Fri Feb 26 2021
2
Unremarkable and forgettable
This is a Random Album Generator.
One album a day.
From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Quiet Life
Japan
1979
- Album Summary
Quiet Life is the third studio album by English new wave band Japan, first released on 17 November 1979 in Canada by record label Hansa. The album was a transition from the glam rock-influenced style of previous albums to a synth-pop style. Though sales were initially slow, Quiet Life was the band's first album to chart and was later certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 100,000 copies.
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Fri Jan 29 2021
5
Where is 6 stars? Duran Duran took notes from this album.
Wed Feb 17 2021
3
At times, completely forgettable early synth pop. At other times, really compelling well crafted music.
Wed Jul 07 2021
3
Not really my kind of music but the album was easy to listen, although nothing really stood out as great.
Fri Feb 19 2021
5
Where has this been all my life? Eat your heart out, Spandau Ballet.
Wed Apr 14 2021
5
Fabuloso. Una fantasía dirían algunos. Inventan a Duran Duran aquí, pero con mucha más clase, tal vez un poco más introvertido el pedo. Yo noto una influencia recia del Iggy solista berlinés. Y claro, Bowie. No suena a 1978 pero sí. El futuro desdoblado.
Mon Mar 21 2022
5
What a great discovery. This is just a superb album that I kept listening to on repeat. The fretless bass makes this album even one step better than the songwriting already does. I hear influences of Roxy Music and Bowie, and you'll definitely hear where 80's bands like Duran Duran got their inspiration. Absolutely great album from start to end with no bad songs in between. Even as a big VU & Lou Reed fan, I really could appreciate the cover of All Tomorrow's Parties. Fall In Love With Me & In Vogue are my two favourite tracks 4,5*.
Wed Apr 19 2023
5
I don't expect to convince people that Japan are one of the greatest bands to emerge from the new wave/post glam scene of the 70s but to my ears they were. This album, their musical breakthrough where they worked out their sound, is the bridge between that scene and the New Romantics. Duran Duran came from the image and the crossover disco/new wave sound of Japan. I mean look at them. Japan would make better albums, and they would break up too soon, but from every waaaa of the fretless bass to Sylvian's new found baritone this is a superb example of a band actually doing things to move music on and looking good and sounding good whilst they did it. I think after listening to over 200 albums in this project, I'm more sure of their greatness. But that's to my ears, maybe not yours.
Wed Aug 16 2023
4
Eighties new wave in the late 1970s. Yep, I can see how this was influential.
Thu Sep 28 2023
4
A great transitional album marking the shift from the Bowie-esque glam and disco of the 70s to the fully-established new wave of the 80s Favourite tracks: Quiet Life, Fall In Love With Me, In Vogue, Halloween
Mon Apr 25 2022
3
So 80’s I almost died.
Thu Jun 03 2021
1
Kompletter Schrott. Stellenweise auch einfach unerträglich. Diese Platte hat mein Leben für ca. 50 Minuten schlechter gemacht.
Mon Jun 07 2021
5
Love this album
Thu Jun 24 2021
5
охуенно, вторая пятёра подряд. Даже, вероятно, вторая десятка (с этим сомнения, ибо сложно с пары прослушиваний прямо зафанатеть, но вообще очень зашло). Вот тот годный нью-вейв, который не совсем ударен в синтпоп и имеет значимое присутствие других инструментов. Баса в песне In Vogue, например, или гитарных ликов в Alien. По композиторству вообще никаких вопросов, каждая тема пиздец приятно и интересно звучит (и это от глемеров-то!), никаких кринжовых и дурацких моментов, я бы сказал всё очень умно сделано. Единственное, кавер на Вельвет Андеграунд не сильно заинтересовал, ещё и в расширенную версию его в трёх вариантах запихнули, что немного подкашивает. Посему ну 9, наверное, будет, в список прослушиваемого отправляется точно.
Fri Feb 18 2022
5
What a beautiful album
Thu Mar 31 2022
5
Really good, loved the spooky vibes.
Mon Aug 22 2022
5
Great synth pop / new wave sound. Amazing album, will check out more by this group.
Fri Oct 28 2022
5
Loved it, would listen again
Sun Oct 30 2022
5
Quiet Life, Gentlemen Take Polaroids, Tin Drum definitely belong to the list of best pop albums ever made. Sure, Roxy Music is everywhere, especially on Quiet Life, but they are much more than a slowed-down RM synth-pop clone - the songs and production are incredibly strong, and the whole concept is just perfectly executed.
Thu Mar 02 2023
5
Wow this surprised me
Tue May 02 2023
5
A big surprise, loved it a lot.
Mon Jun 12 2023
5
i love synth.
Tue Oct 31 2023
5
Duran Duran on downers. Melancholic and angular.
Wed Nov 22 2023
5
From Quiet Life onwards, Japan hit upon an apex that they wouldn't get down from until their breakup in the early 80s. One of the more underrated synthpop groups of their era, Japan always seemed to be more than the sum of its parts and it shows here, with adaptable ease into slinky yet speedy disco, a French language dirge and a Velvet Underground cover to boot all the while crafting their own inimitable path. Great album.
Thu Nov 23 2023
5
Har gleda meg til detta. Jævlig bra, sjøl om Tin Drum e hakket bedre
Thu Jan 28 2021
4
Just thinking of him as an off brand Bowie isn’t entirely fair. What a voice.
Fri Jan 22 2021
4
A surprising listen, With some synth-pop sounds I rather enjoyed. "Quiet Life" is definitely a stand-out track, and "Despair" sound great even if not a shuffle-worthy song.
Fri Jun 18 2021
4
Super fun, 80s pop sound.
Thu Mar 18 2021
4
I liked it. I has the good parts of 80's without the excessive synths and drums. 4.5
Tue Apr 27 2021
4
Sehr stark
Wed Feb 24 2021
4
Japan, the good old band. 😌 Lovely music as always.
Wed Apr 14 2021
4
Me gustó, no tenía idea de qué esperar, pero ya que escuché sabía que es algo que disfruto. Una combinación de sintetizadores con las cuerdas y la batería y ya está ese sonido característico de los ochenta. Me sonó a lo que luego lueguito estaría haciendo Tears for Fears. Realmente no tuve skips (no escuché la versión delux), aunque mis favs quizá fueron "In Vogue" y "Halloween". Pero todo bien, a gusto. 9/10
Wed Apr 14 2021
4
Sí me gustó, está darketón. Tiene sus toques hipnóticos, que su pop, que su rock, que su post-punk, sobre todo el sonido del bajo es lo que más disfruté a lo largo del disco. Canción que más me gustó: Halloween. Mood: zombificado.
Sun Feb 28 2021
4
Really good, enjoyed this much more than I thought i would
Sun Jul 11 2021
4
Dromerige New Wave muziek met een sterk pop-kantje. Ik vond dit wel een aangenaam album
Wed Apr 14 2021
4
Muy ochentas, new wave y así pero siento que un poco más dark, corríjanme sí me equivoco
Thu Jun 24 2021
4
Всё же хороший альбом. Грамотно выстроенные композиции, оригинальный подбор инструментов, продуманные партии. Последние особенно в уши бросаются, когда в наушниках на фоне слышишь что-то действительно интересное. Среди треков могу выделить Despair с её сильной атмосферой. В целом, не могу сказать, что узнаю треки, если где-то услышу. Что внутренне намекает, что субъект - просто приятный проходняк. При фоновом переслушивании пытался выцепить треки, что резали бы ухо или казались явно лишними. Но не удавалось, впечатления были скорее положительными. Так что снова конформистская оценка.
Fri Apr 30 2021
4
Strange mish mash of synthpop and dark sombre songs. However, even though it doesn't work the best as an album, there are some incredible songs on here. Despair, The Other Side of Life, and the cover of All Tomorrow's Parties were excellent. And I still can't get over this is from the 70s; very ahead of it's time.
Tue May 11 2021
4
goodo
Fri Jul 02 2021
4
A cool, moody, Duran Duran-esque new wave record. A lot of really good songs and the album flows really well. Loved the singer’s voice, and the bass was AWESOME.
Wed Jul 21 2021
4
Muy buen disco. Tuve que escucharlo más de 1 vez para sentir su potencial.
Sun Aug 01 2021
4
Excellent
Mon Aug 09 2021
4
I enjoyed this album quite a bit. It sits on the border of New Wave and Glam Rock and anticipates Goth Rock. Some of the songs were a little too drawn out but it was an easy listen. The album wasn’t overly reliant on synth and had a good balance with a strong backbeat
Thu Sep 09 2021
4
Good early new wave, but didn't really hook me on any of their songs.
Thu Sep 23 2021
4
this was surprising good, with combinations of folk and jazz. smooth easy complexity.
Wed Nov 10 2021
4
Dobar je ovaj Japan, kao država! Sviđa mi se album. Fall in Love With Me i Alien su mi najdraži sa albuma, a iskreno po mojoj definiciji covera, treba biti kao što je on napravio za All Tomorrow's Parties (inače izvorno od Velvet Undergrounda gdje je Nico na vokalu). Despair je takva pjesma koja paše u noć, definitivno ima taj štih, dok In Vogue dosta podsjeća na stari The Cure. Sve u svemu, album nije overstajo svoju dobrodošlicu.
Wed Nov 10 2021
4
Znam i dobri su
Sun Nov 14 2021
4
Contrairement à mon rival eltrapeze, j'ai globalement apprécié la proposition musicale de cet album. J'écris d'ailleurs en ce moment même cette critique en pleine heure de cours avec ma classe de sixième au sein de mon collège situé en Basse-Saxe (vous savez déjà que j'exerce comme professeur assistant). Voici comment j'ai obtenu le droit de me comporter ainsi en toute liberté. Hier s'est en effet tenue dans mon école une longue réunion entre syndicats de professeurs et syndicats de directeurs dont l'objet était une renégociation des conditions de travail et la conclusion d'un accord de branche applicable à l'ensemble des écoles du Land de Niedersachsen. Bien qu'étant nouveau et n'ayant aucun mandat, j'ai réussi à localiser la salle dans laquelle se tenait cette réunion, ai ouvert discrètement la porte et me suis assis à la table des négociations parmi les syndicalistes sans que personne ne remarque ma présence. La discussion portait au moment de mon arrivée sur le nombre de jours de congés à attribuer en période de maternité. Pendant que les négociations se poursuivaient, je lançai lentement le fil d'une canne à pêche miniature de ma propre conception vers le papier sur lequel les points d'accord étaient rédigés et, une fois celui-ci accroché, le tira furtivement vers moi en enroulant le fil de la bobine. Une fois à portée de main, j'y annotai mes quelques revendications et le refis glisser vers sa place d'origine avant de repartir par la même porte que celle par laquelle j'étais rentré plus tôt. L'accord de branche négocié a été publié ce matin au Journal Officiel allemand, je vous joins l'extrait qui nous intéresse : « ... Das ist also der Grund, warum Frauen, die Babys machen, sich ruhig ein paar Tage ausruhen können. Sagen wir grob zehn Tage. § 14 Et donc comme je disais les profs, parmi lesquels Robfourmilière, pourront écouter les albums fournis par Robert et les critiquer pendant les heures de cours sans qu'on vienne les emmerder. § 15 Eltrapeze est interdit de séjour en Basse-Saxe. § 16 Die Jungs, die Babys herstellen, dürfen auch ein paar Tage frei haben, aber nur vier. So einfach ist das. » J'ai donc maintenant la possibilité d'exercer mon activité principale sur mon lieu de travail en toute légalité.
Wed Nov 17 2021
4
New to me! Really interesting listen. I enjoyed it and will return to it in the future
Wed Nov 17 2021
4
Wasn’t familiar with this but it was an enjoyable listen!
Mon Dec 20 2021
4
Super enjoyed this proto new wave album
Wed Dec 22 2021
4
Enjoyed it. Very 80's
Sun Jan 09 2022
4
Pretty good! I was surprised! Remember these from being a kid but never really knew much of the their music but I enjoyed it. Like a cross between Duran Duran, Depeche Mode and the Cure
Fri Jan 14 2022
4
Japan instantly brought to my mind Duran Duran to me as their sound seemed very similar. But I see that this was released several years before Duran Duran, so I can assume Japan were one of the early creators of this 80s sound. I started out a little ambivalent about this album. It was hard not to compare the infectious hooks present in the best songs from Duran Duran, The Human League, A Flock Of Seagulls, Spandau Ballet, ABC and the like. On my first listen of this nothing stood out like the best of those bands... But every time I listen to this I discover new great moments. It seems I had to listen a little harder to discover these moments, but they are emerging. Maybe it is just a matter of time until Japan becomes one of my staples of the synth-pop sound. I keep adding to the list of favorite songs at the bottom of these notes and it has become nearly a list of all of the tracks… My favorite songs: Quiet Life, Fall In Love With Me, Despair, In Vogue, Halloween, All Tomorrow's Parties
Wed Jan 26 2022
4
Never had heard of this group but I really enjoyed the music.
Fri Jan 28 2022
4
I'm really enjoying early synthpop as I learn more about it. This album seems really really well formed for the time it was made. The production of the album is excellent. Giorgio Moroder's influence on the album seems like it adds a lot, though I haven't heard the bands earlier works to compare it to. Super fun pop album that has a lot of elements of synth music that will come to prominence in the decades to follow. This album also features what might be my favorite Velvet Underground cover in All Tomorrow's Parties 4/5
Fri Jan 28 2022
4
4/5. The 80s are back baby 😎
Wed Feb 23 2022
4
The missing link between glam and New Romantics. Clearly heavily influenced by Lou Red, VU, New York Dolls, and Berlin-era Bowie, but leaning into a softer, more spacious sound that they became known for in the early 80s. Funny to hear how much Sylvian changed his vocal style from the first two albums. Love Mick Karn's bass playing; it is weird and distinctive and strangely funky, and always adds a fresh surprise.
Wed Mar 09 2022
4
pretty good i think maybe
Mon Mar 28 2022
4
Неожиданный альбом на 4- (7 по 10-ти балльной шкале). Не знал ничего о группе, не слышал их песен, поэтому получился вполне приятный сюрприз
Wed Mar 30 2022
4
This really had moments where it felt like a synth forward Talking Heads band. I liked it more and more as the album progressed.
Wed Mar 30 2022
4
Nice album. It is straight 80's goodness.
Thu Mar 31 2022
4
op een of andere manier heb ik dit album 2x geluisterd. Het was erg lekker, relaxed en toch ook intrigerend. Japan was wel echt een band waar een vriend (John) van mij fan van was, wellicht telde dat wel mee.
Mon Apr 04 2022
4
Very good, very different from the other Japan stuff I’ve heard. A lot of influence/ sound connections between 80s pop rock like Duran Duran- but darker. Really cool listen, will look out for more Japan!
Mon Apr 11 2022
4
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the member of Duran Duran listened to this a lot before recording their first album. In fact, a few of the songs I would have sworn were Duran Duran had I not known. I liked this album much more than Duran Duran though, but that could be because these songs are fresh to my ears. Can definitely hear some Roxy Music influence on a few songs. I guess Japan is the missing link between Roxy Music and Duran Duran. 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.
Wed Apr 20 2022
4
This was... pretty decent for 80s synth pop that i'd never heard of.
Wed May 11 2022
4
Really good and unexpectedly substantive . The sax steals the show on several cuts and this one’s easily my fave version of “All Tomorrow’s Parties.”
Fri May 20 2022
4
Really enjoyed this! Very groovy, very 80s.
Thu May 26 2022
4
Good
Fri Jun 03 2022
4
Some great tracks on here. Ahead of their time and way better than their rock beginnings.
Wed Jun 29 2022
4
If Japan stole some from Roxy Music, then Duran Duran stole most [maybe all] from Japan. I don’t know whether this is more New Wave or New Romantic, but it feels ahead of its time for ‘79 and a big advance from glam which had got awfully tired. Certainly, this sounds like the '80s looked. Way underrated.
Thu Jul 07 2022
4
7/10 F.t.: In Vogue
Sun Jul 10 2022
4
Generous 4. Moody music which I wasn't expecting with the synth style but could see myself listening to this a few times.
Sun Jul 17 2022
4
Despair je banger
Sun Jul 17 2022
4
It's the most relaxed of new romantic. Honestly it's very nice and cool.
Mon Aug 15 2022
4
I would give this 3 stars (good), but I'm giving it an extra star because I have such deep respect for the musicians involved. David Sylvian would go on to make some of the most transcendent music as a solo artist. Richard Barbieri will later be a part of Porcupine Tree.
Thu Aug 25 2022
4
Alright. Different,
Wed Sep 07 2022
4
It was good.
Sun Sep 11 2022
4
Pretty good British art pop / synth pop.
Thu Sep 15 2022
4
excellent, la voix la compo, c'est expérimental et dingue je kiffe bcp
Thu Sep 29 2022
4
I bought this when it was first released and it has more than stood the test of time.
Sun Oct 09 2022
4
Rating: 6.6 Best Track: Despair
Wed Oct 19 2022
4
Kicking myself for not giving this album a chance sooner, because it was fantastic. With strong roots in Bowie and especially Roxy Music, Japan is part of that first wave of New Romantic and synth pop that would be everywhere within 3 or 4 years of when it came out in 1979. The sound is slick and stylish, but also subtly soulful and musically without any real flaws. In fact, as much as it's influenced by Roxy Music, in some ways Quiet Life is a tighter, better-executed album than a lot of Roxy's later stuff. I also feel like this is the album Duran Duran probably wish they made. The whole band is a tight machine here, but Mick Karn deserves extra props for some splendid work on bass and sax. If I have a critique, it's that the album loses a little steam on the back half. But I had a lot of fun with this one and will definitely come back to it. Fave Songs: Quiet Life, Despair, Fall in Love with Me, Alien, The Other Side of Life
Thu Oct 20 2022
4
I thought this was a very good showing within its genre and era. Reading old reviews it seems like it got slagged a bit for being derivative of more recognized new wave heroes, but I feel like it innovates beyond its influences. It lags in places and the vocals have that 80s synth-guy affect that isn’t my favorite thing, but overall I liked it a lot.
Fri Oct 21 2022
4
Highlights: A Foreign Place, Alien
Sun Oct 30 2022
4
Pretty good album, though not all songs work for me. The opening title track is great, but I do not like the Velvet Underground cover, for example. As far as I remember, I found Gentlemen Take Polaroids much more impressive.
Fri Nov 18 2022
4
Lotsa bops, album is disorganized on Spotify. Oh well.
Wed Nov 30 2022
4
I had never heard about "Japan" (the band, not the country, of course, 🤣 (I'm so funny)), and when it started, I thought it was some 70/80's standard pop easy to listen to and forgettable. However, from song to song, I noted some lovely rock influences and even some very interesting jazzy mixed with the pop style. It's not perfect and deserves three stars, but I'll rate it with four just because of the surprise.
Sun Dec 11 2022
4
This album was pretty good. I'm glad it's on here, because I've wanted to listen to it. I wish some of the songs were a bit shorter or that they'd change up a little more, but it was still nice. I'm surprised this album has such a low rating. My favourite songs were Quiet Life, Halloween, and A Foreign Place.
Mon Dec 19 2022
4
Things would get even more interesting (and completely out there in Sylvia's solo career) but this is a landmark of New Romantic / Synth. Captivating, dark yet lush and hyper-stylised music.
Fri Jan 06 2023
4
Late 70s synth-pop… yes. Sonically I really liked it. Quiet Life especially was a great vibe.
Mon Apr 10 2023
4
Surprisingly good, although the opener was a little Rocky. Probably a little too long on each track to be a strong 4, but it still makes the cut.
Thu Apr 20 2023
4
Japan is an exemplary representation of the New Romantic movement in England, before the movement took off. They never intended to be associated with the movement, and argued to have different ideals, but their glam fashion sense and artsy synth-pop style is exactly what New Romanticism tends to be characterized. The vocals and atmospheric synths surely served as a major influence to other New Romantic bands such as Duran Duran, ABC, and Flock of Eagles. You can really hear the fusion of electronic and glam rock that Bowie and Eno expanded upon in their Berlin trilogy with the contemporary New Wave movement, but I can also hear a lot of Roxy Music too in the vocals and horror-esque mood. It's danceable with many great pop tunes, but has a foreboding presence over many tracks, with the eery lyrics and busy atmospheric synths full of strange sound effects and a sax that take you places while still maintaining the same themes. It's weird to describe, but you never leave the "world" these songs create. These long instrumentals keep my attention and certainly justify how long each track is. I never felt bored by any of them. It only has 8 tracks, so each one stood out to me. It's actually really to pick a favorite cause I loved them all for different reasons.
Fri May 12 2023
4
Interesting album. This band developed a fascinating formula for their third record based on new wavy songs with complex bass lines, edgy synth patterns, and peculiar voice mannerisms that, conveniently enough, sounds like Japanese singers singing in English (I.e. L’arc en ciel, X Japan, etc.) Quiet Life, Depair, and Alien are memorable tracks in the album. My only opinion is that shorter songs would’ve worked best.
Sun May 21 2023
4
I've always thought Japan an underrated band and although this album isn't even my favourite of theirs (Tin Drum is) it has All Tomorrow's Parties and Quiet Life (plus a real slow burner 'Despair') so it hits the spot with me. It has real Roxy Music and Bowie vibes which is a positive and of course David Sylvian's voice is like silk. It's soooo smooth. Love it.
Wed May 31 2023
4
Very cool. Never heard this before. It's like the missing link between Roxy Music and Duran Duran that I never knew I wanted in my life. And although David Sylvian doesn't have the melodic chops of either band, I dug the sounds, atmosphere, and bass playing. I liked it enough that I listened to a few other tracks from other albums. I did like Quiet Life the best of the few other tracks that I heard, but I'll keep digging. Anyway, glad this showed up.
Wed May 31 2023
4
I hear the same influences in this music as I do in Duran Duran’s. Definitely Bowie. And The Velvet Underground…as evidenced in the cover ‘All Tomorrow’s Parties’. I love it.
Wed Jun 07 2023
4
I really enjoyed this! I'd never heard of Japan before and now I'm glad to have. I found the vocals a little samey, and quite stiff in that deep new wave way, but otherwise the instrumentation was really great. Stand out tracks: All Tomorrow's Parties, The Other Side of Life
Sun Jun 18 2023
4
it drags a bit but it creates its own world convincingly and bridges the gap between roxy & bauhaus
Sat Jun 24 2023
4
Duran Duran BEFORE there was a Duran Duran. Wild. This is not what I was expecting. What a good album! It starts with Quiet Again (the single from the album). It is probably the least interesting song on the album. The album gets better from there. Fall in love with Me is pretty good. It has that Duran Duran sound but also some other 80s bands. The song Despair. Is slow and unbelievably amazing. The first think I thought of was how it sounded like Linkin Park (or how Linkin Park sounds like this). It is my absolute favorite song on the album. The haunting melody sucks me right in. It's nearly six minutes long and I didn't want it to end.... In Vogue isn't nearly as exciting or haunting, but it is a solid song. Halloween starts the second side. More Duran Duran sound. Of course, Japan was several years ahead of Duran Duran - so don't get me wrong... I'm not saying THEY sound like Duran Duran....vice versa... All Tomorrow's Parties was the second single from the album. It is a song originally done by the Velvet Underground and Nico. So, it may be familiar to some. Next is Alien and concludes with The Other Side of Life. Alien is kind of forgettable, but the Other Side of Life has a soft and melancholy melody. I am a sucker for the slow stuff and this one just captured me. Will I listen to this again and again? Yes. Did it belong on this list. Yes, I am so glad it was. 4/5