The Blue Hearts

Infobox Musical artist
Name = The Blue Hearts ザ・ブルーハーツ


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Background = group_or_band
Alias = "Buruha" ブルハ
Origin = Tokyo, Japan
Genre = Punk rock
Years_active = 1985–1995
Label = Meldac Records (1987-1989) East West Japan (1989-1995)
Associated_acts = The High-Lows The Cro-Magnons
URL = [http://www.tri-m.co.jp/artists/blue_hearts/blue_hearts.html Meldac Records site] [http://www.wmg.jp/artist/bluehearts/ East West Japan site]
Current_members =
Past_members = Hiroto Kōmoto Masatoshi Mashima Junnosuke Kawaguchi Tetsuya Kajiwara Mikio Shirai (support member)

nihongo|The Blue Hearts|ザ・ブルーハーツ|Za Burū Hātsu was a popular Japanese punk rock band [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A03E5DD133EF930A15754C0A962958260&scp=3&sq=%22blue+hearts%22&st=nyt In Performance; Pop: New Music Seminar] . Neil Strauss, New York Times. July 23, 1994 (Accessed February 14, 2008).] that performed from the latter half of the 1980s to the early half of the 1990s. The have been compared to such bands as the Sex Pistols, The Clash and the Ramones. [http://www.tri-m.co.jp/artists/blue_hearts/blue_hearts.html The Blue Hearts] . Tri-M, Inc. Accessed February 7, 2008. ja icon] In 2004, The Blue Hearts were named by HMV as the 19th most successful and influential Japanese music group. [ [http://www.hmv.co.jp/news/newsDetail.asp?newsnum=310200007 Top 100 Japanese pops Artists - No. 19] . HMV Japan. Accessed February 6, 2008. ja icon]

Career

Its members were Hiroto Kōmoto (vocalist), Masatoshi Mashima (guitarist), Junnosuke Kawaguchi (bassist) and Tetsuya Kajiwara (drummer). Mikio Shirai was not an official member of the band, but often toured with them as their keyboardist. Formed in 1985, the group made its major debut in May 1987, and released its first album, the self-titled "The Blue Hearts", and followed that up with seven more albums. Though they started on an independent label, each album sold more copies than the previous one, with their last recording selling in the millions.

In addition to having popular albums, they also had many popular singles. The two most well-known are "Train-Train" and "Linda Linda", which can be found on many karaoke machines. A cover version of "Linda Linda" was used in the 2004 dramas "Socrates in Love" and "Gachi Baka", as well as the 2005 film "Linda Linda Linda", the plot of which centers on a high school girls' band practicing The Blue Hearts' songs for a school concert. The song also appears in the 2005 Nintendo DS video game "Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan,". Other songs, including "Train-Train", "Owaranai Uta" and "Hito ni Yasashiku", have been featured in the Konami arcade games Drummania and Guitar Freaks.

They were seen as controversial in Japan, where antics such as using the Japanese word for crazy, an expletive in their culture, and spitting in television cameras got them banned from TV for a year.Fact|date=October 2008

Post-breakup

After The Blue Hearts broke up in 1995, Kōmoto and Mashima joined together with three new band members to form a new group, The High-Lows. The new band's lyrics were less likely to be social commentaries, as they tended to be on the surreal side. In addition to retaining the hard core fans of The Blue Hearts, The High-Lows were also able to attract new fans and lasted another ten years. After The High-Lows broke up in 2005, Kōmoto and Mashima again formed a new band in 2006, this time calling themselves The Cro-Magnons.

After the break up of The Blue Hearts, both Kōmoto and Mashima chose not to sing any of the bands songs, with few exceptions. Kōmoto has sung "Boku no Migite" while performing live concerts with other artists and Mashima has performed "Aozora" at some concerts, too.

Discography

ingles

*"1985" (It was a free flexi-disc given at a live on December 24, 1985; it was not actually released as a single.)
*"Hito ni Yasashiku" (February 25, 1987)
*"Linda Linda" (May 1, 1987)
*"Kiss Shite Hoshii" (November 21, 1987)
*"Blue Hearts Theme" (July 1, 1988)
*"Chernobyl" (July 1, 1988)
*"Train-Train" (November 23, 1988)
*"Love Letter" (February 21, 1989)
*"Aozora" (June 21, 1989)
*"Jōnetsu no Bara" (July 25, 1990)
*"Kubitsuri-dai Kara" (April 10, 1991)
*"Ano Ko ni Touch" (November 28, 1991)
*"Too Much Pain" (March 10, 1992)
*"Yume" (October 25, 1992)
*"Tabibito" (February 25, 1993)
*"1000 no Violin" (May 25, 1993)
*"Party" (August 25, 1993)
*"Yūgure" (October 25, 1993)

tudio Albums

* "The Blue Hearts" (May 21, 1987)
* "Young and Pretty" (November 21, 1987)
* "Train-Train" (November 23, 1988)
* "Bust Waste Hip" (September 10, 1990)
* "High Kicks" (December 21, 1991)
* "Stick Out" (February 10, 1993)
* "Dug Out" (July 10, 1993)
* "Pan" (July 10, 1995)

Compilation Albums

* "Blast Off!" (August 6, 1991, US only [http://nippop.com/artist/artist_id-218/artist_name-the_blue_hearts/ Nippop | The Blue Hearts | Profile] . Nippop. Accessed February 6, 2008.] )
* "Meet the Blue Hearts" (January 1, 1995)
* "East West Side Story" (September 25, 1995)
* "Super Best" (October 16, 1995)
* "The Blue Hearts Box" (January 1, 1999)
* "Singles 1990-1993" (November 25, 1999)

Live Albums

* "Live All Sold Out" (July 1, 1996, various locations)
* "Yaon Live on '94 6.18/19" (November 25, 1997, Hibiya Yagai Ongakudō)

Videos

* "The Blue Hearts" (March 21, 1987) VHS
* "The Blue Hearts Live! ~1987.7.4 Hibiya Yagai Ongakudō~" (September 1, 1987) VHS
* "Tour '88 Pretty Pineapple Special" (June 21, 1988) VHS
* "Blue Hearts no Video - Video Clip 1987-1989" (ブルーハーツのビデオ) (January 1, 1990) VHS
* "Meet the Blue Hearts U.S.A. Tour 1990" (1990) VHS
* "High Kick Tour Video Pamphlet" (1991) VHS
* "Zen-Nippon East Waste Tour '91" (全日本EAST WASTE TOUR '91) (September 10, 1991) VHS/DVD
* "Endless Dreams ~The Blue Hearts Meet the Mutoid~ (July 10, 1993) VHS
* "Blue Hearts no Video 2 - Video Clip 1990-1993" (ブルーハーツのビデオ2) (November 10, 1993) VHS/DVD
* "The Blue Hearts no Dekoboko Chindōchū" (ザ・ブルーハーツの凸凹珍道中) (July 10, 1995) VHS/DVD
* "Blue Hearts ga Kikoenai - History of the Blue Hearts" (ブルーハーツが聴こえない History of the Blue Hearts) (February 7, 1996) VHS/DVD
* "Blue Hearts no Video + Maboroshi no Video Fukkokuban" (ブルーハーツのビデオ＋幻のビデオ復刻版) (May 26, 2004) DVD
* "The Blue Hearts Live!" (May 26, 2004) DVD (Incl. "The Blue Hearts Live!" + "Tour '88 Pretty Pineapple Special")

References