Versailles Valentine...

live, that is. Though not in the strictest sense as the live actually was on Feb. 12th, not 14th, but definitely close enough to the date that the boxes in which fans can place gifts for the band or their favourite member was overflowing with packages of expensive chocolates and other gifts - something we could not take pictures of since right up to the start of the show the table holding those boxes was so crowded with fans it was impossible to get any good picture.

Some others we took instead are of only some of the huge stands of flower bouquets send by friends and wellwishers...


a little "show off" our "access all areas" sticker and...


a "sneaky" shot from our - excellent - viewing location, high up, right behind the "tech team" with all their to me mystery gadgets... about which it is not customary to talk, but that impressed me with just how much effort was put into all those parts of a show that aren't directly noticeable to the fans at the venture, but are essential to the whole.


Also, there is one more picture, of those I don't know what they are called things that are get shot out of "cannons" to rain down on fans - not that I'd usually would have wanted a picture of that, if it had been the usual all silver.


Which it was not, but two color, silver one side, almost orange bright bronze the other - something rather unusual.

But then, so is Versailles.

Unusual also, I think, in that Kamijo in one of his last MCs not only thanked their staff in Japan but also "all our street teams overseas," who helped to make the whole tour happen.

That they appreciated their overseas experiences, street teams and fans also was very clear from some other things they choose to display all over the foyer of CC Lemon Hall, some even placed behind the wall replacement windows so they could be seen right when anyone would walk up to that.

Those - I won't say what now - you can find in the Gallery HERE - I am pretty sure anyone who wet to a Versailles overseas live last year will appreciate what they did in turn.

Rika

X JAPAN @ Summer Sonic

The perfect end for a perfect night was a perfect full moon over Tokyo bay, seen from the Chiba side, where Chiba Lotte baseball stadium, the main stage of SUMMER SONIC, is located. The stage X JAPAN played on today, as the first ever Japanese headliner - until this year, 2011, SUMMER SONIC has always been advertised as a Western bands venture - and for sure the biggest Japanese band to attend the event.

Before we saw that on our way home, we got to attend the first in a long time X JAPAN all members press conference, during which - I have to admit I'm more than a little pleased about that - it was during my turn to ask questions part that YOSHIKI made the announcements of the new South East Asian lives and reconfirmed their Latin American appearances. (More of that will come as soon as we'll get our transcript approved by JMA.)

We were lucky again when we happened to get seats with X JAPAN's - and Maximum the Hormone's - promoter for SUMMER SONIC on the shuttle bus between interview location and the main stage and that gentleman, after I casually mentioned in our - ENGLISH! Which is something rather rare here - chat that even after over 20 years in Japan, I can't get used to the high humidity of Kanto (Greater Tokyo Area) Summers, he offered us VIP room access. (Where there was air conditioning - THANK YOU SO MUCH!)

Please pardon me if I'll show off a little...


As for the stage, while it was "only" 70 minutes compared to X JAPAN's usual 3 hours and sometimes more, it was still an amazing performance and much appreciated by everybody there, not only X fans.

With everybody joining the "mokuto" minute of silence in remembrance of hide and Taiji and in remembrance and compassion for the victims of the Great Touhoku earthquake.

Everybody as well, during X JAPAN's last song, X, also making the X sign and joining the X jump.

They might not all have been X fans, but they all went along with the spirit.

That is

"We are X!"

And YOSHIKI got himself hoarse shouting that over and over and over again, as it turned out from his talking voice at another press event after the live.

Which is just so YOSHIKI.

Love it.

RIP - that is: Rock In Paradise! - TAIJI

TAIJI - together with SHU, just after TAIJI had rejoined Cloud Nine - was my first ever JRocker interview.

Not my first JRock writing, of course, but my first interview, and at that with someone I had been a huge fan of, him and all of X, way back when when I first came to Japan in the late 80ies.

The interview was in one of the dressing rooms of Meguro Rokumeikan - one of the great old livehouses in Tokyo - where Cloud Nine played in a multi bands event, their manager coming up to street level to meet us, after we called her.


It was November, but a very sunny day, as Tokyo winters often are.

I was perfectly fine until we started descending the stairs; then, with each step, my carefully planned out interview, the list of questions, everything, seemed to fade from my mind, even while the manager told me they were surprised - and pleased about - the overseas interview request, and, "oh yes, TAIJI said to tell you you can ask anything you like, about X, too." (At times, he has refused to talk about X.)

I don't actually remember how we got through the initial introductions but eventually, the four of us sat down in an improvised circle, me asking if it was okay to use a recorder, them saying yes, then, just before that was switched on, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm so nervous. It's not the first interview I've ever done - well, it's the first MUSIC interview for me - but it's the first interview I've ever done with someone I've been a fan of."

Then to SHU, apologizing, "That is, of TAIJI, way back when in X."

TAIJI, at that, laughed a little.

Gave me a smile and said something like, "I haven't done an interview in ages; you can't be more nervous than I am."

And, "please, relax, or I won't be able to, either!"

Which was so typically TAIJI.

So much more concerned about others than himself. Gentle, caring.

Actually, rather quiet. Most of the talking he left to SHU, who, whenever talking about TAIJI, sounded like his biggest fanboy. Despite being a very accomplished musician himself.

Though TAIJI also becoming very animated when talking about his music, that music was his life.

Our talk about X I won't ever forget.

Nor that he was one of the sweetest, gentlest people I've ever met.

Two other things, one, that after we finished the interview, he started to tap out a song on his bass; when I asked him if it was okay to keep on recording just for us, he looked up at me from that bass, thinking a moment, then saying, "as long as you don't make it public."

The other, some time later during the song, he dropped his pick, which landed just in front of my shoes. So of course I picked it up, handed it back to him, though, I suppose my body language showed I was handing it back reluctantly.

He looked at the pick, looked at me, said, "keep it if you want."

And, when I was about to - for form's sake - say no, "really, if you want, keep it."

So I did.

I have it still. I have the recording of that tapped out song, still, too.

As I have the memory of that very gentle man, Taiji Sawada, that actually doesn't figure at all with someone picking a fight, inside an airplane or anywhere. I wish I knew more of what really happened, though I suppose it won't matter, as the result won't change.

That someone who has been one of the greatest people in Japanese Rock, someone who has influenced not only musicians, but "just normal people" as well by giving them courage by example, is gone.

I'm not sure I believe there is an afterlife, but if there is, there is just one thing I want to say:

RIP - that is: Rock In Paradise! - TAIJI


Note: The picture above was taken at the interview. It was also posted with the original interview at JRock Revolution, but according to Japanese copyright law, copyright is Rika's, therefore, we decided to republish it. Also, the live ticket picture has been edited to hide private information.

X JAPAN Live in London Unofficial Report

It's quite impossible to go to an X JAPAN live without having any expectations. Considered THE legendary band of JRock in Japan, one of the first to bring ROCK into the consciousness of Japanese society, X JAPAN have, over the almost 30 years of their existence, set very high standards for themselves. As far as I’m concerned, during their approximately 2 hours live at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London, on June 28th 2011, they totally delivered.

Attending an X JAPAN live is more than just going to a concert hall, getting inside, settling in comfortably somewhere, perhaps with a drink in your hand to enjoy some nice music. Attending an X JAPAN live is an experience in itself. Especially for fans who have been waiting for this for so long. And even for those who have seen them before, but want to see them as often as possible, like the many Japanese fans who flew over to London for the concert and some of whom will follow the band throughout Europe.

For once, I, too, attended the live as a fan, for the full experience. And this full experience included the 9 hours wait in front of the venue, despite thunderstorms, periods of heavy rain and a surprisingly chilly weather following two pretty hot days. The wait was actually really fun, though. X JAPAN fans are, as I expected, very friendly, they help each other, talk to each other, relate to one another and generally have fun together.

The doors opened on time, at 7pm and most people headed straight inside to find the best possible places for themselves. Some of them, though – most likely those with seats at levels 1, 2 and 3 – did brave a trip to the merchandise desk. At 8pm, also on time, the opening band, Japanese Voyeurs, started playing. While it can't be said X JAPAN's fans really got into their performance, they did cheer and applaud at the end of each song, supporting the band who did its best for an audience that was probably not even a little bit familiar with them.

After their performance, stage crew hurried to remove the instruments and make way for X JAPAN. Fans started the "WE ARE X" shouts soon after and would cheer loudly as staff tested the instruments and settings of each member. It was quite amazing that even just the members’ instruments got such loud cheers... I guess this, too, speaks of just how much intense X fans are about the band.

Not long after 9pm – the official start time – the lights went off and the long awaited moment was there: the start of X JAPAN's 2011 World Tour and first European live, in London. Fans started screaming and the venue was quickly filled by that intense energy that seems characteristic for X lives. (Something one can even feel watching their old DVD released performances.) Then, one by one, the members appeared, as their new SE played in the background and the audience was welcomed to their show by the voice over that surely every X fan knows by heart by now.

After the repeated X Japan Japan Japan... the show was truly underway.

It started with JADE, loudly, aggressively, with ToshI whose voice is even more amazing in real life than I could have imagined, with YOSHIKI pounding away on his drums, as crazily as expected – or perhaps even more – with a very lively PATA, who smiled a lot throughout the whole live and who – yes – still had his beard, with SUGIZO in a surprising all white outfit that drew the eye and his usual super cool performance that kept one's eyes trained on him and with a HEATH wearing all black, who didn't smile much – well, he doesn't smile much generally – but who also delivered a very cool and occasionally aggressive performance, completely in tune with his image and his bass playing.

In fact, SUGIZO's all white and HEATH's all black choices of outfits were really interesting. It showed them as complementing each other, one bright, dazzlingly cool "look AT me" SUGIZO, the other dark, mysteriously cool "look FOR me" HEATH.

Next in the set was Rusty Nail and people got even more excited – perhaps despite the fact that most of the audience had never seen X live before, they too still felt like Rusty Nail was the REAL concert opener – singing along, especially to the "Oh, Rusty Nail" part before the chorus and jumping along. SUGIZO played the guitar solo this time, something that surely many fans will be happy to hear.

YOSHIKI then moved to the piano and started playing the intro to Silent Jealousy, to ToshI singing along. If anyone ever doubts what an amazing vocalist ToshI is, they should listen to this, preferably live. It almost seems unbelievable that anyone can sing like that and hold a note like that... Fans openly showed their appreciation and then the song was in full swing, everyone singing along happily.

As soon as that was over, YOSHIKI and SUGIZO left the stage and it was clear Drain would be next. For anyone less familiar with X JAPAN, Drain has always been a "X JAPAN without YOSHIKI" (to quote ToshI during the Yokohama lives last year, though he used in a different context) song, written by hide and ToshI and always performed with pre-recorded, sampled drums. After the reunion, they continued performing the song, usually part of "hide no heya" as a PATA-ToshI-HEATH song. Since it was followed by a SUGIZO violin solo and a brief YOSHIKI piano solo that then combined into a piano & violin intro to Kurenai, it seemed perfectly appropriate and balanced. Usually willing to let others take the spotlight, PATA and HEATH each claimed a side of the stage – PATA to ToshI's right, HEATH to his left – and showed that they too can totally own the stage with their performance, while in between them, ToshI continued to amaze.

That was followed by SUGIZO's violin solo, the first more 'quiet' moment of the live, though SUGIZO didn't really let fans take a break as he constantly prompted them for reactions to his playing – which they happily delivered; after all they weren’t there to rest. A combination of fun – like SUGIZO shaking his hips to the rhythm of the music, while lowering himself a bit – and super cool, the solo proved, once more, what a great performer SUGIZO is.

YOSHIKI joined him on stage a little bit later and took over for a brief piano solo, before, as I said, they did the Kurenai intro (without the vocal part). Then it was "Kurenai da!!!" and everyone started jumping again. Fans effortlessly sang along to the Japanese chorus and ToshI again sounded amazing throughout the whole song, but especially during the vocals only part – though fans continued providing background vocals, then, too.

After Kurenai, YOSHIKI moved to the piano and ToshI, after making the audience scream a few times, asked them if they wanted to hear YOSHIKI's voice. As the answer was a unanimous and enthusiastic YES, YOSHIKI then took the microphone for a brief MC, getting the crowd even more pumped up. As ToshI had gone to sit behind the drums during this time, and was occasionally hitting them, YOSHIKI told him at one point: "You should play the drums!" which prompted ToshI into giving us a taste of his drumming skills. This was followed by YOSHIKI thanking the fans for coming and saying it'd been "too fucking long" (something fans did agree with) before shouting: “WE ARE,” with the fans enthusiastically replying “X”, then the same with “YOU ARE” and ended with a rather softly spoken, but in such a matter of fact tone that everyone had to laugh, “That’s right.” by YOSHIKI.

Then he started playing the piano intro of Born to be free and soon after it was jumping time again. Born to be free is really a great song to jump along to and everyone happily sang along to the lyrics. It is perhaps the catchiest of X JAPAN's new, post-reunion songs and it's really fun live.

When that was over, ToshI started screaming: "On drums, YOSHIKI!" and it was time for a brief drum solo – or rather drums-piano-drums-piano solo – that reminded anyone who had managed to forget how crazy YOSHIKI is. The last piano part then became the intro to I.V. and the crowd immediately started singing "In the rain, Find a way". But ToshI tricked them, instead of asking them to sing, he asked them to scream, before finally getting to the singing along. The intro was really brief this time, though and within a minute or so, ToshI sang "I will give it straight from my vein" and the calmness of the singing along was shattered.

I.V. actually didn’t even really end, they continued to play their instruments, prolonging it, until it picked up again and became X. If possible, the crowd grew even more excited, then. After all, this was X, the band's anthem and in a way the most important song for fans to experience live. And experience they did, as all 2000 people sang at the top of their lungs and did the X jump, always perfectly on time, as if they'd been doing it forever.

As an aside, this is perhaps the most amazing thing about X: how their fans, younger or older, more recent or since many years ago, who may or may not have seen them live before, all seem to know what to do, what to sing, what to scream. Regardless of what corner of the world they come from. For myself, by now, I kind of take this for granted... I consider it a sign of respect and love towards the band to know these things if one really calls oneself a fan. But thinking about it, for the band it might still be surprising and rather hard to grasp. To hear 2000 people, out of which surely less than half know any Japanese, sing along lyrics in Japanese without any effort, must be quite amazing for them, still. Seeing the same 2000 people doing the X jump might be, too. (Though to be fair, it's hardly the first time overseas fans have done the X jump and they should know that.) Rather than taking it for granted, now I realize it shows just how much fans really are into X. It's quite amazing, really. Though on the other hand, while there, it felt normal. Like, this is how it should be.

X went through all the way – not exactly as planned, though I’m sure nobody minded – and was followed by YOSHIKI coming down and diving into the audience. It took staff some time to extract him from there, though ToshI made sure to keep fans occupied with more shouts of “WE ARE” and “YOU ARE” – always answered enthusiastically “X” by the fans. As soon as YOSHIKI was back on stage, he went to HEATH and PATA, then ToshI and SUGIZO as well, telling them something, though of course nobody from the audience could hear what. It would soon become clear what it was, though, as they launched into the final part of X again – this time without any more problems – and PATA, HEATH and SUGIZO took center stage, with ToshI joining YOSHIKI behind the drums. 

They then left the stage, with the usual 'bye bye'. However, as I said before, X fans know everything and included in that is the fact that X always have encores. Plus, the setlist had been identical to the North American tour one, and it was unlikely it wouldn't be so until the end, which meant two more songs: Endless Rain and Art of Life.

While waiting, fans shouted "WE ARE X" many many many more times, clapped, stomped their feet, called out members' names and proved – if anyone doubted it – that they most definitely were not ready to go home.

It was some time later that YOSHIKI, wearing a blue kimono returned to stage – ToshI closely following – and sat behind the piano. He addressed the audience again, telling them it was an honor for them to perform there, thanking everyone for coming again. He got teary eyed and at the same time, fans started chanting hide's name, which led to YOSHIKI saying that he had been playing with them that night and that he will always be a member of X. He couldn't say much more after that, seemingly overcome with emotion – which prompted fans to start chanting his name, to which he eventually reacted with a "You guys made us fucking cry!" – so instead he shouted "WE ARE" – with fans quick to respond "X" – several more times.

After that, he passed the microphone on to ToshI, who used it to get the crowd pumped up again, before asking them to sing with him. And thus, Endless Rain started. Of course, everyone happily sang along, again as if they had been doing it forever. Endless Rain was not endless, it was in fact, again, cut more shortly than usual, skipping the second verse and going straight into the guitar solo, and the 'fans only singing' part not really very long.

As soon as that was over, everyone except SUGIZO walked off stage and we were treated to another violin performance, this time a new opening for the second half of Art of Life, as when SUGIZO was done, the start of the piano solo took over – the part not usually played by YOSHIKI on stage – until YOSHIKI himself came back and started playing the memorable and somewhat controversial piece. Of course, there was key pounding and there was YOSHIKI falling off of his seat, towards the end of it, as he got completely carried away. He also seemed reluctant to leave the piano, staying there and playing for longer than usual, before finally retreating behind the drums and launching into the full band part.

Art of Life live was one of the things I was most looking forward to and it truly was amazing. The energy was insane and it was impossible not to sing along with everything you had. It was everything I expected and more and perhaps that was when it really hit me that that was X JAPAN on that stage in front of me and not a TV screen. It was a perfect end of the live, truly.

Of course, the true end was the curtain call, with Forever Love as SE, the band took pictures (well, YOSHIKI, SUGIZO and ToshI did), did their usual bowing to the fans and threw bottles of water into the audience. SUGIZO definitely deserves a special mention for managing to throw two bottles to the 2nd level, and two more on the 1st level. A third might have made it to second level, but instead hit a light, which made everyone laugh and SUGIZO have a somewhat "Oops!" reaction. (In fact there was another such reaction, for the first one that reached 2nd level as it actually hit a girl who did not expect that bottle to reach her. I'm sure she didn't mind, though.)

X didn't linger long on stage after that, but fans didn't really move until Forever Love ended, having sung along to it from the beginning till the end. Then they slowly made it out and those who had skipped on merchandise buying now lined up to get their goods.

All in all, it was a shorter live than some of their older ones, but even so it didn’t feel like 2 hours... I guess it shows just how great performers they are, being able to draw you in so much that you don’t even notice time passing. Like those very intense dreams that when you wake up it feels like you went to sleep just five minutes earlier, when in fact the whole night passed. This was the same... like a really great, really intense dream. Surreal in a way. Perfectly normal in another, because almost everything felt so right. Exactly as it should at an X live. Even though for many – myself included – it was the first time seeing X live, it felt like a long awaited reunion of old friends, getting together to have some fun.

As with everything there will be many opinions, people very happy, people less happy... though personally I doubt any of those 2000 people at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on June 28th 2011 is truly unhappy... except, I guess, those who felt ill or fainted and probably had to miss big parts of the live.

Of course, this was not a perfect live – is there even such a thing as a perfect live? – however, that didn’t matter. It was X, it was X music and it was fun.

I do have two objections, but they have nothing to do with the performance, really. They’re both related to the “X JAPAN fans know everything” fact, actually. I said there were two exceptions on singing along and those were Rusty Nail and Kurenai. Why? Because nobody except the band themselves knew the lyrics, as both songs were performed in their English versions. Well, actually, Kurenai did keep its Japanese chorus and that perhaps made it very clear that the people at this live had absolutely no problem singing in Japanese.

I understand that in order to make themselves accessible to western music fans beyond their already existing fan base they have to have lyrics in English. However this tour – like the North American tour last year, like the Latin American tour in Autumn – are mostly for already existing fans, who have no problems with the Japanese and I’m sure that as they sang along to everything else, they would have to those two songs, as well. If these had taken place after their new album, with English lyrics had been released, then it would be just fine and I’m sure fans would have quickly learned the new lyrics. But as it is, it was just a little awkward.

The other thing is something that also happened in North America as well, which is ToshI calling YOSHIKI “Yosheekee”. I do understand that as well... I, too, when traveling use an anglicized pronunciation of my name because it’s a lot easier than trying to correct it all the time and try to explain the correct way to pronounce it. So, for the sake of people not familiar with X, pronouncing it like that outside of Japan is understandable. But, like I said, probably over 95% of the people there were X fans and any self-respecting X fan knows how to pronounce YOSHIKI’s name correctly.

There might be a little bias there, though, as I will never complain about people calling HEATH “HEATH” instead of “Hiisu” as they do in Japan, but at least as far as I’m concerned, that’s a completely different thing.

Both of these things, however, are rather small issues, nothing big enough to really affect the overall feeling of the live. It was a truly great live and I am very happy to have been one of those 2000 attendants.

Now, I'm already hoping for another European tour soon!

JADE - review, not standard style (but maybe more fun)

The form isn't a classical review, but a transcript from our talk about it (including emoticons): we talked about what format to publish the review in, then in the end decided that our initial impression, as expressed in the talk, would be the best, most honest way to do it.

So, here it is:


Rika: Did you get the link for the preview listening?

Ina: Of JADE? Yes, listened to it quite a few times already.

Rika: Actually, I have one complaint - I wonder if they'd accommodate me if I'd ask for it.

Ina: Oh?

Rika: Hit the replay button every time it stops? If so, me, too.

Ina: Yes... addicted to JADE lol

Rika: The complaint: I want official lyrics!

Ina: lol official lyrics would be nice...

Rika: Compared to I'll kill you, ToshI's English is perfect now, but still, it would be nice to be sure.

Ina: It would, yes.

Rika: JADE's been funny for me.

Ina: How so?

Rika: I don't even recall when I heard it first - maybe online somewhere, in connection with the FEVER X pachinko machines and then not completely - so it probably didn't make such a great impression then, but when I heard it live last year at Yokohama Nissan Stadium, it REALLY blew my mind away.

Rika: I think it's the song I love best so far, post reunion - maybe because it's a song where YOSHIKI really could do as he liked instead of having to accommodate a given theme, like for I.V.

Ina: First you've heard it was the 2009 Tokyo Dome lives, that's when they played it for the first time. But I guess because it was the first time, it didn't leave as strong an impression as last year's performance...

Rika: OUCH, that hurts. That you remember better than I myself. LOL Actually, come to think of it, I heard it at AGE, too, but Yokohama is strongest in my mind.

Ina: JADE is a step forward from I.V. isn't it... similar feeling - perhaps that's X JAPAN's current style? - but even more interesting. And addictive *hits play again* lol

Rika: Though yes, they did - but it wasn't as forceful then as it is now.

Rika: Maybe it wasn't fully done yet, or if it was, maybe they couldn't play it yet as they do now - not that it matters, I like how it has come out now.

Ina: It's X, everything's possible. But, yes, I like it a lot, too.

Rika: And yes, I think it's definitely a progression from I.V. I liked that, too - then again, I was at the shooting, that'll always make it special - but JADE definitely is more unique.

Ina: JADE takes you by surprise from the beginning. And it keeps surprising you until the end. I.V. wasn't quite as... bold? lol I mean, it takes a certain boldness to do something like this, a song that keeps changing every few minutes.

Rika: For me, it's actually almost like two songs. One the part that has vocals - and I'm totally in love with ToshI's voice again, he REALLY is back: that was my strongest impression of him in Yokohama - vs. the instrumentals only.

Ina: I would say almost three songs... there are also the parts where he's singing in a lower voice, with mostly just the bass and drums audible

Rika: What I really like about it is that it works. Maybe weirdly put, it's like a dance or a courtship, where two very different partners make a fitting whole.

Rika: They don't allow 3 people weddings these days. :P

Rika: But actually, you have a point.

Ina: Actually, I think JADE really is a great song to show off ToshI's vocals... both the lower singing and showing how amazingly high he can go and for how long he can hold those notes...

Ina: lol too bad, re: 3 people weddings

Rika: And that's actually another thing I like: that those parts to me seem written to make ToshI's voice SHINE.

Rika: Ah, interesting - I typed that before I saw your comment. But really interesting you think so, too.

Ina: Oh, yes. Actually, what I like about JADE the most, I think, though I'm not sure how many people would agree, is that it is an X JAPAN song. It seems to have a little bit of each member and they're all given a chance to shine.

Rika: Naturally, the instrumental only also makes the others shine.

Ina: lol same wavelength

Rika: Yes, but I find that interesting. I mean, I've seen it live, here in Japan. You never had that chance. So that you feel the same I think says a lot about the song.

Rika: Though, there's one thing I felt both in Yokohama and listening to the recording now. That is, YOSHIKI's drumming is CRAZY!

Ina: It does. Well, I've had a similar feeling about I.V. But it's a lot more so in JADE. Maybe that's why I like it, too.

Ina: Well, it is YOSHIKI lol

Rika: Oh, something else I felt then and feel now: that maybe more than ever, there is a very strong connection between YOSHIKI and HEATH.

Rika: He's called drums and bass combination the backbone of a band way back when, and I think that's really there now.

Ina: Ah, yes... I got a similar feeling...

Ina: Well, they've been drums and bass for a long time now. But I think perhaps because the bass in JADE is just so THERE that it's clearer than ever. Or maybe that's actually the proof that connection is stronger, as you said...

Rika: Actually, HEATH also is more there than ever.

Ina: I really love the rhythm in JADE. The drums and bass, both pounding away, but also the guitars sound great...

Rika: Aside from his solos, in the old days, somehow he seemed always rather low key. Now, I love both how he plays in the recording, and how he was on stage. Almost more "LOOK AT ME" than ToshI.

Rika: I wonder if SUGIZO awakened some kind of competitive spirit. LOL

Ina: A "LOOK AT ME" friendly competition between ToshI, HEATH and SUGIZO is rather unexpected, isn't it? lol But yes, I agree...

Rika: It's really fun! And, with JADE, for me, it's really well balanced again, with SUGIZO not only just being named an official member, but having found his place within the band, all of them connecting.

Ina: Actually this made me think of another reason why maybe JADE really is great, even more so than I.V. and actually perfect for their true World Wide debut

Rika: You missed YOSHIKI in the "LOOK AT ME" compartment.

Rika: Admittedly, stuck in one place, he can't compete like those three. LOL

Rika: Okay, two places, normally.

Ina: YOSHIKI doesn't have to compete, he's number one anyway lol

Rika: I guess he makes up for it otherwise, but as this is supposed to be about the song, I guess I'll refrain from talking about YOSHIKI's crowd baths and such.

Ina: And as for balanced, that's part of the reason I mentioned, too

Rika: What is it?

Ina: JADE is their first real song as a band again. I.V. was written before they even properly reunited and SUGIZO wasn't even an official member then. But by JADE, and especially the JADE played at Yokohama and the JADE that is about to be released, it's like they've all settled into well established roles. Each has a clear place in the band and they make the best of it. On one side, it seems clear to me that YOSHIKI took each of their strengths and styles into account when writing the song, but I think it's also clear that there is now more chemistry between the members, a lot more so than when they first reunited. Which is only natural, it’s been more than three years.

Ina: And also, each member having his own well defined role also explains HEATH being more there - he's not 'the new guy' anymore - and SUGIZO being their new lead guitarist.

Rika: Actually, in X, I don't like the term "lead guitar" - didn't like it way back when either, especially since hide himself said more than once that PATA actually was the better player AND PATA played lead in their faster songs.

Rika: Talking about PATA, I like how he and SUGIZO interact musically.

Rika: In JADE on stage it was particularly clear, well, for me...

Ina: "Lead guitar" when it comes to X I think more often refers to the guitarist that stands out the most, in the past hide, currently SUGIZO. As far as real lead goes, of course, it's always been divided and I don't think that will change much.

Ina: Oh?

Rika: Actually, that seemed to me like PATA taking the lead, and SUGIZO improvising on theme, if that makes sense?

Rika: And of course SUGIZO stands out more - I'd probably have a heart attack the day PATA would be flamboyant! That is, visually. Musically, he is.

Ina: PATA is flamboyant, even visually, just not in the way the others are lol

Rika: If you count flower shirts... Though I liked his beard at AGE. Oh, I'm going to see him in Ra:IN on the 24th, they are doing a two man with DerZibet - I am curious if he still has it.

Ina: I hope he does, it did look good on him. As for his taking the lead, I think it might be because the rhythm is no longer a background thing in JADE, but is actually a very important part of the song... hmm maybe this means the rhythm actually becomes the lead... Ah, JADE really is complicated! lol

Rika: It is. It reminds me of Escher drawings - I love those - where you don't know what's up or down or left or right. But I love art, music, to mess with perception like that.

Ina: That sounds very fitting for JADE, yes

Rika: Actually, talking about messed up minds, mine was messed up first about a particular part of the lyrics - there are two things in the lyrics that made me smile/grin/happy...

Ina: Oh, which part?

Ina: Or rather which things?

Rika: To start from the end - or actually, start with the general reason why, it's self-references.

Rika: The latter, obvious, I should think: art of life

Rika: As in Art of Life

Rika: And actually, I think the "psychedelic" - for me at least - instrumental parts fit with parts of that...

Rika: Well, no official lyrics, so all I can say is it SOUNDS like "art of life" to me, but it would make sense to me. Maybe I'm wrong but I think not because I figured out that in the other phrase I like - now doubly like - I realized what I initially heard was wrong. To my excuse, my mind was pre-programmed on that. LOL

Ina: Hmm... now that you mention it, the "psychedelic" part does remind one of Art of Life... in particular the piano solo. And that does sound like “art of life,” yes... ah, lyrics would be nice lol. But anyway, what is the other phrase?

Rika: I think it was the piano that did it for me, too... though, the all over feeling also. The other one... :P

Rika: The other one, I first mis-heard "scarlet jealousy" as "silent jealousy" - I said my mind was pre-programmed.

Rika: Actually, I like "scarlet jealousy" even better, since it's a reminder not only of Silent Jealousy, but one of my old real favourites.

Ina: oh?

Rika: He has liked scarlet all along - as in said old favourite. :P

Rika: Scarlet > intense red > KURENAI DA!

Ina: Ah lol I was thinking more about the other recent one, Scarlet Love Song. But you're right, scarlet - and red in general - has been present in his lyrics all along. Actually JADE is new... a new beginning, I guess :)

Rika: Actually, while in art there are differences between the colours, I think crimson, scarlet, blood red is - in general perception - pretty much all the same, so I think the connection really is there, to the old times. In both words and music. I like that.

---

We talked about more details still, but then thought fans should have the fun of figuring out some things themselves, so we decided to end the public conversation here.

However, we did allow ourselves each a brief closing comment, which follow:



I don’t think X JAPAN could have chosen a better song as their world wide debut single.

It’s a song that incorporates the personal styles of each member. It’s a song that shows off the talent of each member. It’s a song that shows both their heavy side and their softer, ballad oriented side.

It’s also a song that is definitely representative for their new sound, but also ties in – both in music and lyrics – with their old selves.

Really, what could possibly be better than that?

Will they take over the world with JADE? Who can tell?

I certainly hope they will, but I think it depends a lot more on how open minded people overseas are. I believe for its debut single, X JAPAN has done its best. I'm looking forward to whatever will be next!

- Ina


As I think is clear from the talk, the very first time I heard it, JADE didn't have a very great impact, though even then, two lines caught my attention: "'cause you are beautiful, your scars are beautiful."

I liked that, because, who doesn't have some scars of her or his own? Like I'm sure YOSHIKI, ToshI, maybe the other X members - X JAPAN - I always forget that - have. And how few people are able to find theirs beautiful, or even acceptable. That the song encourages to embrace those makes it special to me.

Having heard it again, to me at its best, last year in Yokohama, I fell in love with the whole song, lyrics, music, the balance between the members, which I think is better now than it was even in their best old days.

Of course there are small minor points - expressed in the talk already - where I'd have done things differently, wish YOSHIKI had done them differently. But there isn't anything like a perfect anything, song or whatever.

It's not the newest of their new songs, but I think that with the pre-disbandment X JAPAN that at least is there for me, I think it's the best song among them to start overseas releases with. I hope they'll do more of that kind.

- Rika


X JAPAN Official Website　http://www.xjapanmusic.com/
YOSHIKI Official Twitter　http://twitter.com/YoshikiOfficial

Photo courtesy of Japan Music Agency

YOSHIKI's crystal piano earthquake charity auction: 100 mil Yen, almost 6 days to go

It's not really news - or maybe it is, actually - but what has amused me on and off these last two days since the auction started was to check in on the bidding of YOSHIKI's Crystal Piano - the one he used during the recent US tour, it seems - just for the fun of it, since acquiring it is, let's say, a bit out of the range of my spare cash.

What even I hadn't expected was for the bidding to reach 100.000.000 Yen - $1.207.292 and € 844.808 - with 5 days, 22 hours and 15 minutes yet to go.

Which is almost half of the complete donations of GACKT's "Show your heart" initiative - another effort I loved and love.

Now I wonder what the last bid will be - and who'll make it. Though the latter very likely won't be published.

What I'm glad about is that this, as well as GACKT's effort and that of many more Japanese artists and the people, here and overseas, who followed their call, will make a difference.

Because, while it's all Fukushima now all the time, in overseas media - or so it seems to me, checking online - where a real difference is needed is in the North-East, where the earthquake and tsunami hit worst, and still thousands or maybe tens of thousands of people live in shelters depending on charity.

For that, that they made and make a difference, I really love all the efforts made by artists and everybody else, here and worldwide.

For anyone who wants to check him or herself, go HERE for Japanese, HERE for English and HERE for French versions of the auction page.

March 11th, 2011 - A month later...

March 11th 2011.

It's been a month since then. It seems like a lot more time has passed. It also feels like like a lot less time has passed.

In this past month, most of us, far away from Japan, have carried on with our lives. Japan gets less coverage now than in those first few days after the disaster, and what there is is mostly focused on the Fukushima I nuclear power plant and the troubles there. We hear a lot less about the thousands of people who have died, the thousands still missing, the thousands left homeless, the thousands who lost loved ones, the thousands who despite being alive, have still lost pretty much their whole lives. For them, life will go on because it has to. But things will never go back to the way they were. They can't. And yet, they - and for that matter, all the Japanese people - are taking that in their stride and making the best of it. I can only admire them for that.

Well, I can also try to help as well. We all can. Be it financially or morally, we can support the people in need. Every kind thought and every small gesture counts in helping those people face their future and rebuild their lives and their homes.

Many of your favorite artists have also decided to help, as they can. Be it YOSHIKI's auctioning off his piano (as well as other autographed items, both by him and US celebrities). Be it the STAND UP! JAPAN event held earlier this month and broadcasted online, where several artists played and most of them offered personal items to be auctioned. Be it ToshI's charity concerts across Japan, which also include auctions of X JAPAN members' personal items. Be it SUGIZO's working as a volunteer in the damaged areas (you can read his thoughts and feelings on that on his official blog; keep checking his official Facebook for an English translation, which is likely to be published soon). Be it LUNA SEA's release of a digital song, written after the event, and which can be downloaded from many places around the world, the money raised from that to be donated. Be it "Show your heart", initiated by GACKT, but which by now has gathered the support of MANY artists, and which both raised money and held an auction on March 31st, but is also gathering support messages from people all around the world, as videos and pictures. Perhaps participating in the various auctions is impossible for overseas fans, both for practical and financial reasons, but the last two are far more accessible. There are certainly many more efforts, and you can also try contacting the red cross in your own country and see if they are accepting donations for Japan.

That I am here writing this, that you are here reading this, it's all because we love Japan. So, let's all show our love to Japan, as much as each of us can, now when they need it the most. It will be a long time before things get better in the damaged areas, so they can certainly use any and all support they can get for a long time to come. So we encourage fans of Japanese music, Japanese entertainment and of course, people who want to help in general, to help as they can, too. Be it through donations, buying LUNA SEA's song or taking a few minutes to send a message to "Show your heart," your gesture will surely be appreciated.

Thank you.