Buck-Tick Zone

Notes

Ranked #1 on the album chart. 320,000 copies sold. This is the first album to chart at #1.

The single released from this album was "Just One More Kiss", Buck-Tick's first single on a major label. The b-side was "To-Search", their only single during their indie days.

The album was recorded in September 1988 in London, England. It is the only Buck-Tick album recorded outside of Japan.

This is the last album Buck-Tick has released where the album title and all the song titles are in English.

This is the first album to contain a song with lyrics written by Toll. He claims that Atsushi had too many songs to write lyrics for so he was just helping out.

The lyrics for "Iconoclasm" are the first for Buck-Tick to be completely written in English.

"J" is apparently about Jack the Ripper.

"Tokyo" is the first song to mention a prefecture. Atsushi does sing "cyber Tokyo" as called for in the lyrics though at another point that is in Japanese, he sings "machi" instead of "Tokyo". It remains one of the very few songs that mentions a prefecture, though technically Tokyo is a metropolis.

"J" has the name "Maria" in the lyrics. This is the first time this name is used in Buck-Tick's lyrics and it would be used again later. However, it is rare overall that any name is used in their lyrics. Hence, I'm going to keep pointing it out.

When Buck-Tick went to London to record the album, Hisashi forgot to bring a demo tape and had to re-write "Silent Night". He claims the version he wrote in London is much better than the original demo.

The studio where Buck-Tick recorded this album in London, Master Rock Studios, has since closed and been torn down.

The interlude melody from "Taboo" is credited to Lecuona Margarita, however one would have more success researching this composer by switching the names to Margarita Lecuona. (I suppose since the album was pressed in Japan, they listed the name in Japanese order.) Margarita was a Cuban composer and the original song is "Tabú" but has also been spelled "Taboo" and "Tabuo". She also wrote "Malagueña" (a standard of all guitarists) and "Babalu" (if you're American, think Ricky Ricardo). Several versions of this song are available from a variety of artists since the 1930s.

Since "Just One More Kiss" was recorded in Japan before the band went to London, the sound was different so they put it at the end of the album.

Toll commented that he had to play drums about 3x as much as he did in studios in Japan at the time, such was the level of detail in a British studio.

During one of the online listening parties I hosted on twitter in 2020, producer Owen Paul tweeted and shared that though there was a translator in the studio, communication was indeed difficult at times.

The limited edition first press of the CD was in a clear case. The disc itself had printed on it an image taken from the liner notes artwork. Subsequent pressings had a white jewel case tray with red text on the disc and an image of Atsushi's eye (the one used for the cover).

The vinyl version is a gatefold two record set compromising of a regular black vinyl and a picture disc. The picture disc with Atsushi on one side and the rest of the members on the other side is completely blank. Personally, I think it's a waste. It would have been beautiful if the picture disc contained an interview on it or extra tracks. Incidentally, this is the last Buck-Tick vinyl ever made as Japan stopped making vinyl in, I believe, 1989. After that, it was only used for special releases or promo material and not on a mainstream consumer basis.

There are 3 versions of the 1989 CD. The first copies were limited edition in a clear case with a picture disc. The other copies had text printed on the CD in either red (clear spine case) or purple (white spine case). I am not sure why there was this difference with red or purple print on the CD.

Buck-Tick re-recorded the tracks "Iconoclasm", "Just One More Kiss", and "Taboo" for the album Koroshi No Shirabe ~ This is NOT Greatest Hits.

The song "Iconoclasm" was remixed for the Buck-Tick remix album Shapeless (1994).

Buck-Tick re-recorded "Angelic Conversation" for the b-side of the single "MAD".

Booklet Images

group

Atsushi

Hisashi

Hide

U-ta

Toll

back of booklet

Vinyl Images

front, including sticker only on vinyl

label, Side A

label, Side B

picture disc, Side A

picture disc, Side B

CD Images

limited edition picture disc (clear spine)

red print disc (clear spine)

purple print disc (white spine)

Music Video Stills

Just One More Kiss, directed by Osamu Moriya