fukuyama's 20th anniversary since his debut as a musician in 1990. The album features material from 1990 through to 2010, spanning two record labels. Fukuyama personally chose the songs to appear on the album.The compilation also featured new songs, such as the singles "Hatsukoi
Hatsukoi (Masaharu Fukuyama song)
is the twenty-fifth single by Japanese artist Masaharu Fukuyama. It was released on 16 December 2009. has a tied in with Toshiba Regza Fall/Winter CM. "On and On 09'" is the re-worked version of "On and On," which was performed in Mischishirube 20th Anniversary Tour. is an instrumental piece used...
" and "Hotaru/Shōnen
Hotaru/Shōnen
- Chart rankings :All figures are for "Hotaru" or the single as a whole, unless otherwise stated.- Reported sales and certifications :-References:...
," and a single for the song "Kokoro Color (A Song for the Wonderful Year)" featuring three completely unpublished songs. On the limited edition CD+DVD version of the album, six instrumental compositions were added to the third disc, including the unpublished "Denderaryūba," which was performed at Fukuyama's 20th anniversary We're Bros. tour.
Three versions of the album were released: a CD+DVD limited edition version, a version limited to 15,000 copies that came with a special towel and a regular version. The DVD featured eight songs' music videos, including "Kokoro Color (A Song for the Wonderful Year)."
Cover artwork
The cover artwork to the regular and special goods version of the album features a collage of 44 different pictures of Fukuyama, from infancy through to 2010. The CD+DVD version, however, features a photo taken in 1988 at 19, before Fukuyama's debut as a singer. The reverse side of the album features a 2010 recreation of the photo, with Fukuyama at age 41.Chart reception
The album debuted on its first day at number one on OriconOricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
s albums charts, debuting at number one for the week, with 381,000 copies sold. This became his 8th number one album, and was the highest sales for a solo vocalist in Japan for 2010, as well as the highest sales for an album by a male soloist in five years, since Ken Hirai
Ken Hirai
is a Japanese R&B and pop singer. Since his debut, Hirai has worked as a model, actor, composer, lyricist, singer, and spokesperson.During his career, Hirai has released 32 singles and 11 albums up until October 2010. According to Oricon, his single Hitomi Wo Tojite became the best-selling single...
's Ken Hirai 10th Anniversary Complete Single Collection '95—'05 "Utabaka". Despite being released in November, The Best Bang!! was the 9th best sold album in 2010 in Japan. The Recording Industry Association of Japan
Recording Industry Association of Japan
The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry...
(RIAJ) have certified the album as double platinum for a shipment of more than 500,000 copies.
The additional single "Kokoro Color (A Song for the Wonderful Year)" was released digitally as a full-length cellphone download a week before the album on the 10th of November. The song was promoted heavily on radio for two weeks, peaking at number 7 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Japan Hot 100
Japan Hot 100
The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com ....
. The song reached number 13 on the RIAJ Digital Track Chart
RIAJ Digital Track Chart
The is chart ranks the best selling digital singles in Japan, provided by the Recording Industry Association of Japan since April 2009. The chart measures cellphone downloads ....
.
Track listing
All versions of the albumAll songs written and composed by Masaharu Fukuyama, except "Tsuioku no Ame no Naka" which features additional music written with Hideo Sano, "Peach!!" which features music co-written with Motohiro Tomita and "Ishikure no Pride" which features lyrics by Sion.
Chart rankings
| Chart (2010) |
Peak position |
|---|---|
| Oricon Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... daily albums |
1 |
| Oricon weekly albums | 1 |
| Oricon monthly albums | 2 |
| Oricon yearly albums | 9 |
Sales and certifications
| Chart | Amount |
|---|---|
| Oricon physical sales | 662,000 |
| RIAJ physical shipping certification | Triple platinum (750,000+) |
Chart procession and succession
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Distributing Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
CD, digital download | Universal Music Japan Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... |
|
| Rental CD | |||
| Taiwan Taiwan Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following... |
CD | Universal Taiwan | |
| Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour... |
CD | Universal Hong Kong | |
| South Korea South Korea The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south... |
CD | Sony Music Korea Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation.... |
|
| Thailand Thailand Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the... |
CD | Universal | |
| Japan | Asia Limited Bang!!: CD, digital download | Universal Music Japan |