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''Art of Life'' is a mini album by the Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, released on August 25, 1993 by Atlantic Records. The album consists solely of the 29-minute long orchestrated title track, which was written and composed by Yoshiki entirely in English and recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It topped the Oricon chart and has sold over 600,000 copies. The album is the band's first after changing their name from simply "X" and the first to feature bassist Heath. ==Overview== With the release of two successful studio albums, ''Blue Blood'' in 1989 and ''Jealousy'' in 1991, X Japan was hugely popular for a metal/rock band in Japan and were selling out the country's largest indoor concert venue, the Tokyo Dome, yearly. But in 1992 bassist Taiji left the group and was replaced by Heath. Also in 1992, Yoshiki bought a recording studio complex in North Hollywood, California, United States. Known as One on One Recording Studios, it would later be renamed Extasy Recording Studios and become the place where recordings for nearly all his projects takes place.〔''Billboard'' 27 Nov 1999, p. 52〕 For the release of ''Art of Life'', X Japan left Sony and signed a deal with Atlantic Records, and like the previous album it wasn't completely recorded in Japan or Los Angeles, but in several different places, most notably One on One Recording Studios in the US and Abbey Road Studios in London (orchestra only).〔''Jealousy'' liner notes, 1991.〕 The heavily orchestrated piece (recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)〔 Mentioned in Yoshiki's biography ''YOSHIKI / 佳樹'', written by Komatsu Narumi〕 comprises several passages of varying speeds and instrumentation, including numerous verses, with no set chorus, several harmonized guitar solos, and eight minutes performed solely on piano. In 2011, Yoshiki recalled that he wrote the song in roughly two weeks and that recording took approximately two years.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 work = jame-world.com )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】 work = jame-world.com )〕 As for the lyrical theme, he said he drew from his own life, particularly from how he felt suicidal when his father died.〔 The song was unveiled for the first time at a concert at the Nippon Budokan on July 30, 1992.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 work= hide-city.com )〕 ''Art of Life'' was released on August 25, 1993. In the initial counting week of September 1993 it reached number one on the Oricon chart, with sales of 337,490 copies. By the end of the year it had sold 513,000 copies and was the 28th best-selling album of the year. However, X Japan only performed two concerts that year, as each member began solo careers.〔 These concerts were held at the Tokyo Dome on December 30 and 31 and titled X Japan Returns, marking the beginning of a New Year's Eve tradition that would last until the group's disbandment. By 2013, ''Art of Life'' has sold over 600,000 copies.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 ()YOSHIKI: “You Have to Force Your Way Through.” (Part One) )〕 In 1998 a live album composed solely of "Art of Life", combined from these two concerts, and titled ''Art of Life Live'' was released by Polydor Records, it reached number twenty on the charts.〔 Both concerts were released in their entirety on DVDs in 2008 as ''X Japan Returns 1993.12.30'' and ''X Japan Returns 1993.12.31'', the latter was originally released in 2003 on VHS and DVD as ''Art of Life 1993.12.31 Tokyo Dome''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Art of Life」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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