Loudness

Loudness was a Japanese hard-rock/metal band with guitarist Akira Takasaki. They debuted with the 1981 Blow Up album The Birthday Eve, followed by the 1982/83 B&M titles Devil Soldier and The Law of Devil’s Land. Through 1985, they released four Columbia albums and reached US MTV with their Thunder in the East single “Crazy Nights,” followed by six further Eighties-era longplayers on ATCO.

Members: Akira Takasaki (guitar), Masayoshi Yamashita (bass, 1981-92, 2000-present), Minoru Niihara (vocals, 1981-88, 2000-present), Munetaka Higuchi (drums, 1981-93, 2000-08), Michael Vescera (vocals, 1989-91)

Background

Loudness formed in May 1981 in Osaka when guitarist Akira Takasaki assembled a quartet with singer Minoru Niihara, bassist Masayoshi Yamashita, and drummer Munetaka Higuchi.

Takasaki was born on February 22, 1961, in Osaka’s Higashisumiyoshi ward and took up guitar in junior high school. His older siblings played rock music at home. He formed Lazy in 1973 with singer Hironobu Kageyama and bassist Hiroyuki Tanaka. Higuchi met Takasaki through the high-school music club and joined Lazy as drummer.

Lazy performed the Deep Purple rocker “Burn” in 1977 on the Asahi Broadcasting television program Hello Young, where singer Hiroshi Kamayatsu scouted the band. Managers presented Lazy as an idol group. Concert producer Shizuka Ijuin supported the musicians’ wish for an album of original rock and publicized their “heavy metal declaration.” Lazy released the 1980 album Uchūsen Chikyūgō (Earth Ark) and dissolved in 1981 after business disputes and musical disagreements among the members. Takasaki and Higuchi chose to continue with the heavy metal sound and image.

Yamashita was born on November 29, 1961, in Higashisumiyoshi and grew up next door to Takasaki. He took up bass in junior high school after he heard The Beatles. Yamashita formed Black Rose in high school with drummer Kazuhisa “Roger” Takahashi. He subsequently played in Zephyr with Takahashi and guitarist Reibun Otani.

Niihara was born on March 12, 1960, in Osaka’s Sumiyoshi ward. He sang and played bass in Earthshaker, which he formed in 1978 with guitarist Shinichiro “Shara” Ishihara. Niihara studied sociology at Bukkyo University in Kyoto and sang in Seishunkai, a college funk band with guitarist Yukihiro “Chachamaru” Fujimura. He also joined Soul-Doo-Out, a Kyoto soul ensemble with four singers and a horn section. The group played Kyoto clubs such as Takutaku and Circus & Circus. Niihara took solo vocals on the Percy Sledge classic “When a Man Loves a Woman.”

Yamashita sent Takasaki an Earthshaker concert tape and recommended Niihara for a proposed Takasaki solo album. Takasaki auditioned Niihara at a studio in Minamimorimachi, Osaka, with Higuchi and Tanaka. Niihara sang numbers by Montrose (“I Got the Fire”) and Scorpions (“Another Piece of Meat”), followed by Lazy’s “Dreamer.” Higuchi offered a further song after Niihara struggled with the hard-rock repertoire. Niihara secured the vocal place with his piano-accompanied rendition of “When a Man Loves a Woman.” He took leave from university and moved in spring 1981 to Tokyo, where Lazy continued a farewell tour.

Tanaka withdrew from the solo project over musical differences; Takasaki recruited Yamashita from Zephyr. The quartet rehearsed in Tokyo under the name Akira Takasaki Project. Takasaki developed guitar riffs with Higuchi and Yamashita, while Niihara improvised vocal lines over the trio. The musicians recorded their sessions on cassette and agreed to form a permanent band at a playback session at Takasaki’s home. They adopted the name Loudness.

Loudness rehearsed in Nippon Columbia’s basement studio in Akasaka, Tokyo. The quartet secured a record deal with Nippon Columbia and a management contract with Being in Roppongi. Loudness entered Chestnut Studio in August 1981 in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, for the debut album The Birthday Eve.

Discography:

• The Birthday Eve (1981)
• Devil Soldier (1982)
• The Law of Devil’s Land (1983)
• Disillusion (1984)
• Live-Loud-Alive (Loudness in Tokyo) (live, 1984)
• Thunder in the East (1985)
• Shadows of War (1986)
• Lightning Strikes (1986)
• 8186 Live (1986)
• Hurricane Eyes (1987)
• Soldier of Fortune (1989)

Sources

• Loudness — official profile. May 1981 formation and debut chronology. (Nippon Columbia)
• Akira Takasaki interview. Osaka origin, the school music club, and Yamashita’s recommendation. (TuttoRock)
• Loudness — member profiles. Birth details, first instruments, Black Rose, and Zephyr. (Tokuma Japan)
• Akira Takasaki — official profile. Lazy’s formation and dissolution. (Warner Music Japan)
• Takasaki’s account of Loudness’s origins. Kamayatsu’s recruitment, idol promotion, and Ijuin’s support. (FRIDAY)
• Lazy — official biography. Original lineup and the metal declaration. (Lantis)
• Earthshaker Is Born. Niihara’s account of the original trio. (R&R GYPSY)
• Earthshaker — anniversary announcement. Official confirmation of the 1978 formation. (King Records)
• A Crossroads. Bukkyo University and the sociology department. (R&R GYPSY)
• Vocalist. Seishunkai, Fujimura, and Soul-Doo-Out’s instrumentation. (R&R GYPSY)
• The Turn toward R&B: Soul-Doo-Out. The club circuit and Niihara’s Sledge ballad. (R&R GYPSY)
• Interview with vocalist Minoru Niihara. Confirmation of the original solo-album proposal. (The Metal Crypt)
• Audition 1. The Osaka studio and audition personnel. (R&R GYPSY)
• Audition 2. The rock selections and decisive soul performance. (R&R GYPSY)
• After the Audition. Yamashita’s concert tape and Niihara’s university leave. (R&R GYPSY)
• LAZY. The farewell tour and Tanaka’s withdrawal. (R&R GYPSY)
• Loudness Is Born! Yamashita’s recruitment, collective composition, and the permanent-band decision. (R&R GYPSY)
• Contract. The Akasaka studio and Columbia–Being arrangements. (R&R GYPSY)
• Recording the Loudness Debut Album. August 1981 entry into Chestnut Studio. (R&R GYPSY)