Early years (1976-1983)
Plans for the band started in 1976[citation needed] by Yoshiki Hayashi and Toshi (Toshimitsu Deyama) when they were only children in school. Influenced by western hard rock, the band was to be modelled after the band KISS. Initial names for the band included Dynamite (1978-1980) and Noise (1980-summer 1982) before settling on X. This name was to be changed to X Japan in 1993 with the departure of bassist Taiji.
Yoshiki, Toshi & Terry played live shows in the 1982 & 1983 culture festivals of their Chiba secondary school, where they first publicly performed the original X song, I'LL KILL YOU. They also covered the songs Highway Star (Deep Purple), In The Mirror (Loudness), World Anthem (Frank Marino) and Killers (Iron Maiden) at the festival. The band had previously played other covers of western hard rock bands during the East West Japan audition in 1982, where they played Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin) and Burn (Deep Purple).
26 December 1987 saw the band perform at the CBS Sony audition, where they played Xclamation, Piano Solo~Kurenai (English) and Orgasm.
First albums (1988-1992)
In 1988 they released their debut album Vanishing Vision (April 14, 1988) At that time the members were Yoshiki (Drums, Piano), Toshi (Vocal), hide (Guitar), Pata (Guitar), Taiji (Bass). The album sold out and was repressed in October as a picture disc with a first-press bonus flexi of Stab Me In The Back; sold out. It was repressed again as a CD in October 1989, again in 1991, appeared in some box sets in the 1990s and was once more available on store shelves as a CD in 2001.
Street Rock Video Magazine VOS featured～ Toshi on the cover of its Nov. '88 tape, which contained live clips of X playing Vanishing Vision & "Orgasm" at the Kyoto Sports Valley along with an interview with Yoshiki, who had already signed the band to Sony by that point. Prior to this Toshi & Yoshiki participated in the L.O.X Shake Hand "compilation album." Instead of gathering unique bands to contribute their songs, various members of bands were amalgamated to make a sort of "dream band." Toshi was one of the vocalists on hand, and Yoshiki, uncredited, played drums. Other stars were Butaman (Tetsu Array), Ishiya (Death Side), Ranko (The Continental Kids), Naoki (Lip Cream), Koh-Itoh (Fools). Interesting to note that besides Toshi & Yoshiki the whole the lot were punk/hardcore bands. This is commonly mistaken as a 1990 release when in fact that is merely the year of the CD-repress as it was originally on 12" vinyl.
In 1988 the band also took part in the movie Tokyo Pop .[citation needed] They had a very small, 5 second part as themselves where the female lead (Played by Carrie Hammelton) went to see them inquiring about a job as a singer. This movie also stars Diamond Yukai.
Early on in 1989 came the ThanX～愛をこめて～ video, another promo tape with clips of the making of the XCLAMATION video (the later one, not the 1987 one). On April 21, 1989 X released their most successful album, Blue Blood.
After the release of the album they started the Blue Blood Tour, the tour was a great success. When they finished the tour, Yoshiki and the other members started writing more songs, and recording some promotional videos for some songs of the Blue Blood album, such as CELEBRATION that was recorded in New York by Pata, Toshi Taiji and hide, the videoclip shows some images of this members waking across New York's streets. ROSE OF PAIN was another song that they recorded the videoclip outside from Japan, but this time only Yoshiki went to Paris to record it. X Japan was becoming so popular in Japan, they released the Kurenai single and they started going to talk shows, TV programs, etc. Then they started another tour called Rose & Blood tour.
In 1991 all the members went to Los Angeles to start recording their new album called Jealousy, after seven months of recording, they return to Japan and the Jealousy album was released on July 1, 1991 in Japan, it debuted at 1# in the Oricon charts.
With the release of this album the group got more popularity in Japan this caused that they could make more complete tours than those they did with the Vanishing Vision and Blue Blood albums. Some people consider that Jealousy is the album of the band because in the disc every member of the band made a contribution to the compositions.[citation needed] During the recording of the album, Yoshiki and Taiji started having musical differences. [citation needed]After the release of this album they started their next tour, Violence in Jealousy, and on August 23 the band made their first concert in the Tokyo Dome
X Japan era (1992-1997)
By 1992, X was widely known in Japan, and they intended to start focusing on America. In the US there was already a band called X, so they decided to change their name to X Japan. During this period, a feud between Yoshiki and Taiji led to Taiji's departure from the band replaced was replaced by Heath (Hiroshi Morie). Taiji went on to work with Loudness ('92 - '95) and Cloud 9.
After the first lives of Heath, Yoshiki started writing their most notable song, "Art of Life" is a carefully crafted progressive rock/metal piece nearly twenty nine minutes in length. The song was released in a mini-album with the same name as the song, the first weeks of its release was a great success in Japan, becoming a best-seller of the band. "Art of Life" was performed live only twice, in the Tokyo Dome on December 30 and 31st, 1993 (This live version lasting over thirty four minutes). This was the first live that Toshi sang with the hair lowered and with a light make up.
X's music, under the caring and determined supervision of Yoshiki, never stopped evolving. Their music ranges from harsh but very emotive speed metal tracks like Sadistic Desire, PHANTOM OF GUILT and VANISHING LOVE, to piano ballads such as Tears and Say Anything, to alternative and somewhat more alt-rock tracks from their last period like "DAHLIA" and "Rusty Nail". The majority of X Japan tracks were composed by Yoshiki with a handful of pieces composed by hide as well as some early ones by Taiji.
Yoshiki loved classical music, and this influence is apparent in tracks like "ROSE OF PAIN", "Art of Life" and the symphonic composition "Amethyst". He led a project called Eternal Melody which consisted of X's songs rearranged by George Martin and other arrangers for classical performance. The double album, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, was released in 1993. Yoshiki also selected some classical pieces for two compilations called Yoshiki Selection and Yoshiki Selection II. He remade the song "Black Diamond" by KISS into a classical piece listed in 1994s Kiss My Ass album, a tribute to the aforementioned band.
After releasing their third album they released one of their most famous songs in a single, Tears, this song was played in some TV programs and in the same live as "Art of Life". The last release of X Japan that years was a compilation of most of the singles that the band released during they were called only X, that compilation was called X Singles.
10 July, 1994 they released another single, Rusty Nail, this will be one of the last rock songs of X Japan so in their next album most of the songs were ballads, but Rusty Nail has also some calm parts. And because this was the only new X Japan's songs during 1994 they performed in most of the TV programs they went that year. and because, the song debut at the first position on the Oricon charts. And the last day of 1994 they did a concert in the Tokyo Dome were they played another new song, Longing, and the gave to some people a demo of the song. All this songs were released in their final album, Dahlia.
Dissolution of the band (1997)
After the Dahlia Tour 1996, just when X Japan were at the peak of their success, Toshi announced that he was leaving the band. Since Toshi had been the lead singer since the band's foundation and was an icon of the group it seemed impossible to replace him. X Japan (without Toshi) announced their dissolution at a press conference on 22 September, 1997.
Toshi joined a cult, related to nature and music therapy, led by a man named Masaya. Many say that this cult influenced Toshi's departure from the band. He later continued his solo career, saying that his friend Masaya was an inspiration for his new compositions. There are many rumours surrounding the cult and Toshi's involvement in it. Some even say Toshi was brainwashed. It is said that Toshi sued his brother for libel because he tried to convince Toshi not to spend money on Masaya's cult. This was later disregarded as it was proven that Toshi met Masaya after leaving the band and Masaya was proven to be only a musician. Another theory is that Toshi left the band due to his recent happiness found in marriage and X songs are generally related to grief. The true cause for Toshi's departure remains a mystery. On 31 December, 1997, the band held their last concert at the Tokyo Dome.
After the breakup
After the dissolution of the band, hide continued his very successful solo career with his band hide with Spread Beaver, Pata performed with him on occasion. Pata and Heath joined DopeHEADz, until their breakup in 2003. Now Heath is a solo artist as well as being in a band called Lynx, and Pata is currently in Ra:IN.
Toshi goes to small places like convalescent homes and senior communities, giving them music he and Masaya did together to help heal the sick. He was in the news around 2004, when he was accused of being involved in child abuse and brainwashing them to do certain errands. Toshi, on his site, claims that those are lies, and that neither he nor anyone with Masaya would ever harm people or anything of the sort. [1]
Yoshiki and hide were believed to have been secretly planning to resurrect X in 2000, sans Toshi, and were looking for a replacement singer. Tragedy rendered these plans impossible when hide died in the hospital on May 2, 1998 after a night of hard drinking. He was found hung to a doorknob by a towel. This news stunned Japan's youth; four fans around the country attempted suicide, two of whom died. Much speculation about hide's death has taken place, but no definitive explanation has been found. An apparent suicide, it is thought by some to be an accidental death, but there is not a clear motive for either suicide or murder. Some speculate that the lyrics to the song "Pink Spider" by hide, which was set to be released the day after his death, is a suicide note of sorts. Following hide's demise, Yoshiki entered a state of depression for almost three years, being unable to compose or play.
In late 2000, Yoshiki recovered, and announced the creation of his new project Violet UK, a project involving music, visuals and art. He also collaborated with Roger Taylor in several songs. In 2002 he produced and starred in three commercials for the chain of 24-hour stores 7-Eleven, using some Violet UK music and concepts for those. Unfortunately, as of present, not much else from Violet UK has been shown or released. In the same year, Yoshiki announced he was joining the J-Pop band Globe, to help his long time friend Tetsuya Komuro (in 1991 Yoshiki, on drums, and Komuro, on keyboards and singing, did a musical collaboration under the name of V2, releasing some singles and performing live). At Otakon on August 5, 2006 Yoshiki announced he will be forming a band with the Japanese musician Gackt. [2]
As a side note, former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had said that he is a big fan of X Japan, which had helped create his image as a different type of politician more in touch with average Japanese citizens.
Lineup
Toshimitsu "Toshi" Deyama (出山利三, Deyama Toshimitsu?) – Vocals
Hideto "Hide" Matsumoto (松本秀人 Matsumoto Hideto) – Lead guitar
Tomoaki "Pata" Ishizuka (石塚智昭 Ishizuka Tomoaki) – Rhythm guitar
Hiroshi "Heath" Morie (森江博 Morie Hiroshi) – Bass (from 1992)
Yoshiki Hayashi (林佳樹 Hayashi Yoshiki) – Drums and piano
Taiji Sawada (沢田泰司 Sawada Taiji) – Bass (until 1992)
1984
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1993
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1996
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1997
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X Japan Band history
