Jump to content

Thee Michelle Gun Elephant

From Alfawiki
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 30 November 20255 sources
Thee Michelle Gun Elephant
Company typeBand
IndustryMusic
Founded1991
Defunct2003-10-11
Headquarters
Tokyo
,
Japan
ProductsMusic albums, singles, live recordings, DVDs

Thee Michelle Gun Elephant (TMGE) was a Japanese garage rock ensemble established in 1991.[1]

History

The band originated in 1991 when Chiba, Ueno, and Kuhara were enrolled at Tokyo's Meiji Gakuin University. They were inspired by The Roosters. Their name came about due to a friend's mishearing of an early jam session recording that included covers of songs by Thee Headcoats and The Damned's Machine Gun Etiquette.[2] Guitarist Futoshi Abe became a member shortly afterward. Following the release of an independent EP in 1995, the group signed with Nippon Columbia's Triad label, under which they issued Cult Grass Stars and High Time in 1996, both achieving commercial recognition within Japan.[3] Their 1997 album Chicken Zombies featured a single that broke into the top five charts. In 1998, Gear Blues marked their initial release in the United States (2000). Tracks from this album were also included in the 2002 Japanese motion picture Blue Spring.

The band officially dissolved on October 11, 2003, after concluding their Last Heaven tour. Guitarist Futoshi Abe passed away from acute hematoma in July 2009,[4] while vocalist Yusuke Chiba died due to complications related to esophageal cancer in November 2023.[5]

Side projects

Throughout their tenure with TMGE and beyond, each member participated in various other musical acts and collaborations:

Yusuke Chiba (1968–2023)

  • Lead vocals, guitar, and songwriting for ROSSO
  • Vocals, guitar, and songwriting duties with The Birthday
  • Performed as 'LACOSTE' on vocals and guitar for The Midwest Vikings
  • Contributions to Raven
  • Participation in Midnight Bankrobbers
  • Involvement with The Golden Wet Fingers
  • Solo project called Snake On The Beach initiated in 2012
  • Guest vocal appearances on 'Stompin' On Down Beat Alley' by Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
  • Featured vocals on 'Hito to Hikari' by Bugy Craxone

Kazuyuki Kuhara (1969– )

  • Drumming for select live performances with ROSSO
  • Drummer on all recordings for The Birthday
  • Played drums and pianica under the alias 'HANG TEN' for The Midwest Vikings
  • Provided drums on later releases for Yoko Utsumi's YOKOLOCO BAND
  • Performed drums on Shigeki Hamabe's first two albums
  • Drummer for all releases by M.J.Q

Koji Ueno (1968– )

  • Bassist on all recordings with Radio Caroline
  • Bass player for every release by The Hiatus

Futoshi Abe (1966–2009)

  • Guitarist on KOOLOGI's debut albumja:KOOLOGI
  • Participated with Barebones
  • Guitarist for Strawberry Jean prior to TMGE formation

Studio Albums

Live Recordings

  • Casanova Said "Live or Die" (2000) Triad
  • Last Heaven's Bootleg (2003) Island

Singles

  • Sekai no Owari (1996) Triad
  • Candy House (1996) Triad
  • Lily (1996) Triad
  • Culture (1997) Triad
  • Get Up Lucy (1997) Triad
  • The Birdmen (1997) Triad
  • G.W.D (1998) Triad
  • Out Blues (1998) Triad
  • Smokin' Billy (1998) Triad
  • GT400 (2000) Triad
  • Baby Stardust (2000) Triad
  • Abakareta-Sekai (2001) Triad
  • Taiyou wo Tsukande Shimatta (2002) Island
  • Girl Friend (2003) Trippin' Elephant
  • Electric Circus (2003) Island

B-Sides Collections

  • Rumble (1999) Triad

Greatest Hits and Compilations

  • TMGE 106 (2000) Triad
  • Collection (2001) Alive Records, US edition
  • Grateful Triad Years (2002) Triad
  • Thee Greatest Hits (2009) Columbia

Additional Releases

  • Wonder Style (1995) Trippin' Elephant
  • Reissued version of Wonder Style (1997) Triad
  • Vibe On! (1998) Trippin' Elephant
  • Collaborative album with Mick Green, titled Kwacker (2001) Trippin' Elephant

DVDs

The band has issued multiple live and promotional DVDs, notably a comprehensive 10-disc live DVD collection named THEE LIVE released by Nippon Columbia in January 2010.

External links

  1. ↑ "Ｔｈｅｅ ｍｉｃｈｅｌｌｅ ｇｕｎ ｅｌｅｐｈａｎｔ │ オリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
  2. ↑ "ROCKIN'ON JAPAN インタビュー : チバCollection". Shine1771.exblog.jp. 2009-05-01. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Strong
  4. ↑ ドコデモタワレコ. "ニュース - Tower Records Online". Bounce.com. Archived from the original on 2009-07-27. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
  5. ↑ "The Former Vocalist for Thee Michelle Gun Elephant Yusuke Chiba Died at the Age of 55". The Japan News by the Yomiuri Shimbun. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Thee_Michelle_Gun_Elephant&oldid=83772"