Akira Takasaki Shares Story Behind the Creation of “Loudness” on its 40th Anniversary
Japan's first heavy metal band, respected by B'z, Tamio Okuda, and Sei Hungama II, debuted as an idol, but now reveals its connection with BOØWY
It is said that we are the first Japanese band to be accepted in the world, but I have never thought of ourselves as great. But we’ve never thought of ourselves as great, because there are people above us.
Akira Takasaki (60), guitarist and leader of the heavy metal band “LOUDNESS. Akira Takasaki (60), guitarist and leader of the heavy metal band LOUDNESS. Akira Takasaki, 60, guitarist and leader of the heavy metal band LOUDNESS, has released over 40 albums and more than 400 songs 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’z, Sei Hunger Ma II, and Tamio Okuda (56). His 40th anniversary album “SUNBURST – Gambushara” was released at the end of last year. The album, “SUNBURST – GABUSHAURA,” released at the end of last year to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the band’s formation, reached No. 1 on the Oricon daily chart. In this interview, Takasaki talks about his 40 years of rock music.
Before forming LOUDNESS, Takasaki had once played in a major label with the band “Lazy” at the age of 16. Before forming LOUDNESS, Takasaki had made his major label debut at the age of 16 with the band “Lazy.
In 1977, when I was an amateur, “Lazy” appeared on Asahi Broadcasting Corporation’s “Hello Young” program. There, we performed the famous song “Burn” by the British hard rock band Deep Purple, and we were scouted by Hiroshi Kamayatsu (Monsieur Kamayatsu, 78).
However, at that time, there was no established way to market a rock band in Japan. We were marketed as an idol band that could sing and dance. We wanted to do real rock music like the artists in the West. At the time of our debut, we were a little bit unwilling to do that.
A few years after their debut, a turning point came when they met Shizuka Ijuin (72), a Naoki Prize-winning author, as a staff member on the business side. Before becoming a writer, Ijuin was involved in directing and promoting commercials and concerts, and he also participated in the production of Lazy.
Ijuin was also involved in the production of “Lazy.” “He accepted our wish to do a full-fledged rock album, and we decided to make “Spaceship Earth,” an album with mostly original songs. In addition, they created a promotional image of “Lazy declaring heavy metal”. Thanks to that, my impression of the band started to change little by little.
However, due to business troubles and differences in the direction of the members, “Lazy” chose to disband. Takasaki formed “LOUDNESS” with “Lazy” drummer Munetaka Higuchi and others to carry on the Heavy Metal Manifesto. Takasaki formed “LOUDNESS” with Munetaka Higuchi, the drummer of “Lazy”, in order to carry on the heavy metal declaration.
The public probably had the impression that the two idols had started playing rock music. But some music fans had high hopes for us. Around the time of their debut, many new generation hard rock/heavy metal bands such as “Van Halen,” “Iron Maiden,” and “Def Leppard” were appearing in Europe and the U.S., so people thought, “Finally, a full-fledged band from Japan will be born. In fact, the band’s debut live performance at the Asakusa International Theater (now closed) in 1981 sold out 3,000 tickets. Some people say that this is where the history of heavy metal in Japan began. I am honored.
At the time of their debut, the band was affiliated with the music agency “Being,” which produced such artists as ZARD and Maki Ohguro in the 1990s.
At that time, “BOØWY” was also a member of “Being”. I think it was the time when the band’s name was still ‘Violent’. At that time, our office was located in Roppongi, so I met the members several times when I was walking along Roppongi Street. The first “BOØWY” had five members, and I heard that one of their younger brothers was a fan of ours. I also remember crossing paths with the guys from “The Trouble” (later known as “The Toramai Ryu”).
After that, “BOØWY” left many traces in the Japanese rock world. After that, “BOØWY” left many marks in the Japanese rock world, and “LOUDNESS” aimed to enter the world.
On July 9, 1983, Takasaki flew to the United States with only five members and a manager. The purpose was to perform live in Los Angeles and San Francisco. This was an unprecedented “incident” in the Japanese music scene at the time.
Photo： Courtesy of Shinji Hamasaki and Katana Music Interview and text by： Yukinori Otani
