B'z TOP 20 Songs by B'z Net Party (2005)

WOW!! GOKUROSAN!!! 23 fans voted and out of 120 songs mentioned, after weeks of 'deliberation' we finally rounded up to just TOP 20. PHEW!! It's always hard work when it comes to choosing B'z best songs coz there are simply TOO MANY!!
CONCLUSION: Well, apparently this is Ultra Soul's year as you can see 0__o From 2003 Top 20, twelve songs are staying, proving that once a good song always a good song. Many nice surprises with "Mou Ichido~", "Koi-Gokoro" and "Wonderful Opportunity" sneaking into the list. It's nice to see some B-sides and album songs listed, so that this list is not just another array of B'z no.1 singles. That means that the B'z fans involved in the voting are very well-versed in their B'z discography. So much so that "The Circle" with great songs hot from the oven couldn't even get a chance to reach the Top 20 (pity!), well, with the exception of "Ai no Bakudan".

1. ULTRA SOUL Vote: 13	Year 2001 Album GREEN Mood Super cool dance rock Highlight Combining highly motivational lyrics with a rocking dance beat, this irresistible song never fails to cheer people up. Definitely a B'z signature song, because despite the obvious style, lyrics and its usual monstrous success, even people who are not familiar with B'z works define B'z = Ultra Soul. Special Feature 3 versions available: Single vers. (original), Spanish vers. (GOLD single, 2001), album vers. (Green style) Look out Cool catchy bridge after Tak's expresso-like solo, "Do it do it do it do it!!"
2. LOVE PHANTOM Vote: 11	Year 1995 Album LOOSE, Best Pleasure Genre Dance rock Mood Dark, unashamedly passionate Highlight 4:39 in length, this song has everything you could ever hope for from an opera show: orchestra, dance beat, jarring guitar sound, great singing, male/female dialog, sexy rap, all juicy ups and downs of a drama! Special Feature Originally performed in Livegyms before being released, it's one of B'z monster singles that sold more than 2 million copies. And LOOSE, the album the features it, sold more than 3 million copies. Look out Awesome lyrics that capture the most intense form of lusting and longing . And true to the phrase 'it ain't over till the fat lady sings', catch the ending opera bits by soprano singer Akemi Nori.
3. BAD COMMUNICATION Vote: 11	Year 1991 Album Bad Communication, LOOSE, Best Pleasure Genre Dance rock Mood Slightly dark, but has an irrepressible beat Highlight A signature B'z song that stayed on the Oricon charts for 3 years! Special Feature Two more versions of this song, full-english Bad Communication E. Style (very clear English) and a full-blown, hard-edge, adult style Bad Communication 000-18 ("LOOSE", 1995) Look out The classic opening line and the sensual Japanese and English lyrics
3. CALLING Vote: 10	Year 1997 Album Survive, Best Pleasure Genre Hard rock/ romantic ballad/ hard rock Mood Incredibly romantic Highlight Tak's awesome guitar during intro and outro; pay attention to the variation as he just blows the mind. Beautiful piano and strings arrangement. Koshi's singing style that's just REALLY CALLING for you with all his heart. Of course, his amazingly sensitive and heart-felt lyrics never hurt . Special Feature This song almost never saw the light since Tak wasn't quite sure how to finish it. B'z had it frozen for some time, took it out and served it fresh to livegyms' audience. The fans loved it so much, they wrote to the FC demanding for this unknown song to be released as a single. Look out The loveliest, one and only pre-chorus "Hitotsu hitotsu to~ mado ni akari tomoru". And Tak's thunderous solo, placed right before 2nd verse.
5. AI NO BAKUDAN Vote: 10	Year 2005 Album The Circle Genre Pop-rock with a hint of punk Mood Joyous, energetic Highlight The bright, soaring chorus. An amusing quote from a fan, "It must be a crime for a pair of 40 yr olds to create such addictive, energetic song!" Special Feature Koshi may be fluent in English, but his gross mispronunciation of "un deux trois" shows he's deficient in French ^^;; Look out The song starts with Tak playing acoustic, then Koshi and the electric instruments "bomb" in for a song that's relentlessly energetic.
6. SAMAYOERU AOI DANGAN Vote: 9	Year 1997 Album Best Pleasure Genre Upbeat hard rock Mood Energizing yet calming Special Feature This is a strangely motivational song . The various sound effects and twisting melody combine in a way that lets you almost feel the wind from the flying bullet in the title. The ending slows down Matrix-style. Look out Crystal clear Tak's solo that runs up and down with blinding speed~ it's so awesome that Koshi has to take a sharp deep breath before hitting the last chorus. Also, the whispered "You can fly" at the beginning and end of the song.
7. MOTEL Vote: 9	Year 1994 Album Best Treasure, Love & B'z Genre Mellow rock (Aerosmithy) Mood Swimming in sin, guilt and pain Highlight An amazing guitar solo that blends in so well, it almost feels like an extension of Koshi's voice in the chorus. Tak keeps the pain soaring and prepares the listeners for Koshi's painful scream in the last chorus. Look out The full-English, emotionally-strung ending
8. ZERO Vote: 9	Year 1992 Album RUN, Best Pleasure Genre Hard rock Mood Passionate longing Highlight The keyboard intro Special Feature The rap portion! Especially during live concert. Once Tak did it all by himself, waaaah... Look out Again, this song is like especially made for livegym. If you have ANY B'z dvd with ZERO in it, two things to look out for. One, watch Masuda Takanobu (keyboard)'s huge genki grin when he plays the intro. Two, Koshi and Tak always do a guru-guru-mawaru right before 1st verse =p They do this for every ZERO performance.
9. JUICE Vote: 9	Year 2000 Album Eleven Genre Head-banging rock Mood Energetic, sexual in a superficially subtle way Highlight The background vocal "Baby it's alright" Special Feature The "PM mix" of the song adds more guitar sound throughout the entire song (album version) Look out There are tempo changes that add variety to the song. Also, you have to see the performance in "A Beautiful Reel" in which all the audience members blow whistles simultaneously!
10. KOI-GOKORO Vote: 8	Year 1998 Album Best Treasure Genre Pop rock Mood Romantic in a cute, charming way Highlight Bitter sweet puppy-love, all those precious doki-doki moments in teen years are so well captured in the wonderful lyrics of Koi-Gokoro that they make you smile and go, "Gosh, it's so true!" And Koshi cheekily wanted to ask Tak for advice too! "Matsumoto ni shoudan shiyou ka?" Special Feature A specially choreographed set of Koi-Gokoro dance makes this song one of the most beloved song by the livegym audience. Look out Female chorus in the background "A-B-C-D..." and "Ma-chan, Ma-chan, help me, help me"...... Yep, I'm not kidding. That cheeky Koshi! ^0^
11. RAGING RIVER Vote: 8	Year 2000 Album Eleven Genre Rock Ballad Mood Sad, self-questioning, mourning Highlight The first time the chorus roars over you, like you've just been pummeled by a speeding wall of water, and Tak's masterpiece solo that soars, splashes, flows and races through the cymbals' crashing. Look out Tak's slamming guitar and Koshi's weeping screams fuse together for the last chorus, as Koshi screams out these last lines: "I wave my hands to those who are returning home And for my own sake, one more time Wash away, wash away, I embrace this pain and fight on..."
12. GIRI GIRI CHOP Vote: 7	Year 1999 Album Brotherhood Genre Fast, hard rock Mood Proud, aggressive Special Feature There are two versions available, single (original) vers. and album version (Giri Giri Chop vers 51). The later was recorded in L.A. more than 50 times and they took a liking to trial number 51. The single version has a rough feel, while the album version is smoother. Look out Tak's insane guitar solo and Koshi's maniacal laugh that follows
13. NAGAI AI Vote: 7	Year 1999 Album Brotherhood Genre Interesting mix of hard rock and ballad Mood A serious, sweeping, passionate story of a song Special Feature Asian fusion ~ the drama of the light Chinese-style orchestral intro is shattered with heavy rock beats. And some of Tak's best riffs. Look out Koshi's flawless performance. He sings with an amazing emotional intensity that makes the melody soar ~ especially "motto nagai aida aishitekuremasen deshou ka?" and the ending "taaAAAIII".
14. BROTHERHOOD Vote: 7	Year 1999 Album Brotherhood Genre Rock ballad Mood Hopeful yet melancholy Highlight The ultimate B'z 'male-bonding' song, what is shared between brothers or friends are captured perfectly in the lyrics . Guys just love it, uh- ok, and girls too. Special Feature This song has inspired B'z fans so much ever since it was released, that the Japanese B'z fans refer to one another as 'brothers' (^_^) Look out Koshi's amazing performance on the bridge where he manages to squeeze in so many syllables into the same 4/4 intro riff. Tak's solo is simply a work of art.
15. HOME Vote: 7	Year 1998 Album Love & B'z Genre Country pop/rock Mood Upbeat, yet comforting... like an old familiar tune Special Feature Mix of acoustic & electric guitars with downhome ambience. Catchy sing-a-long chorus and a spiraling guitar solo. Great example of how B'z can fuse different genres together, while still maintaining pop sensibility. Look out Koshi's voice that comes out of the left speaker during the pre-chorus
16. ARAKURE Vote: 7	Year 2003 Album Big Machine Genre Upbeat rock Mood Energetic, highly addictive Highlight Great rhyming chorus and Tak's 'listen-to-me-squeeze-193439284-notes-into-fifteen-second-solo' guitar solo. Look out First vocal harmonization at the first verse always sounds way too awesome =p
17. MOU ICHIDO KISS SHITAKATTA Vote: 6	Year 1991 Album In The Life, Best Treasure, Love & B'z Genre Soft piano ballad Mood Romantic Highlight Koshi's hushed singing Special Feature After the album came out, in a few interviews, Tak many times expressed his regret for not making this song a single. It's interesting that despite Tak's own acknowledgement about how the melodies get repeated a lot and therefore he told Koshi to write a story-like lyrics to save the song, he apparently has high regards to this song. And so do us, the fans! ^0^ Look out Get BUZZ!! dvd and watch a beautiful beautiful (bonus) performance of this song!
18. ITSUKA NO MERRY CHRISTMAS Vote: 6	Year 1992 Album Friends, Best Treasure, Love & B'z Genre Slow pop Mood Heart-wrenchingly sad Highlight Exemplary acoustic work by Tak and deep soulful singing in lower key than usual by Koshi Special Feature This song has been a classic in the J-music world since it hit the scene more than 10 years ago. Performers and admirers include Ayumi Hamasaki (who performed it 2x) and Gackt (2x). Both have listed this very song as their favorite Christmas tune every year. Gackt's Quote "It's such a sad song. I don't know why, but every time I listen to it, I feel like walking outside on the street." Look out Tak's weeping ending solo and awesome lyrics
19. LIAR! LIAR! Vote: 6	Year 1997 Album Survive, Best Treasure Genre Angry rock Mood Angry, paranoid Highlight The ending line, "Baby do you want the truth, baby do you want it?" Special Feature The semi-rhyming lyrics Look out Tak's guitar playing captures the same anger in Koshi's voice.
20. WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY Vote: 6	Year 1991 Album In The Life Genre Uplifting pop rock Mood Uplifting, emotionally strong Highlight The repeated "Shinpai nai mondai nai nai nai that's life it's alright" Special Feature Backup vocals from the soon-to-be star Ohguro Maki Look out Koshi's straightforward lyrics tell people that life is hard, so they should face it--cooler than promising a fairy-tale ending.

6 votes: RING, Atsuki Kodou no Hate ni, Blowin'

5 votes: TIME, Kanashiki Dreamer, Brighter Day, FEVER, Dakara Sono Te wo Hanashite, Hakanai Diamond, It's Showtime!!, Suna no Hanabira, Ai no Mama ni~, Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni, Sanctuary