Obscure Alternatives is the second album by English band Japan

Japan (band)

Japan were a British New Wave group, formed in 1974 in Catford, South London. The band achieved success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when they were often associated with the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement .- History :The band began as a group of friends...

, released in October 1978, the follow-up to their debut album Adolescent Sex

Adolescent Sex

Adolescent Sex was the first album from the British glam rock/new romantic group Japan, released in March 1978. To avoid controversy over the title, the album was renamed Japan in some countries...

 from seven months earlier. Lead singer David Sylvian

David Sylvian

David Sylvian is an English singer-songwriter and musician who came to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead vocalist and main songwriter in the group Japan...

 has gone on record saying that this should have been their debut album . The final track, "The Tenant", a piano based instrumental, was the first notable shift towards the direction their later material would take.

Track listing

All songs written by David Sylvian.

Side A:

1. "Automatic Gun" – 4:07
2. "…Rhodesia" – 6:48
3. "Love is Infectious" – 4:10
4. "Sometimes I Feel So Low" – 3:46

Side B

1. "Obscure Alternatives" – 6:50
2. "Deviation" – 3:23
3. "Suburban Berlin" – 4:59
4. "The Tenant" – 7:14

Bonus tracks 2004 remastered CD version

9. "Deviation" (Live) - 3:20
10. "Obscure Alternatives" (Live) - 6:05
11. "In Vogue" (Live) - 6:12
12. "Sometimes I Feel So Low" (Live) - 4:06
    • Also includes the video for "Sometimes I Feel So Low."

Personnel

• David Sylvian
  David Sylvian
  David Sylvian is an English singer-songwriter and musician who came to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead vocalist and main songwriter in the group Japan...
  
   - vocals, guitar
• Steve Jansen
  Steve Jansen
  Steve Jansen is an English drummer, percussionist, singer and composer. He was educated at Catford Boys' School, Catford, South East London, where he failed academically, leaving at 16....
  
   - percussion, vocals
• Mick Karn
  Mick Karn
  Andonis Michaelides , better known as Mick Karn, was an English multi-instrumentalist musician and songwriter, who came to fame as the bassist for the art rock band Japan, from 1974 to 1982....
  
   - bass, saxophone, vocals
• Rob Dean
  Rob Dean
  Rob Dean is a British musician, who rose to prominence playing guitar as a member of the British band Japan.-Biography:He is from Clapton, Hackney, London, England.-Japan:...
  
   - guitar, vocals
• Richard Barbieri
  Richard Barbieri
  Richard Barbieri, is an English synthesiser player, keyboardist and composer. He was educated at Catford Boys' School, Catford, South East London...
  
   - synthesizer, keyboards
• Chris Tsangarides
  Chris Tsangarides
  Chris Tsangarides is a British Grammy-nominated record producer, sound engineer, and mixer. He is best known for his work with many heavy metal bands, including Judas Priest, Anvil, Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy, Helloween, and Yngwie Malmsteen...
  
  - engineer