The Blue Hearts

The Blue Hearts are punk-rock royalty in Japan, having released seven different Top 10 albums during the band's decade-long career. The group was formed in Shibuya, Tokyo, in 1985, by vocalist Hiroto Kōmoto, guitarist Masatoshi Mashima, bassist Junnosuke Kawaguchi, and drummer Tetsuya Kajiwara. A self-titled debut album, The Blue Hearts, was released in 1987 and featured the single "Linda Linda," which became a Top 40 hit. The Blue Hearts' second album, Young and Pretty, followed later that year and reached Number 10 on the Oricon Albums chart, while 1988's Train-Train climbed to Number 3. Two years later, The Blue Hearts reached their commercial peak with Bust Waste Hip, the band's first and only studio album to reach Number 1 in Japan. The single "Jōnetsu no Bara" became one of the biggest hits of 1990, reaching Number 1 on the Oricon Singles chart in August. Following the release of High Kicks in 1991, the band returned to Number 1 with 1993's Stick Out, which featured the singles "Yume," "Tabibito," and "1000 no Violin." The Blue Hearts' final two albums, Dug Out (1993) and Pan (1995), both peaked at Number 2 in Japan, with Pan marking the band's only album to not produce any hit singles. The band broke up in 1995, shortly after Pan's release, and its members pursued different projects in the wake of The Blue Hearts' dissolution. Most notably, Kōmoto and Mashima continued performing together in two well-regarded Japanese rock bands: The High-Lows and The Cro-Magnons.

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