Wellz, as B2 and Tamashii would have it, I'm listening to "MAGMA", so
here's the interview with Koshi on his 1st solo album, as promised
(continued from Friends II)
Bewith When did you start the concrete production of your solo album?
Koshi
The concrete production... it started very long time ago (laugh). So
long time ago that I don't remember... The first time might be more
than 1 year ago... But actually I didn't have the intention to make an
album. When I was doing recording for B'z, the progress and the work
became interesting to me... Lots of ideas came rapidly, an album of
blues combination perhaps. In short, I went into studio happily, like
it was a hobby. Because it surely is wonderful when you see your ideas
transforming into a definite shape. So I went in a small studio, got
assistance from the director, Terashima-san... it felt like I was
recording some demo tapes and not an album. In the beginning, the pace
was about once a month... I only began doing this because I wanna know
how the tunes I have in my head would be once they are done.
Bewith Solo means the songs are written by you, right?
Koshi Un, in the beginning, I kept writing the songs only, but now the lyrics are done too.
Bewith
Usually Matsumoto-san would write the songs first and you would write
the lyrics from the images you catch after listening to the demos a few
times. Was it like that this time?
Koshi This time there're lyrics first or songs first too, bara bara.
Bewith Did you actually write some songs with... piano?!
Koshi
(laugh) You know what, I painfully composed a few on piano, just to be
able to say that I did write songs with piano in this interview (laugh).
Bewith (laugh) So the others are composed with guitar?
Koshi Un.
I brought a small guitar with all the time, during tour or private
time... Perhaps larger parts of all the songs were written with that
guitar. Mou, there's even a song written in Paris (expecting compliments).
Bewith Kakkoii desu ne! (laugh)
Koshi Deshou?! (laugh) But there's no Paris atmosphere at all. Nobody would think that I wrote it in Paris.
Bewith You didn't put in French, did you?
Koshi Zenzen. I think of it as dou demo ii (whatever goes).
Bewith You did say once that you haven't touched piano for quite some time.
Koshi Sou da ne. But there are about 3 songs I wrote with the piano at home.
Bewith I'm sure you have improved a lot.
Koshi Zenzen!
Bewith Whether guitar or piano, it's better to be composing the songs and singing them at the same time ne.
Koshi Un.
But whether guitar or piano, they are only my guide of melody to a
certain level, because I can't perform rock so much with them. So
first, I put them into tape, basically just chord, melody and
arrangement... After that is done, I must go straight into studio. Hayaku hayaku, hayaku hayaku (laugh). I wanted to hear the finished products so badly.
Bewith And it gradually became a recording life for you.
Koshi Un. But it became truly like that when the tour was over. Before that, I could only finish about 6 songs.
Bewith How many songs are there now?
Koshi Jyugo... kyoku... (15 songs) (laugh)
Bewith 15 songs! Sugoii desu ne. Is it becoming 2 albums? Or will some be used for the next album?
Koshi Ie, I shall submit... all of them.
Bewith Who is the guitarist?
Koshi Terashima-san, Sekiku-san (laugh)... He was introduced by Terashima-san. I don't really know (laugh).
Bewith You don't know? (laugh) We shall get some infos about that.
Koshi
(laugh) In the end, many people who were strangers to me participated
in this album... coz everyone around me helped with it. We finished
quite fast.
Bewith When is the release?
Koshi About January...
Bewith
So it'd be right before the "Pleasure" tour... Before I remember talk
about releasing a B'z single before this tour, what happened to that?
Koshi Well it hasn't gone missing. We still plan to release a single.
Bewith Do you plan to do solo concert with the release of a solo album?
Koshi
... ha! I don't really think about that. I don't know why, when I went
into studio, I didn't particularly think of doing concert.
Bewith Inaba-san's solo is surely different from B'z?
Koshi Dou darou... I think it's different. But it's not blues.
Bewith Perhaps it's harder?
Koshi Iya, it's not hard rock either.
Bewith So it's light pop?
Koshi Iya, I can't put it in words (laugh).
Bewith So just 'look forward and listen to it'
Koshi Un. I leave it to the listeners to judge it. But if it turns out to be the same with B'z, that'd be too boring, right?
Bewith
When I met Matsumoto-san on the photo shooting for "Friends II", he
said that Inaba will also do some solo projects. Matsumoto-san himself
has always been active with his solo, right?
Koshi He said that to me in the past too (laugh). So many years ago... I think after he released an album, he asked me 'Yannaino?'
(laugh). I didn't want to at that time. There wasn't any idea that I
wanna put out to try then. Maybe after the recording of "The 7th
Blues", when I started to give my input on stuffs... Aside from
different ideas for B'z to try, I also have other ideas, therefore now
applied in the solo project.
Bewith Matsumoto-san said
'Rather than being together and doing the same time all the time, it's
better to be apart sometimes, do different things, learn from them.
When we go back to the starting point, bring along the stuffs we have
learnt, we shall both improve that way. B'z is a band that gives us
plenty of opportunity to learn, that's what's interesting about it.'
Koshi
Hahaha (laugh). A faculty for sure, B'z. Even though when I was doing
solo, I didn't think about this, but definitely I learnt many things.
Therefore, this time, our work will experience some changes... Like
what we have in mind in the beginning, but the final result will be
totally different. That's what I look forward to. One thing responses
to another and creates yet another thing. There's none of that while
doing solo, what I had in mind will come out exactly like that.
Bewith So will you do the 2nd solo album?
Koshi In the mean time... I have just finished the project, so I don't think so. We will create kakkoii songs for B'z. No plans on solo, un.
And
then they talked about shooting pics for calendar at Tak's house! While
Tak was studying English in San Diego for a few months keke... Koshi
commented on how big and beautiful the house is and in such great area
too, near the beach. In the next Be-with, when Tak came home and
Be-with interviewer mention Koshi's compliment, Tak was like, but of
course! ROLF... Tak is never too shy to admit real fact... like how
HANA and Dragon of the West are the best albums in year 2002, in his
humble opinion.
