is a progressive rock

Progressive rock

Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...

 band from Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 which began in 1973. They gained some attention when they performed the soundtrack to Cromartie High School

Cromartie High School

by Eiji Nonaka, is a Japanese comedy manga, which was subsequently adapted into an anime and a 2005 live-action movie titled Cromartie High - The Movie directed by Yūdai Yamaguchi. It follows the everyday life of Takashi Kamiyama and his odd classmates at Cromartie High School, an infamous school...

 (under the pseudonym of Bikyoran). They also performed the ending theme for the show (entitled "Trust Me"); however the opening theme was by Yoshida Takuro

Takuro Yoshida

is a Japanese male singer-songwriter. He was born on April 5, 1946 in Okuchi, Kagoshima and raised in Hiroshima. He made his debut with the single "Imeji no Uta / Maku II" on June 1, 1970...

.

Their sound is often compared with King Crimson

King Crimson

King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...

 (they started as a King Crimson tribute band) which is understandable given guitarist Kunio Suma's emulation of Fripp's

Robert Fripp

Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...

 renowned style and some similarity in song titles ("Vision Of The City", "21st Century Africa").

Members

1973 1st BIKYORAN - electric guitar, vocals - bass, vocals - drums, vocals

1975 MADOROMI - electric guitar, vocals - bass, vocals - drums

1977 2nd BIKYORAN - electric guitar, vocals - bass, vocals - drums - Keybd - violin

1978 3rd BIKYORAN - electric guitar, vocals - bass, vocals - drums - keybd - violin

1982 4th BIKYORAN - electric guitar, vocals, mellotron - drums, keybd - bass, guitar, vocals

1995 5th BIKYORAN - electric guitar, vocals - bass, synth, recorder, vocals - percussion, recorder, vocals - drums, marimba, recorder, vocals - piano, synth, vocals - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, percussion - percussion, timpani - vocal, percussion

1997 6th BIKYORAN - electric guitar, vocals - bass, vocals - drums, vocals

2003 7th BIKYORAN - electric guitar, vocals - drums - melotron, mini-moog - bass - violin, viola

Discography

• Wind & Wave (1978)

1. 警告 [Warning]

• 美狂乱 [Bi Kyo Ran] (1982)

1. 二重人格 [Double]
2. シンシア [Cynthia]
3. 狂パートII [Psycho part II]
4. ひとりごと [Monologue]
5. 警告 [Warning]

• Parallax (1983)

1. サイレント･ランニング [Silent Running]
2. 予言 [Prediction]
3. 組曲「乱」[Suite "Ran"]

• 御伽世界-Early Live VOL.1 [Fairy Tales] (originally recorded in 1978, released in 1987)

1. うねり [Chaos]
2. 御伽世界 [Adore This]
3. 空飛ぶコクゾウ [Anti-Grounded Kokuzo]
4. 未完成四重奏 [Unfinished Quartett]
5. 予言 [Prediction]

• 風魔 [風魔-ライブ VOL.2] [Who Ma] (originally recorded in 1983, released in 1993)

1. 都市の情景 [The City Stays]
2. ひとりごと [Monologue]
3. 狂パートII [Psycho (Part I)]
4. サイレントランニング [Silent Running]
5. ストップ･ブレイキング・センス [Stop Breaking Sense]
6. 風魔 [Who Ma]
7. インプロヴィゼーション [Improvisation]

• 乱-ライブ VOL.3 [Ran] (originally recorded in 1983, released in 1994)

1. 狂パートI [Psycho (Part I)]
2. 警告 [Warning]
3. 組曲「乱」 [Suite "Ran"]
4. 二重人格 [Double]

• まどろみ LIVE VOL.4 [Madoromi live vol.4] (originally recorded in 1975, released in 1994)

1. グレート・デシーヴァー [Great Deceiver]
2. 土曜日の本 [A Book of Saturday]
3. ナイトウォッチ [Nightwatch]
4. エグザイルス [Exiles]
5. スターレス [Starles

• 五蘊 [Go-Un] (1995)

1. 乱パートII [Ran part II]
2. 旅の果て [Journey's End]
3. おもいいれ [Omoi-ire]
4. 狂パートII－II [Psycho part II-2]
5. 21世紀のAfrica [21st Century Africa]

• Deep Live (1995)

1. 狂パートII－2 [Psycho part II-2]
2. 狂パートIII [A Violent Nightmare]
3. 乱パートII [Ran part II]
4. ディープ [Deep]
5. 21世紀のAfrica [21st Century Africa]
6. 都市の情景 [Vision of the City]

• 狂暴な音楽 [Violent Music] (1997)

1. 狂暴な街 [A Violent City]
2. 地に足 [Psycho part II-2]
3. 狂暴な宴 [A Violent Perty (including op.2 "Sad Dali" movement #4]
4. 狂暴な砦 [A Violent Fort]
5. ひぐらし野郎 [A Man of Hand to Mouth]
6. Creep Funk [Creep Funk]
7. 狂暴な悪夢 [A Violent Nightmare]

• まどろみ・ハーデスト・ライブ ’76 [Madoromi: The Hardest Live] (originally recorded in 1975, released in 2000)

1. 情景5 [Sceen 5]
2. グレート・デシーヴァー [The Great Deceiver]
3. Tapes [Tapes]
4. 太陽と戦慄 Part I [Lark's Tongues in Aspic part I]
5. ワンモア・レッド・ナイトメア [One More Red Nightmare]
6. IMPROV [IMPROV]
7. イージー・マネー [Easy Money]
8. トーキング・ドラム [The Talking Drum]
9. 太陽と戦慄 Part II [Lark's Tongues in Aspic part II]

• Anthology Volume One (2002)

1. ルークウォームウォーター [Lukewarm Water]
2. 都市の情景 [The City Stays]
3. ゼンマイ仕掛け [Clockwork]
4. 御伽世界 [Adore This]
5. 未完成四重唱 [Unfinished Quartett]
6. 憧れのエーデルワイス [Edelweiss]
7. 空飛ぶコクゾウ [Anti-Grounded Kokuzo]
8. 海の情景 [The Ocean Stays]

• 魁!!クロマティ高校
  Cromartie High School
  by Eiji Nonaka, is a Japanese comedy manga, which was subsequently adapted into an anime and a 2005 live-action movie titled Cromartie High - The Movie directed by Yūdai Yamaguchi. It follows the everyday life of Takashi Kamiyama and his odd classmates at Cromartie High School, an infamous school...
  
   OST vol.1　[Cromartie Hi School Original SoundTracks vol.1] (2004)

1. トラストミー Part I [Trust me part I]
2. 街の光 [Citylight]
3. ジェントルマインド [Gentle Mind]
4. HIGURASHI [Higurashi]
5. フレディのテーマ [theme from Freddie]
6. 激しいペールギュント [hard Peer Gynt]
7. スクエアムーン [Square Moon]
8. Life On The Earth I [Life On The Earth I]
9. メカ沢ミニマル [Mechazawa Minimal]
10. もぐら [The Mole]
11. 謎のブリッジ [Bridge ]
12. プータンのテーマ [Theme from Pu-Tang]
13. トラストミー Part I I [Trust me part II]
14. Go NorthWest Go [Go NorthWest Go]
15. アフリカカリンバ [21st Century of Africa Kalimba]
16. ピエロ [the Clown]
17. くもの糸 [The Webb]
18. Mechazawa Hi-Speed [Mechazawa Hi-Speed]
19. 即興３ [Improvisation III]
20. 眠りの淵 [an Abyss of the sleep]
21. 即興１　[Improvisation I]
22. 祈り [Holy Night]
23. トラストミー Part I I I　[Trust me part III]

• 魁!!クロマティ高校
  Cromartie High School
  by Eiji Nonaka, is a Japanese comedy manga, which was subsequently adapted into an anime and a 2005 live-action movie titled Cromartie High - The Movie directed by Yūdai Yamaguchi. It follows the everyday life of Takashi Kamiyama and his odd classmates at Cromartie High School, an infamous school...
  
  OST vol.2　[Cromartie Hi School Original SoundTracks vol.2] (2004)

1. スクエア・ムーン [Square Moon (vocal version)]
2. 祭り [the Festival]
3. 星がどっさりな夜 [Full Stardust]
4. 煽るブリッジ1 [Bridge I]
5. 即興2 [Improvisation II]
6. プータン#2 [Theme from Pu-Tang II]
7. Mechazawa Hi-Speed (カラオケ) [Mechazawa Hi-Speed Karaoke]
8. Life On The Earth ２ [Life On The Earth II]
9. 煽るブリッジ2 [Bridge II]
10. ミミズ [The Earthworms]
11. Silent [Concerto-Silent]
12. 謎のブリッジ1 [Bridge III]
13. Troy [Troy]
14. サイモトロン [Simotoron Device]
15. Concerto-Impro2 [Concerto-Improvisation]
16. 煽るブリッジ3 [Bridge IV]
17. デッドボール [Dead Ball]
18. そろそろ [Soon]
19. 警告 [Warning]　1979/5/5 Live at Silver Elephant

External links

• bikyoran official Site http://www.bikyoran.net
• Bi Kyo Ran Album Reviews