<a href="#" data-ident_hash="71eb22a5"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/SH501094_r.jpg" alt=""></a>
Akira Takasaki (60), guitarist and leader of the legendary heavy metal band &#8220;LOUDNESS&#8221;, has released more than 40 albums since his debut in 1981. Akira Takasaki, 60, guitarist and leader of the legendary heavy metal band LOUDNESS, has released more than 40 albums since his debut in 1981. He is a legend who is respected by some of the biggest names in the Japanese rock world, including B&#8217;z, Tamio Okuda (56), and Sei Hungama II.
His momentum is still going strong, and his 40th anniversary album &#8220;SUNBURST &#8211; Gambusha II&#8221; was released at the end of last year. SUNBURST ~Gabushara&#8221; released at the end of last year ranked No. 1 on the Oricon Daily Chart. The first part of this article was written by Takasaki.
In the first part of this article, I asked Takasaki to talk about his secret episodes before and right after the formation of LOUDNESS. In the second part of the article, we asked Takasaki to tell us about the behind-the-scenes story of the band&#8217;s overseas expansion and his thoughts on the late members.
In the second part of the interview, he talks about what went on behind the scenes during the band&#8217;s overseas expansion and his thoughts on the late members. &#8216; In 1983, the band performed in San Francisco and Los Angeles. In 1983, the band performed in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
 &#8216;When the four members and our manager at the time rode into the U.S., somehow the live venues were packed. I heard that among the audience were famous guitarists such as Slash (56) and Ingve Malmsteen (58) of Guns N&#8217; Roses. I found out later that our debut song was played on the local radio and became a hot topic in the American music industry. They said, &#8220;There&#8217;s a Japanese heavy metal band.
<figure id="attachment_230687" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-230687"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5c364e81"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/img001.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-230687" class="wp-caption-text">Treasured photo of the band at the time of their US debut. Takasaki is third from the left. The band&#8217;s concerts were always packed, and there were many female fans waiting to see them.</figcaption></figure>
Takasaki says that he was once asked to join the band Metallica, an internationally popular band that has won eight Grammy Awards.
 I got a cassette tape and a letter from them,&#8221; he said. But at the time, Metallica was still an underground band and I didn&#8217;t know them at all, and I wanted to compete with the world as a Japanese band, so I politely declined.
The band signed a contract with the major American record company Atlantic in 1985. Their U.S. debut album, &#8220;Thunder in the East The band&#8217;s U.S. debut album, &#8220;Thunder in the East,&#8221; was ranked in the Billboard charts. In the same year, the band became the first Japanese to play at the Madison Square Garden Music Hall of Fame.
 That was when I was touring with Motley Crue,&#8221; he said. That was when I was touring with Motley Crue, and they were nervous because it was their first time at Madison Square Garden. In the dressing room, it was discovered that the Motley Crew members and I were wearing the same clothes, and our manager warned us to change our clothes.
 I was so pissed off that I played a longer and more intense guitar solo on stage than I usually do. For some reason, it was a big hit. The audience stood up all the way to the back of the venue and cheered like a raging bull.
<figure id="attachment_230690" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-230690"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b5d1b515"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/9fb3a8521d4287c5941c06a57cf12786.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-230690" class="wp-caption-text">A photo of a live performance in the United States. A photo of a live performance in the U.S., which sent the people there into a frenzy.</figcaption></figure>
<a href="#" data-ident_hash="4cf971f1"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/b2aa7017ad6fbff8c0ff56fc3de47c1e.jpg" alt=""></a>
He has toured the U.S. with the monster band AC/DC, which has sold over 240 million albums, as well as with Cinderella and Poison.
 He has also toured the U.S. with the monster band AC/DC, which sold over 240 million albums, and with Cinderella and Poison. The audience was all girls. The audience was all girls, and we would travel around in a tour bus with them on our backs. It was a crazy time!
 I don&#8217;t remember drinking with the members of &#8220;AC/DC&#8221;. (laughs) I don&#8217;t remember drinking with the members of &#8220;AC/DC&#8221; because they were a pretty serious band. However, the vocalist was the only one who got very drunk every night. The drinks on stage were all gin.
<figure id="attachment_230688" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-230688"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ac5bf7eb"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/img003.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-230688" class="wp-caption-text">There were many local fans waiting to see them.</figcaption></figure>
The biggest crisis for the strongest band came in 2008. Drummer Munetaka Higuchi (49 years old), who had eaten and slept with the band since before they were formed, passed away from liver cancer. It was a big blow.
 He was two years older than me and was like a big brother to me. He was two years older than me, and we lived together for a while after I came to Tokyo. Musically, we were also rivals in a good sense. Through friendly competition, the band was able to grow. Mr. Higuchi also had liver problems in the 80s. If he had refrained from drinking from then on, he might not have ended up like this. But he stuck to his rock &#8216;n&#8217; roll way of life.&#8221;
<figure id="attachment_230704" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-230704"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="64267180"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/SH501020_r.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-230704" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished cut from this magazine</figcaption></figure>
Yasushi Sawada, bassist of X (later X JAPAN), died at the age of 45. Sawada Yasushi (age 45; his stage name was TAIJI), the bassist of &#8220;X&#8221; (later &#8220;X JAPAN&#8221;), joined the band for a time. However, he also died an untimely death in Saipan in 2011. Taiji was like a younger brother to Takasaki.
 The first time I met Taiji was during the recording of &#8220;X&#8217;s&#8221; first album &#8220;Blue Blood. It was during the recording of X&#8217;s first album &#8220;BLUE BLOOD&#8221;. We hit it off when I went to visit him at the studio, and we went straight to the disco &#8220;Lexington Queen&#8221; in Roppongi for drinks. I even invited him over to my house. Actually, I met Taiji the day before he passed away.
 I was recording in the studio and he just showed up. Taiji was wearing an unconventional suit. I thought it was strange, but we talked about how we should go out for drinks again when he came back to Japan, and then we parted ways. He was a rock star, too.
LOUDNESS has been at the forefront of the music scene for 40 years, overcoming the death of friends and six member changes. LOUDNESS. They have never lost their way or stopped moving forward.
 There are musicians who create one new band after another, but I wanted to stick with one band. Maybe I&#8217;m clumsy in a way. But that&#8217;s the way I live my life.
Despite being a corona disaster, he is constantly receiving requests to perform overseas, and is scheduled to start a tour of Japan in May. Even though he has passed the age of 60, Akira Takasaki is still running fast.
<figure class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2736px;"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="5f9b9127"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/S41A0619.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Cuttings not published in this magazine</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_230686" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1751px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-230686"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="3fb05ff9"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/02/0R4A0959.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-230686" class="wp-caption-text">He is still active even after his 60th birthday.</figcaption></figure>

 Courtesy of Shinji Hamasaki and Katana Music

 Yukinori Otani

 Akira Takasaki (60), guitarist and leader of the legendary heavy metal band "LOUDNESS Akira Takasaki (60), guitarist and leader of the legendary heavy metal band "LOUDNESS", has released more than 40 albums since their debut in 1981, and talked to us about the backstage of their overseas expansion, as well as his thoughts on the members who have passed away.

 The First Japanese Heavy Metal Band to Play at Madison Square Garden: The Death of a Colleague, the Relationship with X JAPAN, and the Story Behind the Band's Expansion into the U.S.

Akira Takasaki of Loudness Unfold the Story Behind U.S. Band Debut and the Death of a Friend

Access Ranking