| Vanishing Vision | ||||
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| Released | April 14, 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 1987–1988 at Echo House, Magnet Studio [1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:03 | |||
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| X chronology | ||||
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Vanishing Vision is the debut studio album by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, then known as simply X. It was released on April 14, 1988 by Extasy Records, topped the Oricon indies chart and reached number 19 on the main chart.
Vanishing Vision was released on vinyl record on April 14, 1988 on Yoshiki's own label Extasy Records. Despite being an independent record label, it sold more than ten thousand copies, topping Oricon's indie music chart. [2] But it also reached number 19 on the main Oricon Albums Chart, making them the first indie band to enter the main chart. [2] [3] [4] A limited pressing of five thousand picture discs was also made, that included a separate flexi disc of "Stab Me in the Back". This version of the song was originally included on the February 1987 Victor Records sampler Skull Thrash Zone Volume I, was recorded with Pata as a support guitar player, [5] and is different from the one that would later appear on their third album Jealousy in 1991.
The band toured extensively in support of the record, beginning with Vanishing Tour '88 Spring throughout March and into early April. Vanishing Tour Vol.2 took them to 20 locations for 24 shows from June to July, while the Burn Out Tour '88 Oct. had 12 performances throughout October. [2] A September 4 show at Kyoto Sports Valley, [2] is a popular bootleg recording of the tour, however, only audio of "Stab Me in the Back" from it was officially released, being included on the 1999 Perfect Best compilation.
Vanishing Vision was re-released on CD on October 15, 1989. [1] This was after the release of the band's second album Blue Blood on the major label CBS/Sony. In 1990, with 158,220 copies sold Vanishing Vision was the 78th best-selling album of the year, and stayed on the charts for 47 weeks. By 1997, it had sold over 800,000 copies. [4] A digitally remastered CD version was released on September 13, 2000 by Warner Music Japan. [6] [7]
The album's title, Vanishing Vision, was chosen to mean the band was shedding the shameless image they had acquired for a fresh start. Its cover art drawn by Shiro Nishiguchi was inspired by the track "Sadistic Desire", with input from each band member. [8]
Yoshiki said that "Vanishing Love," which has roughly half Japanese and half English lyrics, represents human weakness. The other members pointed out that despite being a fast song, the twin guitars and melody are more important. "Phantom of Guilt" has a 16-beat rhythm with lyrics, according to Toshi, about conflict within the human spirit. [8] "Sadistic Desire" is a song from hide's previous band Saver Tiger, originally called "Sadistic Emotion." [9] [10] Yoshiki rewrote the lyrics about violent sex, inspired by the 1986 film Blue Velvet . Unusually, Taiji played the bass with his fingers for the track and it contains something of a bass solo. [8] An alternate version of the song would later appear on X's 1991 single "Silent Jealousy".
Taiji wrote the 16-beat rhythm, slap bass song "Give Me the Pleasure" after watching a news report on a murder. The piece is unusual for X in that it uses minor seventh chords and has an ethnic drum beat that also used instruments such as the timbales and cow bell. [8] "I'll Kill You" is a reworked version of their 1985 debut single. Yoshiki explained that the song is not about killing people as the title would suggest, but is a love song in the vein of a disgruntled married couple. [8] Yoshiki wrote the lyrics to "Alive" to be about human life and life or death in a dream. The intro contains an excerpt of the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. [10] hide stated that the guitar solos in this song contrast with the others on the album because they are more melodic; "a crying guitar." [8]
The lyrics for this version of "Kurenai" are entirely in English, it would later appear mostly in Japanese on Blue Blood and be released as their major debut single, becoming one of their signature songs. While seemingly a love song, Yoshiki stated that "Kurenai" is actually about the struggle of one's heart. hide revealed that it was his favorite X song before he joined the band and was disappointed that they did not perform it when he did, so he had to nag to get them to play it. Both Toshi and Taiji felt that it has a very Japanese feel to it, with Taiji stressing that each member helped arrange it. [8] Just as its title suggests, "Un-finished..." is a short incomplete ballad that suddenly cuts off. [10] Yoshiki came up with the song after the album was completed feeling it needed an ending theme. [8] It would also later be reworked and "finished" for the band's second album.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dear Loser" | Taiji | 2:27 | |
| 2. | "Vanishing Love" | Yoshiki | Yoshiki | 6:01 |
| 3. | "Phantom of Guilt" | Toshi | Taiji | 5:18 |
| 4. | "Sadistic Desire" | Yoshiki | hide | 6:09 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Give Me the Pleasure" | Yoshiki | Taiji, hide | 2:57 |
| 2. | "I'll Kill You" | Yoshiki | Yoshiki | 3:29 |
| 3. | "Alive" | Yoshiki | Yoshiki | 8:24 |
| 4. | "Kurenai" | Yoshiki | Yoshiki | 5:46 |
| 5. | "Un-finished..." | Yoshiki | Yoshiki | 1:32 |
X
Production
X Japan is a Japanese rock band from Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power/speed metal band with heavy symphonic elements, they later gravitated towards a progressive sound with an emphasis on ballads. Besides being one of the first Japanese acts to achieve mainstream success while on an independent label, the group is widely credited as one of the pioneers of visual kei, a movement among Japanese musicians comparable to Western glam.
Extasy Records is a Japanese record label founded in April 1986 by Yoshiki Hayashi, co-founder of the heavy metal band X Japan. The label's first release was X's 1986 single "Orgasm".
Hiroshi Morie, known exclusively by his stage name Heath, is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter. He is the bass guitarist of the rock band X Japan. He joined the group in 1992 when ex-bassist Taiji Sawada left the band. Heath stayed with X Japan until the band's dissolution in 1997 and reunited with the band from 2007 onward.
Toshimitsu Deyama, known exclusively by his stage name Toshi, is a Japanese singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and a co-founder of the rock band X Japan, who rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s and is credited as founders of the visual kei movement. Toshi began an extensive solo career in 1992 before leaving X Japan at the end of 1997. By his own admission, Toshi was "brainwashed" by a group called Home of Heart, whose leader would control his musical output for the next 12 years. In 2007, X Japan reunited and began a world tour. Toshi severed ties with Home of Heart in January 2010 and renewed his solo career. His distinctive, impassioned tenor vocals have been compared to those of Steve Perry. In January 2018, he began to use the stage name Toshi Ryugen.
Art of Life is the fourth studio album by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, released on August 25, 1993, by Atlantic Records. The album consists solely of the 29-minute-long orchestrated title track, which was written and composed by Yoshiki entirely in English and recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It topped the Oricon chart and has sold over 600,000 copies. The album is the band's first after changing their name from simply "X" and the first to feature bassist Heath.
Blue Blood is the second studio album by Japanese rock band X Japan, then known as simply X. It was released on April 21, 1989, by CBS/Sony as the band's major label debut. Blue Blood sold more than 700,000 copies, reached number 6 on the Oricon chart and stayed on the chart for more than 100 weeks. The album's singles would also reach the top five on the chart. In 2007, Rolling Stone Japan ranked Blue Blood number 15 on their list of the "100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time".
"Tears" is the ninth single by the Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, released on November 10, 1993.
Dahlia is the fifth studio album by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, released on November 4, 1996 by Atlantic Records. It is the band's last album before breaking up the following year, and the last to feature new work by guitarist hide, due to his death two years later. The album is composed largely of ballads, with only a few tracks retaining the band's heavier musical traits seen on previous releases. It topped the Oricon chart and stayed on the chart for only 15 weeks, but managed to sell over half a million copies. Seven, nearly all, of the album's songs were released as singles, most of which also topped the singles chart and sold well.
Jealousy is the third studio album by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, then known as simply X. The album was released on July 1, 1991 by Sony, as the band's second major label release. Jealousy is the band's best-selling album, having sold more than one million copies, it topped the Oricon chart and stayed on the chart for 50 weeks. The album's singles would also reach the top three on the chart. It is their last album under the name "X", before changing to "X Japan", and the last to feature Taiji on bass, who would be replaced by Heath.
"Silent Jealousy" is a single released by X Japan on September 11, 1991.
"Kurenai" is a song by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, written by Yoshiki. One of the band's oldest songs, they have been performing "Kurenai" since 1985, and several versions have been released, most significantly as their major-label debut single on September 1, 1989.
The discography of the Japanese heavy metal band X Japan consists of 5 studio albums, 6 live albums, 1 remix album, 11 compilations, 1 soundtrack album, 23 singles, and around 22 live video recordings.
"Week End" is a single released by X Japan on April 21, 1990.
"Endless Rain" is the fourth single released by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan on December 1, 1989. It is their second single on a major record label and reached number 3 on the Oricon chart.
"Say Anything" is a single released by X Japan on December 1, 1991.
"Orgasm" is the second single by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, then named X, released on April 10, 1986.
Perfect Best is a compilation album by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, released on February 24, 1999. It includes songs that go from their debut album Vanishing Vision to Dahlia, and also an interview with Yoshiki. Some tracks are taken from Live Live Live Tokyo Dome 1993-1996. The album reached number 4 on the Oricon chart. It was certified gold by RIAJ.
On the Verge of Destruction 1992.1.7 Tokyo Dome Live is a live album released by X Japan on January 1, 1995. It contains the band's performance at the Tokyo Dome on January 7, 1992, which was the last with Taiji Sawada on bass. The album reached number 3 on the Oricon chart. There is also a VHS version with the same name.
Luna Sea is the self-titled debut album by Japanese rock band Luna Sea, released on April 21, 1991 by Extasy Records. It sold over 30,000 copies by July 1992. The album was remastered and re-released by Universal Music Group on December 19, 2007. In 2011, after reuniting the previous year, Luna Sea re-recorded the whole album and released it on March 16, 2011 by their label at the time, HPQ.
Hai to Diamond is the debut album by Japanese rock band Glay. It was released on May 25, 1994 on the independent label Extasy Records and peaked at #26 on the Oricon chart, with more than 100,000 copies sold.