B'z are a Japanese rock duo, consisting of guitarist, composer and producer Takahiro "Tak" Matsumoto and vocalist and lyricist Koshi Inaba, known for their energetic hard rock tracks and pop rock ballads. B'z is one of the best-selling music artists in the world and the best-selling in their native Japan, having released 49 consecutive No. 1 singles, 25 No. 1 albums, 3 No. 1 EPs on the Oricon music charts and sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
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.
Arashi is Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi officially formed on September 15, 1999, in Honolulu, Hawaii, and made their debut CD on November 3, 1999. The group was initially signed to Pony Canyon and released one studio album and six singles—beginning with their 1999 eponymous debut single before moving to the Johnny's subsidiary label J Storm in 2001, which was initially set up for their succeeding releases. While their debut single sold close to a million copies, the group took a mixture of pop and alternate/contemporary approach to its music which attracted core followers, but subsequently faced commercially slow sales.
GLAY is a Japanese rock band, formed in Hakodate in 1988. Glay primarily composes songs in the rock and pop genres, but they have also arranged songs using elements from a wide variety of genres, including progressive rock, punk, electronic, R&B, folk, gospel, reggae, and ska. Originally a visual kei band, the group slowly shifted to less dramatic attire through the years. As of 2008, Glay had sold an estimated 51 million records; 28 million singles and 23 million albums, making them one of the top ten best-selling artists of all time in Japan.
Shazna is a Japanese visual kei rock band originally active from 1993 to 2000. Originally having a strong gothic rock influence, the band's sound greatly shifted to a more new wave direction by 1996. At their peak, they were considered one of "the big four of visual kei" alongside La'cryma Christi, Fanatic Crisis and Malice Mizer. Their 1998 major label debut album Gold Sun and Silver Moon reached the number two position on the Oricon chart, sold over a million copies and was named "Rock Album of the Year" at the Japan Gold Disc Awards. In 2006, Shazna reunited, though after releasing an album and a single they disbanded once again in 2009. In 2017, Shazna officially reunited again for their 20th anniversary.
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.
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.
"Crucify My Love" is the fifteenth single by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, released on August 26, 1996.
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.
"Dahlia" is the thirteenth single by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, released on February 26, 1996.
Art of Life Live is an X Japan live album released on March 18, 1998. It is composed solely of one song, "Art of Life". Mostly recorded on December 31, 1993 at the Tokyo Dome. The album reached number 20 on the Oricon chart. This same performance was released on DVD and VHS, as Art of Life 1993.12.31 Tokyo Dome, five years later.
X Japan Singles ~Atlantic Years~ is a compilation album released by X Japan on December 25, 1997. It serves as a follow-up to 1993's X Singles and contains most, but not all, A and B-sides released by the band after changing its name from "X" to "X Japan". The album reached number 14 on the Oricon chart.
Complete II is a box set released October 1, 2005. On ten CDs and nine DVDs it collects all studio and live albums, and all DVDs that X Japan released after changing their name from X, along with two DVDs containing previously unreleased and rare material from the band's earlier career. It reached number 92 on the Oricon chart.
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.
The Last Live is an X Japan live album released on May 5, 2001. It contains what was the band's last concert, recorded at the Tokyo Dome on December 31, 1997. The band, however, has since reunited, though this was their last live concert with guitarist Hideto "hide" Matsumoto, who died nearly half a year thereafter. A DVD/VHS version was also released, titled The Last Live Video. The album reached number 7 on the Oricon chart. In 2020, Jonathan McNamara of The Japan Times listed it as one of the 10 Japanese albums worthy of inclusion on Rolling Stone's 2020 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Live Live Live Extra is a live album released by X Japan on November 5, 1997. Supplemental to the previously published Live Live Live Tokyo Dome 1993-1996, it contains more recordings from the band's annual New Year's Eve concerts at the Tokyo Dome. All tracks on this album were recorded on December 31, 1996, with the exception of "Piano Solo", which was taken from the 1995 performance. The album reached number 13 on the Oricon chart.
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.
Are You Happy? is the fifteenth studio album of the Japanese idol group Arashi. The album was released on October 26, 2016 under their record label J Storm in two editions: a first press/limited edition and a regular edition. The regular edition comes with a 36-page lyrics booklet and the limited edition comes with an 80-page photo lyrics and a bonus DVD with the music video and making-of for "Don't You Get It?". The album sold over 636,000 copies in its first week and topped the Oricon charts. With more than 720,000 copies sold, the album was certified for Triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). It was released digitally on February 7, 2020.
