JAPANESE SYMPHONY: LUNA SEA

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Vocal : Ryuichi
Guitar, Violin : SUGIZO
Guitar : INORAN
Bass : J
Drums : Shinya

OFFICIAL LINKS
Inoran - official site
J - official site
LUNA SEA - official site
Sugizo - official Myspace
Sugizo - official site
TheFLARE - official site

PROFILE
LUNA SEA's music is very difficult to define. The band ingeniously mixed many of the elements of the eighties: Punk, Metal, even Goth Rock - all together they formed a completely independent sound which characterizes the band. Their songs were therefore quite catchy, though the band also played wonderful ballads. On top of this, the band even has room for hard, fast tunes!Perhaps because of this mixture of sounds, the band seemed to re-invent itself with every new album. This could be part of LUNA SEA's irresistible charm. A mysterious atmosphere, fast basslines which propel and almost dominate the song, and Ryuichi's charismatic, individualistic vocals - these were the only things which are similar in the band's first albums. Later, with their sixth album - Shine - the band went through musical and visual changes. With this re-invention, LUNA SEA became more poppy, and lost some of its mystery.

BIOGRAPHY
Lunacy first appears at a concert at Machida Play House in Kanagawa, facing 15 people. We already find the definitive line-up of the band: Ryuichi on vocals, Sugizo as lead-guitarist, Inoran on rhythm-guitar, J on bass and finally Shinya on drums.They all had different social backgrounds, and united to play a kind of punk-rock music they all enjoy. Indeed, the key-word in this band is original music, which they all aim to play, without any leader. Three months after, their first demo-tape, Lunacy is released. It will be sold at venues where they play concerts. In December this same year, they record their second demo-tape, Shade, then a third, Lastly.Is it thanks to their music or to their looks that a magazine notices them? A photo of them with their punk-like and very impressive hair-dresses appeared in a magazine, and quite helped their promotion throughout Japan: a band that was unknown 7 months sooner, and played facing 15 persons, now plays facing 150 persons.Their first album, produced by Yoshiki, is released on May 21st, 1991. On this occasion, Lunacy becomes Luna Sea, and this first release will logically be called Luna Sea. We can't know how many copies they sold, but we could see that more and more people came to their concerts. There are already a few masterpieces on this album, like Time is Dead (J), Blue Transparency (Inoran), Moon (Sugizo) or Precious... (J). Every lyrics are written by Ryuichi. For an indies album, we have to admit it's far from bad.They turn major very quickly, and their fanclub, Slave, in created in 1992. They play a concert at Shibuya Koukaido on this occasion (capacity of about 2000 persons)... which will be sold out after 30mns only! Their first major album, Image is out on May 21st, with songs like Wish, Dejavu, Search for Reason, Vampire's Talk and Moon (second version).In 1993, they release their very first single, Believe, and their second album, Eden, where we find melodic-punk songs like Jesus, a kind of waltz with Providence, or also Believe, or Lamentable.The following year, Mother is out. In order to write this album, members of the band decide to "isolate" themselves from the rest of the world. This is the most achieved album of the fand, where we find Loveless, Rosier, Face to Face, In Future, True Blue or the most beautiful among the most beautiful, Mother, written by Inoran, in this album everything is good. Their Mother tour ends with one of their most famous (and best) concert: the Lunatic Tokyo.Style is out on April 22nd, 1996, it's a kind of antithesis to Mother. As usual, Sugizo, Inoran and J all wrote this or that song, Desire (Sugizo), Ra-se-n (J) or For ever and ever (J) among others. After a few months of solo careers, and a very different success for each member, the five members of the band join on the stage of the Akasaka Blitz on December 17th, 1997 in order to announce their come back.Storm, Shine and I for you announce their next album Shine, in July 1998, where the rock sound of the band is nearly abandonned for something more pop-rock, and actually more pop than rock. A few songs still stand out of the pile, like Storm, Shine, Time has come or Another. This album will be followed by their Shining Brightly tour, co-produced by Disney as Inoran had written the ending song for their anime Mulan: Breath. In January 1999, they play three concerts in three towns in Asia (but outside Japan): Taipei, Hong-Kong and Shanghai. Each of them comes back delighted from this mini-tour and longs to find back, very quickly, this atmosphere so specific to live houses.For the 10th birthday of the band, they play a giant concert: the Capacity Illimited. Unfortunately, a giant storm on Tokyo destroys a big part of the stage that had been conceived for this occasion. But it won't prevent this concert from getting a huge success, as 100,000 persons will finally come to the show. The five members of Luna Sea will come on stage using a helicopter like The Beatles members had done a few decades before them. The show will end under giant fireworks. In the meantime, they release their very first best of album: Never sold out.On January 1st, 2000 at midnight, Luna Sea plays a concert at Zepp Tokyo for the new millenium. They play Sweetest coma again at this concert, which was composed by J and used as the ending song for what was then the latest James Bond in Japan. On March 29th, Gravity single is released (composed by Inoran). Tonight, composed by J follows two months later, on May 17th.On June 25th, at their Premiere of Lunacy concert, they offer their fans songs from their forthcoming albums; unfortunately, the audience doesn't really follow them, as they're so used to have fun over Wish at the end of a Luna Sea concert: they're kind of lost. Lunacy, 7th album of the band, other than using the very first orthgraph used for the name of the band, offers a good musical patchwork, sometimes violent, sometimes calmer, everyone may find something he could enjoy, from Virgin Mary to Kiss, Gravity, Crazy about you,...On November 8th, during their Brand new Chaos act 2 tour, the news that no one wanted to believe comes: Luna Sea splits. None of the band members will use the two kanji for "split" (=kaisan), but will stick to "shumaku" (= (about) drop-curtain). Even until today, none of them spoke of a "split". Love Song is their very last single.On December 27th they play their very last concert, of course called Last Live: although they will use different ways from this day on, they very symbolically leave the stage holding each other's hand.

LUNA SEA - COMPLETE BEST-

March 24, 2008

Disc 1:

1. Believe

2. In my Dream (Whith Shiver)

3. Rosier

4. True Blue

5. Mother

6. Desire

7. End of Sorrow

8. In Silence

9. Storm

10. Shine

11. I for You

12. Gravity

13. Tonight

14. Love Song

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Disc 2:

1. Loveless

2. Dejavu

3. Slave

4. Sweetest Coma Again (feat. DJ Krush)

5. With Love

6. Be Awake

7. Crazy About You

8. Jesus

9. Providence

10. Breathe

11. Up to You

12. Precious

13. Moon

14. Wish

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SLOW
March 23, 2005

1. Crazy About you
2. RAIN
3. BREATHE
4. UP TO YOU
5. MOON
6. MOTHER
7. Ray
8. WITH LOVE
9. I for you
10. gravity
11. FOREVER & EVER
12. LOVE SONG

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Another Side of "Singles II"
March 6, 2003

1. Kono sekai no hate de (この世界の果てで)
2. Looper
3. WITH
4. inside you
5. My Lover
6. be gone
7. be in agony
8. INTO THE SUN
9. UNTIL THE DAY I DIE

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Piano Solo Instruments 1
December 19, 2001

1. WITH LOVE
2. IN SILENCE
3. FOREVER & EVER
4. HURT
5. END OF SORROW
6. TWICE
7. Dejavu
8. Image
9. JESUS
10. RAIN
11. LOVELESS
12. IN SILENCE ~another version~

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Period ~The Best Selection~
December 23, 2000

1. LOVE SONG

2. STORM

3. gravity

4. TONIGHT

5. END OF SORROW

6. ROSIER

7. TRUE BLUE

8. SHINE

9. I for you

10. LOVELESS

11. BELIEVE

12. Dejavu

13. PRECIOUS

14. IN SILENCE

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LUNACY

July 12, 2000

1. Be Awake
2. Sweetest Coma Again (featuring DJ Krush)

3. Gravity
4. Kiss (featuring DJ Krush)

5. 4:00 AM
6. Virgin Mary
7. White Out
8. A Vision
9. Feel
10. Tonight
11. Crazy About You

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SHINE
July 23, 1998

1. Time Has Come
2. Storm
3. No Pain
4. Shine
5. I For You
6. Unlikelihood
7. Another
8. Millennium
9. Broken
10. Velvet
11. Love Me
12. Breathe
13. Up to you

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SINGLES
December 17, 1997

Disc 1:
1. BELIEVE
2. IN MY DREAM (WITH SHIVER)
3. ROSIER
4. TRUE BLUE
5. MOTHER
6. DESIRE
7. END OF SORROW
8. IN SILENCE
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Disc 2:
1. Claustrophobia
2. SLAVE
3. RAIN
4. FALLOUT
5. LUV U
6. TWICE
7. Ray

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Style
April 22, 1996

1. With Love
2. G.
3. Hurt
4. Ra-se-n
5. LUV U
6. Forever & Ever
7. 1999
8. End of Sorrow
9. Desire
10. In Silence
11. SELVES

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Mother
October 26, 1994

1. Loveless
2. Rosier
3. Face to Face
4. Civilize
5. Genesis of Mind
6. Aurora
7. In Future
8. Fake
9. True Blue
10. Mother
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TRUE BLUE
September 21, 1994

1. TRUE BLUE
2. Fall Out