IN: Gakuto Oshiro (Da Cheng gakuto, Oshiro Gakuto, born July 4, 1973), better known by his mononymous stage name Gackt, is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He has been active since 1993, first as the frontman of the short-lived independent band Cains:Feel, and then for the now defunct visual kei rock band Malice Mizer, before starting his solo career in 1999. He has released nine studio albums and, with forty-eight singles released, holds the male soloist record for most top ten consecutive singles in Japanese music history. His single "Returner (Yami no Shuen)", released on June 20, 2007, was his first single to reach the number one spot on the Oricon charts.

In 2006, he continued his tour with a concert on January 14, in Korea, at Fencing Stadium in Korean Olympic Park, which was his first Asian solo concert. In the same month was released the twenty-fourth single, "Redemption", which included theme songs of the Square Enix game, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII. On February 28, he appeared at the graduation of the Maiko High School in Hyogo Prefecture. Besides the words of encouragement, he performed an unreleased song especially written for the graduation. It was released the following year on February 7, as "No ni Saku Hana no Yo ni". Since then he appeared in several graduation ceremonies. In August, at an Otakon conference, it was publicly announced that he would form a supergroup, S.K.I.N., with famous Japanese metal band X Japan co-founder Yoshiki, Luna Sea, and X Japan guitarist Sugizo, and guitarist Miyavi. Although there were high expectations for the group, since their debut performance on June 29, 2007, at the Anime Expo in Long Beach, California, no further activities were announced. On December 24, he went on a small nationwide fanclub tour "D.r.u.g. Party", which was also continued with four concerts in Korea and Taiwan. In 2007, in January he played the warlord Uesugi Kenshin in the NHK Taiga drama Furin Kazan. On June 20, Gackt released his twenty-seventh single, "Returner (Yami no Shuen)", which was the first in his career (both solo and as a member of a band) to reach the number one spot on the Oricon charts. On August 23, Gackt was invited to perform his Furin Kazan television role at Joetsu city's traditional, 82nd Kenshin Festival, with approximately 203,000 visitors. In October, he held a press conference at the Apple Store in Ginza, Tokyo, where besides advertising the first iPhone, Gackt announced he would have his entire back catalog, with new previously toured, live song recordings, put up on the iTunes Store, as well as that "The Greatest Filmography" would be released on October 9 in the United States and Canada, while his album Diabolos was released on October 26 in eighteen European countries. On November 17 and 27, he performed at M.net/Km Music Video Festival in Korea as the special guest star, and he appeared and performed at the "2007 Japan-China Cultural Exchange Grand Concert Final" in Beijing. In Beijing he sang "Junigatsu no Love Song" in Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin. On December 10, he appeared at the China Fashion Awards in Beijing, where was given the award "Japanese Artist of the Year". On December 19, Gackt released a compilation album, 0079-0088, including songs used in the Gundam franchise. Gackt also performed on the 58th Kohaku Uta Gassen. The year 2007 also saw the creation of the "Save our Dears" charity to help the victims of the powerful Chuetsu offshore earthquake that struck the Niigata Prefecture. To raise funds for this charity, Gackt designed a keychain and bracelets, in addition, the charity also featured two Orico UPty MasterCard credit cards. Gackt's fan club Dears, raised Y=2,000,000 (US$26,041) which Gackt donated to the Joetsu at the 83rd Kenshin Festival in 2008.

Where there any popular songs on the album?

OUT: theme songs of the Square Enix game, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII.

IN: Curved Air are a pioneering English progressive rock group formed in 1970 by musicians from mixed artistic backgrounds, including classical, folk, and electronic sound. The resulting sound of the band was a mixture of progressive rock, folk rock, and fusion with classical elements. Along with High Tide and East of Eden, Curved Air were one of the first rock bands after It's a Beautiful Day and the United States of America to feature a violin. Curved Air released eight studio albums, the first three of which broke the UK Top 20, and had a hit single with "Back Street Luv" (1971) which reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart.

Having retained a good working relationship, Sonja Kristina and Mike Wedgwood formed a new band with Kirby Gregory (electric guitar), Eddie Jobson (keyboards, violin), and Jim Russell (drums). Jobson had come from a band called Fat Grapple, who had been one of Curved Air's support acts on tour. This new band played a much more conventional brand of rock than the former Curved Air, with almost none of the classical influences of that group. However, on the suggestion of manager Clifford Davis, they continued using the name Curved Air so as to give them a commercial leg up. Kristina later commented: What I wanted to do with the band at the time was get more of a rock edge to it, and Kirby's guitar playing really excited me - he was just really wild. And Jim was the same way, a very solid rock drummer. Mike and I really wanted to continue, and it was our manager Clifford Davis who said we would do a better business continuing to call the band Curved Air. So we kept the name and followed along the same pattern as before, as a writer's band. Everybody in the new band contributed material except for Jim Russell, who really wasn't a writer. Before it had mainly been Darryl and Francis, but I had managed to get some of my compositions in. The use of the Curved Air name was not enough, however. Whereas all three of the original Curved Air's albums had broken the UK top 20, the new band's sole album, Air Cut, failed to even chart. Due to artistic differences with Jobson, Kirby Gregory and Jim Russell both left the group to form Stretch. Warner Brothers realized that the current Curved Air was in essence not the same band they had signed, and so the remaining trio recorded a demo tape for the label. The demos failed to convince Warner Brothers, and they discontinued the contract. (These demos were later issued as part of the Lovechild record.) With no contract and only half a lineup, in summer 1973 Curved Air broke up. Jobson replaced Eno in Roxy Music, while Wedgwood joined Caravan.

What did Sonja Kristina do?

OUT:
managed to get some of my compositions in.