WEEK END...is coming!


 
On April 21, 1990, "WEEK END" was released as the third single in the up coming series of releases. This song was also a standard in the live shows of X JAPAN so it is very familiar to the fans ♪ as being a very much loved song from X's collection tracks,

· WEEK END (NEW VERSION)
· ENDLESS RAIN (LIVE VERSION)

 "ENDLESS RAIN" was a single cut from the first album "RED" (KURENAI) and kept the same way was registered in the first place, however I can't say the same thing about "WEEK END" which has been greatly changed as the musical arrangement speaking about,

was a whole new recording now ♪, much more suitable and closer to what Yoshiki really wanted this song to sound like...I do love the original old version too although...
Comparative with the original version which included a guitar solo part, in the new version this is completely removed

or more likely was substitute with a piano performance of same musical piece performed by Yoshiki along with a Philharmonic orchestra ( I guess this was a kind of foreplay for Carnegie Hall...in a very unconscious and timid way obviously ) anyway this intervention and twist of the song,

made Week End a more dramatically-melodious piece, maybe this is the reason in 1990s WEEK END was top selection at "FAN's CHOICE" in the surveillance performed to enable the selection for the X Japan Album "X JAPAN BEST" (which happened in 2001) . The debate was to include the original version with Guitar solo or the version with Yoshiki's piano performance.

Although the vote was quite tight, both of the versions being almost equal appreciated, the one chosen to be imprinted on the new Album was the altered version including Yoshiki's performance . All together, RED, ENDLESS RAIN ,X and WEEK END were performed on Feb 4th 1990 at the Nippon Budokan Fest. X Japan's performance raised the spirits so high and stir the crowd in a fantastic way, the fans engaged with the band singing along in a comune chorus song after song transforming that performance in a very impressive, unforgettable live show.

The vibes send all way around were so strong that both band and their fans become one unit, something strong and unbreakable...we've staid like that ever since, at list...some of us we did, sometimes is hard to believe in the untouchable...but this doesn't mean it isn't there. Maybe we should have more faith, maybe we should catch them if they fall instead of counting the feathers from their tore down wings...

Anyway this First Press Release single has also a presentation booklet and a suicidal comment...damn depression...I wonder why they keep writing so much about death, none of them admits in believing suicide is an option they have in mind...yet I must say with sadness 2 of 7 prof them wrong...accidental or not, death severed 2 loved Xs...maybe God is a fan too and wanted them to perform a privite live...is crap forget what I just said. Sometimes I say things out of wrath out of longing to...I mean, the world is full of garbage,low class people...TAIJI and HIDE were such values...why they need to go like this ?

THANK YOU , for finding time to read this, for your support and tolerance, but most of all THANK YOU for remembering the good days When HIDE's smile and playful mode made a whole show, when TAIJI's bass was something hard to be competing with...when X...all X was performing on same stage...long ago, almost forgotten...once upon a dream folded out in memories...

ENDLESS RAIN...First Press Release

If it ever existed a song more expressive and more dramatic than Art Of Life in the history of X, that would be...Endless Rain, a ballad...rectify the BEST BALLAD. There is no secret I like more the faster songs such as Kurenai, Born To Be Free and even Jade...

but ENDLESS RAIN and TEARS are songs with special echoes in my heart, and no matter how hard I pretend , how hard I try to hide my own emotions...there's always tears pouring out on my face. ENDLESS RAIN was released on Compact Disk format on Dec 1st 1989 and it is understandable why it had become synonym for "X Japan Ballads" .

This CD contains as expected 2 songs ENDLESS RAIN and obviously X (the Live Version) . Soon enough ENDLESS RAIN become a sort of emblem branded X , it become "the song" which was played in all venues, the one that was highly demanded on radio shows...

the one heard from everywhere! it become such a trend that was even included as the soundtrack for the movie "ZIPANG". On this single along with ENDLESS RAIN there is also re-published and older one. As I told you in a previous post the "X" song was recorded along with KURENAI ,

on June 10th same year at Hibiya Amphitheater and was now re-published on this CD as well . Being recorded in studio with a chorus of people gives a special charm to this CD, is an feeling of accomplishment, a feeling of "complete work" this songs are highly addictive, if you are fortunate enough to experience

Orgasm and X in a live of X Japan you'll easily understand what I'm talking about! many songs of X Japan can give a huge value to a live show but no other song can reach the highest peak such as Kurenai, Endless Rain and X does it even from the first notes.

The First Press Release of ENDLESS RAIN it is as well a limited edition . As you will get used reading this , I must repeat that the First Press releases of the X Japan singles are coming with a mini booklet both sides printed where you can find info regarding the content,

pictures of band's members and a brief Description such as blood tipe and date of birth  (by the way I never understood why do I need to know the blood tipe of my favorite musicians...is not like if I'd need a blood transfusion I'll ever have the chance they'd be the donors...) anyways returning to the small booklet,

this is Midnight HIDE , my cat :)

you'll find inside the Lyrics of the songs as well . I remember that at the time of the release, the single was also available in audio format on cassette support and I also remember that around same date was organized a kind of Lottery for a musical box lacy tipe,

which reproduced the melodic line of Endless Rain :) which by the way I think is amazing and I strongly love it and keep playing it on and on...I hope it was fun to read about  ENDLESS RAIN and if you like what you've read that I've reached y purpose.

Midnight HIDE is very hard to be impressed, he is the only one in the house who listen ENDLESS RAIN totally emotion less...very objective critic, my cat :) LOL !

Thank you for giving such a big importance and "life" to this blog, I'm happy you still comeback here to read about HIDE and X and I hope I can give you in the future much more info posts about HIDE and our loved X! Tank You !  

RED...First release of Kure on Compact Disk


June 10th 1989 at Hibiya Amphitheater. The crowd invited to participate to the live show Tone Generator was raving, after " 20 Century Boy" and a cover for T-rex exalted the fans with a briliant performance it comes the turn of Kurenai, the chorus crowd sings it over and over again frenzy almost delirious, it is demanded at encore over and over again...this is how a dream become reality.

The atmosphere was so vibrant alive that was decided KURENAI will be recorded then ana there for a later on release for first time on CD format. I guess it was the best decision to make,and so it comes that on Sept 1st 1989 , almost half of year after "Blue Blood" Tour was completed, Kure actually made it into a CD.

It has been many times re-issued since than but what you must know about the first press release is that within the cover case it contained a booklet folded on card size with Lyrics spread sheets both sides and lots of info regarding the content and the release itself.

 

CD's original cover was as well glittery and covered in flashy polish finishing it looked so luring, so unusual...attracting buyers like magnet...eye catching! what can I say a fully Visual Kei expression from glitter and paper ! Returning now to KURENAI single it contains 2 songs Kurenai and "20 Century Boy" and as I said before was released in limited edition...

before I will end I want to make something clear to you KURENAI MEANS RED...BUT WHEN I SAY KURENAI I REFER TO THE JAP/ENGLISH VERSION WHILE WHEN I REFER TO RED I ACTUALLY MEAN THE ORIGINAL FIRST WROTE JAPANESE VERSION. Lately we hear Kurenai a lot, the one re-arranged in musical terms by HIDE and band mates, but X haven't play in long time RED the original composition...

Thank you for the interest shown to this blog, I am grateful to all of you for returning to read more about HIDE and his great works with X, in Solo Projects, with Zielich or Spread Beaver!

Letters Toward HIDE's Blog

It is more and more of you those who write me sharring your experience about HIDE's blog and that makes me really Happy and grateful. Soon  on Jan 30 Hideto Matsumoto =The Life Of A Shooting Star= will aniversate 1 year of existence on Blogger although it was in fact "born" on Tripod more than 10 years ago.

Life happened in the meanwhile and after Tripod was closed down, I tried to "lay dust" over everything, I tried so hard to say Goodbye to HIDE, to go on with my life, to act normal...but I couldn't, because...when you grow up with X you can't aim to be "normal"..." normal " means average...under-rated...less important...and is impossible...is impossible to be "normal" because being X means you are...SPECIAL. Forgetting about HIDE and my life with X it was a big fiasco, no matter how hard I tried pretending I'm just another boring face in the crowd, no matter how much I wanted to fake "growing up" it was pointless,and so..

.nearly an year ago, I started re-building HIDE's remembering corner again . I never realized how much I've missed doing this...writing posts about HIDE and X, it is what brings me always back the smile and reaching so many of you out there means that HIDE is also sneaking in your hearts trough this posts, and it couldn't pleasing me more, than to see young people or elders too finding their way to HIDE, getting to know him more, understanding his works better. In the past year several of you even wrote me on Facebook where we've become "virtual friends" Thank you for that opportunity of getting to know you...and I will only mention 3 of you although truth is, several other more have contacted me once in a while.

Thank you so much for friendship Ciel Reisi, Monica Lee and Aurelien Trento thank you all for the good thoughts about this blog and for all your support. Monica , thanx a lot for the daily chat...even for putting up with my eccentricity . Lots of love and hugs! Ciel you are really good with guitar, I think you and Monica should play together the cover of DOUBT :) all the others I haven't mentioned yet but they already know themselves,

Thank You a lot for continuously supporting this blog in your own ways! Irin Lin , from the bottom of my heart thank you, your letter made me smile and cry in same time. I have no words to express my feelings while reading your letter and even after finishing reading it...is very precious to me what you wrote in that email, it profs me that my work is constructive and that others can find it as interesting to read as for me meant writing it. This gives me extra reasons to want to share more info with you and go on Blogging, by the way I am Marie Aristo Kate...not that you'd know me from somewhere LOL . I AM VERY HAPPY, ASTONISHED AND DEEP IMPRESSED OF ALL YOUR ATTENTION. Group Hug XXX ! 

Let's talk about "Kure" (KURENAI) ...


I love all the songs of X although I admit, I don't know to mew in Japanese at all...LOL I could never learn cause all my friends from Japan want to sharp their English and refuse to talk with me or teach me Japanese...seriously now...I'm fluent in 5 languages and I can conversate good in other 3 but Japanese is not included in any category...

I love a lot Kure :) is my favorite song of X . It combines both the Heavy Metal with Melodic Rock in a perfect blend. Is a rare alchemy which awakes wilderness feelings in each and single one of us hearts. KURENAI is often the song with which we identify our loved X Japan along with Born To Be Free and Art Of Life...but Kure is from far the most loved one.  "KURENAI"the original full Japanese version has been announced as a sono sheet of the music magazine, Rockin'f  on June 1988's appendix.

As you might know
"KURENAI" is included in the album "VANISHING VISION", however there appeared as fully English version, so this sono sheet has become a mixed version of Japanese and English, the guitar arpeggio wasn't made by HIDE as I often read you guys arguing on various forums, but YOSHIKI's made. It begins as a back up backing of his piano playing. Certainly when playing "Kure" at the first appearance with this song at the music station radio,

the advert promo was made by Yoshikitty (LOL) at his piano ♪ (I know sometimes in previous posts I might sound harsh with the members of X Japan, pushing them to keep fighting for the Rock'N Roll soul of our loved band...It is not from hatered I say all this, but from too much love! ) .

In the No 6 of June 1988 you can find X's interview with explanation of all songs appearing on the EP "VANISHING VISION" along with the band score of "KURENAI" which was also posted in same magazine at the interview's end. Rumor has it that the original musical score of Kurenai had been lost for more than 2 decades and that a prank of HIDE has everything to do with this...but how much can we rely on rumors honestly?...I prefer facts rather than fiction with all respects !...

"Red" is also a representative song of X from even before indies period. Is Yoshiki's High School creation, the first song of X ever performed at the live houses when the couldn't even call themselves a band yet. That is another song on which X Japan had dust away from their song list choosing not to perform it again. By the time when HIDE joined X,KURENAI was more like a "popular" or "traditional" tipe of song rather than a rock melody. HIDE tough perceived the potential value of Kure as melody and re-shape it by redoing it into the current rock arrangement we adore, as approved by all X Japan members, same it happened with RED which in spite the odds did become a best seller song.

There was a time when radio stations keep play those songs but people obviously preferred Kure so RED was...forgotten! and this is at list I can say about that song of X, which is not bad by the way, in fact RED is quite awesome, please google it up, maybe you find a video/audio somewhere on net. 
what you see in the picture beneath is the Rockin'F magazine and the "Suno Shieto" sampler sheet of Kurenai which came as extra bonus for that magazine...now very valuable as well and sold for nearly 6000 on YJ as I just checked while I write this article for you guys.

Once again THANK YOU for returning to read the posts of this blog, thank you for still caring for X, X Japan, all the members toghether or fandom them separate as Team#...but mostly I am so GRATEFUL FOR REMEMBERING HIDE ani,

niisan, big bro...take it as it fits you! not even a day is spend in my house and life without remembering HIDE which by the way I "spoil" with love calling him "HIDEKI" for his family he is HIDETO for his bands mates is MATSUMOTO , for fans he is HIDE...for me ani-sama is...HIDEKI :) with love !

I'll Kill You and Orgasm

Is 01:17 am 2017 in UK and believing or not I started writing this article before New Year's Eve...but somehow people got me distracted :) . I am grateful since I achieved a lot in the past year and I hope I'll achieve even more in the new year.

I had a special X New Year Celebration, and playing old records I revised with love the Singles of our loved ones since the beginnings of career till recent accomplishments I am sure you already know this but I love telling you again that I'll Kill You was the first Single ever launched by X although it is debated that X as band had first "given birth" to the single "Red" it is I'll Kill You the one who got launched on an analog record by DADA Records company , in X's Indies Era.

To be more precise it happened in June 1985. The analog record contained 2 songs , I'll Kill You and "Break The Darkness" . X show up at that time with the following members who originally formed the band at the time of it's creation by Yoshiki and Toshi :
Vocal- Toshi, Guitar- Tely , Guitar-Tomoyuki and Base- Atsushi. The original First Press Edition of this analog was limited to only 1000 copy ever produced, but because the demand from public was unexpectedly bigger than that, a 2nd release was soon taken into consideration. 

Here to sustain my claim I attach an interview  published at that time in a magazine named "BAND Yarouzu" the same magazine which later on changed it's name in "BAND X BAND" , so here it is the interview with Yoshiki and Toshi...by reading you will notice a difference somehow between the Yoshiki of then and the one standing before us today...I guess as time is passing people grow up...or maybe not :) ? 

Yoshiki "It's been my first song with the label ( DADA Records)
Tateyuu "since my friends and I formed the band and started singing in indies, right? Well it ended there, that song killed that label (laugh), it ended with the first round"
Yoshiki "That is too aggressive judgment"
Toshi: My friend, everyone listen  I'LL KILL YOU. Is heard from everywhere when I go to Tateyama (lol) "
YOSHIKI "There is a great story, there is a great story in there." Although the song is included in the "Break Out The Darkness", the rhythm has gone mad on the way, it's funny to put in a Metal song a blowing sound (lol) "

Toshi: "Where is the rhythm crazy" Go! "(Laugh)
Yoshiki: "Yo, well, I do not know" (laugh)
Toshi: "It's more amazing, the vocal level (volume) is totally different, in the song, everyone was saying that the stereo was broken (laugh)"
Yoshiki "Well I haven't checked at all if the volume was higher or not , after all as it is, that's the kei! "(Laugh)
Toshi: "It was not like a mixing, we were doing that kind of thing in purpose..." Horror go! "(Laugh)"
YOSHIKI "I went to eat something like curry after we commonly agreed with the others about the musical terms and everything,Suddenly I was alone, so I thought " what is this "it was scary, I felt as if all my feathers have been fallen off, then Everyone came back "Ah, YOSHIKI ~!" (Laugh)

Coming from Yoshiki and Toshi this comment is very funny, however ...regardless this single sold out both First Press all 1000 record sheet and the 2nd edition, once with the termination of the label itself as brand, I'll Kill you was never produced/performed again...perhaps one day with another occasion.

here it is the Japanese version of the article, perhaps I didn't translate it satisfying enough so be my guest read it on your own 

ヨシキ「ベースの人の友達かなんかがインディーズ・レーベル始めるっていうんで、第一弾アーティストになったんだよね。まあそこで終わったんだけど、そのレーベル(笑)。第一弾で終わった」ヨシキ「それも強引なさばき」

トシ　「俺の友達、みんな持ってるもん。I'LL KILL YOU　は館山行くと氾濫してるよ(笑)」ヨシキ「手売りばっかりだよね。ですごい話があるの。Break the Darkness　って曲が入ってるんだけど、途中リズムが狂っちゃったのね。それ、爆破音入れてごまかそうって(笑)」トシ　「リズムが狂ってるところに"ゴー!"って(笑)」ヨシキ「"よ～し、わかんねーぞ"って(笑)」トシ　「もっとすごいのがさ、ボーカルのレベル(音量)が全然違ってて、曲の中で。みんな、ステレオが壊れたかと思った、とか言ってた(笑)」ヨシキ「レベル上げる時にね、全然チェックとかしないで、そのまま"ドアー!"って(笑)」

トシ　「ミキサーの人じゃなくて、俺たちがそういうのやってたんだもん。"ホラ行けー!"って(笑)」ヨシキ「あとさ、レベルとか１回全部決めた後にみんながゴハンかなんか食べに行っちゃって、俺一人残ってたんだよね。で、"これ何だろ"と思ってフェーダー全部下げちゃったの。そしたらみんな帰ってきて"アー、YOSHIKI～!"って(笑)」

Let us now talk about Orgasm...which is the 2nd release by X under a band composition which yet was excluding PATA and HIDE . The EP sampler was 

released in April 1986, by the new independent label "Ecstasy Records" established by YOSHIKI.

The disc includes 3 songs such as "Orgasm", "Time Trip Loving", and "X".
At that time the members were: vocal Toshi, drums Yoshiki, guitar Jun, bass Hikalu , the last 2 of them redraw from X soon after the release .
Although 2500 disks were printed, some of them they were given as free sample to advertise the new band X

(by the way although then were free given...now they worth a fortune and are very rare to be find. I personal monitor Y J auctions and with help of buyee I manage to retrieve X Japan artifacts for safe keeping),

Jun and Hikalu had withdrawn immediately after the EP release,they said they couldn't handle the situation. Suddenly they were getting lots of attention and pressure it became a situation which they could not handle, so they find more appropriate to...quit...
In case you were wondering why "Time Trip Loving" one of the songs of the Orgasm EP is not performed by X anymore,it could be because the current trajectory of X Japan doesn't suit that aggressive stile any longer. The lyrics of that song have Toshi's signature and the song composition belongs to Jun.

The lyrics of the more classic "orgasm" or "X" live performances are different (were changed after JUN's and Hikalu's leaving ). We can't blame them that much anyway they were after all just kids at that time. They were given zero chances to get published and probably never actually believed they would make it big although I'm sure they've dreamed about that...

maybe this is the reason that Yoshiki himself established EXTASY Records at only 19 years of age, thinking that self producing their records will be the right choice since no one else would risk it with such young , reckless and so peculiar artists such as the members of X . It seems that their self producing label not only that helped them sell the record but also opened doors for whole Visual Kei movement depicted as self expression in art revolution of color and stage individualism performance .

There are many other singles launched by X before they actually started collect their songs into albums, and I will discuss them with you one by one. I want you people to be as acurate as possible informed about X Japan because discussions like " I love HIDE cause he was an Ecologist, he loved animals soo much , he saved Tigers in Yokosuka "...is simple not acceptable!!!...like how bad informed can you be? I found out this "unfortunate" information from a fan from Taiwan last year...I even wrote a joke about this stuff...in fact is main motivation to keep feed you up with X info...I hope that no other fan in any other corner of the world would be ever miss informed or wrong leaded toward crap, delusional info.

I am really HAPPY and GRATEFUL when you guys return to read the posts on this blog, for HIDE , for X Japan, for those who we love and support as we can, each one in our way. I hope that one day we can join hands and stand together changing this world with courage and boldness...like X Japan did, they set in motion a butterfly wings wave which in time become as strong as a taifun...as Toshi sings in X's new song anyone could be someone, there's a Hero in you and believe it or not, EACH ONE OF YOU is SPECIAL AND IRREPLACEABLE against all odds. THANK YOU, for reading this...see you back soon for more of X singles info !