Customer Reviews

Tin Drum

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

 

 

Tin Drum" was the album where Japan finally hit their stride-- the two strongest forces in the band had found their own voices-- David Sylvian's compositions combined drastically separated influences like Roxy Music, Erik Satie, and Eastern Asian traditional musics to form something wholly other, supported in large part by the unique, rubbery fretless bass playing of Mick Karn. Even at this early point in his career, no one sounded like Karn. And with the departure of Rob Dean, there was little concession for guitar playing-- when its present, its more atmospheric and tasteful-- a radical departure from the N.Y. Dolls glam of their first album, which came out just three years prior.

But taste and atmosphere and arrangements are really the key here-- consider the album's standout-- "Ghosts". Steve Jansen (a master of understatement at the percussion chair) plays a simple marimba line, under which Sylvian and synth man Richard Barbieri play simple hazes. While Sylvian's voice had not yet finished developing, his passionate croon is emotional and effecting. Contrast this piece withe the traditional Chinese sounds of "Canton"-- which could have been written (and for that matter performed) centuries before were it not for the squeaky presence of Karn's bass.

Much of the rest of the album is dancey rhythmically, with Jansen maintaining understated pumped up beats and Karn digging way deep into a groove and producing several stunning bass lines ("Talking Drum", "Still Life in Mobile Homes", "Visions of China"). But to my ears, the other standout on the record is "Sons of Pioneers"-- similar in mood and feel to "Ghosts", cowritten by Karn and Sylvian, this one is driven by a haunting bass line and tribal percussion and again shows the band has mastered this dark mood. Its really quite a shame they split up after this one-- both Sylvian's "Brilliant Trees" and Karn's "Titles" and Dali's Car project would have benefited greatly from the other contributing.

This reissue was done fully under the control of David Sylvian. Sonically, its flawless-- the Virgin reissues of the Japan/Sylvian catalog could have been recorded yesterday in an all-digital studio. The only other comment I'd make is to say it might be worth digging up the limited edition release which contained a bonus disc-- if you're new to Japan, this one's fine, if you're an old hand with them, you'll probably want the limited edition (but then again, you probably have it).

Overall, "Tin Drum" is really a superb album-- definitely the best the band did in my assessment. This reissue only makes it sound better.

Amazon's product description listed this cd as having the 4 bonus tracks on it. Well, I just received my copy and it does not. That sucks because the single version of "the art of parties" is superior to the album version. Oh well. At least it is remastered. I also bought "Gentlemen take polaroids" and "Quiet Life" and they did match the descriptions.

this was the first japan album i ever heard and it blew me away. it still blows me away. this sounded like nothing else when it came out and in my opinion has stood the test of time and then some. 'tin drum' might be the most "perfect" japan album in the sense that it's such an extremely bold statement of what this band was about during this era: elegance, experimentation, and haunting songs and textures. only 8 tracks long but epic in every way. a masterpiece.

As a teenager working in the world of radio in the 80's, I recognized the brilliance of Japan. This was definitely a band that stood out as genius in a sea of uniqueness at the time. If I had been able, I would have loved to expose the mainstream airwaves to the pleasures of Japan. Limited by a top 10 mainstream format on air, I was unable to share...Alas, the internet! This is a must have. I don't care WHAT type of music you listen to. Genius is genius!

Although Japan was a "run of the mill" British pop group in the early 80s, their music was NOT! I really like this album...especially "Still Life in Mobile Homes," which was curiously left off of their "Best of" collection. The only reason I wouldn't give this album 5 starts is because it's fairly repetative, as far as the songs. Most of them sound quite similar and it does get a bit tiresome (except, of course, for "Ghosts," which was the defining moment of their career).

Oh, how I hated Japan in 1981. The make-up! The stupid clothes! David Sylvian's irritating vocal affectations! The screaming girls! The copy cat boys!

Then, around 1987 or 1988 an odd thing happened: I saw an archive video of Japan playing 'Swing' on The Old Grey Whistle Test. WTF? Girl's used to go crazy over this? This is real, original, inventive music! Not your typical boy band at all. By the late 80s I had also taken up playing bass, and fretless too, so I was particularly agape at Mick Karn's imaginative bass lines. (He also had a great sound and played the same bass that I already dreamed of having. Out of reach for a hard-up twentyish kid, though). (NB: 'Swing' isn't on this album; it's on 'Gentlemen Take Polaroids', which is also good).

Beyond that it's hard to know how to sum it up. Tin Drum is a really interesting, unusual album full of exotic and sometimes atmospheric musical ideas, if a bit dated sometimes. Listen to it now and it's hard to imagine them next to Duran Duran or Spandau Ballet, but that's pretty much where they were at the time.

I have the old, un-remastered version, which sounds a little muddy. Hopefully this version has been cleaned up a bit.

This is a weird-sounding album. It is easier to understand if you first listen to Remain In Light by the Talking Heads; it has the same kind of rickety, rattling percussion as the famous polyrhythmic songs on that album. But Tin Drum is even more extreme. Remain In Light was still recognizable as an album by a rock band -- for instance, "The Great Curve" had a guitar-god solo from Adrian Belew. On the other hand, Tin Drum has no guitars at all. Okay, maybe a few, somewhere. But not many.

Mostly, Tin Drum consists of drums, placed in an echoing ambient production, with incidental Oriental-style chimes and bells. "Ghosts" is surely one of the weirdest singles to ever hit the Top Ten -- it's all ambience and incidental noise. The brooding, stream-of-consciousness lyrics sort of have a chorus, in the sense that certain words get repeated, but the slow, strange elastic vocal rhythm sounds like no pop chorus you've ever heard. Oh, and the lyrics were plagiarized fifteen years later by Tricky on his album Maxinquaye. How's that for a peculiar connection?

There is a very heavy influence of Eastern imagery. "Canton" sounds like the sort of thing that would appear in a movie set in ancient China. As rock music, it is very unconventional. As actual Chinese music, it's probably not very original. Still, it shows that they were trying to make something very different from the norm in rock music. There are songs named "Visions Of China" and "Cantonese Boy," playing up the Chinese connection. The most noteworthy thing about them is that they don't try to patronize or talk down to this foreign culture. "Cantonese Boy" describes a very young man who joins the Chinese army, but it respects and accepts his choice, and attempts to elicit a similar attitude in the listener. "Visions Of China" appears to be from the point of view of young, ambitious Chinese men who are eager to create a new society by "building our visions of China" on their own terms. This ain't the pitiable suffering artists of Farewell My Concubine, folks.

You might expect minimalism and experimentation from, say, a Can album. But Japan originated as a new-wave glam band. Singer David Sylvian engages in the usual Brit-rock vaudeville theatrics, with extremely flamboyant diction and mannerisms. For a new wave band to go in such an inaccessible direction, and then make the Top Ten anyway, creates a very unusual and odd feeling. In between the Chinese images, there is plenty of room for "whoa-oh-ohs," personal laments on "my life, still life, in mobile homes" (appropriately titled "Still Life In Mobile Homes") ominous confessions that "once I was young, once I was smart, now I'm living at the edge of my nerves" ("The Art Of Parties") and the paranoid ranting in "Ghosts." The lyrics in "Still Life In Mobile Homes" are slowly, circularly drawn out. There is a rhythmic bridge, which breaks into a slower, repetitive chorus just when you think the song will get faster. Since there is no guitar, no real driving lead, the songs just sort of shuffle and bounce along. There is a part in "Visions Of China" where the drums suddenly lock into a really dry but funky groove. This leads into the defiant chant, "we're young and strong in this party / we're building our visions of China."

If you weren't in on the whole thing from the beginning, I doubt this can become your favourite album. It's too odd, too ambiguous; perhaps to the band's credit, it sounds like something that comes from a very different culture. And not every song is equally good -- "Sons Of Pioneers" is a pretty forgettable drone, taking up seven whole minutes, and the first side doesn't really get going until "Ghosts." Overall, though, Tin Drum sounds fascinating and different. You can tell by that tight drum sound that it was made in the eighties, but it's far enough away from the typical new wave style that it doesn't sound too dated. Even today, it still gives off a certain mystique, an exotic feeling.

Everytime I play Tin Drum, I hear something new. There are so many subtleties and nuances to the music and to Sylvian's voice that it makes it exciting to listen to. A brilliant album...

Simply put, one of the best albums of the 80s and (perhaps more crucially) a record you can listen to now and not seem dated at all. Possibly amongst the best pop/art music statements of the twentieth century.

Japan's best!

Tin Drum has been classified as the pinnacle of Japan's career. Despite of a short career for a mainstream band is without a doubt a colorful album that clearly defines this era. This album has wonderful rythms that will take you back to the height of British bands in the early 80's. David Sylvian's voice is without a doubt what made this band so succesful.
I prefer Gentleman Take Polaroids to Tin Drum because of personal reasons; this reasons are purely my own. I love Tin Drum but not as much as the other albums produced by the band. Tin Drum is easy listening not a dance album and will take you back to your teenage years or it will help you rediscover your past.