Guitar Wolf - Wolf Rock! (1993)

"Red Rockabilly" by Guitar Wolf


Bloodthirsty Butchers released their first recordings through compilation albums. On a compilation album called TVVA, their songs featured alongside another struggling Japanese punk band Guitar Wolf.

In the spirit of the Ramones, Guitar Wolf is made up of the actually not related Wolf brothers:  Guitar Wolf (real name Seiji), Bass Wolf (real name Billy), and Drum Wolf (real name Narita then replaced by Toru).  They formed in Harajuku in 1987 and played a style they dubbed Jet Rock 'n Roll.  The style drew upon punk and traditional rock and made heavy use of distortion, feedback, and screaming.  The name pays homage to Joan Jett.  They released their debut album Wolf Rock! in 1993 which was supposedly recorded in Seiji's basement.

Here is the discography surrounding Guitar Wolf's debut album:

Machine Gun Guitar (1992 compilation song)
Wolf Rock!

"Machine Gun Guitar" by Guitar Wolf


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Bloodthirsty Butchers - Bloodthirsty Butchers (1990)

Eastern Youth formed about the same time as fellow punk band Bloodthirsty Butchers.  Both released their debut albums on indie label B.S.P. Project.

Bloodthirsty Butchers formed out of the ashes of a punk metal band called L.S.D. that was active in Sapporo during the eighties.  The band released only two singles before breaking up but seems to have left its mark on Japanese Metal.  Bloodthirsty Butchers formed with Takeshi Imoriya on bass, Masahiro Komatsu on drums, and songwriter Hideki Yoshimura on lead guitar and vocals.  Their debut album Bloodthirsty Butchers released in 1990.

Here is the discography surrounding Bloodthirsty Butchers's debut album:

Destroy (1983 single as L.S.D.)
Jast Last (1986 single as L.S.D.)
1983-2005 Hate (2005 compilation as L.S.D.)
Cowboy (1989 compilation songs)
Bloodthirsty Butchers
Korekaradoushiyou? (1992 compilation songs)

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Eastern Youth - East End Land (1989)

Number Girl was one of the bigger names to come out of the Fukuoka rock scene. As their star rose higher and shined brighter, they benefited by touring with higher profile bands. Two of the bands that toured with Number Girl were long established and very popular indie bands Bloodthirsty Butchers and Eastern Youth.

Known now as an indie band, Eastern Youth started as an Oi!/Skinhead band in the late eighties.  (Note:  Oi! is a workingman's sub-genre of punk music.  It's music that's as simple and direct as you can get and without the art school pedigree.)  The band formed under childhood friends Hisashi Yoshino (vocals, guitar), Atsuya Tamori (drums), and Toru Mitsuhashi (bass).  They released their debut album East End Land in 1989.

Here is the discography surrounding Eastern Youth's debut album:

Eastern Youth

"East End Land" by Eastern Youth


"This Is My Life" by Eastern Youth


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Number Girl - School Girl Bye Bye (1997)

"Omoide in My Head" by Number Girl


Sheena Ringo was an early fan of Japanese indie band Number Girl and especially their guitarist Tabuchi Hisako, after whom Sheena would pattern her own guitar playing.

Beginning in the middle of 1995, Number Girl had a hard time getting off the ground.  Spearheaded by lead vocalist and guitarist Mukai Shutoku, several incarnations of the band fell through as various collaborators came and went.  Things began to solidify with the recruitment of bassist Nakao Kentarou who extended his invitation to Tabuchi.  The acquisition of drummer Inazawa Ahito locked in Number Girl's line-up.  They quickly turned out two demos in 1996 and released their debut album School Girl Bye Bye in 1997 on indie label K.O.G.A. Records. A lone non-album single ("Drunken Hearted") would be released several months later in 1998.

Here is the discography surrounding Number Girl's debut album:

Atari Shock (1996 demo)
Headache Sounds (1996 compilation tracks)
Omoide in My Head (1996 demo)
School Girl Bye Bye
Drunken Hearted (1998 single)

"Mini Grammer" by Number Girl


"September Girlfriend" by Number Girl


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椎名林檎 - 無罪モラトリアム (1999)

"歌舞伎町の女王" by Sheena Ringo


Do As Infinity's own Dai Nagao did a bulk of the production work on Break of Dawn, but producer Seiji Kameda helped out on a couple of the album's tracks.  Seiji Kameda is another producer who works closely with budding J-Pop stars.  His most famous partnership, however, is with J-Pop rocker Sheena Ringo (椎名林檎) with whom he'd arrange her songs.

Sheena Ringo started writing songs and recording her own demos in junior high.  Through high school, she performed in several music star search competitions both as a solo performer and member of an all-girl band.  Sheena's last competition saw her offered a contract by the event's sponsor, Yamaha, which she turned down.  Her hopes for a better contract came quickly from Toshiba EMI.  Sheena's relationship with her record label started out uneasily as the label criticized her lyrics and refused her creative insight.  But after the poor showing of her debut single, she was allowed more creative input into the managing of her career.  Sheena's next two singles did incrementally better, and her debut album 無罪モラトリアム (Muzai (Innocence) Moratorium) would peak at #2 on the charts.  It was notable for her sonic mix of traditional J-Pop with western alternative.

Here is the discography surrounding Sheena Ringo's debut album:

幸福論 (1998 single)
歌舞伎町の女王 (1998 single)
ここでキスして。 (1999 single)
無罪モラトリアム
幸福論 (1999 single re-release)

"幸福論" by Sheena Ringo


"同じ夜" by Sheena Ringo


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Do As Infinity - Break of Dawn (2000)

"Heart" by Do As Infinity


The string performances for Suzuki Ami's debut album were performed by Japanese string orchestra, Chieko Kinbara Strings.  This group performs with many of J-Pop's biggest hitmakers and notably recorded on J-Pop band Do As Infinity's debut album.

Do As Infinity formed as the brainchild of composer and producer of Dai Nagao (notice the band's acronym).  Auditions led to the hiring of Ryo Owatari on guitar and Tomiko Van on lead vocals.  Both also contribute lyrics to the songwriting process.  The band got to work very quickly and released four singles not long after forming.  Their fourth single peaked highest at #10 on the Oricon charts.  Helping their ascendancy into the public eye was the use of two of their songs as anime/movie theme songs and another was tagged to TV commercials.  Bolstered by all this publicity, Do As Infinity's debut album Break of Dawn released in early 2000 and peaked at #3.

Sidenote:  Dai plays a double-neck acoustic guitar.  what?

Here is the discography surrounding Do As Infinity's debut album:

Tangerine Dream (1999 single)
Oasis (1999 single)
Heart (2000 single)
Yesterday & Today (2000 single)
Break of Dawn

"Welcome!" by Do As Infinity


"心の地図" by Do As Infinity


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鈴木あみ - SA (1999)

"Love the Island" by Suzuki Ami


hitomi's success is largely attributed to her legendary Japanese producer Tetsuya Komuro.  In the 90s, he could do no wrong as whichever artist who benefited from his production would surely perform well on the charts.  Suzuki Ami was another such young singer to be sponsored by Komuro.

Suzuki Ami (鈴木あみ) won her record deal at the age of 15 through a television talent show (Asayan similar in format to American Idol, I suppose) of which she topped 13,499 other contestants.  Already familiar to the audience by the time she would properly release music, she only got more publicity by having her first two singles utilized by the Japanese government's efforts to promote tourism to Guam.  All six of her singles from her debut album, SA, would peak in the top five of the Oricon singles charts bringing the album behind them to #1.  She would go on to win the Japan Record Award for Best New Artist.

Here is the discography surrounding 鈴木あみ's debut album:

Love the Island (1998 single)
Alone in My Room (1998 single)
All Night Long (1998 single)
White Key (1998 single)
Nothing Without You (1999 single)
Don't Leave Me Behind (1999 single)
SA

"Alone in My Room" by Suzuki Ami


"All Night Long" by Suzuki Ami


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hitomi - Go to the Top (1995)

"Go to the Top" by hitomi

Both debut albums by U2 and J-Pop singer hitomi were mixed by audio technician and producer Kevin Moloney.

Just out of middle school, Furuya Hitomi began her career as a model but was recruited soon after to the Avex Trax record label on a chance meeting with one of Japan's most successful producers.  Branded as 'hitomi' (lowercase and all), she put out her first single in 1994 to little notice.  It was not until her third single "Candy Girl", backed with a substantially important Kodak TV spot, that her singles began to gain any selling power.  Despite that success, her 1995 debut album Go to the Top surprised a lot of industry heads when it landed as high as #3 on the Oricon charts and remained there for a total of eight weeks.  Although hitomi's producer, Tetsuya Komuro, held a strong influence over her sound, by writing her own lyrics she was one of the few J-Pop artists to hold any creative control of their music whatsoever.

Here is the discography surrounding hitomi's debut album:

Let's Play Winter (1994 single)
We Are "Lonely Girl" (1995 single)
Candy Girl (1995 single)
Go to the Top (1995 single)
Go to the Top

"Candy Girl" by hitomi


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U2 - Boy (1980)

"Out of Control" by U2


After having heard their demo and seen them perform on live television, Bono signed Hothouse Flowers to U2's label Mother Records.  The contract was used to release a promotional single ("Love Don't Work This Way") which promptly bounced the group to a deal with London Records.

U2 started as a band of schoolboys who thought they'd form a band in Dublin circa 1976.  Although forming the band was Larry Mullen's initial idea, his role as leader was quickly usurped by the more aggressive and charismatic Bono.  Bono (Paul Hewson; lead vocals) joined Larry Mullen's (drums) band with his friend The Edge (David Evans; guitar), The Edge's brother Dik Evans (who'd soon be phased out of the band), and a friend of Dik's, Adam Clayton (bass).  Influenced by the leading punk scene, U2's sound initially formed around a post-punk mentality of playing and songwriting.  U2's popularity grew quickly and they eventually gained a record deal with Island Records.  Their debut album Boy released in October of 1980 to positive reviews, mild chart success, and a mountain of potential.

Here is the discography surrounding U2's debut album:

Early Demos (1978 demos)
Children of the Revolution (1978-1979 demos)
Three (1979 EP)
Another Day (1980 single)
11 O'Clock Tick Tock (1980 single)
A Day Without Me (1980 single)
I Will Follow (1980 single)
Boy

"I Will Follow" by U2


"The Electric Co." by U2


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