The 1966 Quartet, a classical-based band covering Western music formed by Hiroyuki Takashima, The Beatles' first Japanese producer, released their latest album, "Help! ~The Beatles Classics~," today, the 5th. Creative director NIGO® was in charge of art direction for the album, including the artwork and music video. The four members of the 1966 Quartet wore gray suits by Thom Browne. The promotional video was shot with a Leica M equipped with the same ZUNOW lens used by Ringo Starr. The photographer was stylist Takashi Kumagai. Nigo®, a self-described "Beatles fanatic," discovered the 1966 Quartet while shopping on Amazon and later attended a concert, which led to this collaboration. The 1966 Quartet is a four-woman quartet consisting of violinists Risa Matsuura and Yuki Hanai, cellist Haruka Hayashi, and pianist Miho Egashira. They made their CD debut in November 2010 with "Norwegian Wood - The Beatles Classics" on Nippon Columbia. Since then, they have covered songs by Western artists, including Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and Queen's "We Will Rock You." This album includes 15 tracks, starting with the Beatles classic "Help!", as well as "Hey Jude," "Norwegian Wood," and "Yesterday."
Last month, NIGO® stepped down as creative director of the brand he founded, A BATHING APE®. He has just announced that he will be working as a freelancer, pursuing creative activities in a variety of genres.
