The Beginning.

"I wouldn't define visual-kei as a type of music. It just describes bands who wear costumes and makeup. You can't easily sweep them up into one musical category." -Mana

There is no one, perfect, simple way to describe what the Japanese call "visual kei." No one seems to know the true origin of the label, and no one can actually agree on what a "true" visual band is. What is known, however, is that it was not started by a singular band or entity, but rather by the efforts of many bands and musicians over a long period of time. Many histories begin in 1980, the year that BOØWY formed, the band that "changed everything."

While this author agrees that BOØWY was indeed the major catalyst not only for visual, but for much of Japan's current rock music, it seems pertinent to start before they formed.

The year is 1970. The Group Sounds boom of 60's is in ruins, and much of the folk rock popular with the younger generation is suffering from being banned from the media. This ban does not keep the bands quiet, and they look to alternate ways of getting their music heard. At the time, this was live performances. A word of mouth network began to form around these live shows. Several records became hits despite little to no airplay.

Couple this environment with disagreement about what rock music is, and what a Japanese band must do to be considered a rock band. After the assorted failed attempts at breaking into the western industry in the 60's by Group Sounds bands, it is likely a certain percentage of bands and listeners would have turned to concentrating on making music for their country, and their country only. But at the time, rock music was still heavily identified with English, and many felt that the lyrics needed to be in English for the song to be a rock song. But why in English, when the English speaking world didn't seem to want them?

This argument was ultimately settled when a band called HAPPY END released their self-titled debut record. It quickly became a hit- notable for two separate reasons. The first was that it was advertised using little more than the word of mouth network at lives and on college campuses. The second was that the lyrics were Japanese. Japanese, and yet, this band was a rock band. The argument over language faded away as the newly born indies scene entered the 1970's.

The 70's would be a time of complete metaphorical stripping down of music and musicians in Japan. New Rock, and ultimately New Music, would concentrate on putting music before all else. In it's way, the idea that lyrics could be written in their native language without compromising genre gave musicians an new sense of freedom. They could be whatever they wanted. Bands rejected the manufactured look of the bands from 1960's, choosing to perform in as little glamour as possible. But more importantly, they took on the media- and won. Bands refused to go on television unless they could perform as they desired, for however long and looking however they wanted.

That isn't to say it was an unbridled golden age of low maintenance in the industry at the time. The popularity of the idol group was on the rise, and the demanding New Rock groups could compete for only so long before they had to compromise. Compromise lead to change.

While the New Rock groups had been breaking ground in their own way, they accounted for only a small part of the industry booms of the 70's. The larger New Music boom, which consisted of varied musicians and styles of music gave Japan's masses a taste for variety. The earlier industry booms had been successive, and fairly singular in musical style. They imploded not just because of over-saturation, but because the public grew bored with whatever style was popular. New Music was not a single style- it was everything from psychedelic rock to electro-pop. It was about attitude, not genre.

And so would the subsequent booms be identified with attitude before genre. As the 80's grew nearer, and the indies scene grew, so did the variety of styles represented therein. Eventually, ideas concerning image went roundabout, and bands began to care about their looks again. There were still bands perpetuating the ideals of New Rock, but they were only some among many. The Japanese were ready for spectacle again, and there would be no shortage in the band boom of the 1980's.

In it's way, the 80's band boom was probably as varied as New Music had been, but to the casual gawker, the differences were harder to see. Many bands drew inspiration for both their look and sound from the glam and hair metal bands of the west. The catalyst, as has already been stated, was a band called BOØWY. The unofficial beginning of this band boom is usually placed in the year of their debut, 1983. While it cannot be denied that the boom had already begun forming before then, it also cannot be denied that all hell broke loose around that time.

The boom of the 80's was undeniably commercial. Musicians wanted to make money. And they wanted to make money fast. Bands would make a hit, collect their paycheck and disappear. And there would be another band ready to take their place the second they vanished. Bands used all kinds of bizarre spectacles to lure in consumers- there was even a band that performed while swimming.

Naturally, there was a fair amount of dissent in the indies scene towards this attitude. After all, BOØWY had struggled to produce their music on their own, and had gained their popularity through hard work and talent. While there was a certain element of spectacle to their look, it was their music that ultimately earned them legend status. They were the perfect bridge between New Rock and the 80's band boom mentality. They did what they wanted, how they wanted, and they looked good doing it.