Do You Know Japan?

The 70’s and 80’s are decades known for incredible music. One band you likely haven’t heard of is a British band called Japan. Yes, their name is Japan. Despite not having major success outside of Japan and Canada until later on, they were major influences for other artists like Duran Duran.

Formed in 1974, there were three founding members: David Batt (later David Sylvian), who was the lead vocalist and wrote most of the music, his brother Steve Batt (later Steve Jansen) on drums, and Andonis Michaelides (later Mick Karn) on bass and backup vocals. In 1975, Richard Barbieri, a friend of the group, joined on keyboard and synth and Rob Deanz joined on guitar and backup vocals.

Japan (Self-Titled)

Their first studio album, which had a title I wouldn’t be allowed to say in an official school publication, but was renamed in some countries as simply Japan (which is what I’ll call it), was released in 1978. A glam-rock and somewhat derivative album with reggae and funk influences, Japan didn’t end up reaching any sort of critical success. Featuring prominent guitar and whiny vocals from Sylvian, the band starts with a distinct sound.

Obscure Alternative

Their least popular album, Obscure Alternatives was also released in 1978. The album marks the beginning of the shift between glam-rock and just rock. This album is the first time that Karn plays another instrument on a Japan album, with him playing saxophone on the track “The Tennant.” To be completely honest, there’s not much I have to say about this album. It’s still quite good though.

Quiet Life

Their third studio album was released in 1979. With a heavier focus on the bass and synth, the album smooths the shift from Japan’s glam-rock to the band’s later art-pop and new wave sound. While the album wasn’t successful at release, peaking at 72 on the UK Albums Chart, it would be certified Gold in 1984. Fun fact: a majority of the money the band was given for the promotional photoshoot was spent on a red leather jacket for Sylvian. 

Gentlemen Take Polaroids

Their fourth album is the first one that shows their unique musical stylings. The whole album has a beautiful, haunting feel to it, and Sylvian’s improved singing adds to the overall tone. The song “Gentlemen Take Polaroids” was their first song to land on the UK Charts, peaking at 60. On the 2003 re-release of the album, three bonus tracks were added. “Taking Islands In Africa,” “The Width of a Room,” and “The Experience of Swimming.” This album also has some lost media connected to it, with two recordings of discarded songs, “Angel in Furs” and “Some Kind of Fool,” presumably floating around out there somewhere.

Shortly afterward Rob Dean would leave the band, as the direction they were going used very little guitar. He would later go on to work with Gary Numan and Sinéad O’Connor.

Tin Drum & Ghost

Often considered their best album, Tin Drum was by far their most successful studio album. Released in 1981, and incredibly experimental, the album was heavily influenced by Chinese music and sounds. One single from the album, “Ghosts,” hit number five on the UK top 100, and was their biggest hit. It was perfect timing, coming out right as new wave began to get mainstream attention, so the album became wildly popular.

In late 1982, however, right as they were reaching mainstream success, they disbanded. The break-up was mostly attributed to creative differences between Sylvian and the rest of the band, and it would later be revealed that Karn’s girlfriend, Yuka Fujii, had left him for Sylvian, adding to the split that was growing within the band.

Oil on Canvas

The final release from Japan, Oil on Canvas, a live recording of a Tin Drum performance, was released six months after the band’s break up. It ended up being their best-selling album, charting at number 6 on the UK Albums Chart, a rare feat for a live album.

Post-band

In 1989, the band reunited, and because of Sylvian’s insistence (even though their record company, Virgin Records, wanted them to be reunited as Japan), they called their new band Rain Tree Crow. They released one self-titled album in 1991. It’s somewhat controversial among Japan fans, being a very different sound—experimental rock—and having little similarity to their earlier works. It was a success however, hitting number 24 on the UK Albums Chart, but the band soon broke up again because of “old tensions and frustrations” according to David Sylvian.

David Sylvian went on to release several successful solo albums, including Brilliant Trees, which would reach number 4 on the UK Albums Chart. 

Richard Barbieri would go on to join the prog-metal group Porcupine Tree.

Steve Jansen and Richard Barbieri would form The Dolphin Brothers in 1987 and release one album, Catch The Fall. Jansen, Barbieri, and Karn would eventually tour for a short while as… well, Jansen Barbieri Karn. They toured with David Torn and Steve Wilson as well as recorded a few albums together.

Mick Karn went on to become a successful session musician, working with big names such as Gary Numan and Kate Bush, as well as forming the short-lived art rock band Dali’s Car with Bauhaus singer Peter Murphy. Unfortunately, in January  2011, Mick Karn passed away from cancer at the age of 52. He lives on as one of the best fretless bass players of all time and is still talked about today. Examples of his bass playing can be found in Mick Karn’s Basslines by user Leszek Novak on YouTube.

Overall, an impressive discography. Even through negative reception and failure to chart, the band remained for nearly a decade and did nothing but improve. If you like music along the lines of Duran Duran, new wave, or kind of weird music in general, I recommend you check them out.