KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates
Encyclopedia
KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates is the third studio album by Japanese boy band
KAT-TUN
and was released in Japan on June 4, 2008 by J-One Records
. The album was issued in two editions; the limited edition came with four bonus tracks, a DVD with an extended version of the music video for their 2008 single "Don't U Ever Stop" and a short film chronicling the making of the video.
KAT-TUN began issuing singles from the album nearly a year before it was released; "Yorokobi no Uta
", "Keep the Faith
" and "Lips
" all reached number one on the Oricon
singles chart. The album itself became KAT-TUN's tenth consecutive chart-topper since their debut in 2006 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan
in June 2008.
According to Oricon, the album is the 35th best-selling album of 2008.
in Los Angeles. With the exception of Koki Tanaka who composed his own rap verses, it is the first album to not feature any songs written by KAT-TUN. The album's musical styles consist mostly of hard rock
, pop
and dance
. KAT-TUN employed a variety of songwriters with a history of producing hit singles to helm the record. The former lead vocalist of acclaimed rock band Boøwy
, Kyosuke Himuro
, composed the second single "Keep the Faith" with frequent KAT-TUN collaborator, Spin. Akio Shimizu, guitarist for heavy metal band Anthem
and lyricist of Tokio
's 2006 number one single "Mr. Traveling Man", co-wrote "Ai no Command" with N.B.Comics. The latter penned the first single "Yorokobi no Uta". Erykah, who wrote KAT-TUN's kōhai Hey! Say! 7's 2007 number one debut single "Hey! Say!", composed the last track of the regular edition, "Nannen Tattemo". Narumi Yamamoto, the lyricist who co-wrote hit singles for Kou Shibasaki
and Yuna Ito
, also contributed a song to the album with the tenth track, "Our Story: Prologue"."Six Senses", a song KAT-TUN had been performing since their junior days, was also recorded for the first time and included as a bonus track.
began playing a minute and a half long previews of several tracks of the album on their respective radio shows, KAT-TUN Style and R-One KAT-TUN, from May 21–28, 2008. The songs that were leaked were: "Taboo", "Mother/Father", "Affection: Mō Modorenai", "Hell, No", "Un" and "Distance".
labelmates, NEWS
, KinKi Kids
and the disbanded Hikaru Genji.
The album stayed on the Oricon albums chart for five weeks and has sold over 282,402 copies to date. The album was the twenty-fifth best-selling album for the first half of the year and RIAJ
certified it platinum denoting more than 250,000 shipments.
1Limited edition bonus tracks.
DVD track listing
|-
! Country
! Provider
! Sales
! Certification
|-
| Japan
| RIAJ
| 282,402+
| Platinum
|-
Art staff
Music personnel
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
KAT-TUN
KAT-TUN
KAT-TUN is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates in 2001. The group's name is an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name until the departure of Jin Akanishi in 2010. As of 2010, KAT-TUN stands for Kazuya KAmenashi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda,...
and was released in Japan on June 4, 2008 by J-One Records
J Storm
is a Japanese music and film company owned by Johnny & Associates. It was established on November 12, 2001, initially as a label for the Johnny's group, Arashi, after which it was named ....
. The album was issued in two editions; the limited edition came with four bonus tracks, a DVD with an extended version of the music video for their 2008 single "Don't U Ever Stop" and a short film chronicling the making of the video.
KAT-TUN began issuing singles from the album nearly a year before it was released; "Yorokobi no Uta
Yorokobi no Uta
"Yorokobi no Uta" is the fourth overall single by Japanese boy band, KAT-TUN, and the first from their third studio album, KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates...
", "Keep the Faith
Keep the Faith (KAT-TUN song)
"Keep the faith" is the fifth overall single by Japanese boy band, KAT-TUN, and the second from their third studio album, KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates...
" and "Lips
Lips (KAT-TUN song)
"Lips" is the sixth single by Japanese boy band, KAT-TUN, and the third and last song to be commercially released from their third studio album, KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates...
" all reached number one on the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
singles chart. The album itself became KAT-TUN's tenth consecutive chart-topper since their debut in 2006 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan
Recording Industry Association of Japan
The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry...
in June 2008.
According to Oricon, the album is the 35th best-selling album of 2008.
Album information
The album was recorded in Tokyo and at the NRG Recording StudiosNRG Recording Studios
NRG Recording Studios is a recording facility located in North Hollywood, California that was created by producer and mixer Jay Baumgardner in 1992.- Facilities :*Studio A console: custom vintage Neve 8068 built by Pat Schneider...
in Los Angeles. With the exception of Koki Tanaka who composed his own rap verses, it is the first album to not feature any songs written by KAT-TUN. The album's musical styles consist mostly of hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
and dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
. KAT-TUN employed a variety of songwriters with a history of producing hit singles to helm the record. The former lead vocalist of acclaimed rock band Boøwy
Boøwy
Boøwy was a Japanese rock group consisting of Kyosuke Himuro , Tomoyasu Hotei , Tsunematsu Matsui and Makoto Takahashi . They were a rock band that reached legendary status in Japan during the 1980s...
, Kyosuke Himuro
Kyosuke Himuro
is a popular Japanese singer. He was a member of the rock group Boøwy from 1981 to 1988. After the group disbanded he started a successful solo career. In 2003, HMV Japan ranked Himuro at number 76 on their list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts...
, composed the second single "Keep the Faith" with frequent KAT-TUN collaborator, Spin. Akio Shimizu, guitarist for heavy metal band Anthem
Anthem (band)
is a Japanese heavy metal band that was formed during the early 1980s in Tokyo. They are among the handful of heavy metal bands founded in Japan during that time and are considered to be one of the most successful and influential, alongside Loudness and Earthshaker.-Early years :Anthem was founded...
and lyricist of Tokio
Tokio (band)
Tokio is a Japanese rock/pop band formed by Johnny & Associates that debuted in 1994. It is made up of five men who were signed with Sony Music Entertainment from 1994 to 2001, with Universal Music Japan from 2001 to 2008, and are now signed under J Storm, a label owned by Johnny & Associates...
's 2006 number one single "Mr. Traveling Man", co-wrote "Ai no Command" with N.B.Comics. The latter penned the first single "Yorokobi no Uta". Erykah, who wrote KAT-TUN's kōhai Hey! Say! 7's 2007 number one debut single "Hey! Say!", composed the last track of the regular edition, "Nannen Tattemo". Narumi Yamamoto, the lyricist who co-wrote hit singles for Kou Shibasaki
Kou Shibasaki
, born Yukie Yamamura, on August 5, 1981 in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan is a Japanese singer and actress.-Music career:Shibasaki made her debut in the music industry in 2002 with her first single Trust My Feelings, but she became recognized for her second single Tsuki no shizuku which was used for the...
and Yuna Ito
Yuna Ito
is an American pop singer-songwriter and actress who is active in Japan.She was born in Los Angeles and was raised in Hawaii. Ito made her musical debut in Japan with the single, "Endless Story", which was used as one of the theme songs for the popular 2005 film Nana; she also starred in the film,...
, also contributed a song to the album with the tenth track, "Our Story: Prologue"."Six Senses", a song KAT-TUN had been performing since their junior days, was also recorded for the first time and included as a bonus track.
Promotion
Tanaka, Junnosuke Taguchi, Yuichi Nakamaru and Tatsuya UedaTatsuya Ueda
Tatsuya Ueda , born on October 4 1983, is a Japanese singer from the Japanese idol group KAT-TUN. Born in Kanagawa in Japan, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates in 1998.- Group Participation :* B.B.A.* M.A.D.* B.B.D....
began playing a minute and a half long previews of several tracks of the album on their respective radio shows, KAT-TUN Style and R-One KAT-TUN, from May 21–28, 2008. The songs that were leaked were: "Taboo", "Mother/Father", "Affection: Mō Modorenai", "Hell, No", "Un" and "Distance".
Chart performance
In its first week of release, KAT-TUN III -Queen of Pirates- sold 240,317 copies, a slight drop from the first-week sales of the group's second album. Despite the downward pattern of sales for KAT-TUN's studio albums, the singles from the album which were all released months in advance had already racked up over a million shipments altogether by the time the album was available in stores. KAT-TUN debuted at number 1 for the tenth consecutive time (albums and singles combined) and became one of only four groups in Japanese music history to reach this record; the others being Johnny & AssociatesJohnny & Associates
is a talent agency formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962. Johnny & Associates trains and promotes groups of male idols, collectively known as , in Japan.-1962–1989:...
labelmates, NEWS
NeWS
NeWS was a windowing system developed by Sun Microsystems in the mid 1980s. Originally known as "SunDew", its primary authors were James Gosling and David S. H. Rosenthal...
, KinKi Kids
KinKi Kids
is a Japanese duo consisting of Koichi Domoto and Tsuyoshi Domoto under the talent agency Johnny & Associates. Although the members share the same surname, the only relation they have to each other is that they both hail from the Kinki region, hence the duo's name....
and the disbanded Hikaru Genji.
The album stayed on the Oricon albums chart for five weeks and has sold over 282,402 copies to date. The album was the twenty-fifth best-selling album for the first half of the year and RIAJ
Recording Industry Association of Japan
The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry...
certified it platinum denoting more than 250,000 shipments.
Track listing
- "Taboo" (Masanco, M.Y) - 3:20
- "Keep the FaithKeep the Faith (KAT-TUN song)"Keep the faith" is the fifth overall single by Japanese boy band, KAT-TUN, and the second from their third studio album, KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates...
" (Kyosuke HimuroKyosuke Himurois a popular Japanese singer. He was a member of the rock group Boøwy from 1981 to 1988. After the group disbanded he started a successful solo career. In 2003, HMV Japan ranked Himuro at number 76 on their list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts...
, Spin, Joker, Ha-j) - 3:45 - "" (Soba, Erik Lidbom) - 3:34
- "Hell, No" (Yuki Shirai, Mika Arata, Joker, Steven Lee, Joey Carbone) - 3:58
- "Distance" (Gin.K, Erik Lidbom) - 3:08
- "Mother/Father" (Ami, Joker, Yoshinao Mikami, A.k.a.) - 4:14
- "LipsLips (KAT-TUN song)"Lips" is the sixth single by Japanese boy band, KAT-TUN, and the third and last song to be commercially released from their third studio album, KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates...
" (Axel-G, Joker, Yukihide "YT" Takiyama) - 4:16 - "Yorokobi no UtaYorokobi no Uta"Yorokobi no Uta" is the fourth overall single by Japanese boy band, KAT-TUN, and the first from their third studio album, KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates...
" (N.B.Comics, Joker, Zero-rock, Gin.K) - 3:59 - "Un" (Hidenori Tanaka, Kōsuke Noma) - 4:45
- "" (Narumi Yamamoto, Erik Lidbom) - 3:47
- "" (Erykah, Joker, Mike Rose, Masayuki Iwata) - 4:56
- "Shot!"1 (Ami, Yoshinao Mikami, Dreadstore Cowboy) - 3:57
- "12 o'clock'"1 (A.k.a., Joker, Mike Rose) - 4:19
- ""1 (Akio Shimizu, N.B. Comics, Joker) - 4:17
- "Six Senses"1 (Joker, Yokono Kōhei, Peter Funk) - 4:39
1Limited edition bonus tracks.
DVD track listing
- "Don't U Ever Stop: Limited Edition" (Extended music videoMusic videoA music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
) - "Don't U Ever Stop" (Making of)
Sales and certifications
{| class="wikitable" border="1"|-
! Country
! Provider
! Sales
! Certification
|-
| Japan
| RIAJ
Recording Industry Association of Japan
The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry...
| 282,402+
| Platinum
|-
Credits
Recording staff- Producer: Julie K.
- Executive producer: Johnny H. KitagawaJohnny Kitagawa, born , is the founder and president of Johnny & Associates, a production agency for numerous popular boy bands in Japan. Kitagawa assembled, produced and managed more than a dozen popular bands, including SMAP, Arashi, Kanjani8, Hey! Say! JUMP, V6, NEWS and KAT-TUN. Kitagawa's influence has...
- Recording engineersAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
: Yuji Oshima, Takashi Inoue, Teturo Takeuchi, Shigeru Tanida and Dan "mfdc" Certa - Assistant engineers: Yoko Sato, Fumi Shinohara, Shinya Matsuo, Hiroshi Abe and Dave Colvin
- MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
: Yuji Oshima, Teturo Takuechi and Hiroshi Yokote - MasteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
: Stephen Marcussen - Management: Yukihide "YT" Takiyama (for Los Angeles recording staff)
- Recording studios (Tokyo): Warner Music Recording Studio, Victor Studio, Sony Studio, 603 Studio, On Air Azabu Studio, Sound City
- Recording studios (Los Angeles): NRG Recording StudiosNRG Recording StudiosNRG Recording Studios is a recording facility located in North Hollywood, California that was created by producer and mixer Jay Baumgardner in 1992.- Facilities :*Studio A console: custom vintage Neve 8068 built by Pat Schneider...
Art staff
- Art director: Nagi Noda
- Designer: Atsushi Ishiguro
- Photographer: Shoji Uchida
- Stylists: Noriko Takahashi and Keiko Saito
- Hair & make-up: Koichi Toyofuku, Yoshinori Takeuchi, Chiemi Oshima and Asami Nemoto
- Special effects: Shinichi Wakasa and Trigon Graphics Service
Music personnel
- Performers: Kazuya KamenashiKazuya Kamenashi, often called Kame, is a Japanese idol, singer–songwriter, actor, television personality, producer, radio host and occasional model. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates, at the age of 12 and was drafted as a member and co-lead vocalist of...
, Jin AkanishiJin Akanishiis a Japanese idol, singer-songwriter, actor, seiyū, and former radio host. Akanishi is a former member of the J-pop group, KAT-TUN, and was one of the two lead vocalists...
, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya UedaTatsuya UedaTatsuya Ueda , born on October 4 1983, is a Japanese singer from the Japanese idol group KAT-TUN. Born in Kanagawa in Japan, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates in 1998.- Group Participation :* B.B.A.* M.A.D.* B.B.D....
and Yuichi Nakamaru - BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
: Ha-j, Billy Sheehan, Takeshi Taneda, Hitoki, Yuichi Takama and Nathan East - DrumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s: Masafumi Minato, Carmine Appice, Hideo Yamaki, Simon Phillips, Koji Hasegawa, Turkey, John JR Robinson and Dave Weck - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s: Yukihide "YT" Takiyama, George Lynch, Naoki Hayashibe, Rui Momota, Michael Thompson and Akio Shimizu - KeyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s: M.Y, Ha-j, Erik Lidbom, Steven Lee, Yoshinao Mikami, Gin.K, Kousuke Noma, Masayuki Iwata, Dreadstore Cowboy, Mike Rose, Akio Shimizu and peter funk - ProgrammingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
: ha-j, Erik Lidbom, Steven Lee, A.k.a., Keita Kawaguchi, Masayuki Iwata, Dreadstore Cowboy, Mike Rose, Akio Shimizu and peter funk - SaxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
: Ayako - Song co-ordination: Joey Carbone
- Turn tablePhonographThe phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
s: Koba Da Beat