LONGING , single CDs and Demo Tape original distribution...

It is fair for me to continue the list of X Japan singles releases with LONGING which is 3rd single on sale after the new name change.

As I mentioned above LONGING is the 3rd single of X Japan but the 9th from the band's launch as X , so both information under which this single is classified is very much acurate. The release of LONGING on the CD format was available in mid 1995, while the Demo Tape format was FREE distributed in late 1994.

I will cover both subjects for you, in order to clarify as much as possible this release issue and enable you to fully understand and process more accurate the related info. So...on August 1st 1995, the 1st CD version of LONGING (Longing Day) was released, the songs content on this single are :

· Longing ~ Melted melody ~

· Longing ~ Melted melody ~ (Original Karaoke)

the concept of the song is to be a Comemorative melody of MIZUNO (wrote by Yoshiki, in memory of his late father ) .It turns out that on 11th Dec same year 1995, another version of LONGING , 2nd CD version was released, it was called The Night Of LONGING and as you guessed it comes in the dark format.

That makes it the 4th release of X Japan and the 10th single release in the history of X . The unusual fact about the 4th release of X Japan is not the dark jacket image...but the fact that all the X, and X Japan singles released till then were 8 cm (diameter size ) but Night Of LONGING is 12 cm size , same as a normal album CD, was first of such format releases, that is why was received as unusual by fans

...but coming from X Japan nothing was surprising anymore, as the men of X are day brakers, law benders and rules makers...( my heart is full of admiration for those reckless, beautiful creatures, which during years I come to love and hate just as much, in equal measures ...and call them family of my own in every moment of my joyful or sad life encounters )

Night Of LONGING is less familiar to the open public, being the orchestral arrangement, in a very classical way of the original Day Of LONGING, released in August 1st earlier same year. Night of LONGING is some-kind of  melancholic wining, even sad-er than Day Of LONGING which was also a "mourning song" ...God bless their souls, I never understood why so much insistence on death theme in their songs...

( Yoshiki love...please try to write about flowers...but not Roses...butterflies...but not with broken wings...you know love...something happy which will make us jump around like a bunnies on your melody instead consuming all tissue supply in the convenient store wiping off tears...please don't take it too harsh...I still love you to bits :) , kiss and hugs and let's move on!) . If it would be to summarize in a phrase Night Of LONGING, I shall name it... a "Renaissance Poetry".

Yoshiki himself states in an interview published on Feb 1st 1996 when was asked why this song convey so much LONGING, loneliness...melancholia over the listener...he said " When I created LONGING, the melody was bit way too...Meted, it didn't sound the way I wanted, it wasn't good enough! so I created a duplicate one that will express even more of this feeling of loss...

this LONGING within my soul, as a short cry of own solitude. That's why I rearrange it that way ! " ( is it just me or you too feel like "overfeeding" him with cheesecake, and give him a friendly hug ? ) ...Some will never grow old :) ...I was telling you about a demo tape, well...it happened way back in 1994, this was way before LONGING Day or Night were released...

everyone was preferring CDs as demo...NOT YOSHIKI! he stubbornly presented X Japan free samples on Demo Tapes...he was so found of tape recordings that few have launched jokes about this...LOL. The Demo tapes were in 2 editions, obviously black and white jacket case cover...and were offered as free special bonus to all those buying DVD Box for Blue Night and White Night shows presented on the 30th and 31st Dec 1994 at Tokyo Dome.

The paradoxal thing about this whole matter, is that producing audio tapes was far more expensive than producing CDs...but no one could argue with Yoshiki who was kind of stuck on cassette version...well damn nostalgia strikes again lil' his punk heart...God Bless Him! There is also another thing you need to know about those demo tapes, and it wouldn't be fair for me not to mention it.

Not only that the 2 demo tapes bare different musical arrangements of basically same content,but being first press releases they also serve as demo samples for Radio Broadcasts, and also again...seems that dearest Yoshikitty stumbled upon a lil' verse...did not sound good enough for his cuteness...I mean , "I'll Live Without You" was perfect, BUT...was however changed with ''I Sing Without You" for the CD version release , not bad either LOL.

I am so grateful to all of you for the support you give to this blog, so happy to keep lit on the FLAME OF X in your souls and minds, and not the list, I am/will always be so in debt to you for remembering HIDE and TAIJI of X, they contribute so much to the Legend of X Japan, the dust of time simply doesn't suit them. Thank you !