METALLIAN - Bow Wow

Howl! Bow Wow - 1976 - Invitation
Signal Fire - 1977 - Invitation
Charge - 1977 - Invitation
Super Live - 1978 - Invitation
Guarantee - 1978 - Invitation
Glorious Road - 1980 - SMS
Telephone - 1980 - SMS
Kumikyoku X Bomber - 1980 - SMS
Hard Dog - 1981 - SMS
Asian Volcano - 1982 - VAP
Warning From Stardust - 1982 - VAP
Holy Expedition - live - 1983 -VAP
Bow Wow #1 - 1995 - Oo
Led By The Sun - Bow Wow #2 - 1996 - Oo
Ancient Dreams - 1999 - Wild Land
Live Explosion - 1999 - Wild Land
Majestic Night - 1989 - 2000 - Wild Land
Beyond - 2000 - Wild Land
Another Place - 2001 - Wild Land
What’s Going On? - 2001 - Wild Land
Super Live - 2004 - 2005 - Victor
Era - 2005 – MARS
All About Vow (Act 1) – 2017 – Bridge Inc.
All About Vow (Act 2) – 2017 – Bridge Inc.
Vow Wow Majestic Live 1989 – 2019 – Bridge Inc.
Wow Wow Live At Reading Festival 1987 – 2020 – Bridge Inc.

Members

Vocals

Solo>>Yamamoto Kyoji>>Solo, Wild Flag, Black Syndrome - Noiz>>Hitomi Genki - Revolt>>Horie Tetsuya>>The Panama Reds – Wild Flag, Solo, Black Syndrome>>YAMAMOTO KYOJI>>Wild Flag, Solo, Black Syndrome

Guitar

Wild Flag, Solo, Black Syndrome>>YAMAMOTO KYOJI >>Solo, Wild Flag, Black Syndrome - Saito Mitsuhiro>>ARB, Kit 16, Solo, , One Boy Players - Yaegashi Hiroshi – Do.T.Doll, ARB, One Boy Players, Kit 16, Solo>>SAITO MITSUHIRO>>Kit 16, Solo, ARB, One Boy Players

Bass

Sano Kenji>>Pacific Cost Jam - Gilgamesh, Hanson, Colosseum II, National Health, Gary Moore, Fastway, Gigmagog, Cozy Powell's Hammer, Cajo, Whitesnake, MGM, Phenomena>>Neil Murray>>MGM, Black Sabbath, The Brian May Band, Tony Martin, Peter Green Splinter Group, Cozy Powell's Hammer, Snakecharmer, Company Of Snakes, Empire, Rondinelli, The Fluffy Jackets’, MSG, Queen + Paul Rodgers, Queen, Grand Slam - Excite 3, Wild Flag>>Mitsuzomo Shotaro>>Excite 3, Wild Flag, Honjo Misako, Flower, Sun Heads, Flow-war, B'z, 望月英莉加, Katamali, Fumihiko Kitsutaka - Pacific Cost Jam>>Sano Kenji>>Pacific Cost Jam

Drum

Dot Dolls>>Niimi Toshihiro>>Lance Of Thrill, Bad Six Babies - Excite 3, Wild Flag>>Mitsuzono Eiji>>Excite 3, Wild Flag, Piranaheads, SADS, 黒夢, The Slut Banks, The Dust'N'Bönez, 森重樹, Kiyoshi - Dot Dolls, Bad Six Babies, Lance Of Thrill>>Niimi Toshihiro

Keyboard

Noiz, Moondancer, Tachyon>>Atsumi Rei>>Casino Drive

History & Biography

This pioneering act has had many hard rock songs, but has also veered into j-Rock, pop and progressive territory at times. The act was Bow Wow from 1975 to 1983, Vow Wow from 1984 to 1990 and again Bow Wow from 1995. Most recently there have been one-off Vow Wow concerts, which have been immortalized on CD and DVD. The band is often considered Japan's first hard rock group.

Bow Wow is a prime example of Japanese work ethics. The group was formed by producer Ueno Yoshimi in 1975. Singer/guitarist Saito Mitsuhiro and Niimi Toshihiro were the first recruits, but singer Yamamoto would take a leading role soon enough. The band's first album 'howl, bow wow' came a year after formation. In addition to the listed albums, there are solo albums recorded. Most full-length albums are interspersed by singles and EPs. The band was Japan's premiere heavy metal band of the '70s with a guitar orientation and only deteriorated in the '80s. The group’s debut performance was already sold out and a second concert had to be arranged in Tokyo. The band was offered opening slots for the likes of Aerosmith and Kiss in Japan in the late '70s. Kumikyoku X Bomber was music contributed to the Japanese X-Bomber serial. The group appeared in Hong Kong, at Reading Festival in the UK and Montreux Jazz festival in Switzerland in 1982. The band next played a gig in England with Hanoi Rocks in 1983 and then disbanded.

The Tokyo-based band later changed its name to avoid confusion with the flash in the pan pop act Bow Wow Wow in 1984. There was also a kid act around the same time delivering awful poetry in the ‘90s. The band’s guitarist Yamamoto had already switched exclusively to the instrument by 1984 and the band had recruited Hitomi to sing. Best Of Metal Motion in 1984 was the first under the Vow Wow monicker (and the new line-up). The band toured the UK including playing at the Marquee. In fact, the base of operations had shifted to England for three years. Neil Murray of Gary Moore, Whitesnake and Black Sabbath (then also in MGM with Bernie Marsden of Whitesnake fame) fame was on bass (with the band using Vow Wow as a name) for the V album in 1987 replacing Sano Kenji who had left the act as his wife was back in Japan. The single Don't Leave Me Now from this album, however, featured John Wetton formerly of Uriah Heep and then in Asia exceptionally. The members had indeed moved to London in 1986 seeking fame and Kyoji and Yamamoto became involved with the Phenomena album of producer Tom Galley (the brother of Whitesnake's Mel Galley who was also recording with Phenomena). Vow Wow members, Neil Murray and John Wetton had met through the Phenomena gig. The band played Tokyo Budokan and disbanded in 1990. Murray had already decamped to Black Sabbath. The band retired in 1990 after a brief move to Los Angeles. Alas, even after working with producer Bob Ezrin there, no American record contract was available. Yamamoto returned to Japan and initiated a band called Wild Flag. Singer Hitomi would eventually become a high school teacher.

The inevitable reunion was in 1995, but most members were new to the act. The Mitsuzonos were brothers. Horie began with the band for the mid-'90s. 1998 saw the band revert to the original monicker when the original members, except for the bassist, released a couple of albums and EPs called Still On Fire and Bow Wow #0. A series of albums, compilations and DVDs followed with Yamamoto ending up on vocals again.

Kyoji Yamamoto was appearing in the U.S. for the first time since 1978 for a debut solo appearance in the USA on Saturday, September 24th of 2011. Kyoji would play two instrumental shows at Klub 45 in Manhattan. Playing with Kyoji would be Karl Wilcox, drummer for Diamond Head. The guitarist had an album called Voyager through City Boy Records. All About Vow (Act 1) and (Act2) were CD/DVDs recorded at a Vow Wow reunion in 2010. Vow Wow Majestic Live 1989 was recorded in England. Compilations kept a coming.

Niimi Toshihiro died of cancer in 2023. Saito and Yamamoto were the remaining early members. The latter was releasing solo albums steadily. A Bow Wow gig was announced for August 19th, 2023 using the Bow Wow G2 monicker. The reason was that the act had two guitarists now. The band intended to perform early material from 1977 and earlier. The group's original bassist came out of retirement long enough to climb the stage for an encore. Opening were Char and Murasaki. Vow Wow graced the stage again in 2024 and Bow Wow G2 headed to Time To Rock Festival alongside Murasaki, Doro, Amorphis, Mike Tramp, Pretty Maids, Aldo Nova, The Rods and many more. The monicker Vow Wow was also resurrected again for the first time since 2010.

Reviews

BOW WOW - SUPER BEST - VICTOR
What a disappointment. Waited years to hear the band properly after seeing them years ago on Channel 4’s The Tube as Wow Wow yet this compilation proved the band ineffectual and coy in its style. Still, it was about time the band was heard at Metallian Towers and a recent trip to Japan and a Shibuya record store allowed it to happen.
The cover is a take on the band’s third album, 1977’s Charge, and probably a good representation for this sampler. Bow Wow mixes Japanese and English lyrics. The Theme Of Bow Wow makes an appearance (recalling how compatriots Loudness also had a 'theme') as does an oldie, Eddie Cochran’s Summertime Blues, which is pegged at the end in a seemingly live version. The band’s biggest influence is '70s Scorpions, a band that toured Japan in that decade, and the songs take one back to the days of In Trance and Taken by Force. Bow Wow, however, does not have a Schenker, Roth or Meine in its ranks, and while guitarist Yamamoto displayed some firepower in Vow Wow in the '80s none of that is present in these songs. Only Get On Our Train hauls out the guitar prowess if merely momentarily.
One can only tip his hat at the persistence and service of a band like Bow Wow, but the wow factor is plainly not there. Let them remain a release-rich curiosity. - Ali “The Metallian”

Interviews

Bow Wow