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Break Through is the third studio album by the Japanese rock duo B'z. The album debuted at number 3 on the Oricon Weekly Albums Chart, being their last studio album not to reach number 1. It sold 41,700 copies in its first week and sold a total of 724,640 copies during its chart run.[1] It was eventually certified Million by the RIAJ in January 1994.
| Break Through | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 21, 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Studio | Studio Birdman (Gray & Brown Room) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:18 | |||
| Language | Japanese, English | |||
| Label | Air | |||
| Producer | Masao Nakajima | |||
| B'z chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Break Through | ||||
| ||||
Both Break Through and its follow-up, Risky, are considered the band's most synth-heavy albums.
"Lady-Go-Round" was the only single released from the album.
Style
editSome of the songs on the album, most notably "B.U.M" and "Hey Brother", incorporate elements of hip-hop and rap alongside the pop rock sound of their previous albums, styles which the band would seldom, if ever, use again. As for the lyrics, vocalist Koshi Inaba stated that, in order to develop his own lyrical style, he incorporated language and tones that normally wouldn't fit rock music.[2]
Reception
editCDJournal described the sound of the album as "a danceable one that makes full use of digital beats", while also praising the band for "inject[ing] their own pop sensibility into it, creating an emotional presence."[3]
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Koshi Inaba; all music is composed by Tak Matsumoto
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lady-Go-Round" | 4:22 |
| 2. | "B.U.M" | 1:25 |
| 3. | "Break Through" | 4:25 |
| 4. | "Boys In Town" | 4:39 |
| 5. | "Guitarは泣いている" (The Guitar is Crying) | 6:32 |
| 6. | "Love & Chain" | 4:56 |
| 7. | "となりでねむらせて" (Sleeping Next to You) | 4:12 |
| 8. | "Hey Brother" | 3:55 |
| 9. | "今では…今なら…今も…" (Right Now… If Now… And Now…) | 5:18 |
| 10. | "Save Me!?" | 3:27 |
| 11. | "Stardust Train" | 5:03 |
| Total length: | 48:18 | |
Personnel
editCredits are adapted from the liner notes.[4]
B'z
- Koshi Inaba – vocals
- Tak Matsumoto – guitars, backing vocals
Additional Musicians
- Jun Aoyama – drums on tracks 4–5, 9, 11
- Takanobu Masuda – keyboard on "Stardust Train"
- Yuiko Tsubokura – backing vocals on "Lady-Go-Round" and "Love & Chain"
- Kaoru Abe – backing vocals
- Masao Akashi – backing vocals
- Yoko Hiromoto – backing vocals
Production
- Masao Akashi – production, arrangement
- Masayuki Nomura – mixing, recording engineer
- Masahiro Shimada – recording engineer
- Takayuki Ichikawa – recording, assistant engineer
- Machiko Suzue – mastering engineer
- Yasuo Sasaki – assistant engineer
Charts
editCertifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (RIAJ)[8] | Million | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b "B'z、さらなる記録更新へ！ニューアルバムリリース決定！". ORICON NEWS (in Japanese). 2015-03-04. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
- ^ "『B'z』という巨大ロック体を読む！" [Read the Giant Rock Body Called "B'z"!]. 音楽と人 (in Japanese). Vol. 50. Shinko Music. 1998.
- ^ "B'z / BREAK THROUGH". CDJournal (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ^ "Break Through" liner notes. Air Records. 1990
- ^ "Billboard Japan Top Download Albums 2021/05/26". Billboard JAPAN (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-08-20.
- ^ "1990年 アルバム年間TOP100" [Oricon Album Top 100 1990]. Oricon. Archived from the original on 2019-03-31. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
- ^ "1991年 アルバム年間TOP100" [Oricon Album Top 100 1991]. Oricon. Archived from the original on 2014-07-21. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
- ^ "Japanese album certifications – B'z – Break Through" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved August 20, 2021. Select 1994年1月 on the drop-down menu
External links
edit
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