Frogtoon Music

Obscure Alternatives (Album) by Japan

Artist Biography For Japan

British Art Rock Band Japan Was Formed In 1974 In Lewisham South London England With Original Members David Sylvian Vocals Guitar Mick Karn Bass Guitar Saxophone Richard Barbieri Keyboards Rob Dean Guitar And Steve Jansen Percussion . Dean Left The Band In 1981 Before The Recording Of Japan's Final Album Tin Drum. Japan Began Playing Glam Rock Influenced By David Bowie The New York Dolls And Motown. Japan Debuted On Record With 1978's Adolescent Sex And Subsequently Obscure Alternatives Which Both Sold Well In The Nation Of Japan Though Nowhere Else. Their Third Album 1979's Quiet Life Heralded A Change In Musical Style From The Earlier Largely Guitar Based Music To A More Electronic Sound With More Emphasis On Barbieri's Synthesisers Sylvian's Svelte Baritone Style Of Singing Karn's Distinctive Fretless Bass Sound And Steve Jansen's Odd-Timbred Percussion Work. Their Following Two Albums Gentlemen Take Polaroids 1980 And Tin Drum 1981 Continued To Expand Their Audience As The Band Refined Its New Sound And Unintentionally Became Part Of The Early 1980s New Romantic Movement. But Tin Drum Would End Up Being Their Final Album As Personality Conflicts Drove The Band Apart. Nevertheless The Album's Unconventional Single "Ghosts" Reached #5 On The UK Pop Charts Followed By A Re-Release Of "I Second That Emotion" That Reached #9. The Band Officially Split Up After A Farewell Tour In Late 1982. The Tour Was Posthumously Released As An LP "Oil On Canvas" In Mid-1983. Most Of The Original Members Of The Band Went On To Work On Other Projects. Mick Karn And Bauhaus Frontman Peter Murphy Formed The One-Album Project Called Dali's Car And Released The Album The Waking Hour In 1984. He Has Released Other Solo Works Over The Years.
Steve Jansen And Richard Barbieri Released An Album In 1987 Under The Moniker The Dolphin Brothers Which Garnered A Little Interest. By Far The Most Successful Is David Sylvian Who Has Recorded Several Albums With Noted Performers. An Attempted Reunion In 1991 With The Rain Tree Crow Project Was Short Lived Producing Only One Album. All Members Have Collaborated On The Other's Solo Work Notably The Trio JKB Aka Jansen Barbieri And Karn Have Released Several Records. Jansen Has Continued To Tour With His Brother David Sylvian. Karn Died Of Cancer January 4 2011.

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Frogtoon Music Album Info: Obscure Alternatives

Obscure Alternatives Is The Second Studio Album By English New Wave Band Japan Released In October 1978 By Record Label Hansa. Japan's First Album Adolescent Sex Had Been Unsuccessful On The British Charts And Their Record Company Required Another Album This Time Aimed At The Lucrative US And European Markets Where Rock Was Dominating The Airwaves. Still Working With Ray Singer As Producer Singer And Songwriter David Sylvian In Particular Found It Difficult To Take A Back Seat And Began To Demand More Control Over The Eventual Presentation Of The Material. Trouser Press Wrote That The Album "adds More Keyboards But Still Relies On Rob Dean's Buzzing Guitars And David Sylvian's Sneery Vocals For Its Sound". Certain Tracks Contain Elements Of Funk And Reggae. AllMusic's Amy Hanson Described "Automatic Gun" As "a Spit-Shined Punk Shocker Backed By Bright Pop Guitar". The Title Track Is Described As "wonderfully Atmospheric And Slightly Menacing" While "Love Is Infectious" "put The Band Completely Into Discordant Post-Punk Art House-Dom". "....Rhodesia" Hanson Writes "brought The Funk Back And Infused It With A Caribbean Essence. The Final Track "The Tenant" A Piano Based Instrumental Was The First Notable Shift Towards The Direction Their Later Material Would Take. "The Tenant" Also Marks Bassist Mick Karn's Recording Debut On Saxophone.

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