Is BACK-ON’s first full album called “Yes!!!”?

Rumours that BACK-ON might be releasing their first full album this year have been floating around since earlier this year, when the various online record companies posted an ‘Untitled’ album by BACK-ON due out on the penultimate day of July. However, 30th July came and went, and news from the band during the summer were really just day-to-day thoughts from their official blog.

Then came September, and the revelation that the other half of the mysterious new group BAReeeeeeeeeeN were in fact BACK-ON, and since then, the band has experienced a huge surge of popularity. So much so, that at their first public performance after the release of 足跡 (Ashiato) at Shibuya Boxx on October 9th, the venue was packed out! We found out about this from the official ‘report’ on Back-on.com, which was accompanied by the launch of their official photo gallery, featuring more than a dozen photos from the gig!

There are more photos available at the link above, but perhaps more importantly… we had the very first hint in the last line of the report that the full album really is forthcoming, this time on the new rumoured date of November 12th 2008!

So what do we know about this potential new album? If the Japan-base online CD retail companies like Amazon.jp, CDJapan and HMV.jp are anything to go by, this is the jacket cover of the brand new album:

We also find out that the new album will probably be called Yes!!!, and that it should be priced at ¥ 2,600, which is around $27 USD or £17 GBP. Apparently there will be a total of 10 tracks, including 足跡 (Ashiato) aka. Footprints and color from the BAReeeeeeeeeeN debut single, which really shouldn’t be a surprise, given that the cover design really does scream (to me) GReeeeN!!! What do you think? Let us know on the Forums, if not in the comments below!

The supposed 8 other tracks on the album are currently unknown, but it seems BACK-ON will definitely be including all the title tracks from their singles so far, which presumably means songs such as (in reverse chronological order) –

• Sands of time
• flower
• Butterfly
• BLAZE LINE
• NEW WORLD
• Chain

and many more of their crowd favourites. One site even mentioned ヒカリサスホウ (Hikari Sasuhou), which was a huge hit with the fans at their October 9th Sonic Concorde gig, enough to make BACK-ON perform it twice!

Seeing as it’s one of my most favourite songs, I think I can understand why ;) And as if the photo extravaganza above wasn’t enough, look at the promotional photo we found on Amazon.jp!

Kenji03 is wearing glasses!!! That’s enough to make any fan-girl go KYAAAAAA! (I’ve borrowed this from someone, sorry!) It’s a pity the photo isn’t larger, but if you do want a good close up, I can certainly recommend watching a new video uploaded by gangangan03, where BACK-ON (in their new outfits!) introduce 足跡 (Ashiato), but unfortunately the broadcasting giants appear to have waved their copyright flag, and not only have they removed the video, but gangangan03‘s Youtube account has mysteriously been suspended! It’s a HUGE HUGE blow for BACK-ON fans imho, and I really hope the account will be re-instated soon as it is a gold mine of media of the band. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

I would like to drop in a tantalizing hint “タネウマ★DJ ICHIKAWA from Volta Master remix” at this point, but let’s leave it for the next post and move back to the main topic:

Will BACK-ON‘s first full album be called Yes!!!

Will it really be released on November 12th 2008?

That really remains to be seen, but please keep checking back here for more news!

Only 3 more days to go until the release of “Sands of time”

Are you excited? I can hardly wait! With the days are crawling by so slowly, it doesn’t help that I know I have to wait up to an additional week to receive the pre-ordered Sands of time CD! :)

If you’re wondering where to buy your copy, we’ve done a little bit of research on a few major online retailers who are stocking the single, and have provided a table below for your general reference. For the sake of convenience, we’re listing prices in USD (even though I personally live in the UK) as it makes it far easier to compare the ‘true’ costs.

*Prices originally listed in Japanese Yen have been converted using the Interbank rate listed on OANDA on May 18th 2008. These are annotated with a ‘~’.
*The shipping costs are for a standard Air Mail delivery (not EMS) to the US which usually means a delivery time of around a week (7 days) except when this is not available.

Although this is only a very crude guide, there is some variation in price so it’s a good idea to shop around. I have only made purchases from Play-Asia, Yesasia and HMV (Japan) [we’re not affiliated with any retailers!] and can’t complain about their service at all. For CDJapan, I have corresponded with the support team by email, and have found them to be very helpful.

Hopefully some will find this comparison table useful. :) If there are any errors or mistakes, of if anyone can suggest any alternative sources, please let us know in the comments!

p/s: We’ve just updated the Discography section with the (reported) track times of songs from the new single!

Back-on’s 3rd Single – Flower – out August 29th 2007!

It’s still a few months before the arrival of August (when Back-on will be performing at their second ever international concert during Anime Evolution in Canada) but in the meantime, a new CD single has popped up in some Japan online CD shops such as Amazon -Japan

under Back-on‘s discography, called Flower!

At present, aside from a few general details such as the release date, label, catalogue reference and recommended price (as listed below):

• Release date : August 29th 2007
• Label : Cutting Edge
• Catalogue ref. : CTCR-40261
• Recommended price : ¥ 1,200

the only significant information available regarding the single is that it is related to the anime: Eyeshield 21,

where the song, Flower, will be the new ending theme!

If this news seems completely random, Back-on were invited to write the (current) OP and ED of Eyeshield 21, and the songs have just been released as the 3-track single BLAZE LINE/a day dreaming…, which included an additional song EYES.

There is also news that the first releases of Flower will be special edition CDs, with the jacket cover of the single featuring Back-on and the inside-pages of the usual booklet featuring Eyeshield 21. This isn’t too surprising, considering the first release of the single Chain also had a specially-designed booklet!

The really tantalising information about the single is that some sites have mentioned “CD-Extra“, which generally means that something extra (maybe a preview video or an actual video?) will be included with the release. Definitely something to look forward to! :D

BLAZE LINE/a day dreaming… single released today!

BLAZE LINE/a day dreaming… is out today! The single cover featuring Teeda is shown below and clicking on it will take you to an even larger picture in the Gallery.

The tracklisting includes: