Customer Reviews

Oil on Canvas

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

on account of those cheekbones, david sylvian was allegedly offered the job of being in the maxwell tape ads (you might remember if you're of a certain age, a guy on a couch being blown away by the speakers)...unfortunately no live album he's done comes close to the impact the image conveys. sylvian was a perfectionist not a performer, and if you ever caught japan live you couldn't help noticing how the other guys seemed to be having a blast while he seemed almost disdainful. The last tour in particular (from which this album was compiled) was a fairly harrowing episode during which the band essentially split. it's a pity you don't hear this tension in the album but take it for what it is, which is an almost greatest hits thing with a few instrumental nuggets thrown in. the title track ups sylvian's satie-fixation up one notch, voices raised..is a slice of ethno-percussion mixed with the chipmunks, and temple of dawn is what it sounds like, an eno composition by someone else. songwise, the one bum note is a refashioned "quiet life" which is given an excruciating, pimple-proud guitar solo. nightporter was apparently re-recorded in the studio and replaces some of the paris-at-dawn polish with synths, which generally reduces the grandeur of the song. otherwise the songs are carbon copies of the album tracks, with some extra reverb and sometimes backbeat thrown in. It would probably have made a better album if they'd left off the slower, instrumental numbers in favor of other live favorites at the time; in other words it would be nice to see Virgin raid the vaults for a full setlist sometime.

I discovered this band when I was a freshman in high school (1984) and couldn't get enough of thier unusual, often meloncholy, haunting sound. David Sylvian's voice became among my favorites. I hadn't listened to this album in years and dug out my old LPs. With the first note I realized not only was this the soundtrack of my childhood, but it didn't sound dated. Everything they did was with such vision and precision that it stands today as some of the most innovative, infectious music you will ever hear. I had to order CDs of all of my favorite Japan albums that night. This is my favorite- a terrific compilation.

This was the first Japan Album I had ever heard and I still think it is possibly their best (second is Exorcising Ghosts). This band who was effectively robbed of success by Duran Duran, Started as a semi punk mostly New Romantic rock band transformed into one of the great unknown bands of the 1980's. This album is a heavily processed live album that covers most of their better known songs. If you are a David Sylvian fan, you will find a lot of the melodies and progressions that led him towards Gone to Earth (his best album in my opinion). Japan as a group and the influence they put into the English music scene helped to form a lot of the what came out of 4AD records in the later 80's. I can easily imagine members of the Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance grooving to this and deciding to form bands.
While their instrumental pieces borrow heavily from Eno and the Pre-New Age Electronic movement that came before them.
Long story short; if you like Eno and you like Duran Duran (well maybe like some of their stuff but not their hits), you will love Japan. I recommend this as a great starter album for the Japan newbie as well as a fantastic greatest hits album for the Japan Groupie.

Roxy Music and Bowie inspired many bands of the 80's (Duran Duran, The Cars, Flock of Seagulls, Bauhaus, OMD, Ultravox, Icehouse). A band overlooked in the United States was Japan. This album was my first introduction to Japan, so it is also my favorite. Very dark and moody, it is just the thing to listen to when feeling dark and moody. Although the sound quality of this live cd does not measure up to quality of their studio work, the outstanding quitar work by Masami Tsuchiya makes this cd worth owning. Tsuchiya haunting, and at times eery, quitar lifts the music to a level Japan never achieved in the studio.

Although Japan were pin-up idols in the late '70's, this more mature band come out with this fantastic live recording at the end of their career. Although most of the tracks come from their most recent studio releases, you can hear how they invented the New Romantic movement. The songs are more atmospheric than anthemic, and the arrangements are subtle -- yet showcasing the technical abilities of the band's members. Slower numbers like "Ghosts" and "NIghtporter" avoid the break-out your lighters sap, and communicate emotions rare in pop music. The live versions of "Visions of China," "Still Life in Mobile Homes" and (especially) "The Art of Parties" have more muscle than their studio versions. Kudos to Japan for choosing to interpret these songs for the stage rather than bang them all out like every other band.

I hate live albums. I feel that home music listening is a personal experience, and to have screaming fans interrupting the beginning and end (and sometimes the middle) of every song strikes me as intrusive. If you want a live performance, go to a concert! But I bought this cd about five years ago and I still can't get enough of it. Why? It doesn't sound live! And it took me months to figure out that it actually was.

Japan audiences must be every performer's dream. They show quiet but adequate appreciation before and after each song, and then they LISTEN to it. And that means WE can, too!

Each song is a wonderful rendering of their album work. One of the reasons I didn't think it was live was because I couldn't imagine that sound being recreated so wonderfully on stage. But this is Japan we're talking about here. Why did they have to break up, just when they were reaching such heights of originality and talent?

Check out the live version of "Nightporter". It's incredible. Also noteworthy are "Gentlemen Take Polaroids", and only Japan can do a song like "Ghosts" in concert and pull it off so effortlessly.

This is the sound of Japan that influenced every member's future musical style. David Sylvian's 'Gone to Earth', Mick Karn's 'Dreams of Reason', Dali's Car's 'The Waking Hour', and The Dolphin Brothers' 'Catch the Fall' are perfect examples of the musical genius that each artist gave to and took with them from the flame of Japan's too-short-lived fire.

If you love this band (or any music that is clean, original, and inspired), but hate screaming people in your living room, buy this album. Definitely worth it; chances are you'll never get tired of it.

One of my favorite albums of any era/genre. An incredible album, comprised of the best material from Tin Drum and Gentlemen Take Polaroids. Ultra-hip early 80s music with a touch of pop, atomospheric, and electronic, from a band who was in a league of their own. It is amazing how well they performed together live, and Sylvian's voice has never been better. This band defined "new romantic" before it was watered down. This concert is on video tape, but is really hard to find (import). My copy is on order and I can't wait to see it.

Sylvian has said how much he dislikes performing live, calling it an uncreative process. I think this shows here. While live albums should give you a feeling of immediacy and spontaneity, Oil on Canvas sounds colder and more remote than the studio albums. The crowd sounds like it's a hundred miles away, and there are too many slow-tempo numbers (in accordance with Sylvian's preference);the album opens and closes on uninspired instrumentals. Also, there is no improvisation or variation on the studio tracks, which you might have expected from such great musicians. So you have in effect a rather uneven, slightly muddy sounding, compilation of greatest hits, minus "my new career." You're better off buying the 3 studio albums!

Japan, from their second album onwards were tremendous. I love the studio versions. This live album is worthwhile to have alternate versions of the songs. But, unfortunately this was my first Japan album years ago. Mistake. Luckily I also got Exorcising Ghosts (a best of) at the same time and was blown away.

Saw it in the store a few weeks ago and realized it was highly rated by reviewers so I picked it up again. I like it since I know the songs now. But, my advice is to start with the studio albums.

this album takes a bit of heat for various reasons but i've always found it very much so in league with the other beloved japan albums. admittedly if it is in fact live then japan was an incredible performance band who were immaculately recorded but regardless of technical talk the reason why this collection might be of interest to you (and is a Must Have in my book) is that it's like an 'alternative versions' collection of incredible japan songs. having said that these versions and the vocals are Very close to the studio recordings (relatively speaking in regards to the often controversial 'Live Album'). from the time of its original release this collection had me playing it over, and over, and over. this possibly gets the "for the true japan fan" tag as opposed to an otherwise Essential japan album but, if you're like me, all japan albums from this era are essential and this one holds as many delights as ever.