Japan - Were they EVER good?

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I have bought my favourite Japan albums three times - initially on cassette or vinyl, then on CD, and, recently, in their remastered form.

Yes, Japan were good.

― Palomino (Palomino), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 12:05 (twenty-one years ago)

seven months pass...

i'm discovering these guys for the first time.

it's been touched on before on ILM, but i joyously shudder listening to "Quiet Life", It is brillant, sexy, catchy and uncanny: it's Duran Duran's debut album two years earlier!

It's kinda scary. Intended or not.

― ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 23:17 (twenty-one years ago)

is it right to place this record to the ears of a duran duran freak and say "see where they came from"

― ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 23:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh trust me, I thought the same thing when I first heard Japan back in 1990 or so -- I'm all, "Ah, so THIS is where Simon and company got the idea."

It's fun to do that but I don't think it's 'right' per se -- for instance, our own Dee, Duran freak extraordinaire, is VERY much a Japan fan too and sees the inspiration clearly while still loving Duran deeply.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 23:22 (twenty-one years ago)

my early listens of the band are only pointing to "quiet life" as really duran-esque. the other records bring to mind things like roxy and numan. i just wonder if MAYBE, just MAYBE "quiet life" was a blueprint of some sort to LeBon and Co.

― ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 23:24 (twenty-one years ago)

"Quiet Life" is cool, and a few other tracks on that Polaroids album are fine, but on the whole David Sylvian was too much in thrall to the hoarier aspects of Bryan Ferry to be compelling (that tremulous voice: too wispy, not enough grit, affected without rhyme or reason).

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 23:26 (twenty-one years ago)

I speak as someone who also tried to like them. Now they simply embarrass me, much more than, say, Peter Murphy.

Ned, forgive me.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 23:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Go in peace and sin some more.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 23:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I mean, "Ghosts" and the "Tin Drum" album is a classic example of orientalism.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 23:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Is there something wrong with "orientalism" or "exoticism"? That criticism makes no sense to me. So if you're British you have to sound it? Besides, they had Japanese musicians work with them (Sakamoto, Masami Tsuchiya), if you're looking for Japanese credibility. They were quite popular in Japan.

They have one of the tightest, most original rhythm sections. They're "serious" but also quite fun. And they're probably my overall favorite band too.

― Patrick South (Patrick South), Thursday, 2 June 2005 00:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Implicit in "orientalism" is the appropriation of Eastern culture without synthesizing it. We can argue all day whether Japan were guilty; obviously I think so.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 2 June 2005 01:12 (twenty-one years ago)

But Alfred, take a look at the Tin Drum cover -- do you really think the point was to synthesize Eastern culture?

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 2 June 2005 01:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Doesn't Sylvian look like Sally Jesse Raphael on that cover?

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 2 June 2005 01:23 (twenty-one years ago)

http://archives.newyorkish.net/071403/SallyJesse2.jpg

http://www.musicfolio.com/modernrock/japan_tindrum.jpg

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 2 June 2005 01:27 (twenty-one years ago)

My point exactly.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 2 June 2005 01:28 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah but fretless

― Patrick South (Patrick South), Thursday, 2 June 2005 02:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually, he looks more like Jessica Lange as envisaged by Fritz Lang.

And your mentioning Sylvian's obsession with the hoarier aspects of Ferry's voice illustrates the orientalism point as well. At that juncture in his career, Sylvian was indulging his interest in style as content. And rather than synthesizing conflicting cultures (which is where Polaroids stumbles a bit), on Tin Drum he's pitting them against one another. The result is unmitigated exoticism by way of subtractive process.

Anyway, absent that underlying tension, you had style for its own sake. Or, as noted, Duran Duran, who apparently asked him to produce their debut.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 2 June 2005 02:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Funny how 'dated' these days is generally a term used for something from the '80s or early '90s. I don't think I've ever heard anyone refer to anything from the '60s using the same term.

Twee psychedelic pop from 67-68, certainly. Also 70s prog rock

(And wrong in both cases)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 2 June 2005 15:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Btw. Thompson Twins were great. Thomas Dolby was great. And Japan was even greater.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 2 June 2005 15:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Great.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 2 June 2005 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Great title. "Were they EVER good?"

I can imagine Dave255's sneer as he typed that.

― donut debonair (donut), Thursday, 2 June 2005 15:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Great. Super.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 2 June 2005 15:13 (twenty-one years ago)

He may have gotten plenty of hair pointers, but David's not too keen on geography. Ever notice that the cover of "Tin Drum" has "Japan" on the upper right corner and a picture of (Chinese) Chairman Mao on the left?

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 2 June 2005 15:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, and all his song titles from that album have "chinese" or "canton" all over them. What's up with that?

GREAT!

― donut debonair (donut), Thursday, 2 June 2005 15:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Sun City Girls are three guys!

!!! WHAT'S GOING ON THERE?

― donut debonair (donut), Thursday, 2 June 2005 15:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Doesn't Sylvian look like Sally Jesse Raphael on that cover?

You're not the only one who's thought that!

― Ian Riese-Moraine's all but an ark-lark! (Eastern Mantra), Thursday, 2 June 2005 15:33 (twenty-one years ago)

If only Sally Jesse Raphael had a fretless bassist on her show in a romo'd out intro band. "Let's give it up for my band."

― donut debonair (donut), Thursday, 2 June 2005 15:39 (twenty-one years ago)

The art of parties indeed.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 2 June 2005 15:41 (twenty-one years ago)

"Tin Drum" is a concept album about China.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 2 June 2005 20:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Lessee: we got cantonese boys banging tin drums, the art of parties, some fretless buffoonery, synth-kotos. Sounds just like China.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 2 June 2005 21:05 (twenty-one years ago)

"fretless buffoonery"....GET OUT OF THIS THREAD

― Patrick South (Patrick South), Thursday, 2 June 2005 22:43 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

As part of my recent 80s fetishism I am listening to Tin Drum. It's okay so far!

― wogan lenin (dog latin), Friday, 26 January 2007 02:20 (nineteen years ago)

tin drum is absolute classic. I love love "canton", blasted real loud.

― shudder redduhs (shudder), Friday, 26 January 2007 02:41 (nineteen years ago)

well "ghosts" is the obvious one for me here. hmm.. listened almost all the way to the end and it's not bad at all.

anyone else reckon the guy out of my chemical romance is modelling himself on sylvian these days?

― wogan lenin (dog latin), Friday, 26 January 2007 03:15 (nineteen years ago)

tin drum is great!

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Friday, 26 January 2007 03:28 (nineteen years ago)

Uh, hi, yeah, some people on this thread were cruising for a bruising, weren't they? Shyeah, right, like anyone's going to talk shit about Japan and get away with it around me. Oh, and the whole "Duran ripped off Japan" thing is kinda trite and old. Duran derived a bit of influence from Japan as far as moving into a more sophisticated version of the type of music they were performing goes, but that's it. Listen to the band's '79 demos when Andy Wickett was still in the group; they sound a lot like what ended up going onto the band's debut album and back then they were too busy wrapped up in their own Rum Runner/Barbarellas/Kahn & Bell scene to look at some random group from London that were at the time still better known for their glam rock (Adolescent Sex) phase.

Now John Foxx -- I'm starting to see more and more that HE is probably where former choir boy SLB (whose mom, trivia-seekers, was a former opera singer who turned into a stage mom with her little Simon and had him deeply involved in acting from a very early age) derived quite a bit of influence from. And Nick Rhodes has totally gone on the record as being absolutely wild for Ultravox's first three albums, so there's something worth looking at.

As for the most recent posts, WTG for picking up some Japan love! Please make sure to repeat "Still Life On Mobile Homes" and "Canton" a few times for me, thanks.

― Phoenix Dancing (krushsister), Friday, 26 January 2007 03:55 (nineteen years ago)

anyone else reckon the guy out of my chemical romance is modelling himself on sylvian these days?

uh, no

― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 26 January 2007 04:00 (nineteen years ago)

three years pass...

OH HI BEST SONG EVER, IT IS GOOD TO MEET U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOM7N924Rls

― ilxor has truly been got at and become an ILXor (ilxor), Thursday, 30 September 2010 21:30 (fifteen years ago)

Japan were a fantastic band and have not dated at all. Partly because early 80s synth based music hasn't and will never date. But also, Japan were better than most.

― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Thursday, 30 September 2010 23:09 (fifteen years ago)

"Ghosts", in particular, has to be one of the dullest Top 10 Hits EVER.

Couldn't disagree more..

― billstevejim, Friday, 1 October 2010 00:17 (fifteen years ago)

What top 10s are weirder than Ghosts, except O Superman, of course...

― iago g., Friday, 1 October 2010 00:40 (fifteen years ago)

I marvel at UK pop culture, such a mash of MASSIVE artists and (presumably) inaccessible artists, completely different than the US mainstream. Never change!

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 1 October 2010 00:55 (fifteen years ago)

"Ghosts", in particular, has to be one of the dullest Top 10 Hits EVER.
Couldn't disagree more..

Yeah no kidding, this song is fucking incredible.

― ilxor has truly been got at and become an ILXor (ilxor), Friday, 1 October 2010 02:34 (fifteen years ago)

amazing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGcteC2_H2c

― Kim, Friday, 1 October 2010 02:54 (fifteen years ago)

I am so big on Tin Drum, Gentlemen Take Polaroids & Quiet Life...I tried their first two albums over five years ago & they didn't hit me in the same way. I am thinking I should try them again.

― Mormons come out of the sky and they stand there (Abbbottt), Friday, 1 October 2010 02:56 (fifteen years ago)

I am thinking I should try them again.

Eh, I'm in the same camp as you. Their first two, which I revisited last year, are simply a different band, and not one that I particularly like.

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 1 October 2010 03:01 (fifteen years ago)

You have to approach their first albums as a diff band, basically. "Adolescent Sex" is pretty bratty, but has a few standout moments if you like glam rock. I like a lot of "Obscure Alternatives" - its all over the place, its quite an odd little number.

I'vbe had a Japanese original pressing of AS since I was 16, I feel like I grew up with this band even tho they'd broken up before I ever found out about them.

― cathedral-sized jellyfish in your mind (Trayce), Friday, 1 October 2010 03:01 (fifteen years ago)

Haha xpost!

― cathedral-sized jellyfish in your mind (Trayce), Friday, 1 October 2010 03:02 (fifteen years ago)

Yep, that's the right perspective.

Meanwhile, don't forget the reunion-that-wasn't-quite album as Rain Tree Crow. It's haunting.

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 1 October 2010 03:27 (fifteen years ago)

i've never heard a japan song in my life other than "ghosts" but that song more than justifies their existence for me

― teledyldonix, Friday, 1 October 2010 04:09 (fifteen years ago)

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