Needle Time

 Japan - Obscure Alternatives [VIP-6593 JPN 1978 24-Bit FLAC] Where else do you buy Japan records? Here is another from my 2018 trip to Tokyo and a pile of vinyl which accompanied me on the plane home. This copy was really cheap (especially when compared to regular Japanese prices) but had some kind of mold speckles on both sides of the record. I've cleaned this up and the results make me happy!  Their second album marked the end of Japan's glam phase, it still cock-rocks out in places however it is a little more restrained than their debut with a more considered approach to composition when compared to the New York Doll obsessions on their debut. The punk-reggae of Rhodesia and the riff-laden rock of  Sometimes I Feel So Low still stand out, the arty  Suburban Berlin was a hint of what was to come and the gentle, slightly out-of-place instrumental  The Tenant has the feel of Bowie and Eno at work, plus of course it features the debut of the Mick Karn sax. ...

  Japan ‎- Adolescent Sex 果てしなき反抗 [VIP-6564 JPN 1978 24-Bit FLAC] It is time for some hair rock! Okay, post-glam, Roxy-Bowie, New York Dolls-inspired hairy rock disco beasts Japan and their debut album, ripped here from my Japanese (where else?) pressing of Adolescent Sex . It didn't take long for Sylvian, Karn, Barbieri, Dean and Jansen to tidy themselves up, buy some better suits, slap on some more blusher and rework themselves into the complex alternative art-rock band they eventually became, with some success. I know that the band members look back on their fledgling days with some embarrassment, but they did reveal their skill as excellent musicians, especially Messrs Karn and Barbieri.  The band's look was very 1975, but this was 1978 and punk had already happened, so there was little appetite in the UK for Japan's hairy glam, further worsened by their decision to announce themselves with a cover of  Don't Rain On My Parade as a debut single.  Regardless, thi...

  Japan - Life In Tokyo [600 048 DEU 1979 24-Bit FLAC] Back in 2011, after the passing of Mick Karn, I've spent a lot of time listening to Japan's very varied output and rediscovered the band. Some of my singles featured on old ESWA posts, this did not, so now seems a fitting time to full together a  rip. This is the German pressing on Hansa and it sounds fab. From Glam Rock to Art Rock via Disco, Jazz and Avantgarde, I doubt any other act has encompassed so many genres, managed to build a significant fan base and then hold it together. This Moroder produced disco single was never hugely successful -  no matter how many times Hansa or Virgin released it. It's strange that it took one of their most inaccessible of tracks, Ghosts to get them a top five hit. A1 Life In Tokyo Part I (Disco Version) B1 Life In Tokyo Part II (Single Version)