Customer Reviews

Quiet Life

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 1980 at the height of the New Wave explosion Japan managed to secure themselves a unique foothold on the music scene. After the very interesting Metallic Reggae stylings of `Obscure Alternatives' they came out with this all ultra-smooth outing. With the beautifully played Synths of `Richard Barbieri' who acknowledged his Eno-influences and the fabulously assured & powerful bass playing of `Mick Carn', the music beyond what most bands were able to accomplish in this genre. With big nods to Roxy Music, Brian Eno & David Bowie and the distinctive vocal stylings of David Sylvian they garnered themselves a big following in the U.K. although aside from `Ghosts' from their following album they never really hit the charts in a big way. This album has a very unique sound and was pretty advanced for the time - 1980. It's fabulously well produced and starts off with the super bouncy `Quiet Life' track which has great synth playing accompanied by the catchiest chorus line on the album. After this though the mood pretty much mellows out and everything is either mid-tempo (In Vogue) or slow (All Tomorrow's Parties). However this played to their strengths in creating atmospheric soundscapes. All in all a very unique album and a good reason why some albums need to be listened to as a whole rather than distilled into some of the numerous greatest hits packages `Japan' has out there right now which lose the feeling their individual albums had. For fans of New Wave/New-Romantic or just good Electronic Music from the early 80's.

I won't pretend to be objective. I loved this album when it was released for four quid and I picked it out on a whim from the rack at my local record dump. It has everything a young, inhibited teen longing for big-city sophistication and a maybe just a hint of the disco life could want: pristine songs about alienation set to clean guitar riffs and rhythms that quietly echo a nice ride through Knightsbridge in a Bentley. Pretentious, in other words, a bit mysterious; worth a return journey. It even has a song in awful French! And a Velvet Underground cover. It snarls in a couple of places: Alien, Fall In Love With Me, Halloween..they sort of rock, but ultimately they are really well written, catchy pop songs that neither Roxy Music nor Bowie could muster at the time. And the title track is just kind of amazing in the way that it takes the ridiculous satin and sequins of these influences and turns into a sublime, intoxicating ride. With the benefit of hindsight, remastering and extra tracks: the album is a lot of fun, the sound is sparkling and propulsive and, beneath all that mascara, complex. The extras are a bit superfluous, except maybe A Foreign Place which presaged the uber-classic Tin Drum album, but really nice for fans and collectors.

If you like early 80s New Wave music like the Human League and Duran Duran yet have not checked out Japan, this may be the best album to start you off. Quiet Life, to me, is much more accesssible than their more innovative and experimental Gentlemen Take Polaroids and their ambitious Tin Drum. "Quiet Life" is an energetic, synthesizer-driven ride. "Fall in Love with Me" may be their most rockin' number. "Despair" is one of my favorites, a beautiful slow track that takes you away with its simple yet wonderful piano and sax melody along with Sylvian's French lyrics. "In Vogue" is driven by its sharp bass with the saxophone emerging at the chorus. The hard-rockin' "Halloween" is another one of my favorties. The chorus really kicks! They do a fun, folksy version of "All Tomorrow's Parties" and follows it up with the jazzy "Alien." The album ends with the slow, beautiful 7:29 masterpiece "The Other Side of Life". One can tell this album came out just after the disco era, when dance music was still the rage. Still, tracks like "Despair" show that Japan was very innovative musically as is very evident on Gentlemen and Tin Drum with the many instrumentals.

"Quiet Life" was an emormous leap for Japan. Released less than two years after their debut and just fifteen months after their most recent album, it seems as if just about everything about the band changed in that window.

Gone were the overt guitars, the aggressive rock songs, and nearly all of the glam overtones in the music. David Sylvian's compositions became more atmospheric, relying heavily on synthesizers rather than the guitars that were so prevelent and taking advantage of Mick Karn's saxophone talents to add more variety to the music. Equally critical were the stylistic developments of both Sylvian's vocal and Karn's bass playing-- coming nearer to their final sound, Sylvian sung in a more comfortable tenor-- not quite the smoky depth he'd pursue in his solo career, but without that nasal/glam edge he'd been singing with, and Karn totally embraced the fretless bass, having developed into the organic and rubbery sound that he would use for the remainder of his career.

From the opener, this is clear--"Quiet Life" is synth driven, with a dance beat and glistening guitars providing a highlight. Rob Dean's guitar solo, when it arrives, it largely ebow driven, weaving in and out of the synthesizers. And while admittedly, there are songs that show the pedigree of the last album (the excellent "Fall in Love With Me"), largely its this new synth pop direction that dominates (moody "In Vogue", a superb cover of the Velvet Underground's "All Tomorrow's Parties"), with an occasional nod towards Sylvian's minimalist instincts as a composer that are starting to manifest (moody ballad "Despair", closer "The Other Side of Life").

Interested parties should consider the remaster, which improves the somewhat muddy sound on this old LP transfer and includes several (admittedly largely unessential) bonus tracks, although it hasn't been released in the US and carries a large price tag as a result.

Regardless of sonic flaws, this is quite a good album, and clearly points the way to the future. Recommended.

It's true, Duran jumped the Japan bandwagon by copying their look and tweeking their sound to fit the mainstream thus becoming teeny-bopper legends. This album is definately akin to synth-pop-rock, but was more underground during its time. David Sylvian's deep, dreamy voice is in full effect. "Fall in Love with Me" is a strident stand-out while "Halloween" adds appropriate atmosphere to their sound full of sax and dance rhythms. The cover of "All Tomorrow's Parties" is an unusual, somewhat mechanical take on the original that is quite intriguing. The slow-burning songs are quite mood-inducing as well. A very good record to be sure!

In 1980 at the height of the New Wave explosion Japan managed to secure themselves a unique foothold on the music scene. After the very interesting Metallic Reggae stylings of `Obscure Alternatives' they came out with this all ultra-smooth outing. With the beautifully played Synths of `Richard Barbieri' who acknowledged his Eno-influences and the fabulously assured & powerful bass playing of `Mick Carn', the music beyond what most bands were able to accomplish in this genre. With big nods to Roxy Music, Brian Eno & David Bowie and the distinctive vocal stylings of David Sylvian they garnered themselves a big following in the U.K. although aside from `Ghosts' from their following album they never really hit the charts in a big way. This album has a very unique sound and was pretty advanced for the time - 1980. It's fabulously well produced and starts off with the super bouncy `Quiet Life' track which has great synth playing accompanied by the catchiest chorus line on the album. After this though the mood pretty much mellows out and everything is either mid-tempo (In Vogue) or slow (All Tomorrow's Parties). However this played to their strengths in creating atmospheric soundscapes. All in all a very unique album and a good reason why some albums need to be listened to as a whole rather than distilled into some of the numerous greatest hits packages `Japan' has out there right now which lose the feeling their individual albums had. For fans of New Wave/New-Romantic or just good Electronic Music from the early 80's.

"Quiet Life" was an emormous leap for Japan. Released less than two years after their debut and just fifteen months after their most recent album, it seems as if just about everything about the band changed in that window.

Gone were the overt guitars, the aggressive rock songs, and nearly all of the glam overtones in the music. David Sylvian's compositions became more atmospheric, relying heavily on synthesizers rather than the guitars that were so prevelent and taking advantage of Mick Karn's saxophone talents to add more variety to the music. Equally critical were the stylistic developments of both Sylvian's vocal and Karn's bass playing-- coming nearer to their final sound, Sylvian sung in a more comfortable tenor-- not quite the smoky depth he'd pursue in his solo career, but without that nasal/glam edge he'd been singing with, and Karn totally embraced the fretless bass, having developed into the organic and rubbery sound that he would use for the remainder of his career.

From the opener, this is clear--"Quiet Life" is synth driven, with a dance beat and glistening guitars providing a highlight. Rob Dean's guitar solo, when it arrives, it largely ebow driven, weaving in and out of the synthesizers. And while admittedly, there are songs that show the pedigree of the last album (the excellent "Fall in Love With Me"), largely its this new synth pop direction that dominates (moody "In Vogue", a superb cover of the Velvet Underground's "All Tomorrow's Parties"), with an occasional nod towards Sylvian's minimalist instincts as a composer that are starting to manifest (moody ballad "Despair", closer "The Other Side of Life").

This reissue packages the disc in digipack with expanded artwork and a nice essay about the record by website runner and long time fan Paul Rymer, and is augmented by four bonus tracks-- three alternate mixes that are largely extraneous (at least for me, I don't really care for remixes) and instrumental b-side "A Foreign Place"-- a fascinating traditional Eastern tinged instrumental, pushing Sylvian's minimalist influences into an oddly traditional sound. Additionally, the entire record is remastered and sports superb sound well worth the investment. This is quite a good album, and clearly points the way to the future. Recommended.

If you like to relax to enchanting music, then this is the album for you. I've always loved this album ever since it was first released. It is soothing, relaxing and refreshing despite its age. A most excellent version of the Velvet Underground's "All Tomorrow's Parties" is contained, and I prefer it to the original. Go get it.

OK this is one of my top 10 or 20 albums of all time. The records rpeceding it were not that great abd also Tin Drum as not as satisfying. This was Japan reaching their maturity. They were the sophisticated synth band with a great singer and great bass player. Daid Sylvian's voice has reached a maturity on tracks as Alien or All tomorrow's parties that he would never equal later on in his solo career.

I'm not sure whose idea it was, but David Sylvian's sustained homage to Bryan Ferry began here and is easily forgiven given the remarkable original material. And if you're going to cover the venerable Velvet Underground, you'd better make the song your own; that Sylvian and company did so as effectively as they did attests to their creative genius. Play the churning original and Japans's shimmering version back-to-back sometime and be wowed. THE QUIET LIFE was Japan's most atmospheric album to date (their third); Richard Barbieri's keyboard work everywhere lends an appropriately otherworldy ambience, but especially on the otherwise hard-edged 'Halloween'. Even the only track that bears much resemblance to ADOLESCENT SEX or OBSCURE ALTERNATIVES, 'Fall In Love With Me', has a remarkably detached feel to it thanks to the production of Simon Napier Bell and the band. You can practically sink into this music, and you might well do so if you're not careful.