TMG I

TMG I
Album by TMG
Released	June 23, 2004
Genre	Hard Rock
Length	50:49
Producer	Tak Matsumoto

TMG I is a studio album by TMG (Tak Matsumoto Group), released on June 23, 2004. Tak was responsible for the music while Eric Martin and Jack Blades composed the lyrics, which are all entirely in English. The album collects both tracks from the band's single "OH JAPAN ~OUR TIME IS NOW~", though the single version also contains karaoke versions for both the title song and its B-side, "TRAPPED".

Track listing

1. OH JAPAN ~OUR TIME IS NOW~

   File:tmg02 01.ogg The band's only single, it was Tak who requested that his collaborators utilize "Japan" as part of the lyrics, as the song had already been floated as the theme to sports coverage in Japan prior to the recording. Tak mentioned in press interviews that he had dreamed of writing an anthem of the sort for Japan and that Eric and Jack had brought great energy to the sessions upon hearing the idea. The two worked hard to make it the best song possible for the desired theme and all were reportedly very pleased with the result.

2. Everything Passes Away

   File:tmg02 02.ogg .

3. KINGS FOR A DAY

   File:tmg02 03.ogg .

4. I Know You by Heart

   File:tmg02 04.ogg .

5. I wish you were here

   File:tmg02 05.ogg A song with a distinct American flavor, Tak noted that it was unlike anything he had ever done with B'z.

6. THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH

   File:tmg02 06.ogg Premiered on the Japanese television program Music Station, the intro to the song is played with a Shamisen—a traditional three-string musical instrument.

7. Signs of Life

   File:tmg02 07.ogg .

8. RED, WHITE AND BULLET BLUES

   File:tmg02 08.ogg .

9. TRAPPED

   File:tmg02 09.ogg Previously released as the B-side to the band's only single, the song was remixed and changed slightly to be more of a hard rock song in its album incarnation.

10. My Alibi

    File:tmg02 10.ogg One of the shortest tracks on the album, it is also the only song from the album not played live in the band's ensuing tour. espite being rehearsed in the lead up to the tour, Tak said the song ultimately slipped his mind and was left out of the setlist. The song has a relatively simple composition, primarily relying on a lead guitar base and drums.

11. WONDERLAND

    File:tmg02 11.ogg Originally titled "STILL IN WONDERLAND", Tak had difficulty coming up with the melody, which was at last contributed by Eric Martin. Notably, the title is coincidentally the same as that of the Koshi Inaba single "Wonderland" released at the same time.

12. TRAIN, TRAIN

    File:tmg02 12.ogg A song with a blues rock foundation, the melody was mostly written by Eric Martin.

13. Two of a Kind

    File:tmg02 13.ogg The only ballad on the album, a Hammond organ was used to accent the arrangement. The band did not originally intend to tackle a ballad, but as Eric had sang on a number of ballad tracks with his previous band, Mr. Big, Tak said he felt the song would be a good fit. The lyrics were written by Jack Blades, who cited Aerosmith's seminal ballad "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" as a song he had been thinking about at the time.

14. NEVER GOOD-BYE

    File:tmg02 14.ogg Along with being the theme to the 2004 Japanese film ULTRAMAN, the song was conceived all along as the album's closer. Tak wanted a hard rock song for the ender and came up with the song heard here, for which Jack Blades wrote the lyrics alone.

Personnel

• Tak Matsumoto: Guitar, Music Composition, Arrangement
• Eric Martin: Vocals, Lyric Composition (TRACKS 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 & 12)
• Jack Blades: Bass, Lyric Composition (TRACKS 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 13 & 14)
• Brian Tichy: Drums (TRACKS 1-9, 11 & 14)
• Shinichiro Ohta: Backing Vocals (TRACK 9)
• Akira Onozuka: Organ (TRACK 13)
• Andre Pessis: Lyric Composition (TRACKS 3, 6, 8, 9, 11 & 12)
• Tony Fanucchi: Lyric Composition (TRACK 3)
• Akihito Tokunaga: Arrangement