Rats & Star

{{Short description|Japanese musical group}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}} {{Multiple issues| {{Expand Japanese|ラッツ&スター|date=September 2014}} {{More citations needed|date=June 2017}}}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Rats & Star | image = | image_size = | image_upright = | landscape =  | alt = | caption = | background = group_or_band | alias = Chanels | origin = | genre = [[Doo-wop]] | years_active = {{start date|1975}}–{{end date|1996}}{{citation needed|date=June 2017}} | label = | website =  | current_members = *[[Masayuki Suzuki]] *[[Masashi Tashiro]] *[[Nobuyoshi Kuwano]] *Yoshio Sato *Hiroyuki Kuboki *Ryoichi Izumo *Kiyotaka Shinpo | past_members = }} {{nihongo|'''Rats & Star'''|ラッツ&スター|Rattsu ando Sutā}}, formerly called '''Shanels''' or '''Chanels''', was a Japanese male pop group that specialized in [[doo-wop]]-influenced music. The group was led by Masayuki Suzuki.

Their debut single {{illm|Runaway (Chanels song)|lt=Runaway|ja|ランナウェイ (シャネルズの曲)}} reached number 1 on the [[Oricon Singles Chart]] in [[1980 in Japanese music|1980]].<ref>[https://reminder.top/594857892/ ラッツ＆スター「め組のひと」シャネルズから名前を変えて起死回生の大ヒット！]. Re:minder. 1 April 2023.</ref> Their single {{ill|Megumi no Hito|ja|め組のひと}} reached number 1 on the Oricon Singles Chart in 1983.<ref>[https://news.1242.com/article/99277 1983年の今日、5月23日、シャネルズから改名したラッツ＆スター「め組のひと」がオリコン・チャートの1位を獲得【大人のMusic Calendar】]. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 23 May 2016.</ref> Their album {{illm|Mr Black (album)|lt=Mr Black|ja|Mr.ブラック}} reached number 1 on the Cash Box chart in 1980.<ref>Cash Box. 28 June 1980, p 51. 5 July 1980, [https://archive.org/details/cashbox42unse_6/page/43/mode/1up p 43].</ref> Their album {{illm|Live at Whiskey A Go Go|ja|LIVE AT WHISKY A GO GO}} reached number 1 on the Oricon chart,<ref>[https://news.1242.com/article/121996 1981年の本日7/27、シャネルズ初のライブアルバム『LIVE AT WHISKY A GO GO』がオリコンチャート1位を獲得【大人のMusic Calendar】]. News Online. Nippon Broadcasting System. 27 July 2017.</ref> and the [[Music Labo]] chart, in 1981.<ref>Billboard. 15 August 1981, p 79. 8 August 1981, p 61.</ref>

==History== In 1975, Masayuki Suzuki, Masashi Tashiro and Nobuyoshi Kuwano, joined to form a band called Chanels. The band debuted in 1980 with their first single "Runaway" selling over a million copies and becoming a huge hit. In 1983, the band changed its name to Rats & Star due to complaints from the French fashion giant [[Chanel]]. [[Andy Warhol]] created the album cover for ''Soul Vacation'' and the name change seemed to make no difference in sales, as their first single as Rats & Star, "Me-Gumi no Hito", sold over 800,000 copies. Five of the members were married at Tokyo's [[Hie Shrine]] at the same time during 1985, generating a lot of publicity for the group. Rats & Star released a [[duet]] with Masayuki's older sister [[Kiyomi Suzuki]] called "Lonely Chaplain" in 1986, which also became a huge hit. However, leader Masayuki Suzuki launched a solo career and Rats & Star's activity thus essentially stopped. Afterward, Tashiro and Kuwano remained popular not as musical artists, but as TV performers. They formed Rats & Star again in the limitation of half a year and released the single "Yume de Aetara" in 1996, which was popular enough to encourage the group to go on a final nationwide tour. The same year, they made their first appearance on [[Kōhaku Uta Gassen]] to perform that song.

The group's name is a [[palindrome]], reading the same both backwards and forwards. The name's true meaning, however, is that "rats" raised in the less affluent parts of town could, by singing doo-wop music, reverse their fortunes and collectively become a "star".

In 2006, Suzuki, Kuwano and Sato formed "[[Gosperats]]" with Japanese [[a cappella]] singing group [[Gospellers]]' member [[Tetsuya Murakami]] and [[Yuji Sakai]].

In February 2015, a joint performance recorded by [[Momoiro Clover Z]] and Rats & Star for the [[Fuji TV]] show ''[[Music Fair]]'' was removed from broadcast due to controversy over the appearance by both groups in [[blackface]] in the performance, a photo of which Rats & Star had tweeted before the broadcast date after recording.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/09/national/fuji-tv-removes-blackface-segment-after-outcry/#.WrwKQU1s1G8|title=Fuji TV removes blackface segment after outcry|date=9 March 2015}}</ref> A [[Change.org]] petition had been started after the tweet by [[Japan Times]] contributor [[Baye McNeil]], who is African American, amid conversations over [[racism in Japan]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Katy |date=2015-03-17 |title=Japan's blackface problem: the country's bizarre, troubled relationship with race |url=https://www.vox.com/2015/3/17/8230783/japan-racism-blackface |access-date=2023-10-01}}</ref>

Unique [[Andy Warhol]] screen prints of the album cover ''Soul Vacation'' have sold for upwards of $25,000 each.

==Members== *[[Masayuki Suzuki]] – Lead vocal, ''Martin'' *[[Masashi Tashiro]] – [[Tenor]] vocal, ''Marcy'' *[[Nobuyoshi Kuwano]] – Trumpet, Vocal, ''Kuwa-man'' *Yoshio Sato – [[Bass (voice type)|Bass vocal]] *Hiroyuki Kuboki – Tenor vocal *Ryoichi Izumo – Guitar, Vocal *Kiyotaka Shinpo – Drums, Vocal

==Discography== ===Chanels=== *Runaway (1980) *Tonight (1980) *Machikado Twilight (1981) *Hurricane (1981) (famously covered by [[Puffy AmiYumi]]) *Namida no Sweet Cherry (1981) *Hey Brother (1982) Epic/Sony *Akogare no Slender Girl (1982) *Summer Holiday (1982) *Moshikashite I LOVE YOU (1982) *Shuumatsu Dynamite (1982)

===Rats and Star=== *Me-Gumi no Hito (1983) *T-shatsu ni Kuchibeni (1983) *Konya wa Physical (1983) *Gekka Bijin (Moonlight Honey) (1984) *Glamour Guy (1984) *Kuchibiru ni Knife (1984) *Madonna wa Omae Dake (1985) *Lady Eccentric (1985) *Lonely Chaplain (1986) (duet with Kiyomi Suzuki) *Yume de Aetara (reunion, 1996)

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rats and Star}} [[Category:Japanese pop music groups]] [[Category:Japanese vocal groups]] [[Category:Doo-wop groups]] [[Category:Musical groups from Tokyo]]