GREEN
| GREEN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by B'z | ||||
| Released | July 3, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | January 2002 - Summer 2002 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 45:52 | |||
| Label | Vermillion Records | |||
| Producer | Tak Matsumoto | |||
| B'z chronology | ||||
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| Singles from GREEN | ||||
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GREEN is the twelfth studio album by B'z, released on July 3, 2002. The album was preceded by two singles, with the first being "ultra soul" from March 2001 which was included here with an alternative guitar solo. The more recent single, released a month prior to the album, was "Atsuki Kodou no Hate". Another single released the previous August, "GOLD", was not collected here but was included on The Ballads ~Love & B'z~—a special compilation prepared for the winter holidays the same year.
The album was supported by B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "GREEN ~GO★FIGHT★WIN~" which ran from June to September and was released on home video shortly thereafter as a BEAUTIFUL REEL. B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 GREEN ~GO★FIGHT★WIN~ in November 2002. Three of the album's songs—"SIGNAL", "Utsukushiki Sekai", and "The Spiral"—have never been performed live. Initially, "FOREVER MINE" was not performed as part of the aforementioned album tour but was later premiered on two dates of the year-long B'z LIVE-GYM 2008 "ACTION". Notably, much of the album's songs were again performed as part of the first ever B'z tour of the United States, B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "Rock n' California Roll", in the fall. Additionally, portions of the album were included as part of the legendary meeting of B'z and Aerosmith for the 2002 FIFA World Cup International Day Concert, in which the American rock legends met the best-selling act in Japanese history. The backstory that led to this encounter is covered in the article "The Storied History of B'z and Aerosmith: When the Top Rock Bands in Japan and America Come Together".
Upon release, GREEN debuted at the top of the Weekly Oricon Album chart with 800,120 physical copies sold which would be nearly 50,000 more than previous studio album ELEVEN. The album would go on to rank at number 7 on the year end chart. To date, the album has sold in excess of 1,131,800 physical copies, qualifying it for a Million certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan. This would be the final B'z studio album, with the advent of digital filesharing, to sell over 1,000,000 physical copies.
Production information
The decision to begin recording what would become GREEN came during the previous year's tour, B'z LIVE-GYM 2001 "ELEVEN". The band elected to return to the studio in the new year, so after the January holidays, work began. At the time, B'z had no set "theme" in mind for their albums—the only goal was to create a new album. Song after song presented themselves, according to Tak, and thus they recorded them in that order.
GREEN would also be the last album before Shane Gaalaas became the band's foremost support drummer on their studio recordings. While he did not participate in recording this album—his first appearance on a B'z studio work was B-side "Yoru yo Akenaide" from the previous month's single "Atsuki Kodou no Hate"—he did perform on all dates of the ensuing tour after responding to an open audition in Los Angeles.
With regard to the album's celebrated and varied lyrical content, Koshi responded in a contemporary interview:
| “ | I don't really have any special thought on life. There's the perception of discovering what it entails and tying it up with what's on the surface outside. Maybe that influences [what I write] and gets represented in the lyrics. In everyday life, everything can be source material. Conversations with others, my own experiences, watching movies, reading books. I think all of these can be considered inspirations for me. | ” |
Koshi further related that just as Tak has a stock of melodies for potential songs, he has an unrelated stock of prospective lyrical lines, themes, and images he wants to get across. He brought to Tak the lyrics he had in mind for what would become "Warp" after having them in mind for some time. Typically, Koshi clarified, "the usual B'z style is 'song first', but for this one, matching the melody with the lyrics was an extremely rare case." Here, Tak said that, "Reading those lyrics and then coming up with a melody to match turned out to be really interesting!"
Incidentally, it was the previous year's single "ultra soul" that would inform the direction of GREEN. Koshi recalled as much, saying, "I think it was starting from [ultra soul] that the concept and direction of this album began to form". The song was a massive success at the time and remains, undoubtedly, one of their most popular songs. It has been performed at nearly every live show held by the band since its release, so it comes as no surprise it would be collected on this album even a year later. Here, the song remains the same apart from an all-new guitar solo prepared by Tak.
The title of the album was sourced from the first track on the album:
| “ | It's actually happened a lot lately, that we decide on the title only in the back half of producing an album. When we felt, "Okay, it's time to decide on a title," the word "green" was just there. [The opening track] "STAY GREEN ~Mijuku na Tabi wa Tomaranai~" had already been completed. For its content, we confronted the immature part of ourselves and showcased the associated sort of distress. With that in mind, we used the English word "green" to describe that juvenile part of ourselves. I definitely think it's a good thing, to have that drive to continue working on things you haven't yet completed. And, as a title, the word "green" makes you think of flora growing and luxuriating—that sort of lively youth. I think because there's a broad visual element to that word, the image just rushes forward to the imagination. | ” |
Tak also added his feelings on the title:
| “ | When I first heard that word, "green", I thought it was a really wonderful choice. It's easy to understand and exudes a really fresh feeling. And as [Koshi] said, the band continues to exist, both as "a person" and "a musician". Until the last moment, we will never think, "We're the best!" or go along with that kind of thinking. There are plenty of times that we think to ourselves, "We're not there yet." With such a meaning to it, in my opinion, "green" is a great title to describe the present condition of B'z. | ” |
Somewhat unusually for the band's older works, non-singles from the album continue to be performed live on occasion. Namely, "STAY GREEN ~Mijuku na Tabi wa Tomaranai~", "Blue Sunshine", "FOREVER MINE", and "GO★FIGHT★WIN" have all been performed in subsequent years long after the album's initial release.
Track listing
All music and guitar by Tak Matsumoto. All lyrics and lead vocals by Koshi Inaba.
- STAY GREEN ~Mijuku na Tabi wa Tomaranai~ — Can't Stop this Juvenile Journey, 未熟な旅はとまらない
- Atsuki Kodou no Hate — The Result of this Hot Heartbeat, 熱き鼓動の果て
- Warp
- SIGNAL
- SURFIN' 3000 GTR
- Blue Sunshine
- ultra soul (Alternative Guitar Solo ver.)
- Utsukushiki Sekai — Beautiful World, 美しき世界
- Everlasting
- FOREVER MINE
- The Spiral
- GO★FIGHT★WIN
Reversion history
| Original Song | Reversion History |
|---|---|
| ultra soul SINGLE & ALBUM SONG* (2001)
|
RE-RECORDING: ultra soul ~Splash Style~ (2001) |
Live appearances
Live Performances
- STAY GREEN ~Mijuku na Tabi wa Tomaranai~ [44 SHOWS]
B'z SHOWCASE "SAPPORO DEVIL" [1/1 SHOWS]- 2002 FIFA World Cup International Day Concert [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "GREEN ~GO★FIGHT★WIN~" [18/18 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "Rock n' California Roll" [3/3 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2013 -Pleasure75- [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2013 -ENDLESS SUMMER- [19/30 SHOWS]
- B'z Special LIVE at EX THEATER ROPPONGI [1/1 SHOWS]
- Atsuki Kodou no Hate [65 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE "SAPPORO DEVIL" [1/1 SHOWS]
- 2002 FIFA World Cup International Day Concert [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "GREEN ~GO★FIGHT★WIN~" [18/18 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "Rock n' California Roll" [3/3 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2015 -Shimonoseki Uchouten NIGHT- [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2015 -EPIC NIGHT- [40/40 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2020 -5 ERAS 8820- [1/5 SHOWS]
- Warp [21 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE "SAPPORO DEVIL" [1/1 SHOWS]
- 2002 FIFA World Cup International Day Concert [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "GREEN ~GO★FIGHT★WIN~" [18/18 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "Rock n' California Roll in Tokyo" [1/3 SHOWS]
- SIGNAL
- SURFIN' 3000GTR [22 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE "SAPPORO DEVIL" [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "GREEN ~GO★FIGHT★WIN~" [18/18 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "Rock n' California Roll" [3/3 SHOWS]
- Blue Sunshine [59 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE "SAPPORO DEVIL" [1/1 SHOWS]
- 2002 FIFA World Cup International Day Concert [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "GREEN ~GO★FIGHT★WIN~" [18/18 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "Rock n' California Roll" [3/3 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2009 -B'z In Your Town- [8/8 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2015 -Shimonoseki Uchouten NIGHT- [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2015 -EPIC NIGHT- [25/40 SHOWS]
- B'z PARTY Presents B'z Pleasure in Hawaii [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2020 -5 ERAS 8820- [1/5 SHOWS]
- ultra soul [418 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE "Kobushi wo Nigire" [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2001 "ELEVEN" [46/46 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM in Taipei & Hong Kong 2001 [4/4 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE "SAPPORO DEVIL" [1/1 SHOWS]
- 2002 FIFA World Cup International Day Concert [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "GREEN ~GO★FIGHT★WIN~" [18/18 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "Rock n' California Roll" [3/3 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2003 "IT'S SHOWCASE!!" [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM The Final Pleasure "IT'S SHOWTIME!!" [23/23 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2003 "BANZAI IN NORTH AMERICA" [7/7 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2003 "BIG MACHINE" [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2003 "BIG MACHINE" [12/12 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2005 "Abashiri Extra Edition" [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2005 "CIRCLE OF ROCK" [41/41 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2006 "Yokosuka MONSTER" [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2006 "MONSTER'S GARAGE" [17/17 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2007 -19- [6/6 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2007 -B'z In Your Town- [3/7 SHOWS]
- SUMMER SONIC 07 [2/2 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2008 -GLORY DAYS- [6/6 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2009 -B'z In Your Town- [8/8 SHOWS]
- SUMMER SONIC 09 [2/2 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2010 "Ain't No Magic" [19/19 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2011 -long time no see- [3/3 SHOWS]
- TV Asahi Dream Festival 2011 [1/1 SHOWS]
- Pepsi NEX presents B'z 1DAY LIVE [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2011 -C'mon- [26/26 SHOWS]
- AEROSONIC [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2013 -ENDLESS SUMMER- [17/30 SHOWS]
- B'z Special LIVE at EX THEATER ROPPONGI [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2015 -Shimonoseki Uchouten NIGHT- [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2015 -EPIC NIGHT- [40/40 SHOWS]
- ROCKROCK 20th ANNIVERSARY LIVE "ROCK BEYOND ROCK" [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2015 -Shinagawa Uchouten NIGHT- [1/1 SHOWS]
- TV Asahi Dream Festival 2015 [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2017 -Hissatsu Hiokinin- [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2017 -B'z In Your Town- [11/11 SHOWS]
- ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2017 [1/1 SHOWS]
- RISING SUN ROCK FESTIVAL 2017 in EZO [1/1 SHOWS]
- 7-Eleven presents B'z PREMIUM LIVE [2/2 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2017-2018 "LIVE DINOSAUR" [18/18 SHOWS]
- FM802 ROCK FESTIVAL RADIO CRAZY 2017 [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2018 -The Wall Of Rock- [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2018 -HINOTORI- [23/23 SHOWS]
- B'z PARTY Presents B'z Pleasure in Hawaii [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2019 -Makaitenshow- [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2019 -Whole Lotta NEW LOVE- [36/36 SHOWS]
- SUMMER SONIC 2019 [2/2 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2020 -5 ERAS 8820- [1/5 SHOWS]
- Utsukushiki Sekai
- Everlasting [16 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE "SAPPORO DEVIL" [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "GREEN ~GO★FIGHT★WIN~" [15/18 SHOWS]
- FOREVER MINE [2 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2008 "ACTION" [2/53 SHOWS]
- The Spiral
- GO★FIGHT★WIN [25 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE "SAPPORO DEVIL" [1/1 SHOWS]
- 2002 FIFA World Cup International Day Concert [1/1 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "GREEN ~GO★FIGHT★WIN~" [18/18 SHOWS]
- B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "Rock n' California Roll" [3/3 SHOWS]
- B'z SHOWCASE 2007 -B'z In Your Town- [2/7 SHOWS]
Home Videos
- STAY GREEN ~Mijuku na Tabi wa Tomaranai~
- Atsuki Kodou no Hate
- Warp
- SIGNAL
- SURFIN' 3000 GTR
- Blue Sunshine
- ultra soul
- LIVE-GYM 2002 "GREEN ~GO★FIGHT★WIN~"
- LIVE-GYM 2002 "Rock n' California Roll"
- LIVE-GYM Final Pleasure "IT'S SHOWTIME!!"
- LIVE-GYM 2003 "BANZAI IN NORTH AMERICA"
- Hidden Pleasure: LIVE-GYM 2005 "CIRCLE OF ROCK"
- Pleasure II Limited Edition: LIVE-GYM 2003 "BIG MACHINE"
- LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2008 -GLORY DAYS-
- LIVE-GYM 2010 "Ain't No Magic"
- SHOWCASE 2007 -19-
- LIVE-GYM 2011 -C'mon-
- LIVE-GYM 2011 -long time no see-
- LIVE-GYM 2005 -CIRCLE OF ROCK-
- LIVE-GYM 2001 -ELEVEN-
- LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2013 -ENDLESS SUMMER-
- LIVE-GYM 2015 -EPIC NIGHT-
- TV Asahi Dream Festival 2015
- DINOSAUR Limited Edition: ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2017
- LIVE-GYM 2017-2018 "LIVE DINOSAUR"
- LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2018 -HINOTORI-
- LIVE-GYM 2019 -Whole Lotta NEW LOVE-
- SHOWCASE 2020 -5 ERAS 8820-
- Utsukushiki Sekai
- Everlasting
- FOREVER MINE
- The Spiral
- GO★FIGHT★WIN
Sales data
| No. | Cover | Album | Physical Copies Sold | Chart Positions | Certification | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIRST WEEK | LIFETIME | WEEK | MONTH | YEAR | ||||
| 12 | 
|
GREEN |
800,120+ |
1,131,788+ |
1 |
— |
7 |
Million |
Personnel
B'z
- Tak Matsumoto: Guitar, Music Composition, Arrangement
- Koshi Inaba: Vocals, Lyric Composition, Arrangement
Support Members
- Hideo Yamaki: Drums (Tracks 1-3, 6, 9, 11, 12)
- Ken Yoshida: Bass (Track 1)
- Akihito Tokunaga: Bass (Tracks 2-5, 7, 10-12), Arrangement (Tracks 1-5, 7, 9-12)
- Vagabond Suzuki: Bass (Track 6 & 9)
- Naoki Watanabe: Bass (Track 8)
- Akira Onozuka: Piano (Track 8, 9, 11), Hammond B-3 (Track 6)
- Shinozaki Strings: Strings (Track 9)
Production
- Daisuke Ikeda: Arrangement (Track 1, 6, 8, 9)