Kai Band

Overview

Kai Band (甲斐バンド) is a Japanese rock band. They debuted in 1974 with the single "Bus-dori" and disbanded in 1986. They reunited for a limited period in 1996 and resumed activities in 1999. Best known for "HERO (Hero ni Naru Toki, Sore wa Ima)" and "Anna," they were Japan's top live-attendance band through 1982. Their genres are listed as kayokyoku, enka and J-POP.

Career

Formation and debut (1974-1978)

The band formed in May 1974 with Yoshihiro Kai, Nobukazu Omori, Kazuhiro Nagaoka and Hideo Matsufuji. The name was originally a placeholder; no better candidate emerged, so it stuck. On August 31 they held their last amateur-era concert at Fukuoka Denki Hall (about 2,000 attendees), and on November 4 they debuted with "Bus-dori," billed as "Kyushu's last superstar." Their December debut concert at Kanda Kyoritsu Hall was a humbling experience, as the audience began leaving after the opening act Tulip finished.

Their second single, "Uragiri no Machikado" (June 1975), became a long seller of 750,000 copies by December, and the band won the New Artist Excellence Award at the 8th Japan Cable Awards that month. Tsuyoshi Sato became manager in April 1977 and strongly shaped the band's direction. A December 1977 concert at Nakano Sunplaza was released in March 1978 as their first live album, "Circus & Circus."

Peak years (1979-1985)

On February 26, 1979, "HERO," boosted by a SEIKO watch commercial tie-up, gave them their first No. 1 on Oricon. Their first best-of, "Kai Band Story," hit No. 1 the week after its March release, and they appeared on TBS's "The Best Ten." In September they became the first rock band to play NHK Hall. The October single "Anna" peaked at No. 4, their biggest hit after "HERO." Nagaoka's departure was announced in December, and from the December 21-22 Nippon Budokan shows, year-end two-day Budokan concerts became a tradition through 1985. They played 85 concerts that year to 200,000 people.

In March 1980, drummer Hideo Matsufuji sang lead on "Beautiful Energy," a hit used in a cosmetics commercial. They played their first stadium-style concert at Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium in July and held their first outdoor event, "1 Million Dollar Night in Hakone," in August for 24,000 people.

In August 1981 they left Shinko Music and founded BEATNIK Inc. with Sato. In September they drew 22,000 to Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Osaka.

In 1982 the first of their "New York trilogy," the album "TORIKO," was mixed at Power Station with Bob Clearmountain, and in June they held Japan's first all-standing concert for 6,000 people. On August 7, 1983, they staged the large outdoor event "THE BIG GIG" among the skyscrapers of West Shinjuku for nearly 30,000 people. The album "GOLD/Ogon" was track-downed in New York.

Guitarist Ichiro Tanaka joined in June 1984. In July Yoshihiro Kai was hospitalized after an injury and five concerts were postponed. The trilogy concluded with "Love Minus Zero" on March 1, 1985, and on March 31-April 1 they opened the new Ryogoku Kokugikan with the "BEATNIK TOUR."

Breakup (1986)

The band announced its breakup on March 3, 1986, and began the 50-venue farewell tour "PARTY" on March 14. They played five final nights at Nippon Budokan from June 23-27, and ended with a secret gig for 1,500 people in Yokohama on June 29 (with 200,000 ticket applications). Kai then began a solo career.

Reunion and restart (1996-2008)

In 1996 they reunited for a limited time, releasing the self-remake album "Big Night" in July and touring to 27,000 people in total, ending at Nippon Budokan on October 12. In September they released their first new song in ten years, "Teenage Last." They resumed activities on November 13, 1999, released "Trailer House de" in December, and in June 2001 issued their first original album in 15 years, "Natsu no Wadachi," followed by a nationwide tour.

Guitarist Nobukazu Omori died on July 5, 2004. The 10-CD live box set "Nekkyo/Stage" appeared in 2005. On December 12, 2007, 17 albums originally released by Toshiba EMI were reissued as paper-sleeve remasters alongside the best-of "Kai Band Story II," and the band played a one-night reunion show, "ONE NIGHT STAND," at Shinagawa Prince Stellar Ball. A 23-date tour followed in 2008-09, ending at Nippon Budokan on February 7, 2009, their first show there in about 13 years.

35th anniversary and beyond (2009-)

In July 2009 the band announced renewed activity for the 35th anniversary. "Mesen wo Agero," their first original album in eight years, came out on October 21, with the 24-date "NEVER END TOUR." In December they released their first ballad best-of, "Rocca Ballad," and played a street live at JR Shimbashi Station, their first in 13 years. In February 2010 Kai's daughter Natsu Kai made a surprise guest appearance, their first stage together. The April 2010 acoustic shows at the Fukuoka live cafe Showa became the film "Showa My Little Town / KAI BAND," released nationwide on December 18. In January 2011 they held "LIVE at the PLEASURE PLEASURE" in Shibuya and in April appeared on NHK BS's "J-POP Premium." On August 12, 2012, they held the outdoor show "Sweet Temple Moon Live" at Yakushi-ji in Nara, their first headlining outdoor concert since "THE BIG GIG" about 29 years earlier.

Musical style

A rock band that also carries the emotional flavor of kayokyoku and enka, Kai Band won broad J-POP appeal. They pioneered overseas recording and mixing through the New York trilogy, and innovated in live presentation with large outdoor events and standing-only concerts.