Well, it was announced on the 25th at the Jrock concert Yoshiki was holding what the line-up for his supergroup is.
Rumours were right! It was Miyavi in the wings. The band looks something like this:
Yoshiki = drums and piano
Gackt = vocals
Sugizo = guitar
Miyavi = guitar
Ju-Ken (Support) = Bass
Their name is Skin~
Its really like… almost perfect…
They all come from famous (and successful) backgrounds (which makes the fans squeal); Yoshiki is formerly X-Japan, Gackt formerly Malice Mizer, Sugizo formerly Luna Sea, Miyavi formerly Dué le Quartz and Ju-Ken is Gackt’s current bassist ^^. Ju-Ken as of now is only listed as a support act though.
From what the comments have been saying Skin is absolutely awesome in concert *grins*, ahh I’m so jealous, no chance of them upping and visiting me down under huh? They performed at the 2007 Anime Expo XD.
It’s really a J-rocker’s dream. First it was a rumour, and now it seems to have a little bit more backing to it.
Last year Yoshiki announced that he would be doing a project/collaboration with Gackt and now Sugizo has joined the duo (from Luna Sea fame). Yoshiki has announced that there would be a forth member joining their project (he has a myspace… who would’ve known… and apparently its legit – beats me why its in English).
And…… some people have questions about “THE BAND”.
Yes, Sugizo from Luna Sea came here to LA several times last year, and last month Gackt came to town, and we both went to dinner….. pretty much just the two of us……
Actually that was really funny….. Gackt came to my house and ate dinner…… that was good….. Then I said to him “why don’t we go out to dinner?”. and he said “we just ate…..???” then I said “I wanna eat different food…..” well …. we ate Japanese food at my house, and then ended up going out to a Japanese restaurant in LA…..
(We are very weird…. Ha, ha, ha, ha)…… but that was fun!
Yes, I’m so lucky to have them as friends, and also to be able to work with them professionally.
Sugizo and Gackt are such talented people, also having such an amazing vibe. Actually, they are all going to come here next month with one more person that I can’t reveal yet.
Anyhoo… the word is that it could possibly be Miyavi. If it is, then the world is complete. If it isn’t – well… it’s pretty darn close.
The version I am reviewing is the First Press Limited Edition, by Gackt.
I was very impressed when I had received this in the mail. The box was heavy, and safely packed by YesAsia. Inside, the whole thing was shrink-wrapped, which I was very careful to remove.
I wasn’t any less impressed when I removed the ribbon to reveal the gorgeous golden box, which slid open to show off a metallic-gold CD-case. After removing the CD I found two lots of postcards, one in silver, and one in gold.
The big white thing taking up all the space was Gackt’s aromatherapy lamp, which is powered by an electric bulb, but has to be plugged in via an 110V (Japanese or American) outlet. Somewhat useless to an Australian, but it still can be used with a regular candle, as the bulb is easily removed
The alabaster (I think that’s what it’s made of) is inscribed with a simple Christmas message from Gackt.
What really impressed me is the quality of the CD. I didn’t realize until I received this one the difference in sound quality between an Australian single, compared to a Japanese one – they really know what they’re doing over there, the sound is absolutely amazing.
The CD tracklist is as follows:
1. 12Gatsu no Love Song (2004 Edition)
2. December Love (New Recording)
3. 12Gatsu no Love Song (Chinese Version feat. Leehom Wang)
4. 12Gatsu no Love Song (New Korean Version)
5. December Love Song (New Version)
6. 12Gatsu no Love Song (With Background Chorus)
7. 12Gatsu no Love Song (Chinese With Background Chorus)
8. 12Gatsu no Love Song (Korean With Background Chorus)
Track 1 – 12Gatsu no Love Song (2004 Edition)
This is the original version of Gackt’s song. It was written for the people of New York – Gackt was distraught at what happened on 9/11. On the PV you can see him filming it in New York itself, with it’s people holding up signs of hope and piece. You can view it below:
I still love this song, after all this time. The violins are wonderfully balanced with the percussion and light guitar in the background. I love the bells also, they do set the Christmassy mood, although it is no way a generic Christmas tune – Gackt’s enormous range does away with that.
Track Rating: 4/5 Stars
Track 2 – December Love (New Recording)
This is the English version of the 12Gatsu no Love Song, but an updated version (I think it’s a little bit shorter). His English has improved somewhat (although at some points still illegible – which does lose some marks – fans have loving dubbed his English “Gacktese”), although I found that I liked the old lyrics much better e.g.
“As Lovers pass me by” became “As couples pass me by”
The background music is the same as before, there’s more emphases on the chorus and I found I enjoyed the balance of this song much better than the older version.
Track 3 – 12Gatsu no Love Song (Chinese Version feat. Leehom Wang)
The Chinese version has always been my favorite version of the song, I just love the way the song was arranged better (I do believe its in a higher key compared to the others). I don’t know Chinese myself but my friends assure me that his Chinese is not too bad. Gackt’s dynamic vocal coupled with Leehom Wang’s honey-dipped voice is something to be admired. I love the way Leehom Wang’s vocals are perfectly suited to Gackt’s song, and they sing very well in unison. There is quite a contrast in both voices, Gackt’s being more powerful, whilst Leehom’s remains gentle.
Track 4 – 12Gatsu no Love Song (New Korean Version)
This version is somewhat longer than the others, and features gorgeous chimes and a fuller string sound – otherwise there’s not much difference from the Japanese version.
Gackt still has powerful vocals, the arrangement is still gorgeous.
Track Rating: 4/5
Track 5 – December Love Song
This is another Korean version of the song, sung in duet, although I’m not sure who with (it does say the lyricist is Pang Chang Hark). If anyone can tell me who is, I’d much appreciate it, because whoever it is, has a beautiful voice… and I’m positive I’ve heard it somewhere before. I enjoyed this version much more than the one above, the background music is somewhat the same.
Track Rating 4.5/5
Tracks 6-8 are all instrumentals of the song, with the backup vocals (mostly by Gackt) still intact. So, listening to all these, I do realize that there are subtle differences in all the songs… interesting…
Okay, so overall rating. This thing was EXPENSIVE. I had to save up a long time to get it. I was, and still am very impressed with the quality of everything. I wish a DVD with the PV had been included also, and for that price it really should have been. Because this item is limited release, and really is a must-have for a Gackt fanatic – it won’t be long before they’re all gone (CDJapan are already out) – plus everything is just so beautiful.
