Takanori Makes Awesome Duets
(Some sample outfits from Takanori's hilarious wardrobe~ Sry, can't remember where I originally took these from.)
So, yesterday I was surfing on Youtube and ended up looking at various TMR videos. Turns out he's met, like, every Japanese musician ever and has sung duets with quite a few of them as well. The awesome thing about Takanori is that in addition to being an insanely skilled vocalist, he also has a very versatile voice which blends in wonderfully with many different kinds of artists' voices. So here are some links (I won't embed since that tends to slow down the site so much) to excellent performances.
With Kiyoharu. Song: Hageshii Ame ga ("The Violent Rain") by THE MODS, from 1983.
Comment: It has to be said, Kiyoharu has a pretty damn awesome voice, as much I hate to admit it (I don't really like him as a person so much). And his and Takanori's voices go together so well it's truly a pleasure to listen to this. They're both also playing acoustic guitars here - I didn't actually know Takanori could play one!
With Atsushi Sakurai. Song: DRESS by BUCK-TICK, from 1993.
Comment: This is the song Takanori's rock band project abingdon boys school covered for PARADE -RESPECTIVE TRACKS OF BUCK-TICK- tribute album in 2005. In this video the band is well into performing it (in plaid skirts XD) when suddenly Atsushi appears on stage to duet it with Takanori! And holy shit is it awesome! (Takanori himself is so into the song & Atsushi he looks like he's in drugs, lol.)
With Gackt. Song: Konayuki ("Snowflakes" or "Snow Powder") by Remioromen, from 2005.
Comment: This was the theme song for the famous (or infamous) drama 1 Litre of Tears, and it was a huge hit at the time. It's a very sad song, but Gackt and Takanori give it an edgier interpretation and change the mood of the song quite drastically, in my opinion. They sound really good together, though, even if they look a little funny sitting down on a sofa while singing, without guitars or anything in their hands.
With Nanase Aikawa. Song: To Be With You by Mr. Big, from 1991.
Comment: Alright, I admit, this is not such a good duet (mostly because the backup singers are bloody ruining it), but I really wanted to include at least one duet with a woman and couldn't find any other! Also, Nanase is always hot and awesome even if her mangled English makes me cringe (Takanori fares a little better here) and is hard to ignore what with the lyrics on the screen and all...