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Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on the snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn’s rain. When you awaken in the morning’s hush, I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there. I did not die. Anonymous |
| HIDE SITES: OFFICIAL |
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Hide-City.com Spread Beaver: Ever Free Zilch
Cafe le Psyence |
| HIDE SITES: UNOFFICIAL |
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Chris and Katrin's X Japan Page Black List: hide and Pata Dahlia Eternal Extasy hide.ever.free hide Memorial [Jrocker.com] KurenaiX Sans Chagrin: X Japan XToshiX's Visual Shock |
| PSYCHOMMUNITY [HIDE] |
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It's weird to be reviewing a "best of" album just because it's sort of a given that the tracks will be among the best the artist has to offer. Even taking that into consideration though, this album has still proven to be a step above the average compilation. Plus this is a tribute to hide so I might as well go through some of his more well-known songs. [1] Rocket Dive "Come baby go, lemme show my rocket..." Ye~ah. *L* This song is addictive. It's upbeat, catchy, and even has a somewhat mangled "Ode to Joy" in the guitar solo. Lots of double meanings in the lyrics but on the whole, a fun romp you can't help but sing along to. [2] Dice One of my favorite tracks. Fast-paced with shredding guitars. Blink once and it's over but the ride is worth it. [3] genkai haretsu The bass! *_* Another fast rock song with a more melodic refrain. Bit of a slowdown in the bridge complete with a short bass solo. A definite must for hard rock fans. [4] 50% & 50% Drums! This one is BOUNCY. *L* Guaranteed to have you bopping your head to the beat. And the refrain? You'll sing along. If you don't know the words, you'll want to. It's FUN. ^_~ There's a REALLY cute guitar effect right before the solo, the equivalent of a musical raspberry is the best way to describe it. Just listen. You'll see. XD [5] Eyes Love You hide's first solo single and one of the few songs he didn't write the lyrics to. Smoother, more mellow, uses keyboards to weave the music together. hide's voice is a little lower, more hoarse in this and there's a spoken part in the middle as well (probably Yoshiki's influence *L*). Nice track all in all. [6] Flame Medium-paced with powerful lyrics. hide's voice is smooth here, more serious. Accompaniment is mostly guitars with swirly-type sound effects. Bittersweet is the best way to describe it. "Life is going on..." [7] Pink Spider Guitars, guitars, guitars. The verses are anchored by them while the refrain soars. Generally regarded as hide's "anthem" since it's penned after a nickname Yoshiki gave him. [8] LEMONed I Scream (choco-chip version) Okay, this is one of the songs where first time listeners tend to go, "WHAT!?" *L* It's silly with a disco-type sound effect in the background. Medium-paced, it reminds me of something you'd hear on an old cartoon theme somewhere. The lyrics though, are another story. You just have to hear to believe. [9] Hi-ho This one's more... jungly? hide raps, yes RAPS the verses but manages to keep the song well within the boundaries of rock. Mostly clipped guitar chords with a steady drum beat, with the occasional hooting noise for variety. Another one that will have you bopping your head whether you want to or not. There's a cute little tropical/jungle sounding interlude towards the end leading up to the finale where hide and backup voices answer back and forth. [10] Beauty and Stupid The first notes give the feeling of spiralling into some abyss where hide awaits and begins telling tales of *ahem* questionable content. The beat has a slight ska flavor and the refrain makes for great chanting. "Baby love you, love you like an ANIMAL!" Another addicting track. [11] Doubt Ahh... taking us back to the grand days of X Japan, but with a modern hide flavor. This is metal, complete with the screaming, the raging guitars, the driving beat. A little distortion in the vocals adds the final touch. [12] Goodbye A Beatle-esque ballad that took on a whole new meaning after May 1998. Major key, standard chord progression. Lots of background effects but they only serve to enhance the melody. Sometimes it's the simple things have the most impact... [13] ever free An extremely catchy, upbeat song. The lyrics and melody both are uplifting. Again, simple chord progression, lots of guitar. Happy, hopeful, ever free. [14] D.O.D. (Drink or Die) What is this, the hide drinking song? XD Clipped guitars, growled, nasally vocals, a chorus of... uhm... friends yelling "Drink or Die!" in between lines. I think there was even a bottle breaking somewhere in there. *L* [15] Pose Starts off with... a ping pong ball then a mechanical voice repeating, "Zero, one, zero, one, zero, one..." and so on. Best classified as... punk or heavy metal I suppose. Kind of sounds like something Rob Zombie might come up with. Definately an interesting contrast to everything else on this album. [16] Tell Me A mix between "Eyes Love You" and "ever free" with some variation thrown in. It's a bit more polished sounding than a lot of the other tracks, smoother, not as raw. There's a sweet reggae section in the bridge adding to the many flavors that make this song unique. [17] Breeding This is the only track on this album I think should have been replaced by something else. Don't get me wrong, it's a good, solid offering, again with a more professional sound than some of the others. Still though, it sounds just like any other jrock song. *shrugs* It has a nice piano ending though. [18] Misery (remix version) This is my favorite hide song. The counterpoint to the sadness in "Flame," "Misery" sends a message of hope. It's a reminder to be happy no matter what's gone wrong, that things will be all right in the end. Raw, strumming guitars give it an unpolished feel but that's really beside the point. Standard chords, major key, slowdown on the bridge. It's complex in its simplicity. This song has gotten me through many rough times and I suspect it will continue to do so.
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| Thursday, May 2, 2002 |
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This song means a lot to me so I thought I'd use it. The translation can be found here if you care to look. Note, this article will not be as coherent as Ger's, nor as well-written. The subject is too close to my heart for me to analyze it objectively. But I couldn't let the day pass without posting something. So here we go.
hideto. hide. hee-deh. Anything I say about how hide's music has affected me would be an understatement. Unlike Ger, I discovered hide as a solo artist before I even knew he was in X Japan. I was relatively new to jrock at the time and I hadn't even seen Yoshiki in spikes and leather yet. I think I might have known that there was A hide in this band called X Japan but I didn't realize it was the same one.
I was first introduced to hide by a friend who gave me a copy of "Rocket Dive" and claimed I'd get horribly addicted to it. I have to admit, the first time I heard it, I was hooked. The guitars, the melody, the thing just plain rocked. While it didn't prompt me to obsess and actively hunt for more hide and Spread Beaver material, I did listen to that song over and over again. I couldn't help it. I was addicted.
When it came time to buy my very first jrock CD, I scoured the shelves of the local Kinokuniya and picked up two: X Japan's Ballad Collection and PSYCHOMMUNITY by hide. I had learned a little more about the two artists by that point and was eager to sample more of what other fans considered to be two of jrock's legendary artists. Putting off the ballad collection until later, I'd heard most of the tracks on it anyway, I placed the bright pink CD into my stereo and soon heard the familiar strains of "Rocket Dive." That was only the beginning.
The rest of the album floored me. True, it's a compilation of his more well-known songs but every single track was good. hide may not have the orchestral flair Yoshiki does but what drew me into his music even more was the myriad of styles he was able to use. Every song was unique. With the exception of Flame and Misery which are reflections of each other, each track was drastically different and each appealed in its own way. From then on, I'd come to respect and admire hide's solo work, sometimes even more than his work in X Japan.
To me, hide was a musical genius. Every time I listen to Psychommunity, I am reminded of this. His compositions, his arrangements, even his sometimes odd lyrics are exceptional and it pains me to know that there will be no more forthcoming. Just three albums, a stack of singles, and whatever else his friends can pull from their dusty archives.
I agree with Ger that X Japan is what gave hide his start but that wasn't why his solo work was so well received. Out of all of them, Yoshiki included, hide's solo career was probably the most successful. And his music succeeded not because he was part of a popular band, but because of his incredible talent. He was not just a guitarist, he was a vocalist, bassist, and composer as well. From punk to rock to metal to rap to even reggae- his melodies were catchy, the guitars solid, the lyrics precise. He had a way of putting songs together and making all the elements work.
It's strange to look back on it now. I've seen pictures of where hide used to live in LA and surprisingly, I recognized the neighborhood. I used to pass the general area on my way to work. To think. He had been right there and I never thought to look.
It's hard to say if hide would be here today, styling hair at some beauty shop if it weren't for Yoshiki's fateful phone call. I'd like to think he would have found his way back to music with or without him. I suppose we'll never know.
I do know this though. With or without X Japan, with or without his flamboyance and charm, Matsumoto Hideto was a gifted musician and artist at heart. For whatever appearance he put on, whatever color his hair was, whatever his friends did, whatever happened outside his life, hide had his guitar, his voice, and an incredible talent of putting the two together.
Circumstances placed him in a position to touch others and he did, sharing his experiences, his love, his pain, his tears through his music. That is what inspired the bands he took under his wing. That is what brought fans together, sweeping them from one emotion to the next.
I chose this song because it, to me, represents hide. It's a song about life- of past glories, fond memories, old friends, times gone by. It tells us to keep going, to live to the fullest despite pain, disappointment, sadness, and despair. And it reminds me that no matter what happens, things will work out in the end.
That is hide's legacy. His gift to himself, to his friends, to his fans. "beauty and stupid... ever free... flame of sadness... goodbye..." His words, his music, his memory will always be with us. And for me, I will never forget.
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| Thursday, May 2, 2002 |
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Being the resident X Japan freak on Shiroi Heya, I know I've written pages on X Japan already. But I don't think I should let this day go by without writing another article. This one is a little different though...I'd like to talk about my feelings on hide and how I think he affected the jrock scene and X Japan. If you know me well (or even if you've been reading Shiroi for a decent amount of time) you'll know that my favorite X guitarist is not hide. It's Pata. Why? For one thing, I have a tendency to gravitate towards lesser-known talents, and hide has legions of fans already. What's more, Pata is just as good, if not better than, hide as a guitarist, and you'll notice that in all earlier X Japan member listings, Pata is listed before hide in the order of members. hide is now generally regarded as the "lead guitarist" of X Japan not because he plays the lead guitar part, but because of his showmanship and charisma. So what do I think of hide? It's hard for me to think of hide without thinking of X Japan first, and so as a result it's hard for me to think of hide as a solo artist. I know some other people have the exact opposite problem, being fans of hide but not necessarily X Japan. I was a fan of X Japan long before I sampled any of hide's songs, and so thinking of hide also brings to mind Toshi, Pata, Taiji, Heath, and Yoshiki in a connected train of thought. Moonsong mentioned that since I don't seem to be as infatuated with hide's brilliance as some other of his fans (not that that's a bad thing...maybe I'm just cynical in general) that I could offer a different perspective on him that is usually found on fan sites. I respect hide as a musician. That is a given. As a guitarist, I have tremendous respect and even awe for his talent with the guitar, and just because I'm a Pata fan doesn't mean I don't think hide is just as worthy of mention. One of the most awesome things about X Japan was the seamless guitar work between Pata and hide. It has always amazed me, and still does, every time I watch a live X performance on video, just how in tune the two of them are to each other. It might seem very easy for them to just whip out a duet, but it's incredibly difficult to find two musicians who can play together as well as they do. Pata is usually portrayed in a more negative light, while hide is many times depicted as the wild and crazy one of the group, but I'm sure the two of them spent hours upon hours painstakingly going over each note of those mind-blowing duets and honing them to perfection. As a composer and a singer and producer, hide also impresses me. As I said before, it's hard for me to think of him as a "solo artist," but I enjoy all of his solo works. As with Yoshiki, hide has a natural gift for music. Unlike Yoshiki, however, he was a peacemaker, a man with a friendly personality who tried to get along with everyone, one of the things which made him so great. As for hide's personal life, I really don't have a comment. As a fan, I don't think it's fair for me to judge someone I've never met. I realize that hide's schedule was very physically and mentally demanding, but I can't help but think that his death might have been almost inevitable. He was known for being violent when he was drunk and was probably an alcoholic. The people he hung out with: Yoshiki, Pata, the members of Spread Beaver, didn't help his drinking problem either. I don't enjoy thinking about how he died, and I don't think anyone else does either, so that's all I'll say about this. I do wonder sometimes if he would be as popular if he hadn't died. The sensationalism surrounding the death of any popular cult figure is always staggering, and with someone of hide's stature, it's risen to almost cataclysmic proportions. Maybe that's why I don't like to think of him as a solo artist. To me, hide was a member of X Japan first and foremost, and the people who suffered the most at his death were the members of his former band. Yoshiki once said himself that hide was the only person he knew who could persuade him not to do something, who could give advice that he would follow. I don't think hide ever got over the breakup of X. I don't think any of the others did either, but hide, Yoshiki, and Toshi were the most hard hit. For Yoshiki, it was a dream shattered and friendships lost. For Toshi, it was the denial of a lifetime of work. For hide, it was severing a part of himself. What is ironic is that Pata, Heath, and Taiji were hit with the backlash of the X breakup only after hide died. Many people hate Toshi for breaking X apart, but I don't think hide would have wanted anyone to hate Toshi. I believe that even if he himself was angry at Toshi, he wouldn't have let it affect his relationship with any of the members of the band. It was hide, after all, who convinced Yoshiki to let Toshi sing in the Last Live. Maybe if he had lived, hide could have brought Toshi and Yoshiki's friendship back together. I believe he was that kind of person. I don't idolize hide. Sometimes it's hard not to, with the abundance of hide shrines and memorials all over the place, but for me, idolizing just hide alone reduces the importance of the other people who brought him as far as he did. Neither do I idolize the individual members of X Japan. I think what's important is that hide is remembered not as just a rock star and a cult figure, but as a musician who did so much to promote the emerging rock scene in Japan. Through X, through his solo career and Spread Beaver and Zilch, through Zeppet Store, Shame, and Oblivion Dust, and now even after his death, through Takui, Dope HEADz, Transtic Nerve, and Cafe le Psyence, his impact continues to be felt throughout the rock community. Individual artists and songs of rock music may be ephemeral and short-lived, but it is people like hide who will have established the legacy of rock long after their names are forgotten. And I think that is why hide is so great.
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| Wednesday, May 1, 2002 |
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Shiroi Heya remembers one of the greatest guitarists of all time. hide was a member of one of the founding bands of Japanese rock music, X Japan, as well as being a very successful solo artist. His fans will never forget him.
fills a river of tears through the night memory, you never let me cry and you, you never said goodbye
sometimes the tears blinded our love
time through the rain has set me free
dry your tears, with love
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