The Roosters
Encyclopedia
The Roosters were a Japan
ese rock band that mixed punk
, blues-rock
, ska
and straightforward rock and roll
.
ward of Fukuoka
. Although there were four different lineups throughout the life of the band—all centered around guitarist Hiroyuki Hanada--Shinya Ohe was the band's first frontman. Ohe not only sang lead vocals, but also dominated the writing of lyrics and music for the group for the first three albums. In addition to Ohe's contributions, the first two albums were made up of several cover songs
. Their third album Insane was a step in a new direction, it was not only the first original Roosters album, but it also featured the first Roosters song not written and composed by Ohe: 'Baby Sitter', written and composed by bassist Tomio Inoue. This was the first sign of a more democratic
Roosters, and it paved the way for Hanada to compose songs for their fourth album Dis.
The Roosters' sixth album φPHY was Ohe's last with the group, with only about half of the record credited to him. The rest of the album is credited to Toshiyuki Shibayama (柴山 俊之) for his lyrics and Hanada for his musical compositions. Shibayama continued to write a large portion of the lyrics for the group until they broke up, but never played with them or was an official member. The band appeared, along with other Japanese rock bands, in the 1982 Sogo Ishii
film Burst City
. In 1985 Shinya Ohe decided to take an indefinite break from making music and left the band. Despite losing an integral member of the band the Roosters pressed on and released their seventh album Neon Boy less than nine months after Ohe's departure. A single track on Neon Boy, 'Out Land', was Jun Shimoyama's first contribution as a songwriter and composer for the group. Shimoyama continued to write lyrics and music for the band along with Hanada until the band's dissolution in 1988.
In March 1999 a tribute album entitled Respectable Roosters was released and featured bands influenced by The Roosters such as the pillows
, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant
, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
, Kemuri
and others performing covers
of songs by the Roosters.
In the year 2002, four of the original Roosters from various incarnations came together to form the Rock'n'Roll Gypsies.
In 2004 Ohe Shinya ended his lengthy musical hiatus to reunite with the original lineup of the Roosters to perform at the 2004 Fuji Rock Festival
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese rock band that mixed punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
, ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
and straightforward rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
.
History
They formed in 1979 in the HakataHakata-ku, Fukuoka
is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is best known as the location of Fukuoka's main train station, Hakata Station.-Geography:...
ward of Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
. Although there were four different lineups throughout the life of the band—all centered around guitarist Hiroyuki Hanada--Shinya Ohe was the band's first frontman. Ohe not only sang lead vocals, but also dominated the writing of lyrics and music for the group for the first three albums. In addition to Ohe's contributions, the first two albums were made up of several cover songs
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
. Their third album Insane was a step in a new direction, it was not only the first original Roosters album, but it also featured the first Roosters song not written and composed by Ohe: 'Baby Sitter', written and composed by bassist Tomio Inoue. This was the first sign of a more democratic
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
Roosters, and it paved the way for Hanada to compose songs for their fourth album Dis.
The Roosters' sixth album φPHY was Ohe's last with the group, with only about half of the record credited to him. The rest of the album is credited to Toshiyuki Shibayama (柴山 俊之) for his lyrics and Hanada for his musical compositions. Shibayama continued to write a large portion of the lyrics for the group until they broke up, but never played with them or was an official member. The band appeared, along with other Japanese rock bands, in the 1982 Sogo Ishii
Sogo Ishii
', formerly is a Japanese filmmaker known for his striking visuals and sometimes outlandish subject matter.Ishii was born in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and is a graduate of Fukuoka Prefectural Fukuoka High School and Nihon University College of Art....
film Burst City
Burst City
is a Japanese science fiction punk rock musical / action film. Released in 1982, the film was directed by Sogo Ishii. Primarily a showcase for both various specific punk rock bands of the time, such as The Roosters, The Rockers, and The Stalin, the film is also purely demonstrative of the culture...
. In 1985 Shinya Ohe decided to take an indefinite break from making music and left the band. Despite losing an integral member of the band the Roosters pressed on and released their seventh album Neon Boy less than nine months after Ohe's departure. A single track on Neon Boy, 'Out Land', was Jun Shimoyama's first contribution as a songwriter and composer for the group. Shimoyama continued to write lyrics and music for the band along with Hanada until the band's dissolution in 1988.
In March 1999 a tribute album entitled Respectable Roosters was released and featured bands influenced by The Roosters such as the pillows
The pillows
The Pillows are a Japanese rock band. The group has released more than a dozen original studio albums, along with several EPs, singles and compilations...
, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant
Thee Michelle Gun Elephant
Thee Michelle Gun Elephant was a Japanese garage rock band formed in 1991.-History:The band was formed in 1991, while the members were students at Tokyo's Meiji Gakuin University. They later drew influence from The Roosters...
, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
, commonly abbreviated by fans as Skapara or TSPO, is a Japanese ska and jazz band officially formed in 1988 by the percussionist Asa-Chang, and initially composed of over 10 veterans of Tokyo's underground scene...
, Kemuri
Kemuri
Kemuri was a Japanese ska-punk band formed in 1995. They have an upbeat sound with positive lyrics which they refer to as PMA . While the majority of the songs are in English, they do also sing in Japanese....
and others performing covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of songs by the Roosters.
In the year 2002, four of the original Roosters from various incarnations came together to form the Rock'n'Roll Gypsies.
In 2004 Ohe Shinya ended his lengthy musical hiatus to reunite with the original lineup of the Roosters to perform at the 2004 Fuji Rock Festival
Fuji Rock Festival
Fuji Rock Festival is an annual rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The 3 day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it the largest outdoor music event in Japan...
.
Lineups
- The Roosters (February 1979 - July 1983)
- Shinya Ohe (大江 慎也 Ōe Shin'ya) - Vocals, Guitar
- Hiroyuki Hanada (花田 裕之 Hanada Hiroyuki) - Lead Guitar
- Tomio Inoue (井上 富雄 Inoue Tomio) - Bass Guitar
- Jyunji Ikehata (池畑 潤二 Ikehata Junji) - Drums (Withdrew September 1983)
- The Roosterz (July 1983 - March 1985)
- Shinya Ohe - Vocals, Guitar
- Hiroyuki Hanada Lead Guitar
- Jun Shimoyama (下山 淳 Shimoyama Jun) - Lead Guitar
- Tomio Inoue - Bass (Withdrew January 1984)
- Kazuhiko Sakuyama (柞山 一彦 Kazuyama Kazuhiko) - Bass
- Masayuki Nadatomo (灘友 正幸 Nadatomo Masayuki) - Drums
- Koichi Ando (安藤 広一 Andō Kōichi) - Keyboards (Withdrew March 1985)
- The Roosterz (March 1985 - December 1987)
- Hiroyuki Hanada - Vocals, Guitar
- Jun Shimoyama - Guitar
- Kazuhiko Sakuyama - Bass Guitar
- Masayuki Nadatomo - Drums
- The Roosterz (December 1987 - July 1988)
- Hiroyuki Hanada - Vocals, Guitar
- Jun Shimoyama - Lead Guitar
- Nikichi Anai (穴井 仁吉 Anai Nikichi) - Bass
- Shigeo Mihara (三原 重夫 Mihara Shigeo) - Drums
- Rock'n'Roll Gypsies (2002-Present)
- Hiroyuki Hanada - Vocals, Guitar
- Tomio Inoue - Bass
- Jun Shimoyama - Guitar
- Jyunji Ikehata - Drums
- Romanization Note: Names in the credits of Roosters albums are given in the western order (given name followed by family name). There are three members of the Roosters who prefer irregular romanizations of their names, Shinya Ohe, Jyunji Ikehata and Koichi Ando. 'Modified Hepburn' romanizations are given next to their names in Japanese in their case.
Discography
- The Roosters (1980)
- The Roosters à-Gogo (1981)
- Insane (1981)
- Dis. (1983)
- Good Dreams (1984)
- φPHY (1984)
- Neon Boy (1985)
- Kaminari (1986)
- Passenger (1987)
- Four Pieces (1988)
- Four Pieces Live (1988)