Thursday, October 14, 2010

Japan “Adolescent Sex” (1978)

Deciding enough’s enough is a tough call to make at the best of times. For a band accustomed to fame and its requisite trappings the severance must be that much harder. So it’s understandable why so many plow on regardless of their relevance or quality of work. The Stones, for instance, will continue until someone drops dead but their sound will remain timeless. On the other hand, Bon Jovi have had nothing to say since the early 90s but refuse to accept the fact. Japan belong to an elite club. Although diehards will argue, they jacked it in at just the right time leaving a stunning, if flawed, volume of work. I’ve always had a preference for their original incarnation as trash glam funksters a la New York Dolls or Hanoi Rocks but they were criminally ignored. There is some quite brilliant guitar playing from Rob Dean, particularly on "Suburban Love", "Wish You Were Black" and "Television" but this, along with David Sylvian's strangled, sneering, kazoo-like vocals were lost when they turned towards the New Romantic movement. Their musical vista of the seedy, dangerous, disposable isolation of modern day living deserves retrospective re-evaluation. –Ian

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous12:48 PM

    I always preferred Japan's later work.Mick Karn came into his own as a great fretless player and the songwriting and musicianship got tight.But thanks bringing this group to peoples attention.P.S.Mick Karn is fighting stage four cancer,to help with bills or to wish him good thoughts:mickkarn.net

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