The Great 3 are one of those bands which deserve to be much more successful than they are. But despite a wealth of musical talent and a string of fine albums, the band has never really clicked with the Japanese public. One reason is that they haven't come up with a smash hit single. Another is that they just may be "too smart for the room," as the saying goes. Reflecting its members' wide knowledge of pop and rock, the Great 3's music at times suffers from being just a little too studied...

The Great 3 are one of those bands which deserve to be much more successful than they are. But despite a wealth of musical talent and a string of fine albums, the band has never really clicked with the Japanese public. One reason is that they haven't come up with a smash hit single. Another is that they just may be "too smart for the room," as the saying goes. Reflecting its members' wide knowledge of pop and rock, the Great 3's music at times suffers from being just a little too studied and lacking that crucial, indefinable spark of originality. The group was formed in 1994, when guitarist Akito Katayose, bassist Kiyoshi Takakuwa and drummer Kenichi Shirane left a band called the Rotten Hats to form a new musical ensemble. The result was the Great 3 (the name refers to the fact that all three guys are pretty tall). Frontman Katayose is what's known in Japanese as a kurotogonomi, which roughly translates as "connoisseur." Live, the Great 3 is a hard-rocking power-pop band whose sound is fleshed out by additional musicians. Brian Wilson and the High Llamas are the band's most obvious stylistic reference points, but Jimi Hendrix, bluegrass, soul and Japanese kayokyoku pop are other key influences. Check out May and December, perhaps their most consistently brilliant album.