The Maker Speaks
Heavy Gauge
That’s Glay’s Moment of Truth
That’s Glay’s Moment of Truth
“Heavy Gauge” is Glay’s album released in 1999 October. They are the first band that appeared in public, professing themselves Visual Kei, and they got the most popular amongst all Visual Kei bands.
July 31 in 1999, GLAY held Glay Expo’99 Survival, usually called as “200,000 people live.” That was an unprecedented achievement and still monumental is the number of a pay live audience. It means there were 200,000 people who liked to get together at a place for Glay music, paying their own money, under heat of July. They say it was a long-lived dream of Glay.
After the dream got true, a man surely feels satisfied? That seems to be not truth. “No members had any words in a bus after the big live was finished. It felt that was truly ended” said Jiro who plays bass guitar on Glay. I suppose, at the time, they had to face vacancy which lied beyond a hill of a dream.
July 31 in 1999, GLAY held Glay Expo’99 Survival, usually called as “200,000 people live.” That was an unprecedented achievement and still monumental is the number of a pay live audience. It means there were 200,000 people who liked to get together at a place for Glay music, paying their own money, under heat of July. They say it was a long-lived dream of Glay.
After the dream got true, a man surely feels satisfied? That seems to be not truth. “No members had any words in a bus after the big live was finished. It felt that was truly ended” said Jiro who plays bass guitar on Glay. I suppose, at the time, they had to face vacancy which lied beyond a hill of a dream.
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GLAY Released on Oct. 20, 1999 PONY CANYON Price: ¥3,059 (Tax in) |
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01. HEAVY GAUGE 02. FATSOUNDS 03. SURVIVAL (Album Version) 04. Kokodewa nai Dokokae (Album Version) 05. HAPPINESS 06. summer FM (Album Version) 07. LEVEL DEVIL 08. BE WITH YOU (Album Version) 09. Winter,again (Album Version) 10. Will Be King 11. Ikigai 12. Savile Row All Lyrics Written by Takuro All Music Composed by Takuro Produced by Sakuma Masahide |
Three months later from the time on, Glay released their original album “Heavy Gauge.” They were a hero of the times. Oricon annual single chart set Glay’s “Yuwaku” at No. 1 in 1998 and “pure soul”; their 1998 album that included “Yuwaku” sold over two millions only in Japan. Going to a book store, we always saw Glay on most of magazine covers. “Heavy Gauge” also sold over two millions.
“Heavy Gauge” nicely shows us their then spirit against the emptiness and also against a lot of attention from all over Japan. “Many paid attention to us because of a hit of “However,” and increased was people who heard our ballad songs. I was singing under a lot of pressure at the time” said Teru who sings as a vocal of Glay, over “Be with you” which was their success single.
Some songs of “Heavy Gauge” describe their discord and frustration, on their words. “Fatsounds” sings like ♪ New record, pathetic band men love strategies. But that is merely superficial.
The essential is, under lots of pressure, they improved their potential power and Takuro’s writing style as gaining popularity of over two millions. It is not mentioning about their skills and strategies. That means a band rightly held a soul to face the times and themselves in common. Glay’s strong point is it.
“Winter, again” is their best seller single and eternally lets us listen to their specialty as a double guitar band.
“Heavy Gauge” nicely shows us their then spirit against the emptiness and also against a lot of attention from all over Japan. “Many paid attention to us because of a hit of “However,” and increased was people who heard our ballad songs. I was singing under a lot of pressure at the time” said Teru who sings as a vocal of Glay, over “Be with you” which was their success single.
Some songs of “Heavy Gauge” describe their discord and frustration, on their words. “Fatsounds” sings like ♪ New record, pathetic band men love strategies. But that is merely superficial.
The essential is, under lots of pressure, they improved their potential power and Takuro’s writing style as gaining popularity of over two millions. It is not mentioning about their skills and strategies. That means a band rightly held a soul to face the times and themselves in common. Glay’s strong point is it.
“Winter, again” is their best seller single and eternally lets us listen to their specialty as a double guitar band.
Bibliography:
"What's In? Vol. 212" Sony Magazines, 2005
"Bessatsu Kadokawa Souryoku Tokushu Glay (Kadokawa featuring Glay)" Kadokawa Shoten, 2005
