The Blue Hearts

Blue Hearts are Japan's most successful punk band, although admittedly they mixed Ramones, Clash, and social commentary with country and early rock & roll influences. The group, which ranked number 19 on the HMV list of top Japanese bands in the 2000s, was established in 1985 in Tokyo by vocalist Komoto Hiroto, guitarist Mashima Masatoshi, bassist Kawaguchi Junnosuke, and drummer Kajiwara Tetsuya, and soon garnered a reputation as a solid live act. They waited for two years before releasing anything, but in 1987 provided a slew of recorded material, all out on Meldac: the debu...