40 years active, 23 studio albums, 4 live albums, 2 extended plays, 43 singles, and 41 video albums. A band like that is likely to be highly successful, reaching global fame and praise. However, Buck-Tick is not a household name anywhere, except for little admiration in their home country, Japan. This band put so much energy and effort into their art, yet their history is untold by Western media.
Started by Hisashi Imai and Yutaka Higuchi under the name Hinan Go-Go, Buck-Tick was formed by five boys in high school from the Gunma Prefecture in Japan. Each member at the time was interested in rock music from both America and the UK, something unusual for people in Japan at the time. At first, the teenagers played underground in local bars and venues, unsigned to any label. They found difficulty being sophomores in high school wondering what their lives would look like while also balancing music careers. Atsushi Sakurai in particular, struggled to figure out what he’d accomplish during his years on this planet.
Sakurai was born in the countryside of Japan near small rice fields, secluded from pop culture. Growing up, he lacked motivation and a will to try, and truly had no intention to plan out his future. His father was an alcoholic and without his mother being able to stand up against it, Sakurai found himself struggling to form true relationships. He had no friends, and since kindergarten, his teachers were concerned about what he’d be doing in the coming years.
Yet, once he reached high school music enveloped him, completely entranced by rock from the West. After meeting Imai, Sakurai joined the band as their drummer. After everyone came together, they realized none of them could properly play their instruments and they’d have to practice heavily. This made them a stronger unit, every day in the studio working together to improve.
However, after a short while, their main singer left the band due to creative differences and they were in search of a vocalist. Sakurai felt a strong urge to fill the role, not wanting anyone else to do it, and eventually asked to be considered. After assuming his place, he found his purpose in life. “Before moving to Tokyo and becoming Buck-Tick’s vocalist I was nothing. After that, I finally understood what is my determination. I finally understood what I was supposed to do. If there was no Buck-Tick, I think I would still be nothing.”
With Sakurai as the lead singer of Buck-Tick, the core band was formed. Hisashi Imai and Hidehiko Hoshino on guitar, Yutaka Higuchi on bass, and Atsushi Sakurai on vocals. Throughout their forty years in the industry this lineup has not altered, a core group of people.
In 1987, they were signed by a record label and released their first album “Hurry Up Mode”. This gained popularity with small groups in Japan, as their music and style were unpopular with mainstream audiences due to the conservative nature of Japan. In order to focus on music, Sakurai had quit his stable job of two years, taking a risk in hopes they’d succeed. Only twenty-one at the time of release he made a life decision that felt almost destined to fail. However, they made history by being the first Indie Japanese artist to have a CD of their album distributed to the public, which was usually reserved for established artists.
Many alternatives in Japan latched on to them, craving this style in a more modest society. They took influence from goth and punk scenes for their hair, makeup, and outfits creating a personal look for their band. They fall under the scene which is now called Visual Kei, an alternative rock subculture, and were key founders in terms of the fashion style and music genre. All the tracks on “Hurry Up Mode” still hold up to this day, with it being a well-crafted album produced and written by Sakurai and Imai themselves (something that would stay true for all their future music) and is one of their most popular releases. It was alternative, and gained a fanbase despite a conservative Japanese society.
Lyric writing is an important aspect of music, and Buck-Tick capitalizes on this. When looking over the English translations, the lines read like poetry—longing and descriptive. This is all due to Sakurai and Imai’s talents; they not only had musicality but a passion for writing unlike that of many artists at that time or today. Their works reflected sensitive subjects from their lives, sensual themes, and loss.
When performing live, it is evident that Sakurai does not only sing the songs but rather is surrounded by the themes. When performing their song “Dress” he could barely finish, choked with emotion and obvious grief. At the end of the track “Jupiter,” he whispers “Thank you, mama,” showing how he connects their creations to his personal life.
Considering their full catalog of music, there is some variety, but those emotional themes are present in a majority of their songs. The instrumentals themselves are just as important to Buck-Tick’s music. It is incredibly easy to feel the emotion in Buck-Tick’s music even as a listener who does not speak their language. This is due to the vocals as well as the instruments. Their experimentation with song led to little foreign listeners having the ability to understand what was being conveyed without understanding the words. This is one part of their music heavily praised by the listeners, it makes people realize language is not the only form of communication.
Later on in their career, the albums Kurutta Taiyou, Aku No Hana, Koroshi no Shirabe, and Darker Than Darkness were released from the years 1990-1993. This is considered their peak, as their most popular and renowned songs are featured within these four albums. Many of these tracks are also featured on their tour “Climax Together” from 1992, which was attended by thousands of their fans in Japan. By this point, the band had gained a great amount of success with both alternative Japan and other, “normal” people. Their music easily passed unexpected barriers.
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As they continued throughout their career they experimented with different styles and genres of music, evolving with the times. One thing stayed true, their passion for music and their originality. Solo careers, families, and difficulties have occurred for all members of the band throughout their forty years together, yet they still went on tours and released music as one group. That was until 2023.
On October 19th, 2023 the main singer of Buck-Tick died of a brain stem hemorrhage. He was performing at one of their concerts when he felt unwell, taken off stage to figure out the issue. That night he passed away, sudden and unexpected by everyone around him. His family and longtime fans have been devastated since that day, losing such a talented artist at only 57. Yet, Atsushi Sakurai’s life is not one that was wasted nor was he unfulfilled. He died as a musician, his only ever aspiration for his life.
While Buck-Tick is an unknown band to Western media, they will not be forgotten—their fans loyal and dedicated. They will continue to be listened to, appreciated, and adored by their fans, even with the loss of such a core piece. Buck-Tick is not only a memory of Atsushi and his death, but also his legacy.