THE BLUE HEARTS

THE BLUE HEARTS

THE BLUE HEARTS are a Japanese punk rock band that forms in 1985 and continues until 1995. The group comes together around Hiroto Kōmoto and Masatoshi Mashima, with Kōmoto on vocals and harmonica, Mashima on guitar and backing vocals, Junnosuke Kawaguchi on bass and backing vocals, and Tetsuya Kajiwara on drums. Mikio Shirai plays keyboards as a support member and often tours with the band.

Formation and early years

Kōmoto, Mashima and Kawaguchi first play together in 1982 at a pedestrian-zone event in Shinjuku. By late 1984, Kōmoto and Mashima decide to start a new band after their previous groups dissolve. The Blue Hearts officially form in February 1985. Their original line-up includes Kōmoto, Mashima, Masami Mochizuki on bass and Ryūsuke Hanabusa on drums.

Their first live performance takes place on 3 April 1985 at Shinjuku Loft. Mochizuki leaves after about six months, and Norio Yamakawa briefly joins on bass before Kawaguchi becomes the official bassist in August 1985. Hanabusa leaves in March 1986, and Tetsuya Kajiwara joins in April that year. Before joining as a drummer, Kajiwara works as a ticket taker at the band’s concerts and persists in contacting Kōmoto to audition.

Career

The band makes its major debut in 1987 and releases its first album, The Blue Hearts, followed by seven more studio albums. They begin on an independent label, then later move from Meldac to East West Japan in 1989. Their releases grow steadily in sales, with later recordings selling in the millions.

They issue several well-known singles, including “Hito ni Yasashiku,” “Linda Linda,” “Kiss Shite Hoshii,” “Train-Train,” “Aozora,” and “Yūgure.” “Linda Linda” and “Train-Train” become especially familiar through karaoke use and later media appearances. The band also releases a self-titled EP in the United States in 1990 and supports it with a US tour.

The Blue Hearts tour frequently in Japan, including the “Dobunezumi Tour,” “Tour ’88 Pretty Pineapple,” “Pineapple Counterattack Tour,” and “Hammer Tour.” Their first overseas tour, the “Portland Tour ’89,” takes place in August 1989. Their final single as The Blue Hearts is “Yūgure,” and their final original album is PAN.

Style and recognition

The band is associated with punk and Japanese rock, and is compared with the Sex Pistols, the Clash and the Ramones. They are ranked by HMV at number 19 on a list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts in 2003. Rolling Stone Japan later places their debut album at number 3 on its list of the 100 greatest Japanese rock albums of all time.

They also become known for controversy in Japan, including the use of language that is prohibited from broadcast in one performance and incidents involving television cameras, which leads to a reported one-year ban from TV.

Later years and breakup

Ryūsuke Hanabusa, an early drummer in the band, later works as a backing musician and studio player before his death in 2017. In 1995, The Blue Hearts become independent from their management company, and Kōmoto and Mashima set up Happy Song Co., Ltd. The group announces its breakup in June 1995. Their final live performance takes place in August 1994 at the Anzu no Sato Rock Festival in Chikuma, Nagano.

After the band

After the breakup, Kōmoto, Mashima and Shirai form ↑THE HIGH-LOWS↓, which lasts for another decade. Kōmoto and Mashima then form ザ・クロマニヨンズ (The Cro-Magnons) in 2006. Kawaguchi works as a record producer and supports other bands, while Kajiwara plays in The 3Peace, Salsa Gumtape, THE BIG HIP and The EX-FIVE, and also begins the solo project Thunderbeat.

The band’s songs continue to circulate widely through covers and games. “Linda Linda” is used in the films and dramas Socrates in Love, Gachi Baka, and Linda Linda Linda, and appears in the Nintendo DS game Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan. Other Blue Hearts tracks appear in Konami’s Drummania and Guitar Freaks, and later covers appear in the anime series The Rolling Girls.

Members

Final line-up

Hiroto Kōmoto – vocals, harmonica, guitar
Masatoshi Mashima – guitar, vocals, chorus
Junnosuke Kawaguchi – bass, chorus, vocals
Tetsuya Kajiwara – drums
Mikio Shirai – keyboards, support member

Former members

Masami Mochizuki – bass
Ryūsuke Hanabusa – drums
Norio Yamakawa – bass
Shinichiro Sato – support drums