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fudgenuts64 
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 17 2013
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 Topic: Japan?
Posted: August 18 2014 at 17:43 |
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I want to give this band a listen! Wondering where I should start, thinking Quiet Life. Or should I go ahead and listen to the debut?
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dr wu23
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Joined: August 22 2010
Location: Indiana
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Posted: August 18 2014 at 23:36 |
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I think their best work was from Quiet Life on, especially Polaroids and Tin Drum ....but my personal favorite is their live set before they broke up.....Oil On Canvas.
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One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
Haquin
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Svetonio
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Posted: August 18 2014 at 23:41 |
JAPAN was THE best band of that English New Wave scene (imo)...
... and released THE best album of that scene / movement (imo).
Edited by Svetonio - August 19 2014 at 05:46
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
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Posted: August 19 2014 at 00:00 |
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I'd go for Gentlemen Take Polaroids. It features longer cuts and excellent ambiences. Mick Karn's Fretless bass playing is top-notch.
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BarryGlibb
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Posted: August 19 2014 at 03:47 |
Tin Drum by an absolute mile. I don't think they were the best of their genre. Bands such as Magazine, The Cure, Echo and The Bunnymen and especially early Simple Minds were IMHO superior to Japan. Sylvian had that carryover Bowie chic that made Japan noticable. I don't know whether they were better than the bands that I mention above. Hmmm, I don't think they were.
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Tom Ozric
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Posted: August 19 2014 at 04:55 |
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Wow !! You mention The Cure and Simple Minds. Don't know about The Bunnymen, but I always have thought that Japan were in a league of their own when it comes to unique, fresh and original 'New-Wave'. The Cure close behind, though I find Robert Smith's vocals a bit tiresome. David Sylvian has a style like Bowie crossed with Bryan Ferry. Quality all the way.
We won't mention Sylvian's more Prog efforts with CAN members and Robert Fripp that he partook in afterwards.....
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Svetonio
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Joined: September 20 2010
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Posted: August 19 2014 at 05:51 |
 Tom Ozric wrote:
(...) The Cure close behind, though I find Robert Smith's vocals a bit tiresome. (...) |
I never can get Robert Smith's vocals; really tiresome to me.
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
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Posted: August 19 2014 at 06:20 |
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^ Yeah, the moe I hear his vocals, the more I cringe at having liked them for many years.....
I do however, think Silvian's vocals were totally spot-on for the times (better than his punky approach) and the musicianship above-average for the time.
Having said that, I did hear KAJAGOOGOO's Too Shy song today's, and there's a bit of 'slap-bass' in there, but nothing I I expected Nick Beggs to play years later....there was a lot of talent and potential in some New Wave musicians after all.
Edited by Tom Ozric - August 19 2014 at 16:01
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HolyMoly
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Joined: April 01 2009
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Posted: August 19 2014 at 07:32 |
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I would start with Tin Drum. I've only heard that one and Polaroids, however, so maybe I'm not the one to ask.
Edited by HolyMoly - August 19 2014 at 07:33
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My other avatar is a Porsche
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tszirmay
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Posted: August 19 2014 at 10:45 |
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Mick Karn on Sons of Pioneers is a bass lesson! His second solo album "Dreams of Reason" is stunning!
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I never post anything anywhere without doing more than basic research, often in depth.
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dr wu23
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Joined: August 22 2010
Location: Indiana
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Posted: August 19 2014 at 14:07 |
Tom Ozric wrote:
Wow !! You mention The Cure and Simple Minds. Don't know about The Bunnymen, but I always have thought that Japan were in a league of their own when it comes to unique, fresh and original 'New-Wave'. The Cure close behind, though I find Robert Smith's vocals a bit tiresome. David Sylvian has a style like Bowie crossed with Bryan Ferry. Quality all the way.
We won't mention Sylvian's more Prog efforts with CAN members and Robert Fripp that he partook in afterwards..... |
Never really cared for the Cure...but loved Simple Minds early work and all of the earlier Echo stuff.
The double set Sons and Fascination and Sister Feelings Call by Minds is superb and Heaven Up Here and Porcupine Tree by Echo is also killer material.
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One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
Haquin
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UMUR
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Posted: August 19 2014 at 15:17 |
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Gentlemen Take Polaroids
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Rivertree
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Posted: August 19 2014 at 16:29 |
 best JAPAN album ever ... though released under the moniker RAIN TREE CROW ... roundabout seven years after the official band break-up
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fudgenuts64
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Posted: August 19 2014 at 23:59 |
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I've given Quiet Life a few listens. I dig it! Kind of a more sophisticated New Wave sound, like Talking Heads but less experimental. I've also listened to the track Ghosts from Tin Drum, which after repeated listens I absolutely love.
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BarryGlibb
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 28 2010
Location: Melbourne, Oz
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Posted: August 21 2014 at 05:29 |
dr wu23 wrote:
Tom Ozric wrote:
Wow !! You mention The Cure and Simple Minds. Don't know about The Bunnymen, but I always have thought that Japan were in a league of their own when it comes to unique, fresh and original 'New-Wave'. The Cure close behind, though I find Robert Smith's vocals a bit tiresome. David Sylvian has a style like Bowie crossed with Bryan Ferry. Quality all the way.
We won't mention Sylvian's more Prog efforts with CAN members and Robert Fripp that he partook in afterwards..... |
Never really cared for the Cure...but loved Simple Minds early work and all of the earlier Echo stuff.
The double set Sons and Fascination and Sister Feelings Call by Minds is superb and Heaven Up Here and Porcupine Tree by Echo is also killer material. |
The obvious prog link with Simple Minds and their simultaneous dual album release i.e. Sons and Fascination and Sister Feelings Call were that they were both produced by Steve Hillage. Please prog aficionados listen to these two albums they are as good as anything that has ever been released by any artist in this world called Earth.
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BarryGlibb
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Joined: August 28 2010
Location: Melbourne, Oz
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Posted: August 21 2014 at 05:41 |
fudgenuts64 wrote:
I've given Quiet Life a few listens. I dig it! Kind of a more sophisticated New Wave sound, like Talking Heads but less experimental. I've also listened to the track Ghosts from Tin Drum, which after repeated listens I absolutely love.
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Ghosts is truly sublime. Sylvian has the nearest thing to the smoothest baritone voice in contemporary music, Scott Walker probably pips him as the greatest modern baritone singer but I really do appreciate Sylvian's delivery.
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Blacksword
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 22 2004
Location: England
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Posted: August 21 2014 at 06:46 |
Quiet Life, Polaroids, Tin Drum all very good..
You may want to check out Mick Karns solo stuff too. I really like Bestial Cluster.
Some of Fripps work with David Sylvian is nice too 
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Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy!
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Intruder
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 13 2005
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Points: 2195
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Posted: August 31 2014 at 22:23 |
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Please check out Sylvan's solo stuff.....great drifting stuff. Haven't put Japan on in years....always go with a Sylvan album when in the mood for Japan.
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I like to feel the suspense when you're certain you know I am there.....
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Tom Ozric
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 03 2005
Location: Olympus Mons
Status: Offline
Points: 15921
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Posted: September 01 2014 at 01:08 |
BarryGlibb wrote:
dr wu23 wrote:
Tom Ozric wrote:
Wow !! You mention The Cure and Simple Minds. Don't know about The Bunnymen, but I always have thought that Japan were in a league of their own when it comes to unique, fresh and original 'New-Wave'. The Cure close behind, though I find Robert Smith's vocals a bit tiresome. David Sylvian has a style like Bowie crossed with Bryan Ferry. Quality all the way. We won't mention Sylvian's more Prog efforts with CAN members and Robert Fripp that he partook in afterwards..... |
Never really cared for the Cure...but loved Simple Minds early work and all of the earlier Echo stuff.
The double set Sons and Fascination and Sister Feelings Call by Minds is superb and Heaven Up Here and Porcupine Tree by Echo is also killer material. |
The obvious prog link with Simple Minds and their simultaneous dual album release i.e. Sons and Fascination and Sister Feelings Call were that they were both produced by Steve Hillage. Please prog aficionados listen to these two albums they are as good as anything that has ever been released by any artist in this world called Earth. |
There's also an album by Real Life (they had their hit Catch Me I'm Falling) that is produced by Hillage as well. It's not bad, my sister has the LP of it.
Mike Howlett (bassist of GonG) produced an album by Fischer Z too.
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tszirmay
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Posted: September 01 2014 at 01:22 |
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Real Life did "Send Me an Angel" , a synth-pop classic ! That Fischer Z was something too!
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I never post anything anywhere without doing more than basic research, often in depth.
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Japan?
