About Friends II

>,< I know people still check this journal for B'z stuffs. I'm sorry for the lack of updates lately. Here's a bit of interview with Koshi back in 1996 when the mini album "FRIENDS II" was released (in between the singles "Real Thing Shakes" and "Fireball"). I think it's quite interesting, especially when you love that album, which I know you do!! So go on and read =p

Be-with In the previous interview, the details of "Friends II" were still a secret, please tell us about it now.
Koshi Are? We haven't talked about "Friends II"? I felt that it was loooong time ago that we did that album (laugh).
Be-with Not yet. This would be the first time in our FC magazine.
Koshi The first? Uso (laugh), but this is perfect timing. We'll do some campaign soon, so now I can practise (laugh). Mou just ask anything you want, anything you can think of!
Be-with The sound changed so much from "LOOSE" and "Real Thing Shakes". What began the idea of this album?
Koshi When we released "Friends" (1992), we wanted to do "Friends II"... During the 2nd half of "Spirit Loose" tour, we went back to studio to record. I have always been listening to Led Zeppelin, but also some other music that I normally never listened to. Talked to Matsumoto-san 'these stuffs are quite good'. After "LOOSE" but especially "Real Thing Shakes", you might feel the drastic change, but it's not really done for the purpose of doing something different. Because it's just another side of B'z music.
Be-with It's very wintery ne.
Koshi Un. Sou da ne.
Be-with For example "SNOW", we know that it's very wintery just from the title, the single word. Even though it's released in winter, but when you wrote the lyrics, it's clear that it could not have been winter at all. But you were still able write such wintery scenic into the lyrics .
Koshi Un. Because I know it's gonna be released in winter (laugh). Not that I kept saying 'winter winter winter winter' to myself. Just like last time when writing lyrics for "FRIENDS" I didn't specially go into X'masy mood.
Be-with Btw, the streets feel very X'masy now. What's your X'mas plan?
Koshi Iya, zenzen... nothing at all (laugh). I think it's best to be at work on X'mas because the staff will definitely arrange something.
Be-with Like X'mas in Sapporo.
Koshi Sou sou! The support members, the staff, everyone had a good time. It was great ne.
Be-with Maybe because of the songs being rather peaceful quiet type, the whole album feels darker. Lonely and sad...
Koshi Un. Not that I specially meant for the lyrics to be dark. Before this, somebody actually told me 'it feels like short-lived happiness' (laugh).
Be-with ... (laugh) certainly. Somehow like 'this moment only'...
Koshi Un. I see.
Be-with As if the happiness will end in the near future.
Koshi Hahahaha (laugh). Didn't I sing "Kimi Wo Tsurete" (Bringing You Along) in the end?
Be-with Iya. It's what you wish to do.
Koshi (roar of laughter)
Be-with To the end, even though there's a wish to bring someone along whereever you go, but it was not realized, right?
Koshi Un... should I have put it as "Hontou ni tsureteite yare yo" (Really bring you along)? (laugh)
Be-with (laugh) Did you think of "Baby Moon" lyrics while running in the city?
Koshi Iya. I don't run.
Be-with You even saw orange moon (laugh).
Koshi Iya, zenzen (laugh). That's because no matter what I wanted to use the phrase 'orange moon'. Are?... did I or did I not run at all? Perhaps not in the city. Maybe I also saw the moon. I can't remember clearly. This time, I wrote the lyrics really fast. "Baby Moon" was finished in one day.
Be-with "Aru Hisoka na Koi" is strange, therefore it's interesting... Especially the part of 'You say that you have someone wonderful already, thank you very much'... The story is about longing for someone who is not in front of you, like an idol.
Koshi Un.
Be-with Do you anyone in mind?
Koshi U~~n, star or idol you mean? Iya... At the moment nobody... Even if I thought someone is ii naaa, I can't keep it up (laugh).
Be-with Are there people who make you excited when you see them in magazines?
Koshi U~~n, maybe Led Zeppelin? (laugh)
Be-with Is there any hint on how you began writing lyrics of "FRIENDS II"?
Koshi Iya... Aa sou da! Now I remember! I saw the video of "The Bridges of Madison County". First I read the book, but I wasn't so fond of it, so I didn't watch the movie... I basically don't really watch romance movies... Hora, when you go home tired, rather than watching some romance, you'd feel like something more lively, right? But sometimes during leisure time, I would watch... Those two, they have such self-control, don't they? They can't have their own ways (laugh)... I think I was influenced by that.
Be-with Can't have their ways... (laugh) True, "FRIENDS II" is a bit like that.
Koshi But I definitely can't do it like them.
Be-with Inaba-san can't do the self-control thing?
Koshi No.
Be-with The cd-jacket has changed style, suteki desu ne. It has your lyrics, a beautiful photo, just like a poem collection or something.
Koshi Sou da ne. Like a book.
Be-with The girl's photo on the jacket, there are quite a few option colors, right? Like gold.
Koshi Un. But this time, even though there were many different ideas, we only chose from the options we were given.
Be-with How do you feel seeing the effort of your hard work shaping up to be something like this?
Koshi But for sure, when we received the final product, it's better to have as little difference as possible with what we initially had in mind. Therefore this time is yokatta.
Be-with How was the production?
Koshi Smooth. Pon-pon dekimashita.
Be-with Pon-pon dekita... but the mini album only has 7 songs. Which means there are many other songs in stock? Will you release "FRIENDS III"?
Koshi Iya (laugh). There's none left. It's all there. There's no plan for "FRIENDS III", but I think we shall continue doing mini-albums. I don't know how we decided to use the word "FRIENDS" as title... but anyway, we can try and play with different things when doing mini albums ne.
Be-with Next, we'd like to hear more about your top-secret solo project.
Koshi Eee?! You finished with "FRIENDS II" already? Ask something else please!
Be-with (laugh) About advertising tie-up then... From "FRIENDS II", there's only "Shoushin" as tie-up?
Koshi Time Bomber deshou? (laugh)
Be-with Did you see it?
Koshi Yes. I saw it in the studio. It's a game, right?
Be-with Did the TV station like "Shoushin" the best?
Koshi ...??? (laugh) I have no idea... The person in charge was like 'Let's do this song' (laugh). The plan was for "Shoushin" to be our next single. It didn't happen, yet they continued to use "Shoushin" for their ad song.
Be-with Why didn't it become a single?
Koshi Maaa... We hope that the fans who buy this mini album to be happy with the whole thing... There aren't many songs and we didn't want to make any particular song to be more special than others. If we put a single in a mini album, the whole image would be "Shoushin" only, right? Because the image of a single is very strong. Therefore, I think it's great that it didn't happen this time.
Be-with Will you do songs from "FRIENDS II" in the Pleasure '97 tour this time?
Koshi Dou deshou ne... I don't know anything (laugh).
Be-with You haven't decided on the concept of the tour yet?
Koshi There're songs I want to do, but I haven't considered "FRIENDS II" yet.
Be-with It's about time to talk about your secret solo project... We have so much to ask about it.
Koshi You're sure there's no more? ... Nan~te... I wanna talk more about "FRIENDS II" (laugh)
Be-with (laugh) Well if you still have something to say, by all means we'd love to hear it.
Koshi (laugh)... Maybe we have discussed everything... U~n... aa sou da! About the musicians that participated! Maa, although they are people who participated before too... Yamaki-san, Kitaro-san and Aoki-san. They worked with us here and there before, but this time, they fully supported us. There is also Akaki-san on flute. That was the first time we did dubbing on flute, it was very interesting. There were many dubbings this time because it's not only 'guitar-drums-bass'. There are many different instruments too, not only strings. You can imagine how much fun we had... It was fascinating. We talked about this before, but there would be people who think we're doing this just for the sake of sounding different. But we ourselves didn't think that we're doing anything that different. Something that has always been in us that we put out happily, that's what we're doing.
Be-with And of course, you're confident with the work.
Koshi Un. I think the production quality is very high. The content is also good. If people say to me 'It's no good' well, then... it can't be helped (laugh) I can only say this much.
Be-with When you read fans' letter, you will know, right.
Koshi Un, sou da ne. The impression of tour, bad or good, the fans would write everything... Therefore, I'll be happy if they'd write about their impression on this mini album too... Even if they write 'don't you have a policy?!' (laugh)
Be-with What... well this is also a part of B'z, isn't it?
Koshi It won't be that much of a difference, I think.


And then Koshi gave up and reluctantly start talking about his top-secret solo project "MAGMA" ^0^

What do you think of this loooooong interview? I think it's so nice of B'z to NOT release "Shoushin" as single in order to keep 7 fresh new songs in their mini-album. Plus Koshi does say a lot of iya, iya -__-;; He laughs so much too. Unfortunately he can't do so in TV, Tamori even had the nerve to ask him whether he ever laughs when he watches variety programs.

	starkodama 2004-01-04 15:27 (link)
	What an interesting interview! Thanks for posting this. :)

it's B2 (Anonymous) 2004-01-05 20:32 (link)

yay Keen! it's about time we got some insight to Friends 2. it's kind of a surprise that he'd have to defend himself about the style of the album, but I guess that happens when you're known for another style of music. not that this style is entirely foreign to B'z! any idea what Shoushin was planned to be used for? and I agree with Koshi: less Magma-talk, more Friends 2! but now that I've got Magma I'll probably want to know more about it, as well.

	Inaba-san's interview (Anonymous) 2004-01-05 22:10 (link)
	Thanks, as always, Keen-chan, for translating another interesting interview! So, Inaba-san has trouble with self-control??!!! I thought he once said one of his strong points was his "patience". (Gaman tsuyoi??!!) If you find any more stuff about FRIENDS II, please...please!!ONEGAI! Kate

(Anonymous) 2004-01-06 06:06 (link)

no self-control over bijin, like m_n_k_? >.< ok, no friendsIII, but where's the next mini-arubamu? would be great if b'z release another one... thanks keeeeen... such a long translation... hard work u enjoy doing i believe ^_~ like this interview... tak's not around?? ehhh... yup, like b2, i wanna know more about maguma too! coindence or not, i'm listening to this 1st 178 solo album since yesterday (i've finally force myself to stop listening to BM hehe)... noticed more things that i did not in the past (or did i forget? ^^; ) tamashii (=^v^=)

	keen_on_all 2004-01-06 06:19 (link)
	Sou ne, Koshi was a brave lone ranger in this interview. Tak was brushing up on his English in San Diego during this time. You see Bewith promised a long interview with Tak in the next volume, but instead they had both B'z members. Tak didn't get to comment on "FRIENDS II". Too bad, I wanna know what he was thinking when he wrote those songs.