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Japan were a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 pop/rock group, formed in 1974 in Lewisham
Lewisham

Lewisham is a district in south-east London, England and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Lewisham....
, southeast London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
. The band achieved success in the late 1970s/early 1980s, when they were often associated with the burgeoning New Romantic
New Romantic

New Romanticism was a fashion movement that peaked in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. Originally part of the New Wave music movement, it has seen several revivals since then, and continues to influence popular culture....
 fashion movement (though the band themselves have downplayed any such connection).

inal members:

The band debuted on record with 1978's Adolescent Sex
Adolescent Sex

Adolescent Sex was the first album from the British pop group Japan . Though not a commercial success in their native UK, the album was better received in Japan where it peaked at #20, and in the Netherlands where the single Adolescent Sex was a Top 30 Chart-topper....
 and subsequently Obscure Alternatives
Obscure Alternatives

Obscure Alternatives is a 1978 album by Japan , the follow-up to their debut Adolescent Sex. Lead singer David Sylvian has gone on record saying that this should have been their debut album ....
, which both sold well in Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 (where the band's name alone led to them gaining a devoted cult following) and the Netherlands
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
 where the single "Adolescent Sex" was a Top 30 hit, they also gained some popularity in Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
.






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Japan were a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 pop/rock group, formed in 1974 in Lewisham
Lewisham

Lewisham is a district in south-east London, England and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Lewisham....
, southeast London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
. The band achieved success in the late 1970s/early 1980s, when they were often associated with the burgeoning New Romantic
New Romantic

New Romanticism was a fashion movement that peaked in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. Originally part of the New Wave music movement, it has seen several revivals since then, and continues to influence popular culture....
 fashion movement (though the band themselves have downplayed any such connection).

History


Early years

Original members:
  • David Sylvian
    David Sylvian

    David Sylvian is an England singer, musician and composer who first gained attention as the lead singer and main songwriter in the group Japan ....
     (original name David Batt): vocals, guitar, keyboards
  • Mick Karn
    Mick Karn

    Mick Karn is an England multi-instrumentalist musician and songwriter, most noted as the bassist for the art rock band Japan , from 1974 to 1982....
     (original name Anthony Michaelides): bass guitar, saxophone, oboe
  • Rob Dean
    Rob Dean

    Rob Dean is a United Kingdom musician, who rose to prominence playing guitar as a member of the British band Japan .BiographyJapan...
    : guitar
  • Steve Jansen
    Steve Jansen

    Steve Jansen with his sibling David Sylvian, Mick Karn, Richard Barbieri, and Rob Dean formed the band Japan .Jansen played drum kit and percussion....
     (Sylvian's brother, Steve Batt): drums and percussion
  • Richard Barbieri
    Richard Barbieri

    'Richard Barbieri', , is an England keyboardist and composer. He came to prominence in the late '70s as a founder of new wave music pioneers Japan , and as of 2008, is a member of the current Porcupine Tree....
    : keyboards


The band debuted on record with 1978's Adolescent Sex
Adolescent Sex

Adolescent Sex was the first album from the British pop group Japan . Though not a commercial success in their native UK, the album was better received in Japan where it peaked at #20, and in the Netherlands where the single Adolescent Sex was a Top 30 Chart-topper....
 and subsequently Obscure Alternatives
Obscure Alternatives

Obscure Alternatives is a 1978 album by Japan , the follow-up to their debut Adolescent Sex. Lead singer David Sylvian has gone on record saying that this should have been their debut album ....
, which both sold well in Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 (where the band's name alone led to them gaining a devoted cult following) and the Netherlands
Netherlands

The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
 where the single "Adolescent Sex" was a Top 30 hit, they also gained some popularity in Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
. However in their native Britain
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 those albums were largely ignored.

Though influenced by artists such as The New York Dolls, Roxy Music
Roxy Music

Roxy Music are an English art rock group founded in the early 1970s by art school graduate Bryan Ferry . The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson ....
 and David Bowie
David Bowie

David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and Arrangement. Active in five decades of rock music and frequently reinventing his music and image, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s....
, both albums were widely dismissed by the British music press as being distinctly outmoded at a time when punk and New Wave
New Wave music

New Wave is a genre of rock music which originated from the late 1970s. It emerged from punk rock as a reaction against the popular music of the 1970s....
 bands were in ascendence. However, tracks such as "Suburban Berlin", "State Line" and "...Rhodesia" suggested a creative depth and sense of melody to the band's output which would hint at their future direction. They were managed by Simon Napier-Bell
Simon Napier-Bell

Simon Napier-Bell has undertaken many jobs in the music industry, including bandboy, manager, producer, songwriter, journalist and author. But he is best-known as manager, particularly of The Yardbirds, John's Children, Marc Bolan, T....
 who also managed The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds

The Yardbirds are an England Rock music band, noted for starting the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page....
, Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan

Marc Bolan , was an England singer, songwriter and guitarist whose hit singles, fashion sensibilities and stage presence with T.Rex in the early 1970s helped cultivate the glam rock era, though he preferred to call his music Cosmic Rock, and made him one of the most recognisable stars in United Kingdom music....
, London
London (band)

This article is about the English band London. For the American band with the same name, see London . London were a four piece punk band formed in London in 1976 and were best known for their wild stage act....
 and Wham!
WHAM!

Wham! was a pop music band formed in 1981 by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. It was briefly known in the United States as Wham!-UK because of a naming conflict with another band....
.

Mid-career

Their third album, 1979's Quiet Life
Quiet Life

Quiet Life is the third album by the British band Japan , released in early 1980. Musically, the album was a huge departure for the band as their previous two albums had been more in the vein of alternative glam rock, as opposed to the New Wave leanings exhibited on this album....
, 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
Baritone

Baritone is a type of European classical music male voice type that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice....
 style of singing, Karn's distinctive fretless bass sound and Steve Jansen's odd-timbred and intricate percussion work with Dean's guitar playing becoming increasingly sparse and atmospheric. Quiet Life was their last studio album for Hansa-Ariola, though the label would later issue a compilation album ("Assemblage
Assemblage (album)

Assemblage is a compilation album by the British band Japan , released in 1981 by Hansa Records.Assemblage collects recordings from the band's early career and Hansa Records re-released no less than six singles from Assemblage and Japan's back catalogue between 1981 - 1983....
") featuring highlights from the band's tenure on the label, followed by a series of remixed and re-released singles.

Final years

Their final two studio albums, Gentlemen Take Polaroids
Gentlemen Take Polaroids

Gentlemen Take Polaroids is the fourth studio album by the British band Japan . Released in 1980, it was the band's first album for the Virgin label....
 (1980) and Tin Drum
Tin Drum

Tin Drum is the fifth and final studio album produced by the British band Japan . Released in the U.K. in late-November 1981, the album continued their now developed use of electronic elements coupled with traditional instrumentation, but leans far more towards far-eastern influences than any of their previous albums....
 (1981), were released on the Virgin label, and continued to expand their audience as the band refined its new sound and, somewhat unintentionally, became associated with the early-1980s New Romantic
New Romantic

New Romanticism was a fashion movement that peaked in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. Originally part of the New Wave music movement, it has seen several revivals since then, and continues to influence popular culture....
 movement. Tin Drum in particular is critically regarded as one of the most innovative albums of the 1980s, with its startlingly original fusion of occidental and oriental sounds, and peaked just outside the UK Top 10. Its unconventional single
Single (music)

In the record industry, a single is a song usually used from a current or upcoming album to promote the album. Singles are distributed through a number of ways; originally, they were packaged as "single" records with one or two other songs and sold before the release of the album....
 "Ghosts
Ghosts (Japan song)

"Ghosts" was a single by the British band Japan from the 1981 album Tin Drum. It reached No 5 in the UK chart in 1982. Although it was their biggest hit, this was not enough to stop the band splitting a few months later....
" reached #5 on the UK charts, becoming Japan's biggest domestic hit and one of only a very few such 'minimalist' songs to achieve such heights.

With personality conflicts leading to rising tensions between band members, Tin Drum was to be the band's final studio album. Long-simmering differences among the bandmembers came to a head when Karn's girlfriend, photographer , moved in with Sylvian (he's presently married to Ingrid Chavez and they have two children), and the individual members forged ahead with their own projects. Rob Dean
Rob Dean

Rob Dean is a United Kingdom musician, who rose to prominence playing guitar as a member of the British band Japan .BiographyJapan...
 had already departed towards the end of the Gentlemen Take Polaroids sessions, as his electric guitar work was increasingly regarded as superfluous. During this period, Japanese multi-instrumentalist and experimental keyboardist Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakamoto

Ryuichi Sakamoto is an Academy Awards-winning, Grammy-winning, Golden Globe-winning Japanese musician, composer, record producer and actor, based in New York and Tokyo....
 briefly collaborated with the band, and worked directly alongside Sylvian on tracks such as "Taking Islands In Africa."

The group's final UK performance came in November 1982, culminating in a six-night sell-out stint at London's Hammersmith Apollo. During this period, guitarist and keyboardist Masami Tsuchiya performed with the band on stage. Japan's last ever performance was on 16 December 1982 in Nagoya, Japan. The band's final Hammersmith concerts were recorded to produce Oil On Canvas
Oil on Canvas

Oil on Canvas is a live album by the British band Japan , released in 1983 by Virgin Records. Although it is a live recording of their established material, the album also contains three new studio tracks , recorded separately by Sylvian, Sylvian/Jansen and Barbieri respectively....
, a live album and video released in June 1983. Ironically, the band decided to split just as they were beginning to obtain long-overdue commercial success both in their native UK and internationally, with Oil On Canvas becoming their highest charting British album, reaching #5.

All of the band members went on to work on other projects, with varying degrees of success. A reformation of the band members (Sylvian, Karn, Jansen, & Barbieri) in 1989-1990 under the name Rain Tree Crow
Rain Tree Crow

Rain Tree Crow was the name used by the successful English New Wave band Japan when they briefly reformed for this one-off project, which would be their final album....
 produced only one eponymously-titled album, released in April 1991. Once again, the band dissolved following frictions between Sylvian and the other members.

Discography


Singles and EPs

  • "Don't Rain on My Parade
    Don't Rain on My Parade

    "Don't Rain On My Parade" is a popular song from the 1964 Musical theatre Funny Girl . It was also featured in the 1968 movie version of the musical....
    "/"Stateline" (UK, Germany, Australia, Italy) 1978
  • "Adolescent Sex"/"Don't Rain On My Parade" (Spain) 1978
  • "The Unconventional"/"Lovers On Main Street" (Japan) 1978
  • "The Unconventional"/"Adolescent Sex (re-recorded version)" (UK) 1978
  • "Adolescent Sex (re-recorded version)"/"Transmission" (Italy) 1979
  • "Adolescent Sex (re-recorded version)"/"Sometimes I Feel So Low" (Germany, Holland, France) 1978
  • "Sometimes I Feel So Low"/"Love Is Infectious" (UK, USA, Japan) 1978
  • "Deviation"/"Suburban Berlin" (Holland) 1979
  • "Life In Tokyo"/"Life In Tokyo (Part Two)" (UK, USA, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, Australia, Italy) 1979
  • "Quiet Life"/"Halloween" (Japan) 1979
  • "I Second That Emotion
    I Second That Emotion

    "I Second That Emotion" is a 1967 hit single by The Miracles for the Tamla label. The song was the group's first Top 5 hit on the Billboard magazine Pop Singles Chart credited to "Smokey Robinson & the Miracles" ....
    "/"European Son" (Japan) 1980
  • "I Second That Emotion"/"Quiet Life" (UK, Germany, Holland) 1980
  • "Special Edition EP" (Canada) 1980
  • "Live In Japan EP" (Germany, Holland, Belgium) 1980
  • "Gentlemen Take Polaroids EP" (UK #60, Germany, Japan) 1980
  • "The Singles EP" (Japan) 1981
  • "The Art of Parties"/"Life Without Buildings" (UK #48) 1981 - also Canadian EP with two tracks from the "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" EP
  • "The Art of Parties"/"My New Career" (Australia, Japan) 1981
  • "Life In Tokyo"/"European Son" (UK, Germany) 1981
  • "Quiet Life"/"A Foreign Place" (UK #19) 1981
  • "Visions Of China"/"Taking Islands In Africa" (UK #32, Australia) 1981
  • "European Son (remix)"/"Alien" (UK #31, Germany) 1981
  • "Ghosts"/"The Art Of Parties (live version)" (UK #5 and most other countries except Japan) 1982
  • "Cantonese Boy"/"Burning Bridges" (UK #24) 1982 - also a double pack version with extra tracks
  • "I Second That Emotion (remix)"/"Halloween" (UK #9, Germany) 1982
  • "Life In Tokyo (remix)" (UK #28) 1982
  • "Nightporter"/"Ain't That Peculiar" (UK #29, Germany) 1982
  • "Nightporter EP" (Japan) 1982 - includes b sides from UK releases
  • "All Tomorrow's Parties"/"In Vogue" (UK #38) 1983
  • "Canton"/"Visions Of China" (live versions) (UK #42) 1983


Albums

  • Adolescent Sex
    Adolescent Sex

    Adolescent Sex was the first album from the British pop group Japan . Though not a commercial success in their native UK, the album was better received in Japan where it peaked at #20, and in the Netherlands where the single Adolescent Sex was a Top 30 Chart-topper....
    , March 1978
  • Obscure Alternatives
    Obscure Alternatives

    Obscure Alternatives is a 1978 album by Japan , the follow-up to their debut Adolescent Sex. Lead singer David Sylvian has gone on record saying that this should have been their debut album ....
    , November 1978
  • Quiet Life
    Quiet Life

    Quiet Life is the third album by the British band Japan , released in early 1980. Musically, the album was a huge departure for the band as their previous two albums had been more in the vein of alternative glam rock, as opposed to the New Wave leanings exhibited on this album....
    , December 1979 (UK #53) — [Certified Gold in March 1984]
  • Gentlemen Take Polaroids
    Gentlemen Take Polaroids

    Gentlemen Take Polaroids is the fourth studio album by the British band Japan . Released in 1980, it was the band's first album for the Virgin label....
    , November 1980 (UK #45) — [Certified Gold in November 1986]
  • Tin Drum
    Tin Drum

    Tin Drum is the fifth and final studio album produced by the British band Japan . Released in the U.K. in late-November 1981, the album continued their now developed use of electronic elements coupled with traditional instrumentation, but leans far more towards far-eastern influences than any of their previous albums....
    , November 1981 (UK #12) — [Certified Gold in March 1982]
  • Rain Tree Crow
    Rain Tree Crow

    Rain Tree Crow was the name used by the successful English New Wave band Japan when they briefly reformed for this one-off project, which would be their final album....
    , April 1991 (UK #24), Japan reformed under the RTC moniker


Compilations
A bewildering number of Japan compilation albums have been released. The following albums were compiled in consultation with group members and include some non-album and previously unavailable material.

  • Assemblage
    Assemblage (album)

    Assemblage is a compilation album by the British band Japan , released in 1981 by Hansa Records.Assemblage collects recordings from the band's early career and Hansa Records re-released no less than six singles from Assemblage and Japan's back catalogue between 1981 - 1983....
     (UK, European countries, Japan) 1981 (UK #26) — [Certified Gold in January 1983] - earlier material (1978-80) including several non album singles.
  • Oil on Canvas
    Oil on Canvas

    Oil on Canvas is a live album by the British band Japan , released in 1983 by Virgin Records. Although it is a live recording of their established material, the album also contains three new studio tracks , recorded separately by Sylvian, Sylvian/Jansen and Barbieri respectively....
    , June 1983 (UK #5) — [Certified Gold in February 1988] (mainly live double album, featuring some new solo instrumental pieces).
  • Exorcising Ghosts
    Exorcising Ghosts

    Exorcising Ghosts is a compilation album by the British band Japan , released in 1984 by Virgin Records.Exorcising Ghosts was compiled and produced in consultation with lead singer David Sylvian two years after Japan dissolved....
     (UK, European countries, Japan) 1984 (UK #45) — [Certified Gold in February 1997] - material from the Virgin Records (1980-82) era of the band's career.
  • Souvenir from Japan (BMG release) 1989 - compilation of their Hansa-Ariola material that includes non-album singles I Second that Emotion and Life in Tokyo and b-sides European Son and State Line
  • The Very Best of Japan
    The Very Best of Japan

    The Very Best of Japan is a compilation album by the British band Japan , released worldwide in 2006 by EMI Music.Although not the first Japan compilation to collect recordings from the band's career on both Hansa Records and Virgin Records, it is certainly the most comprehensive and includes all nine of their UK top 40 hit singles as well...
     (Worldwide release) 2006 - remastered compilation including songs from both the Hansa-Ariola and Virgin eras of the band's history.


Video/DVD

  • "Oil On Canvas" 1983 (VHS, Beta, LD) - live material filmed at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1982
  • "Instant Pictures" 1984 (VHS, Beta, LD) - video clips and alternate versions of live tracks
  • "Video Hits" 1999 (DVD), Japan only - early video clips
  • "The Very Best of Japan" - a 2006 DVD compilation including most of the above


Remasters


In 2003, Virgin Records
Virgin Records

Virgin Records is a United Kingdom record label founded by England entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972 in music. It was later sold to Thorn EMI, and then, in the US, merged with Capitol Records in 2007 to create the Capitol Music Group....
 re-issued remastered editions of 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. In 2006 all were repackaged in jewel cases to allow sale at a lower price point.

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.

Rare material

The following Japan tracks appeared on vinyl but have not yet been released on CD:
  • "Quiet Life" (Japanese single version)
  • "Burning Bridges" (from the "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" EP) - an alternate version produced by David Sylvian
  • "Ain't That Peculiar" (version from the compilation album "Cash Cows" and b-side of "Nightporter, different from the version on the 'Polaroids' album)
  • "Nightporter" (Steve Nye remixed single and radio edit versions)


Tribute Album
"Life In Tokyo - A Tribute to Japan" (BMG Japan) 1996

See also

  • Rain Tree Crow
    Rain Tree Crow

    Rain Tree Crow was the name used by the successful English New Wave band Japan when they briefly reformed for this one-off project, which would be their final album....


External links