Not sure if I ever mentioned in this thread that I went to see Japan at Northampton Cricket Club (basically a big scout hut) in 1978 on their Obscure Alternatives Tour. I'm not just saying this because it is their thread and fans of the band wouldn't want to hear a word said against them but my god, they were BRILLIANT. I'd been to the venue (such as it was) a few times seeing quite a few punk bands like Generation X, Penetration, 999 and even Budgie once but Japan were something else.I'd gone along to see them on the strength of ads in NME - the ones with a ladies hand in a gentlemans zipper that implored "get into Japan" and so they seemed like the kind of cheeky lads I'd dig seeing live. They were so exciting and unexpectedly rocking that I became quite a fan afterwards but it's funny as when they changed into the band that made Tin Drum I was a bit perplexed but my tastes had changed with their sound too. I never forgot that night in Northampton and remember buying a programme too which was something like 40p (sadly long gone) but I thought I'd share my memories with you of what were, to me, a really special band.
Sometime back, YouTube's algorithm sent me an "official" promo video from Singer Records for the song by JAPAN called 'Suburban Berlin' . . .
From Singer Records, in the comments section . . .
"The video accompanying Suburban Berlin is from a ballet conceived by one of Berlin's great artists from the Bauhaus era ; the painter, sculptor, designer and choreographer Oskar Schlemmer who died in 1943. Japan's late bass player Mick Karn, who died in 2011, was an accomplished sculptor and painter and embraced the experimental. This video is in his honour."
I know for a fact Steve Jansen likes this official promo.
I always associate producer Ray Singer with this photograph (he's got the cigar, I believe, and Simon Napier-Bell is on the 'phone) . . .
"This collection was inspired by Plight (The Spiralling of Winter Ghosts), the collaborative album created by DAVID SYLVIAN and HOLGER CZUKAY in the 1980s.
Giovanni Giorgio Moroder
26 April 1940 (age 83)
Urtijëi, South Tyrol, Kingdom of Italy
Robert Dean
born 23 April 1955,
Clapton, Hackney
England
Not sure if I ever mentioned in this thread that I went to see Japan at Northampton Cricket Club (basically a big scout hut) in 1978 on their Obscure Alternatives Tour. I'm not just saying this because it is their thread and fans of the band wouldn't want to hear a word said against them but my god, they were BRILLIANT. I'd been to the venue (such as it was) a few times seeing quite a few punk bands like Generation X, Penetration, 999 and even Budgie once but Japan were something else. I'd gone along to see them on the strength of ads in NME - the ones with a ladies hand in a gentlemans zipper that implored "get into Japan" and so they seemed like the kind of cheeky lads I'd dig seeing live. They were so exciting and unexpectedly rocking that I became quite a fan afterwards but it's funny as when they changed into the band that made Tin Drum I was a bit perplexed but my tastes had changed with their sound too. I never forgot that night in Northampton and remember buying a programme too which was something like 40p (sadly long gone) but I thought I'd share my memories with you of what were, to me, a really special band.
Sylvian and Sakamoto take a break during the recording of Virginia Astley's Some Small Hope.
Singer Records.
Sometime back, YouTube's algorithm sent me an "official" promo video from Singer Records for the song by JAPAN called 'Suburban Berlin' . . .
From Singer Records, in the comments section . . .
"The video accompanying Suburban Berlin is from a ballet conceived by one of Berlin's great artists from the Bauhaus era ; the painter, sculptor, designer and choreographer Oskar Schlemmer who died in 1943. Japan's late bass player Mick Karn, who died in 2011, was an accomplished sculptor and painter and embraced the experimental. This video is in his honour."
I know for a fact Steve Jansen likes this official promo.
I always associate producer Ray Singer with this photograph (he's got the cigar, I believe, and Simon Napier-Bell is on the 'phone) . . .
Frank Auerbach - Recent Work 1983 Marlborugh Catalogue
c. Frank Auerbach and Marlborough Fine Arts
Detail from: Head of J.Y.M. II 1980
26 x 24 in
"This collection was inspired by Plight (The Spiralling of Winter Ghosts), the collaborative album created by DAVID SYLVIAN and HOLGER CZUKAY in the 1980s.
Mick Karn, 1979
@richardbarbieri_music Happy with my new "ears"
Good job #customiems
Released 43 years ago on 17 November 1979
Released 40 years ago today.
Theo Travis on touring with Jansen-Barbieri-Karn
Pulling Punches by David Sylvian - Drum Cover and Transcription
Japan / David Sylvian Ghosts Acoustic Lesson + CHORDS
Fab photo! Saw David Sylvian yesterday on Now 80s, 'Red Guitar' vid. Brilliant!