1974–1982David SylvianVocals, guitar, keyboards
Mick KarnBass, saxophone, clarinet
Steve JansenDrums
Richard BarbieriKeyboards, synthesizers1975–1982
Rob DeanGuitar1975–1981
Japan aren't really from Japan - they're British and formed in London. They don't sound at all Japanese either, which was the point; group leader David Sylvian wanted to "get away from that rubbishy idea that a band's name has to give an idea of its music."
Sylvian does admire the country, which influenced the choice of name. "It's and almost uniform country, a lot of people there think the same way - but they're completely open-minded about what's going on," he said in the book A Tourist's Guide To Japan.
David Sylvian and Steve Jansen are brothers - their birth names are David and Steve Batt. They changed their last names in homage to the New York Dolls, with Sylvian named for Dolls guitarist Sylvian Sylvian and Jansen for their frontman, David Johansen.
The group began as a glam rock outfit inspired by David Bowie and T. Rex, but evolved into what became known as "new romantic," with cutting-edge electronic sounds. Other groups in this genre include Spandau Ballet and Visage.
They had an androgynous look that had been developing even before the band was formed. Sylvian, Mick Karn, and Steve Jansen all attended Catford Boys School, and when they were 14, they dyed their hair and wore makeup, which taught them how to stand out, and also how to absorb ridicule.
They were managed by Simon Napier-Bell, who previously managed The Yardbirds and Dusty Springfield. He took on Japan after being struck by Sylvian's look, which he described as "a cross between Mick Jagger and Brigitte Bardot."
They got their record deal after entering a contest organized by the German label Ariola/Hansa, which was seeking new talent for their UK roster. They lost, but were offered a deal anyway. The band that won was The Easy Cure, later known as The Cure. They didn't last long with Ariola/Hansa but took off after joining Fiction Records.
Their success was mostly confined to the UK, but they were indeed "
big in Japan," drawing huge crowds when they toured there.
Their 1982 song "
Ghosts" is a landmark in the UK, where it's their highest-charting entry at #5. Other popular songs by Japan include "
Quiet Life" and "Nightporter."
The band broke up in 1982 at the height of their success. They knew they were going to split by the time their album Tin Drum was released at the end of 1981, but they were contractually obligated to tour so they waited to make the announcement. This put them in the odd position of playing their biggest concerts and making lots of high-profile appearances while knowing they were lame ducks.
A lot of their conflict was between David Sylvian and Mick Karn, who disagreed on the point of touring: Karn loved it but Sylvian hated performing.
The original lineup reunited in 1989 under the name Rain Tree Crow. They released an experimental album in 1991, but never played a concert and broke up for good soon after.
Japan were dropped by their label, Ariola/Hansa, in 1980 after releasing their third album, Quiet Life. Virgin Records snatched them up and were rewarded when the two albums Japan put out on that label, Gentlemen Take Polaroids (1980) and Tin Drum (1981), were their most successful.
Their early albums were distinguished musically by Mick Karn, who played a fretless bass and also added saxophone and clarinet. As their sound evolved and they went in a more atmospheric, electronic direction, keyboard player Richard Barbieri had a leading role.
Post-Japan, David Sylvian has been most visible, with a successful career as a solo artist. Rob Dean moved to America and joined the band Vivabeat; he became Sinéad O'Connor's guitarist when she was just starting out. Richard Barbieri joined the band Porcupine Tree in 1993.
Sylvian was dubbed "The World's Most Beautiful Man" by the British music press. That image was pushed by their record label, but Sylvian resented it. He wore makeup even when he wasn't performing or doing events, which made journalists even more curious, but it insisted it wasn't for show.
Their first public performance was at a wedding, where Mick Karn was too afraid to sing and Sylvian took over vocals. Sylvian later admitted, "Our early shows were really not good," and that he never enjoyed performing live.
Looking for a hidden gem in Japan's catalog? Rob Dean suggests "The Other Side of Life" from their 1979 album
Quiet Life.
"This is essentially a piano-driven ballad, at the time something rather new for Japan, which we knew was the perfect album closer,"
he told Songfacts. "It evolved into rather an epic song, with a stirringly atmospheric orchestral string arrangement by Ann O'Dell, and a lengthy instrumental/orchestral outro. Hearing such a powerful embellishment to one of our songs - performed live in the studio by a full orchestra - was quite an emotional and special experience for me. It remains one of the proudest creations that I was part of in the band's career."
