Japan (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Japan | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Background information | ||
| Origin | United Kingdom | |
| Genre(s) | Art Rock New Romantic Post-Punk Synth-Pop |
|
| Years active | 1974 to 1982, 1991 | |
| Label(s) | Hansa Virgin |
|
| Members | ||
| Mick Karn Richard Barbieri Rob Dean Steve Jansen David Sylvian |
||
Japan was a British rock group, formed in 1974.
The original members were:
- David Sylvian (original name David Batt): vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Mick Karn (original name Anthony Michaelides): bass guitar, saxophone, oboe
- Rob Dean: guitar
- Steve Jansen (Sylvian's brother, Steve Batt): drums
- Richard Barbieri: keyboards
The band debuted on record with 1978's Adolescent Sex and subsequently Obscure Alternatives, which both sold well in Japan and the Netherlands (where the single "Adolescent Sex" was a Top 30 hit), they also gained some popularity in Canada, but nowhere else. Both albums were widely dismissed by the British music press as being distinctly outmoded at a time when punk and New Wave bands were in the ascendence. However, tracks such as "Suburban Berlin", "State Line" and "Rhodesia" suggested a creative depth and sense of melody to the bands output which would hint at their future direction.
Their third album, 1979's Quiet Life, heralded a significant change in musical style from the earlier largely guitar-based music to a more electronic sound, with more emphasis on Barbieri's synthesisers, Sylvian's svelte baritone style of singing, Karn's distinctive fretless bass sound and Steve Jansen's odd-timbred and intricate percussion work. Standout tracks included the title-track "Quiet Life" (a belated Top 20 hit in 1981), "Halloween" and "The Other Side of Life".
Their following two albums, Gentlemen Take Polaroids (1980) and Tin Drum (1981) on the Virgin label, continued to expand their audience as the band refined its new sound and unintentionally became part of the early 1980s New Romantic movement. Tin Drum in particular is critically regarded as one of the most innovative albums of the 1980s [citation needed], with its startlingly original fusion of occidental and oriental sounds that is still almost unique in modern popular music [citation needed]. Tin Drum was their final album as personality conflicts conspired to implode the band, with the group's UK swansong coming in November 1982 following a three-night sellout stint at London's Hammersmith Apollo. The album's unconventional single "Ghosts" reached #5 on the UK pop charts, one of only a very few such 'minimalist' songs to achieve such heights [citation needed]. The band's final Hammersmith concerts were mixed to produce their final release, 1983s Oil On Canvas. Japan's last performance was on 16th December 1982 in Nagoya, Japan.
Most of the original members of the band went on to work on other projects. By far the most successful is David Sylvian, who has recorded several solo albums and collaborations with noted performers including Holger Czukay and Robert Fripp. A reunion of the band members in 1991 (under the name Rain Tree Crow) was short lived, producing only one album, with the band once again dissolving following frictions between Sylvian and the rest of the band. The project was nevertheless a critical success [citation needed]. Duran Duran has been one of the bands that have been influenced by Japan.
Contents |
[edit] Trivia
Their look inspired the mangaka Kaoru Tada: the fictional band Beehive of her manga Ai shite knight is based on them [citation needed].
A cover of Ghosts is available on the song list for the dance game DDRMAX: Dance Dance Revolution 6thMIX.
Karn was originally going to be the group's lead singer, but he got stage fright at their first gig and Sylvian stepped in to replace him.
Barbieri has gone on to play keyboards in the art-rock band Porcupine Tree and with Steve Hogarth of Marillion in the h band. In 2005, he released his first solo album, Things Buried, on Racket Records.
They were originally managed by Simon Napier-Bell who also managed The Yardbirds, Marc Bolan, London and Wham!.
Their song Quiet Life will be featured as a radio track on Wave 103 in the upcoming PSP title Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
[edit] Discography of Albums (1978-1991)
- Adolescent Sex, April 1978
- Obscure Alternatives, November 1978
- Quiet Life, February 1980 (UK #53)
- Gentlemen Take Polaroids, November 1980 (UK #45)
- Tin Drum, November 1981 (UK #12)
- Oil on Canvas, June 1983 (UK #5) (mainly live double album, featuring some new solo instrumental pieces)
- Rain Tree Crow, April 1991 (released under the group moniker "Rain Tree Crow")
A bewildering number of Japan compilation albums have been released. The rights to the songs recorded for their first three albums has changed hands many times, with each new licensor quickly issuing a quick cash-in. Hansa's Assemblage (September 1981) was the first of the many collections available, containing material from the first three albums together with several non-album tracks, and is one of better-regarded collections of their pre-Virgin period.
The songs from the remaining three LPs, recorded for Virgin Records, have been treated somewhat more respectfully. A compilation LP called Exorcising Ghosts was released in 1984; otherwise this material has not been exploited quite as often as their earlier releases.
In 2003, Virgin Records re-issued Gentlemen Take Polaroids, Tin Drum and Oil on Canvas. BMG followed suit next year, and re-issued Adolescent Sex, Obscure Alternatives, Quiet Life, and Assemblage. All of these re-releases came in the 'digipak' format, collecting many bonus tracks.
The Tin Drum digipak re-issue was of special interest, as it was packed in a cardboard box, contained a bonus 5-inch single The Art of Parties, carrying 4 tracks not included on Tin Drum itself or any other Japan album released on Virgin, plus a booklet with black-and-white photos of the band members. Oil on Canvas came as a double-disc.
