BUCK-TICK: Difference between revisions

[[File:bucktickcirca1988_4399.jpg|frame| BUCK-TICK circa 1988. L-R - Toll, Hoshino, Sakurai, Imai, Higuchi.]]

[[File:bucktickcirca2000_7012.jpg|frame| BUCK-TICK circa 2000, L-R - Imai, Higuchi, Sakurai, Toll, Hoshino]]

 

 

 

==== Members: ====

* Araki: Vocals (1983-1985) [[The Pete Best|before Sakurai]]

 

==== Studio Albums: ====

* Hurry Up Mode (April 4, 1987)

==== Related Acts: ====

* Sakurai Atsushi (Sakurai Atsushi solo, with various collaborations).

* Schwein (Imai Hisashi, Sakurai Atsushi. Also featured Raymond Watts and members of KMFDM).

* Lucy (Imai Hisashi. Also features Kiyoshi from [[Hideto Matsumoto|hide]]'s solo work

 

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* [[All Drummers Are Animals]]: Averted. Toll is never less than composed on stage and in interviews, and the entire band refer to him by an affectionate nickname meaning "big brother".

* [[Artistic Stimulation]]: Sakurai is pretty frank about the fact that he likes to drink alone, and particularly when writing song lyrics. Imai hasn't exactly been shy about mentioning his alcohol input while writing the music, either.

* [[Dye Hard]]: Atsushi's hair started out bleached blond, and while most of the band have tried different colors over the years, it's mostly Imai who has made an art form of it. By now he's probably run through every available hair color and a few more besides.

* [[Dramatic Shattering]]: "21st Cherry Boy" PV.

* [[Dude Looks Like a Lady]]: Atsushi and Imai, in some early photo shoots, to some people.

* [[Everyone Went to School Together]]: No, they really did, even if they didn't all know one another until they formed the band. The exception here is Toll, who joined later and is a few years older than the rest - but he knew them all through his brother and he did teach Sakurai to play drums, so it's close enough.

* [[Fluffy Fashion Feathers]]: Atsushi's feather boa accessory during the Tenshi No Revolver tour. Also his feather-trimmed hats.

* [[Gratuitous English]]: Most notably on "Love Letter", though their early work is smattered with English titles and random lyrics, often badly pronounced or nonsensical (or both).

* [[Great Balls of Fire]]: BUCK-TICK's stage shows often involve the use of pyrotechnics, and they also have a love affair with fire - particularly candles - in their videos. The video for "Kuchizuke", rather bafflingly, featured a flaming wheelchair - and not in the figurative way.

* [[Improbable Hairstyle]]: In the early days, anyway. Now, it's mostly just Toll, although Imai still has his moments.

* [[Japanese Delinquents]]: Sakurai's circle of friends outside of school, until he met Imai and the rest.

* [[Kindhearted Cat Lover]]: Atsushi is the poster child for this trope, though some might argue it crosses into [[Crazy Cat Lady|Crazy Cat Man]] territory.

* [[Literary Allusion Title]]: "Mona Lisa Overdrive" (named after the book by William Gibson), "Aku No Hana" (translation of "Les Fleurs Du Mal" by Baudelaire).

* [[Mangst]]: Atsushi's late father was a [[Abusive Parents|violent alcoholic]], and Atsushi himself was a little on the wild side as a teenager, when he wasn't being [[Friendless Background|That Silent Kid In The Corner]]. In interviews he has admitted to [[No Social Skills|having problems]] as a result of this, but rarely dwells on it. He has also reflected on [[Parental Abandonment|the death of his mother]] in his lyrics. A touch too wry and self-aware to be [[The Woobie]], though that doesn't stop a lot of fans from wanting to give him a hug.

* [[The Merch]]: BUCK-TICK produce a wide array of this, from the usual special edition DVDs and CDs; through t-shirts, towels and calendars; to jewellery/notepaper/bags/clothing designed by the band and the odd random thing like the grouchiest looking mini-figures you've ever seen. But no one seems to mind. After all, there's never been a lot of money in not being mainstream, and merch pays the bills.

* [[No Ending]]: The albums "Mona Lisa Overdrive" and "Kyokutou I Love You" were originally intended to be a [[Distinct Double Album|double album]]. Though they were released separately, they are structured musically to feed into one another in an endless loop. The last track on each album contains musical elements that also appear in the first track on the other.

* [[Nobody Loves the Bassist]]: Averted. EVERYONE loves Yutaka, and when the band first formed he was reputedly the one who was most often their public face, being the friendliest and most willing to talk to people.

* [[Older Than They Look]]: Applies to all of them to some degree, most notable with Yutaka.

* [[Performance Video]]: Though not ALL their promotional videos are this, MOST feature the band playing their songs, even if in an unusual setting or intercut with more surreal elements. Notable exceptions are "Love Me", the singles version of "Kodou" and "Love Letter".

* [[Promoted Fanboy]]: All the band are this, to some extent, since they started out as a Stalin cover band and later had Michiro Endo guest at one of their shows and cover one of their songs. Both Sakurai and Imai have gone on to perform on stage/record with, have their songs covered by, or (in Sakurai's case) have songs WRITTEN for him by musicians they idolised back when they first started the band.

* [[Rearrange the Song]]: The band often play new arrangements of both old and new songs at live shows. See also the "NOT Greatest Hits" album, which is a collection of their older songs, rearranged.

* [[Rockstar Song]]: "Itoshi no Rock Star".

* [[Rule of Cool]]: Used by the band in the early days to explain their [[Improbable Hair]] and make-up. Later used by Atsushi to explain his early lyrical output.

* [[Rummage Sale Reject]]: Imai. Dear God Imai.

* [[Sexy Sax Man]]: Atsushi has played sax live and on recorded tracks in the past.

* [[Smoking Is Cool]]: Played straight for years until most of the members gave up the habit.

* [[Something Blues]]: "Madman Blues".

* [[Spoken Word in Music]]: "Uta" contains a couple of sampled lines of dialogue from Day Of The Dead. "Loop" features Sakurai talking over music.

* [[Stage Names]]: Yagami Toll. To this day his real name remains unconfirmed. Sakurai has also had a name change of sorts, altering the kanji spelling of his name to an older form after the death of his mother.

* [[Surreal Music Video]]: "Candy" PV, anyone? Or if that doesn't take your fancy, try "Loop" or "Love Me", because everything is better with a talking oven-ready chicken.

* [[Visual Kei]]: While a contemporary of noted visual kei bands like X Japan, Buck-Tick never laid claim to being part of the scene. Nevertheless, they are repeatedly credited as being an inspiration for many bands who followed. Their song "Jupiter" was recently covered by Duel Jewel on "Crush!-90's V-Rock Best Hit Cover Songs" - an album on which current visual kei bands cover songs by bands who are considered important to the original '90s scene. Another Buck-Tick song, "Speed" is due to be covered by 9Goats Black Out on the sequel.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Musicians]]

[[Category:Music]]