Line #99 Music/BuckTick


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4	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bucktick2011_3976.jpg]]
5	[[caption-width-right:350: BUCK-TICK as of 2011. L-R - [[LongRunnerLineUp Imai, Higuchi, Sakurai, Hoshino, Toll.]]]]
6
7	BUCK-TICK is a Japanese rock band from Fujioka, Gunma Prefecture. Though they have never described themselves as such, they are widely regarded as one of the key founders of VisualKei, alongside bands like {{Music/X Japan}}, D'erlanger, and Music/{{COLOR}}. They were also contemporaries with many of the artists in those bands and acts - specifically, the singer Atsushi and guitarist/theremin player/programmer/bandleader Imai were somewhat close friends of Music/{{hide\|toMatsumoto}}. Formed in 1983, the band stands out amongst their peers for being relatively controversy free throughout their entire run, having had the same line up for 36 years with no break ups, hiatuses, or other such misfortunes befalling them that are so common amongst other bands within VisualKei, save for band leader and lead guitarist Hisashi Imai getting arrested in 1989 for possession of LSD (Which, compared to some of the stuff other Visual Kei bands were getting up to at the time, is a rather minor infraction indeed). Going on for over 36 years, BUCK-TICK are the longest lasting Visual Kei band in the genre, beating out more well known acts such as Music/XJapan and COLOR and are one of the most respected rock bands in Japan.
8
9	Every year, they host one of the few currently existent Visual festivals in Japan - Buck Tick Fest, where bands new and old are invited onstage to cover their songs and perform with them.
10
11	On [[https://buck-tick.com/news/detail/12063/ October 24, 2023]], the band's official site announced that the lead singer, Atsushi Sakurai, passed away on October 19, 2023, due to a brainstem hemorrhage. He was rushed to the hospital after he was not feeling well during a concert in Yokohama. He was 57 years old.
12
13	!!Members:
14	* Hisashi Imai: Guitar, backing vocals, noises and {{Theremin}} (1983-present)
15	* Hidehiko Hoshino: Guitar and backing vocals, occasional keyboards (1983-present)
16	* Yutaka Higuchi: Bass (1983-present)
17	* Yagami Toll: Drums (1985-present)
18
19	!!Former Members:
20	* Araki: Vocals (1983-1985)
21	* Atsushi Sakurai: Vocals (1985-2023), Drums (1983-1985)
22
23	!!Studio Albums:
24	* Hurry Up Mode (April 4, 1987)
25	* Sexual XXXXX (November 21, 1987)
26	* Seventh Heaven (June 21, 1988)
27	* Taboo (January 18, 1989)
28	* Aku no Hana (悪の華; February 1, 1990)
29	* Kurutta Taiyou (狂った太陽; February 21, 1991)
30	* Darker Than Darkness -style93- (June 23, 1993)
31	* Six/Nine (May 5, 1995)
32	* Cosmos (June 21, 1996)
33	* Sexy Stream Liner (December 10, 1997)
34	* One Life, One Death (September 20, 2000)
35	* Kyokutou I Love You (極東 I Love You; February 2, 2002)
36	* Mona Lisa Overdrive (February 13, 2003)
37	* 13kai wa Gekkou (十三階は月光; April 5, 2005)
38	* Tenshi no Revolver (天使のリボルバー; September 19, 2007)
39	* Memento Mori (February 18, 2009)
40	* Razzle Dazzle (October 13, 2010)
41	* Yume Miru Uchuu (夢見る宇宙; September 19, 2012)
42	* Arui wa Anarchy (June 4, 2014)
43	* Atom Miraiha No.9 (September 28, 2016)
44	* No. 0 (March 14, 2018)
45	* ABRACADABRA (September 21, 2020)
46	* Izora (April 12, 2023)
47
48	!!Remix Albums:
49	* Hurry Up Mode (1990 mix; February 8, 1990)
50	* Koroshi no Shirabe This Is NOT Greatest Hits (殺シノ調ベ This Is NOT Greatest Hits; March 21, 1992)
51	* Shapeless (シェイプレス; August 24, 1994)
52
53	!!Related Acts:
54	* Sakurai Atsushi (Sakurai Atsushi solo, with various collaborations).
55	* Schaft (Imai Hisashi. Also featured Fuji Maki of Soft Ballet, members of Music/{{KMFDM}} and Raymond Watts of PIG).
56	* Schwein (Imai Hisashi, Sakurai Atsushi. Also featured Raymond Watts and members of KMFDM).
57	* Lucy (Imai Hisashi. Also features Kiyoshi from Music/{{hide\|toMatsumoto}} with Spread Beaver.
58	* Dropz (Hoshino Hidehiko, Also featured Cube Juice, and Kelli Ali of Music/SneakerPimps).
59	* Wild Wise Apes (Higuchi Yutaka).
60	* Yagami Toll and the Blue Sky (Yagami Toll).
61	* THE MORTAL (Sakurai Atsushi)
62
63	----
64	!!Buck-Tick provides examples of:
65
66	* OneWomanSong: "Maria" from the album Cosmos. "Lily" from Tenshi No Revolver. "Mona Lisa" from Mona Lisa Overdrive.
67	* AliceAllusion: ''Alice in Wonder Underground,'' one of their earliest tracks.
68	* AllDrummersAreAnimals: Averted. Toll is never less than composed on stage and in interviews, and the entire band refer to him by an affectionate nickname meaning "big brother".
69	* AnimeThemeSong: The band provided the OP themes for ''Literature/TrinityBlood'', ''Literature/{{Shiki}}'', ''Anime/{{Nightwalker}}'', the second ED theme for ''Manga/XxxHolic'' and the fifth ED theme for ''Manga/GeGeGeNoKitaro''.
70	* ArtisticStimulation: Sakurai is pretty frank about the fact that he likes to drink alone, and particularly when writing song lyrics. Imai hasn't exactly been shy about mentioning his alcohol input while writing the music, either.
71	* AxCrazy: A ''very'' common theme in lyrics. Has overlapped with GunNut (in ''Revolver'' lyrics and live where a gun is mimed) and PsychoKnifeNut (in ''Jupiter'' in lyrics), among ''many'' other insanity tropes...
72	* BadassLongcoat: Sakurai's wardrobe has featured a number of longcoats over the years, and he is adept at swishing and twirling them for dramatic effect.
73	* BandOfRelatives: The rhythm section, at least. Drummer Toll is the elder brother of bassist Higuchi.
74	* BiblicalMotifs: Quite a few songs, though often subverted, inverted, and otherwise played with to the extent that it would make a scholar FacePalm and hit every single BerserkButton TheFundamentalist ''has.''
75	* ClusterFBomb: "Nakayubi" ''is'' a ClusterFBomb. "My Fucking Valentine," also rather obviously, but "Jonathan Jet-Coaster" contains Atsushi repeatedly dropping one of these as the chorus.
76	* ConceptAlbum: Juusankai Wa Gekkou, though frankly it pretty much applies to all their studio albums from Taboo onwards.
77	* CoverVersion: When the band started out, they played cover versions of the Japanese punk band The Stalin. They also recorded a cover version of hide's "DOUBT" for the "hide: Tribute Spirits" album and Michiro Endo's song "Omae no Inu Ninaru" for the "Romantist - The Stalin, Michiro Endo Tribute Album". Subverted for their 20th anniversary when they invited other bands to cover their music for the "Parade: Respective Tracks of Buck-Tick" albums, and with the covers of their work appearing on the recent "Crush!-90's V-Rock Best Hit Cover Songs" album series.
78	* DarkerAndEdgier: The band's fourth studio album, Taboo, was this - to the consternation of many at the time. Arguably the band themselves and their entire musical and visual output embody this when compared to their contemporaries.
79	* DistractedByTheSexy: Sakurai seems to have this effect on most women, with the exception of [[IgnoreTheFanservice That One Girl]] in the "Live At The Night Side" video.
80	* DramaticShattering: "21st Cherry Boy" PV.
81	* DramaticWind: Often made an appearance on live videos back when Sakurai was a LongHairedPrettyBoy.
82	* DudeLooksLikeALady: Sakurai and Imai, in some early photo shoots, to some people.
83	* EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether: No, they really did, even if they didn't all know one another until they formed the band. The exception here is Toll, who joined later and is a few years older than the rest - but he knew them all through his brother and he did teach Sakurai to play drums, so it's close enough.
84	* EyeScream: In the "Romance" PV, done with CG and FX makeup to appear as if Atsushi is puncturing his own eyeballs with his fingernails.
85	* FamilyBusiness: Atsushi Sakurai has a rumored adult son who is ''also'' a VisualKei bandman, leading the band Vaniru as its vocalist. While there has been no confirmation of this officially, Leoneil has been seen in the "band member family" section at Buck-Tick lives, and he and Atsushi look very similar and their bands and performance styles are quite similar - see GenerationXerox below. While the above rumour is highly unlikely to be true, Sakurai actually has a real son who is also in the arts: [[https://vk.com/@music_wiki-sakurai-atsushi-and-tono-haruka-joint-interview-in-bungei Tono Haruka]] is an award winning, acclaimed writer.
86	* {{Fanservice}}: Sakurai is well known for his tendency to "caress" other members of the band on stage. Initially mostly Imai, though he's also copped a feel or two of Hoshino and Higuchi at various times. And if a band member isn't available, a special guest will do, or even an inanimate object. He also makes good use of illustrative facial and hand gestures to great effect both on stage and in videos. He's also more than happy to engage in fanservice with women, either teasing the audience at lives by getting close enough to let them touch him or by engaging in risque behaviour in videos.
87	* FemaleGaze: The camera spends an inordinate amount of time on Atsushi's crotch, from as many angles as possible.
88	* FlameWar:
89	** "Living On The Net" is arguably at least in part about someone engaging in a flame war.
90	** Strangely enough, the band ''doesn't'' seem to attract as many fan flame wars as other bands of its era do, mostly because of its relative freedom from internal controversies such as deaths, disbandment, and the like.
91	* FluffyFashionFeathers: Sakurai's feather boa accessory during the Tenshi No Revolver tour. Also his feather-trimmed hats.
92	* GenerationXerox: TheNewTens VisualKei band [[http://www.vaniru.com/profile/ Vaniru]], and its vocalist Leoneil. See FamilyBusiness above.
93	* GenreShift: Started out as PunkRock, but have shifted to {{Industrial}}, PostPunk, [[NewWaveMusic New Wave]], AlternativeRock, GothRock, and now what Sakurai is calling "straight rock." In effect, almost every studio album serves as a NewSoundAlbum to some extent. They also reputedly started VisualKei somewhere in there.
94	* GratuitousEnglish: Most notably on "Love Letter", though their early work is smattered with English titles and random lyrics, often badly pronounced or nonsensical (or both). "Sexual XXXXX" for example, is often referred to as "Sexual Tacos" in Western fandom. Why? Go listen to it.
95	* GreatBallsOfFire:
96	** BUCK-TICK's stage shows often involve the use of pyrotechnics, and they also have a love affair with fire - particularly candles - in their videos. The video for "Kuchizuke", rather bafflingly, featured a flaming wheelchair - and not in the figurative way.
97	** ''Kyokutou Yori Ai wo Komete'' PV takes this up to eleven - ''everything'' that can be on fire is.
98	* TheGruntingOrgasm: Atsushi is given to random grunts, growls and sighs during or between the more sex-oriented songs in their repertoire. Sometimes this spills over into TheImmodestOrgasm if it's a particularly intense performance.
99	* GunNut: The variant of AxCrazy depicted in ''Revolver.''
100	* HarshVocals: Combined with HiddenDepths for both Sakurai and Imai. Sakurai ''can'' be capable of it, though he doesn't try that often. ''Detarame Yarou,'' however, shows him to be ''just as capable'' of HarshVocals as Kiyoharu or similar artists more well known for that. Another fine example is their cover of [[Music/HidetoMatsumoto hide's]] ''Doubt,'' where Sakurai on lead and Imai on backing easily hit hide's notoriously difficult vocals perfectly.
101	* HellBentForLeather: Sakurai mostly, in the early days of the band, though Imai was no slacker either. It still makes costuming appearances, though these days it's a bit less shiny.
102	* ImprobableHairstyle: In the early days, anyway. Now, it's mostly just Toll, although Imai still has his moments.
103	* IntercourseWithYou:
104	** The aptly named "Sex For You" and "Sexual XXXXX", plus less obvious ones like "Chocolate", "Tango Swanka" "Cream Soda," "Kimi no Vanilla," "Jonathan Jet-Coaster," and from the new album, "Cosmic Circus." Frankly, a good portion of BUCK-TICK's songs are in this vein, one way or another (pun intended).
105	** ''Suzumebachi'' and ''Jonathan Jet-Coaster'' are what happens when IntercourseWithYou and HoYay get in bed together. Alternately, ''Cosmic Circus'' is explicitly heterosexual.
106	* InternetJerk: InUniverse example - "Living On The Net" is an early example from the perspective of someone being an example of the GIFT and getting into an argument on the internet.
107	* ItsNotPornItsArt: This covers a lot of BUCK-TICK'S output. The rest is either porn or art or some combination thereof that cannot even be explained.
108	* JapaneseDelinquents: Sakurai's circle of friends outside of school, until he met Imai and the rest.
109	* JekyllAndHyde: ''J'' is about Jekyll from Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde.
110	* KindheartedCatLover: Sakurai is the poster child for this trope, though some might argue it crosses into [[CrazyCatLady Crazy Cat Man]] territory.
111	* LiteraryAllusionTitle: "Mona Lisa Overdrive" (named after the book by William Gibson), "Aku No Hana" (translation of "Les Fleurs Du Mal" by Baudelaire).
112	* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Sakurai, in his younger days.
113	* LongRunnerLineup: From 1985 to present day, Buck-Tick has been touring and had the same line up for almost 30 years, which is LUDICROUSLY long lived for a Visual Kei act.
114	* ManInAKilt: It was more of a faux-tartan manskirt, but close enough. Manskirts have been a regular feature of Sakurai's wardrobe over the years, both plaid and otherwise. Other band members have also indulged, most notably Imai.
115	* {{Mangst}}: Sakurai's late father was a violent alcoholic, and Sakurai himself was a little on the wild side as a teenager, when he wasn't being [[FriendlessBackground That Silent Kid In The Corner]]. In interviews he has admitted to having problems as a result of this, but rarely dwells on it. He has also reflected on [[ParentalAbandonment the death of his mother]] in his lyrics. A touch too wry and self-aware to be TheWoobie, though that doesn't stop a lot of fans from wanting to give him a hug.
116	* MasqueradeBall: The theme of the songs ''J,'' ''Django,'' and ''masQue'' among others. ''Django's'' PV even centers around it.
117	* TheMentallyDisturbed: Probably one of the most common lyrical tropes the band uses. It's been combined with, among others, AxCrazy as mentioned above, FunnySchizophrenia (the song ''Physical Neurose,'') and ''many'' other themes. Strangely enough, though, unlike [[Music/XJapan other]] [[Music/DirEnGrey bands]] [[Music/IchiNiZeroIchiNi that]] focus on lyrics and songs about mental illness, none of the members have had an open or public struggle with it.
118	* NoEnding: The albums "Mona Lisa Overdrive" and "Kyokutou I Love You" were originally intended to be a [[DistinctDoubleAlbum double album]]. Though they were released separately, they are structured musically to feed into one another in an endless loop. The last track on each album contains musical elements that also appear in the first track on the other.
119	* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: In late 1996, Atsushi suffered a RupturedAppendix and abdominal peritonitis while in Nepal. He demanded to be transported back to Japan because [[BuryMeNotOnTheLonePrairie he wished to die in his homeland]] from the almost-always fatal illness, but somehow began to recover and became one of the few survivors of the illness. (For reference, this is the same illness that killed AV actor Masaki Koh, and it has a fatality rate of nearly 80% once peritonitis has developed.)
120	* NobodyLovesTheBassist: Averted. EVERYONE loves Yutaka, and when the band first formed he was reputedly the one who was most often their public face, being the friendliest and most willing to talk to people.
121	* NonAppearingTitle: There are quite a few of these but "Cream Soda" is a nice example, just for the clever wordplay. The words in the song SOUND LIKE THE TITLE, but they're not.
122	* OdeToIntoxication: "Speed," "Heroin," "My Fuckin Valentine," ''possibly'' "Jonathan Jet-Coaster."
123	* OlderThanTheyLook: Applies to all of them to some degree, most notable with Higuchi.
124	* PaintedOnPants: Atsushi has worn these. Many, many times.
125	* PerformanceVideo: Though not ALL their promotional videos are this, MOST feature the band playing their songs, even if in an unusual setting or intercut with more surreal elements. Notable exceptions are "Love Me", the singles version of "Kodou" and "Love Letter".
126	* PhraseSaladLyrics: Along with the later-mentioned WordSaladLyrics, something that Imai is famous for doing in almost any song he writes and sings. "Sid Vicious on the Beach" is one example, "Dada Disco G J T H B K H T D" is an even better one.
127	* PrecisionFStrike: "Sid Vicious on the Beach", "Cream Soda," "Living on the Net".
128	* PuttingOnTheReich: J-Rock seems to have a love affair with faux-Nazi uniforms, presumably for the shock-factor. There's a [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yoshikiatsushi_1945.jpg well-known photo shoot]] from the early days of the band that features Sakurai in one of these, looming over Music/YoshikiHayashi of Music/XJapan, who seems to be taking the role of the DamselInDistress (or FemmeFatale, depending on how you view it).
129	* RapRock: Overlaps with SpokenWordInMusic. ''Aikawarazu no 'Are' no Katamari ga Nosabaru Hedo no Soko no Fukidamari'' and some sections of ''My Fuckin Valentine'' feature Sakurai doing something that, if not "technical" rapping, is very close to it.
130	* RearrangeTheSong: The band often play new arrangements of both old and new songs at live shows. See also the "NOT Greatest Hits" album, which is a collection of their older songs, rearranged.
131	* RockstarSong: "Itoshi no Rock Star".
132	* RuleOfCool: Used by the band in the early days to explain their ImprobableHair and make-up. Later used by Atsushi to explain his early lyrical output.
133	* RummageSaleReject: Imai. Dear God Imai.
134	* SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll: Sakurai has made no secret of his love of alcohol, and the band took a hiatus back in 1989 when Imai was arrested for LSD possession. Arguably he was the unlucky one, as opposed to the only one. Drugs are also the probable or obvious subject of the songs "Speed" and "Heroin", possibly also "Candy".
135	* SexySaxMan: Sakurai has played sax live and on recorded tracks in the past.
136	* SharpDressedMan: Sakurai has embodied this for years in a million magazine shoots and on stage. Often combined with a WaistcoatOfStyle, [[WineIsClassy a glass of wine]], a cane and black nail polish to give an overall effect of WickedCultured. Once or twice he's successfully experimented with GorgeousPeriodDress or a white suit. Basically he looks good in a suit, whatever the style or color.
137	* SmokingIsCool: Played straight for years until most of the members gave up the habit.
138	* SomethingBlues: "Madman Blues".
139	* SomethingElseAlsoRises: BUCK-TICK's lyrics and videos are full of euphemisms, from the party popper in the "21st Cherry Boy" video, through the illustrative finger-sucking in "Zangai" to songs like "Cream Soda" and "Chocolate". They really like their blatant {{double entendre}}s.
140	* SpokenWordInMusic: "Uta" contains a couple of sampled lines of dialogue from Day Of The Dead. "Loop" features Sakurai talking over music.
141	* StageNames: Yagami Toll. To this day his real name remains unconfirmed. Sakurai has also had a name change of sorts, altering the kanji spelling of his name to an older form after the death of his mother.
142	* StepUpToTheMicrophone: In the initial line-up, Sakurai was BUCK-TICK's drummer. Imai sometimes performs lead vocals (both live and recorded) on songs for which he has written the lyrics.
143	* SuccubiAndIncubi: The theme of "Muma ~ The Nightmare," made most obvious in the 13Stairs live - the song is about an incubus/sexual vampire, and Atsushi plays the role as he sings it. Also the theme of "Devil'N Angel" except with a subversion - the "angel" is just as horny for the devil as he is for him or her.
144	* SurrealMusicVideo: "Candy" PV, anyone? Or if that doesn't take your fancy, try "Loop" or "Love Me", because everything is better with a talking oven-ready chicken.
145	* TallDarkAndHandsome: While Sakurai fits, Hoshino IS this Trope!
146	* VampiresAreSexGods: Which is presumably why Sakurai has absolutely no problem playing up to the physical stereotype - especially in the video for "Romance". In case you had any doubt about his sex-Godliness, he's also appeared in a [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448233/ short Japanese vampire movie]].
147	* VisualKei: While a contemporary of noted visual kei bands like X Japan, Buck-Tick never laid claim to being part of the scene. Nevertheless, they are repeatedly credited as being an inspiration for many bands who followed. Their song "Jupiter" was recently covered by Duel Jewel on "Crush!-90's V-Rock Best Hit Cover Songs" - an album on which current visual kei bands cover songs by bands who are considered important to the original '90s scene. Another Buck-Tick song, "Speed" is due to be covered by 9Goats Black Out on the sequel.
148	* WarIsHell: While Buck-Tick generally is fairly apolitical (like X, unlike Loudness and EZO and SEIKIMA-II), they do throw the occasional anti-war ProtestSong out there. ''Revolver'' is likely one fusing GunNut, AfterTheEnd of a nuclear war, and AxCrazy with WarIsHell.
149	* WardrobeMalfunction: Rather famously, Atsushi suffered one of these partway through the Parade Tour, when his pants split from knee to groin during a show. Unfortunately for the audience, he managed to cover the damage until the end of the set by tying his coat around his waist.
150	* WordSaladLyrics: Imai is a master of this. Some good examples include "Physical Neurose" and "Dada Disco G J T H B K H T D."
151	* YouBastard: ''Detarame Yarou'' translates to this and to "you asshole!"

Context Music / BuckTick