Japan (band)

Japan was a British rock group, formed in 1974. The original members were David Sylvian (original name David Batt), Mick Karn (original name Anthony Michaelides), Rob Dean, Steve Jansen (Sylvian's brother, Steve Batt) and Richard Barbieri. Japan began playing glam rock, influenced by David Bowie, The New York Dolls and Motown. Japan debuted on record with 1978's Adolescent Sex and subsequently Obscure Alternatives, which both sold well in the nation of Japan, though nowhere else. Their third album, 1979's Quiet Life, heralded a change in musical style from the earlier largely guitar based music to a more electronic sound, with more emphasis on synthesisers and Karn's unique fretless bass sound.

Discography of albums

• Adolescent Sex (1978)
• Obscure Alternatives (1978)
• Quiet Life (1979, UK #53)
• Gentlemen Take Polaroids (1980, UK #45)
• Tin Drum (1981, UK #12)
• Oil On Canvas (1983, UK #5)
• Rain Tree Crow (1989)

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 (1982) is by far the best of the many collections available.

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The songs from the remaining three LPs, recorded for Virgin Records, has been treated somewhat more respectably. A compilation LP called Exorcising Ghosts was released in 1985; otherwise this material has not been exploited quite as often as their earlier releases.

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In 2003, Virgin Records remastered Japan's fourth album, Gentlemen Take Polaroids, and in 2004 they followed this up with re-releases of Tin Drum and Oil on Canvas. BMG and EMI followed suit the same year, and released remastered editions of their four first albums. All of these re-releases came in 'digipacks', collecting many bonus tracks ? these provide a much more satisfactory was to access the bands' music than the plethora of compilations.

Related Topics:
2003 - Virgin Records - 2004

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