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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Stylish Reissues Lacking In Substance, November 13, 2003
EMI was unable to really cash in on Japan until David Sylvian's 20-year contract with Virgin Records ran out in 2001. After that impressive milestone came to pass, the label began the process of remastering and repackaging their three Japan albums, the Rain Tree Crow reunion one-off, and Sylvian's solo recordings. For better or for worse, the obsessively controlling Sylvian provided extensive input into the proceedings, the results of which look very impressive upon initial examination. However, as is often the case, the surface belies the substance.First off, studio engineer Tony Cousins has managed the impossible in producing a warm, organic sound from these discs, a remarkable achievement considering the longterm complaint by audiophiles that compact discs lack such an aesthetic quality. These CDs come as close to replicating the output of virgin vinyl (no pun intended) as I've ever heard, without the usual associated aural anomalies. However, my argument is not with the music - these albums are all truly brilliant in their own right and the remastered sound quality is superb. And Japan is certainly worthy of having their material revisited and properly reissued. However I must question many of the decisions made regarding content, organization, and design. A common gripe that I have with all the releases is the digipack packaging. While more visually appealing than the standard jewelcase, digipacks are more delicate in nature and of greater susceptibility to damage during both distribution and handling. If a jewelcase is broken, it's easily replaced - the same cannot be said of digipack components. Here are other, album-specific complaints: GENTLEMEN TAKE POLAROIDS: The alternate cover photo is a splendid variation, but the original should have been incorporated as well. The inclusion of the lyrics to "Nightporter" appears random and arbitrary - why not reproduce all the song lyrics? TIN DRUM: The special packaging is superfluous - a cardboard slipcase would have achieved the same effect. The second disc is wasteful, as this material could have easily been included on the main album. The pictorial booklet is certainly well compiled, but I think most fans are beyond the 'image worship' phase by now. OIL ON CANVAS: There was no need to divide the content between two discs, as it obviously fits comfortably on one CD. However, EMI can charge more for a 2-disc set, thus explaining that decision. Washing the color out of the cover painting is an odd alteration that reduces its appeal. In summation, far too much effort was channeled into the overly precious packaging when greater emphasis should have been given to the musical content. There are several tracks currently unavailable on CD that could have easily been included on these releases, including "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" (single edit), "Burning Bridges" (original mix), "Some Kind Of Fool" (original recording), "Visions Of China" (extended mix), "Nightporter" (single edit), "Ain't That Peculiar" (alternate mix), and "Canton" (live single version). Accompanying booklets with complete discographies, single cover art, song lyrics, interviews, biographies, etc. would have been greatly appreciated by fans. Sadly, it is a rare occasion when an artist's followers are consulted for projects of this nature, which shows extremely poor foresight given that the fans are the direct product consumers. EMI has executed other back catalog reissue campaigns with exceptional results, including those for Ultravox, Human League, O.M.D., and Culture Club. In comparison, I find the new Japan and David Sylvian re-releases to be disappointing. Perhaps I might have been more forgiving had I not purchased all of these albums several times previously in various formats, a factor with which many collectors can empathize. EMI could have acknowledged this by offering these releases with mid-line prices similar to the above mentioned artists' CD reissues. Alas, corporate greed wins again.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best of Japan's material., April 11, 2005
"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. But the packaging on this one is a bit over the top-- it comes in this gigantic cardboard case with a digipack containing the album, a cardboard LP-style sleeve containing a bonus disc (more on that in a minute) and a booklet of photos. While this stuff is all quite nice, its rather extensive. The bonus disc is largely extraneous--two single mixes (the inferior extended mix of "The Art of Parties" and "Ghosts"), the b-side to "The Art of Parties" (the superb "Life Without Buildings", an East Asian style mostly instrumental piece, but with a much more modern vibe and great bass playing from Karn) and a great live recording of "The Art of Parties".
Overall, "Tin Drum" is really a superb album-- definitely the best the band did in my assessment. This reissue only makes it sound better.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The band Duran Duran (or at least Arcadia) was trying to be, April 26, 2005
Japan was one of those bands that my hipper friends who listened only to college radio always talked about back in the early-MTV period of the '80's. I finally allowed my curiosity to get the better of me when I had heard that Mick Karn was an outstanding player of the fretless bass guitar (an instrument that I play, as well) and I bought this amazingly eclectic re-issue.
The music is...well, it's something that takes a bit of getting used to. The constant drum machine fills and staccato keyboard programs during the quicker-paced songs date the material instantly, and the exaggerated accent in vocalist David Sylvian's (easily one of the coolest names in the history of rock) delivery place the band squarely during that time when EVERY band that was worth listening to was from one corner of Britain or the other. The immediate impression that I got during the first listen was that this was the coldest and most soulless CD I had ever listened to, everything that we were supposed to dislike about synth-pop in its infancy. David Slyvian gets a liner note credit for playing guitar, but as many times as I've listened to this album I've yet to find it.
Having said that, by the third or fourth time you listen to this CD you are used to its quirkiness...and Mick Karn's bassplaying is as advertised. There is no small amount of irony that the most frequently replaced instrument in synth-based music is the bass guitar, yet Japan's most daunting musician plays that very instrument and with his overchorused tone sets the standard by which fretless bass is recorded in pop music throughout the rest of the decade (see especially "No Parlez" by Paul Young).
The highlights for me are "Canton", "Sill Life In Mobile Homes", "Visions of China", and "Sons Of Pioneers", the only song on which Karn gets a writing credit. For these track alone the CD is worth buying.
The packaging of the re-issue I am actually very impressed with. If it is possible to make a box set out of a single album, EMI has done it here. The release of bonus material (single edits, B-sides, and a live version of the lead track) on a separate disc is, to my perception, a welcome change of procedure that keeps the integrity of the song selection from the original album as it was released some 20-plus years ago. You don't HAVE to listen to the bonus material if all you want to do is hear the album as it was originally recorded and released. And the photo booklet that is included...absolutely necessary? No, but a nice touch. Would I have liked to have lyrics included as well? Sure. But a band from an era that is as equally about art as it was music among its performers is perfectly within their range by including an element of photography/fashion with the reissue of what most people agree to be their flagship recordings. If you are at all curious about what Japan has to offer, you could A LOT WORSE than buying this CD reissue package to find out.
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