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Difference between revisions of "L'Arc~en~Ciel"

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==Member Profiles==
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'''L'Arc~en~Ciel''' (ラルク アン シエル, "Rainbow" in French) is a popular Japanese rock band, formed in 1991. They are one of the most popular and affluent bands in Japan. They are known for their Pop/Rock sound while they occasionally produce heavier or more experimental tracks, ranging from techno to loose ballads with full string orchestration. The group has sold over 15 million albums, 30 million singles, and millions of other units, such as videos, and have been voted #58 in HMV Japan's "Top 100 Japanese Pop Artists" of all time.
  
===hyde===
+
==Members==
*Real Name: Takarai Hideto
+
* [[hyde]] (vocals)
*Birthday: Januray 29th, 1969
+
* [[tetsu]] (bass)
*Place of Birth: Wakayama, Osaka (Kansai)
+
* [[ken]] (guitar)
*Star Sign: Aquarius
+
* [[yukihiro]] (drums)
*Family: only child, married to Megumi Ooishi, one child
 
*Position: Solo artist, vocalist & lyricist of [[L'Arc~en~Ciel]]  
 
*Hobbies: Collecting blue glass products, video games, sketching, writing poems, cooking, yoyo, reading scary books.
 
*Favourite Cigarette Brand: Cherokee.
 
*Favorite Food: Curry rice.
 
*Favourite Drink: VITA Vitamin In.
 
*Favourite Subject: Art.
 
*Least Favorite Subject: Anything other than art.
 
*Favourite Colours: Silver & white.
 
*Tattoo: Two angel wings on his back.
 
*Label(s): Ki/oon Records (Sony sublabel), HAUNTED RECORDS (HYDE's own label)
 
Note that for solo projects, the name '''[[HYDE]]''' is used and for work with L'Arc~en~Ciel, '''hyde''' is used.
 
  
===tetsu===
+
===Former Members===
===ken===
+
* [[sakura]] (drums)
===yukihiro===
+
* Pero (drums)
===Ex-member: sakura===
+
* Hiro (guitar)
* Real Name: Sakurazawa Yasunori
 
* Birthday: November 20, 1969
 
* Place of Birth: Nerima, Tokyo
 
* Star Sign: Scorpio
 
* Family: Older brother Hidetaka; Older sister Yuki; father; mother (deceased)
 
* Position: ex-drummer of L'Arc~en~Ciel (1993-1997). Currently works a number of support and producing jobs.
 
* Hobbies: drinking
 
* Favourite Cigarette Brand: e-cigarette / Seven Stars
 
* Favourite Subject: Mathematics
 
* Least Favorite Subject: Nothing
 
* Favourite Colours: Black
 
* Tattoo: None
 
* Label(s): Danger Crue / indie
 
  
[http://wiki.jpopstop.com/wiki/Sakura more on Sakura]
+
==Information==
 +
L'Arc~en~Ciel, also known as ''Laruku'' (ラルク) or ''L'Arc'' to their fans, is a popular Japanese rock band consisting of four members. The name means "Arc in the Sky", or "rainbow" in French. Laruku's front man is [[hyde]], [[ken]] is the lead guitar player and main composer of the band, [[tetsu]] leader of the band on bass and [[yukihiro]] is the drummer.
  
==Biography==
+
In 1992, [[tetsu]] and [[yde]], along with Hiro and Pero formed the band based on a movie that [[tetsu]] had seen. After a year of gaining notoriety in their hometown of [[Osaka]], Hiro and Pero quit the band. Afterwards, [[tetsu]] convinced his friend [[ken]] to quit his studies in architectural design and join the band. A new drummer, [[sakura]], was recruited after [[tetsu]] saw him play. In 1993, the band released their debut album, [[Dune|DUNE]], still in a small independent label, but reaching plenty of success, managing to be #1 at the [[Indie]] charts.
  
==Discography==
+
This caught the attention of some major labels, so in 1994, they signed for [[Sony]], releasing their 2nd album, [[Tierra]], that same year. [[Heavenly|heavenly]] followed, in 1995. The first three albums sound were very [[DEAD END]]-esque because most of the band members were fans of them. Even further, some people say that hyde's & tetsu's style was a copy of [[Morrie]] & [[Crazy Cool Joe]] of DEAD END. But, in 1996 they changed their looks and style to be a bit softer, which ended their visual look. After that they released their first million seller, [[True (L'Arc~en~Ciel)|True]] in the same year.
  
===Albums===
+
In 1997, [[sakura]] was arrested for heroin possession and quit the band. Their popularity was growing too rapidly to quit, so a new tour was organized and [[yukihiro]] joined the band. The first concert date of the new tour in [[Tokyo Dome]] had an attendance of 56,000 and sold out in four minutes, a testament to their popularity. Their next album was [[Heart (L'Arc~en~Ciel)|HEART]], in 1998.
1. [[DUNE]] [1993.04.10]
 
  
2. [[Tierra]] [1994.07.14]
+
L'Arc~en~Ciel released three more albums of new material during the next few years: [[Ark|ark]] and [[Ray|ray]] which were released simultaneously in 1999, followed by [[Real (L'Arc~en~Ciel)|REAL]] in 2000, which, for the longest time, was the last CD of new material, although many more compilation and remix albums would follow. L'Arc~en~Ciel also composed several theme songs for various [[anime]] series, including [[DNA2|DNA²]], [[Rurouni Kenshin]], [[Great Teacher Onizuka]] and [[Full Metal Alchemist]]. They also created the ending theme song to the movie [[Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within]].
  
3. [[heavenly]] [1995.09.01]
+
After a while, however, the various members began working on various solo projects. [[hyde]] released several solo albums, [[ken]] founded [[SONS OF ALL PUSSYS]], [[tetsu]] started [[TETSU69]] and [[yukihiro]] played with [[acid android]]. Some fans thought this would be the end of the band, but in actuality it was simply a hiatus.
  
4. [[True]] [1996.12.12]
+
In June 2003, L'Arc~en~Ciel came back to play a series of seven concerts in [[Tokyo]] and announced a new album for release in the following year. So, in February 2004, their first single in more than three years came out, followed by another one in early March. Finally their long-awaited new album, [[Smile (L'Arc~en~Ciel)|SMILE]], was released the 31st of March.
  
5. [[HEART]] [1998.02.25]
+
On July 31st, 2004, L'Arc~en~Ciel made their first U.S. concert debut at [[Otakon]] 2004. Approximately 12,000 Otakon attendees attended the concert which was held at a outside venue for the first time in Otakon's musical history, the 1st Mariner Arena located near the Baltimore Convention Center.
  
6. [[ark]] [1999.07.01]
+
Since the Otakon concert, L'Arc~en~Ciel has released many singles and their new album [[Awake|AWAKE]] was released on June 22nd. - L'Arc~en~Ciel did the opening and ending theme to the [[Full Metal Alchemist]] movie released in the summer of 2005, named [[Link]] and [[Lost Heaven|LOST HEAVEN]] respectively.
  
7. [[ray]] [1999.07.01]
+
Currently the members are yet again ensuing their solo projects. The DVD from their recent AWAKE TOUR 2005 was released winter of 2005.
  
8. [[REAL]] [2000.08.30]
+
In the end of 2005, leader tetsu announced that he will working with his idol Morrie in the band [[Creature Creature]]. In 2006, to celebrate their 15th anniversary, they rereleased all of their major singles as special additions, as well as some songs that were not singles during the month of August.
  
9. [[ectomorphed works]] [2000.06.28]
+
The current status of L'Arc~en~Ciel is that now they are reunited again, and have put out a new song called "SHINE" (which was used as the opening song for the NHK-BS Anime, Guardian of the Sacred Spirit ~Seirei no Moribito~) and have kicked-off their Mata Heart ni Hi wo Tsukero 2007 tour in Japan. L'Arc~en~Ciel released their first single [[Seventh Heaven (L'Arc~en~Ciel)|SEVENTH HEAVEN]] last 30 May 2007 and it topped the [[Oricon]] charts for one week. They also have a new song called [[My Heart Draws a Dream|MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM]], which was used for Subaru's latest commercial. This single will be out on 29 August 2007. Aside from this, L'Arc~en~Ciel will be releasing a number of new material, including an album in November and 2 DVDs in September and December (L'Anniversary Live and Chronicle 3 respectively). The new singles will be out in August, October, and November of this year.
  
10. [[The Best Of L'Arc~en~Ciel 1994-1998]] [2003.03.19]
+
==Punk~en~Ciel==
 +
P'unk~en~Ciel is an alternate formation of L'Arc~en~Ciel. Introduced in 2004, hyde takes over guitar, ken the drums, yukihiro plays the bass, while tetsu performs the vocals. P'unk~en~Ciel's songs have a more "punker-ish" sound and their music is usually heavier and faster with a different tone due to tetsu's vocals. hyde often wears a pirate patch over his left eye in P'unk-en-Ciel performances, and yukihiro is known to wear a gas mask. Though P'unk~en~Ciel has only been in existence since 2004, L'Arc formerly rotated members as well under the name D'Arc~en~Ciel while Sakura was still in the band and performed original songs, although none of these songs were ever recorded. P'unk~en~Ciel's covers have been used as b-sides on L'Arc singles and they can be seen on Live DVDs.
  
11. [[The Best Of L'Arc~en~Ciel 1998-2000]] [2003.03.19]
+
==Discography==
 
+
===Albums===
12. [[The Best Of L'Arc~en~Ciel c/w]] [2003.03.19]
+
* [1993.04.10] [[Dune|DUNE]] (''Indies'')
 
+
* [1994.07.14] [[Tierra]]
13. [[SMILE]] [2004.03.31]
+
* [1995.09.01] [[Heavenly|heavenly]]
 
+
* [1996.12.12] [[True (L'Arc~en~Ciel)|True]]
14. [[DUNE 10th Anniversary Edition]] [2004.04.21]
+
* [1998.02.25] [[Heart (L'Arc~en~Ciel)|HEART]]
 
+
* [1999.07.01] [[Ark|ark]]
15. [[AWAKE]] [2005.06.22]
+
* [1999.07.01] [[Ray|ray]]
 +
* [2000.06.28] [[Ectomorphed_Works|ectomorphed works]]
 +
* [2000.08.30] [[Real (L'Arc~en~Ciel)|REAL]]
 +
* [2001.03.14] [[Clicked Singles Best 13]]
 +
* [2003.03.19] [[The Best of L'Arc~en~Ciel 1994-1998|The Best Of L'Arc~en~Ciel 1994-1998]]
 +
* [2003.03.19] [[The Best of L'Arc~en~Ciel 1998-2000|The Best Of L'Arc~en~Ciel 1998-2000]]
 +
* [2003.03.19] [[The Best of L'Arc~en~Ciel C/W|The Best Of L'Arc~en~Ciel c/w]]
 +
* [2004.03.31] [[Smile (L'Arc~en~Ciel)|SMILE]]
 +
* [2004.04.21] [[Dune|DUNE 10th Anniversary Edition]] (''Indies'')
 +
* [2005.06.22] [[Awake|AWAKE]]
 +
* [2006.12.13] [[Ark|ark 15th Anniversary Expanded Edition]]
 +
* [2006.12.13] [[Ray|ray 15th Anniversary Expanded Edition]]
 +
* [2007.11.21] [[Kiss (L'Arc~en~Ciel)|KISS]]
  
 
===Singles===
 
===Singles===
1. [[Floods of Tears / Yasoukyokuka]] (夜想花) (Indies)[1992.11.05]
+
* [1992.11.05] [[Floods of Tears / Yasouka|Floods of tears / Yasouka]] (夜想花) (''Indies'')
 
+
* [1994.10.21] [[Blurry Eyes]]
2. [[Blurry Eyes]] [1994.10.21]  
+
* [1995.07.06] [[Vivid Colors]]
 
+
* [1995.10.21] [[Natsu no Yuuutsu (Time to Say Good-Bye)|Natsu no Yuuutsu [time to say good-bye]]] (夏の憂鬱; ''Summer Melancholy'')
3. [[Vivid Colors]] [1995.07.06]  
+
* [1996.07.08] [[Kaze ni Kienaide]] (風にきえないで; ''Don't Vanish in the Wind'')
 
+
* [1996.10.17] [[Flower (L'Arc~en~Ciel)|flower]]
4. [[Natsu no yuutsu (time to say goodbye)]] (夏の憂鬱) [1995.10.25]  
+
* [1996.11.21] [[Lies and Truth]]
 
+
* [1997.10.17] [[Niji (L'Arc~en~Ciel)|Niji]] (虹; ''Rainbow'')
5. [[Kaze ni Kienai de]] [1996.07.08]  
+
* [1998.01.28] [[Winter Fall|winter fall]]
 
+
* [1998.03.25] [[Dive to Blue|DIVE TO BLUE]]
6. [[flower (L'Arc~en~Ciel)|flower]] [1996.10.17]  
+
* [1998.07.08] [[Shinshoku ~Lose Control~|Shinshoku ~lose control~]] (浸食; ''Erosion'')
 
+
* [1998.07.08] [[Honey (L'Arc~en~Ciel)|HONEY]]
7. [[Lies and Truth]] [1996.11.21]
+
* [1998.07.08] [[Kasou]] (花葬; ''Cremation'')
 
+
* [1998.10.07] [[Snow Drop|snow drop]]
8. [[Niji]] [1997.10.17]  
+
* [1998.10.14] [[Forbidden Lover|forbidden lover]]
 
+
* [1999.04.21] [[Heaven's Drive|HEAVEN'S DRIVE]]
9. [[winter fall]] [1998.01.28]
+
* [1999.06.02] [[Pieces (L'Arc~en~Ciel)|Pieces]]
 
+
* [1999.08.11] [[Driver's High|Driver's High]]
10. [[DIVE TO BLUE]] [1998.04.25]
+
* [1999.10.27] [[Love Flies|LOVE FLIES]]
 
+
* [2000.01.19] [[Neo Universe / Finale|NEO UNIVERSE / finale]]
11. [[Shinshoku ~lose control~]] (浸食) [1998.07.08]  
+
* [2000.07.19] [[Stay Away|STAY AWAY]]
 
+
* [2001.09.05] [[Spirit Dreams Inside -Another Dream-|Spirit dreams inside -another dream-]]
12. [[HONEY]][1998.07.08]  
+
* [2004.02.04] [[Ready Steady Go|READY STEADY GO]]
 
+
* [2004.03.03] [[Hitomi no Juunin]] (瞳の住人; ''The Dweller in Your Eyes'')
13. [[Kasou]] (花葬)[1998.07.08]
+
* [2004.06.02] [[Jiyuu e no Shoutai]] (自由への招待; ''Invitation to Freedom'')
 
+
* [2005.01.13] [[Killing Me]]
14. [[snow drop]] [1998.10.07]  
+
* [2005.04.06] [[New World (L'Arc~en~Ciel)|New World]]
 
+
* [2005.05.10] [[Jojoushi]] (叙情詩; ''Lyric Poem'')
15. [[forbidden lover]] [1998.10.14]
+
* [2005.07.20] [[Link]]
 
+
* [2006.08.30] [[The Fourth Avenue Cafe|the Fourth Avenue Cafe]]
16. [[HEAVEN'S DRIVE]] [1999.04.21]  
+
* [2007.05.30] [[Seventh Heaven (L'Arc~en~Ciel)|SEVENTH HEAVEN]]
 
+
* [2007.08.29] [[My Heart Draws a Dream|MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM]]
17. [[Pieces]] [1999.06.02]
+
* [2007.10.10] [[Daybreak's Bell|DAYBREAK'S BELL]]
 
+
* [2007.11.14] [[Hurry Xmas]]
18. [[Driver's High]] [1999.08.11]
+
* [2008.04.02] [[Drink It Down|DRINK IT DOWN]]
 
+
* [2008.08.27] [[Nexus 4 / Shine|NEXUS 4 / SHINE]]
19. [[LOVE FLIES]] [1999.10.27]
 
 
 
20. [[NEO UNIVERSE / finale]] [2000.01.19]
 
 
 
21. [[STAY AWAY]] [2000.07.19]  
 
 
 
22. [[Spirit dreams inside -another dream-]] [2001.09.05]  
 
 
 
23. [[Ready Steady Go|READY STEADY GO]] [2004.02.04]  
 
 
 
24. [[Hitomi no Juunin]] (瞳の住人) [2004.03.03]
 
 
 
25. [[Jiyuu e no Shoutai]] (自由への招待) [2004.07.02]
 
 
 
26. [[Killing Me]] [2005.01.13]  
 
 
 
27. [[New World]] [2005.04.06]  
 
 
 
28. [[Jojoushi]] (叙情詩) [2005.05.10]
 
 
 
29. [[Link]] [2005.07.20]
 
 
 
===VHS/DVD===
 
1. [[Nemuri no yosete]] [1994.07.01]
 
 
 
2. [[Siesta ~Film of Dreams~]] [1994.12.01]
 
 
 
3. [[and She said]] [1995.05.21]
 
 
 
4. [[heavenly ~Films~]] [1996.03.21]
 
 
 
5. [[A Piece Of Reincarnation]] [1998.04.22]
 
 
 
6. [[Heart ni wo tsukeru!]] [1998.12.23]
 
 
 
7. [[CHRONICLE]] [1999.08.11]
 
 
 
8. [[1999 GRAND CROSS CONCLUSION]] [1999.12.01]
 
 
 
9. [[CHRONICLE 2]] [2001.03.28]
 
 
 
10. [[CLUB CIRCUIT 2000 REALIVE -NO CUT-]] [2001.06.21]
 
 
 
11. [[7 Shibuya Seven days 2003]] [[2003.12.17]]
 
 
 
12. [[LINE IN U.S.A. ~at First Mariner Areana July 31, 2004]]  
 
 
 
13. [[SMILE TOUR 2004 -Zenkokuhen-]] (全国編) [2005.6.1]
 
 
 
14. [[AWAKE TOUR 2005]] [2005.12.14]
 
 
 
==Tokyo-Nights Links==
 
  
[http://forums.jpopstop.com/f11/rainbow-band-larc-en-ciel-8/ Official Forum Discussion Thread]
+
===DVDs / Videos===
 +
* [1992.03.10] [[L'Arc-en-Ciel (video)|L'Arc-en-Ciel]] (''Indies'')
 +
* [1993.10.21] [[Touch of Dune|TOUCH OF DUNE]] (''Indies'')
 +
* [1994.07.01] [[Nemuri ni Yosete (video)|Nemuri ni Yosete]] (眠りによせて)
 +
* [1994.12.01] [[Siesta ~Film of Dreams~]]
 +
* [1995.05.21] [[And She Said (video)|and She Said]]
 +
* [1996.03.21] [[Heavenly ~Films~|heavenly ~films~]]
 +
* [1998.04.22] [[A Piece of Reincarnation|A PIECE OF REINCARNATION]]
 +
* [1998.12.23] [[Heart ni Hi wo Tsukero!]] (ハートに火をつけろ!)
 +
* [1999.08.11] [[Chronicle|CHRONICLE]]
 +
* [1999.12.01] [[1999 Grand Cross Conclusion|1999 GRAND CROSS CONCLUSION]]
 +
* [2001.03.28] [[Chronicle 2|CHRONICLE 2]]
 +
* [2001.06.20] [[Club Circuit 2000 Realive -No Cut-|CLUB CIRCUIT 2000 REALIVE -NO CUT-]]
 +
* [2003.12.17] [[7 Shibuya Seven Days 2003 Live DVD|7 Shibuya Seven days 2003 LIVE DVD]]
 +
* [2004.12.08] [[Live In U.S.A.~at 1st Mariner Arena July,2004~|LIVE IN U.S.A.~at 1st Mariner Arena July 31,2004~]]
 +
* [2005.06.01] [[Smile Tour 2004 -Zenkokuhen-|SMILE TOUR 2004 -Zenkokuhen-]] (全国編)
 +
* [2005.12.14] [[Awake Tour 2005|AWAKE TOUR 2005]]
 +
* [2006.06.21] [[Asialive 2005|ASIALIVE 2005]]
 +
* [2007.02.14] [[Chronicle 0 -Zero-|CHRONICLE 0 -ZERO-]]
 +
* [2007.04.04] [[Five Live Archives|FIVE LIVE ARCHIVES]]
 +
* [2007.09.12] [[15th L'Anniversary Live]]
 +
* [2007.12.05] [[Chronicle 3|CHRONICLE 3]]
 +
* [2008.04.02] [[Are You Ready 2007 Mata Heart ni Hi wo Tsukero! in Okinawa|Are you ready? 2007 Mata Heart ni Hi wo Tsukero! in OKINAWA]] (Are you ready? 2007 またハートに火をつけろ! in OKINAWA)
 +
* [2008.08.27] [[Tour 2007-2008 Theater of Kiss|TOUR 2007-2008 THEATER OF KISS]]
 +
* [2009.02.25] [[Chronicle 4|CHRONICLE 4]]
 +
* [2009.03.25] [[Documentary Films ~Trans Asia via Paris~|DOCUMENTARY FILMS ~Trans ASIA via PARIS~]]
 +
* [2009.05.20] [[Live in Paris|LIVE IN PARIS]]
  
 +
===Compilation / Other===
 +
* [1994.12.01] [[D.N.A2 OST]] (#1 ''Blurry Eyes'', #13 ''Blurry Eyes (Strings Version)'')
 +
* [1995.04.12] [[Trendy Drama TV Theme Hit Songs]] (#5 ''Blurry Eyes'')
 +
* [1996.07.20] [[Gimmick|GIMMICK]] (#3 ''Voice'')
 +
* [1998.05.13] [[Godzilla: The Album|GODZILLA: THE ALBUM]] (#12 ''Shinshoku ~lose control~'')
 +
* [1999.11.20] [[Max Japan 6 ~Best Hits in Japan '99|MAX JAPAN 6 ~best hits in japan'99]] (#1 ''HEAVEN'S DRIVE'')
 +
* [2000.01.22] [[Max Japan 7|MAX JAPAN 7]] (#1 ''STAY AWAY'')
 +
* [2001.07.03] [[Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]] (#18 ''Spirit dreams inside'')
 +
* [2001.12.19] [[Ki/oon Decade]] (#15 ''HONEY'')
 +
* [2002.03.18] [[Japan For Sale Volume 2]] (#7 ''Spirit dreams inside'')
 +
* [2002.05.29] [[The Japan Gold Disc Award 2002]] (#11 ''NEO UNIVERSE'')
 +
* [2002.09.19] [[Rurouni Kenshin Complete CD Box]] (Disc 1 #11 ''Niji'')
 +
* [2003.08.27] [[Oto Tsubaki ~The Greatest Hits of Shiseido~ Beni Ban|Oto Tsubaki ~the greatest hits of SHISEIDO~ Beni Ban]] (音椿紅盤) (#17 ''NEO UNIVERSE'')
 +
* [2004.10.05] [[Japan For Sale Volume 4]] (#9 ''READY STEADY GO'')
 +
* [2004.10.14] [[Fullmetal Alchemist Complete Best|FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST COMPLETE BEST]] (#3 ''READY STEADY GO'')
 +
* [2004.12.15] [[Fullmetal Alchemist Original Soundtrack 2|FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK 2]] (#1 ''READY STEADY GO'')
 +
* [2005.04.27] [[Ki/oon Records Overseas]] (#2 READY STEADY GO)
 +
* [2005.11.01] [[Jpop CD Vol. 2]] (#8 ''LOST HEAVEN'')
 +
* [2006.01.25] [[Hit Style|HIT STYLE]] (Disc 1 #13 ''New World'')
  
 
==External Links==
 
==External Links==
[http://larc-en-ciel.com/ L'Arc~en~Ciel Official Website]
+
* [http://www.larc-en-ciel.com/ Official Website]
 
+
* [http://www.larcom.net/ LArcom.net]
[http://www.larcom.net/ L'Arc~en~Ciel Official Sony Website]
+
* [http://www.megchan.com/ Megchan's J-Pop Lyrics]
 
 
[http://www.tofurecords.com/ Tofu Records Official Site]  
 
 
 
[http://www.dangercrue.com/ Danger Crue Records Official Site]
 
 
 
[http://www.hyde.com/ HYDE Official Site]
 
 
 
[http://www.ken-curlyhair.com/ ken official site]
 
 
 
[http://www.bubble-star.com/ Sons of All Pussys Official Site]
 
 
 
[http://www.TETSU69.com/ TETSU69 Official Site (tetsu solo)]
 
 
 
[http://www.acidandroid.com/ Acid Android Official Site (yukihiro solo)]
 
 
 
  
[[Category:Artists]]
+
[[Category:Groups]]
 +
[[Category:J-Rock]]
 +
[[Category:J-Pop]]
 +
[[Category:Tofu Records Artists]]
 +
[[Category:iTunes Artists]]

Revision as of 04:34, 29 April 2009

L'Arc~en~Ciel (ラルク アン シエル, "Rainbow" in French) is a popular Japanese rock band, formed in 1991. They are one of the most popular and affluent bands in Japan. They are known for their Pop/Rock sound while they occasionally produce heavier or more experimental tracks, ranging from techno to loose ballads with full string orchestration. The group has sold over 15 million albums, 30 million singles, and millions of other units, such as videos, and have been voted #58 in HMV Japan's "Top 100 Japanese Pop Artists" of all time.

Members

Former Members

  • sakura (drums)
  • Pero (drums)
  • Hiro (guitar)

Information

L'Arc~en~Ciel, also known as Laruku (ラルク) or L'Arc to their fans, is a popular Japanese rock band consisting of four members. The name means "Arc in the Sky", or "rainbow" in French. Laruku's front man is hyde, ken is the lead guitar player and main composer of the band, tetsu leader of the band on bass and yukihiro is the drummer.

In 1992, tetsu and yde, along with Hiro and Pero formed the band based on a movie that tetsu had seen. After a year of gaining notoriety in their hometown of Osaka, Hiro and Pero quit the band. Afterwards, tetsu convinced his friend ken to quit his studies in architectural design and join the band. A new drummer, sakura, was recruited after tetsu saw him play. In 1993, the band released their debut album, DUNE, still in a small independent label, but reaching plenty of success, managing to be #1 at the Indie charts.

This caught the attention of some major labels, so in 1994, they signed for Sony, releasing their 2nd album, Tierra, that same year. heavenly followed, in 1995. The first three albums sound were very DEAD END-esque because most of the band members were fans of them. Even further, some people say that hyde's & tetsu's style was a copy of Morrie & Crazy Cool Joe of DEAD END. But, in 1996 they changed their looks and style to be a bit softer, which ended their visual look. After that they released their first million seller, True in the same year.

In 1997, sakura was arrested for heroin possession and quit the band. Their popularity was growing too rapidly to quit, so a new tour was organized and yukihiro joined the band. The first concert date of the new tour in Tokyo Dome had an attendance of 56,000 and sold out in four minutes, a testament to their popularity. Their next album was HEART, in 1998.

L'Arc~en~Ciel released three more albums of new material during the next few years: ark and ray which were released simultaneously in 1999, followed by REAL in 2000, which, for the longest time, was the last CD of new material, although many more compilation and remix albums would follow. L'Arc~en~Ciel also composed several theme songs for various anime series, including DNA², Rurouni Kenshin, Great Teacher Onizuka and Full Metal Alchemist. They also created the ending theme song to the movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

After a while, however, the various members began working on various solo projects. hyde released several solo albums, ken founded SONS OF ALL PUSSYS, tetsu started TETSU69 and yukihiro played with acid android. Some fans thought this would be the end of the band, but in actuality it was simply a hiatus.

In June 2003, L'Arc~en~Ciel came back to play a series of seven concerts in Tokyo and announced a new album for release in the following year. So, in February 2004, their first single in more than three years came out, followed by another one in early March. Finally their long-awaited new album, SMILE, was released the 31st of March.

On July 31st, 2004, L'Arc~en~Ciel made their first U.S. concert debut at Otakon 2004. Approximately 12,000 Otakon attendees attended the concert which was held at a outside venue for the first time in Otakon's musical history, the 1st Mariner Arena located near the Baltimore Convention Center.

Since the Otakon concert, L'Arc~en~Ciel has released many singles and their new album AWAKE was released on June 22nd. - L'Arc~en~Ciel did the opening and ending theme to the Full Metal Alchemist movie released in the summer of 2005, named Link and LOST HEAVEN respectively.

Currently the members are yet again ensuing their solo projects. The DVD from their recent AWAKE TOUR 2005 was released winter of 2005.

In the end of 2005, leader tetsu announced that he will working with his idol Morrie in the band Creature Creature. In 2006, to celebrate their 15th anniversary, they rereleased all of their major singles as special additions, as well as some songs that were not singles during the month of August.

The current status of L'Arc~en~Ciel is that now they are reunited again, and have put out a new song called "SHINE" (which was used as the opening song for the NHK-BS Anime, Guardian of the Sacred Spirit ~Seirei no Moribito~) and have kicked-off their Mata Heart ni Hi wo Tsukero 2007 tour in Japan. L'Arc~en~Ciel released their first single SEVENTH HEAVEN last 30 May 2007 and it topped the Oricon charts for one week. They also have a new song called MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM, which was used for Subaru's latest commercial. This single will be out on 29 August 2007. Aside from this, L'Arc~en~Ciel will be releasing a number of new material, including an album in November and 2 DVDs in September and December (L'Anniversary Live and Chronicle 3 respectively). The new singles will be out in August, October, and November of this year.

Punk~en~Ciel

P'unk~en~Ciel is an alternate formation of L'Arc~en~Ciel. Introduced in 2004, hyde takes over guitar, ken the drums, yukihiro plays the bass, while tetsu performs the vocals. P'unk~en~Ciel's songs have a more "punker-ish" sound and their music is usually heavier and faster with a different tone due to tetsu's vocals. hyde often wears a pirate patch over his left eye in P'unk-en-Ciel performances, and yukihiro is known to wear a gas mask. Though P'unk~en~Ciel has only been in existence since 2004, L'Arc formerly rotated members as well under the name D'Arc~en~Ciel while Sakura was still in the band and performed original songs, although none of these songs were ever recorded. P'unk~en~Ciel's covers have been used as b-sides on L'Arc singles and they can be seen on Live DVDs.

Discography

Albums

Singles

DVDs / Videos

Compilation / Other

External Links