Reviews (page 7 of 8)
I feel like I have a baseline knowledge of the popular 80's bands/albums so I was a bit suspicious about this one since I had never heard of the the band. The guy on the cover looks like David Bowie. The music itself was fine, kind of boring. Low 3/High 2.
Had me. Lost me. But for what it's worth, kudos for the pre-80's eighties sound. 2
A very 80s album for sure. I was excited to hear this album. I wasn't familiar with the band and it looked interesting. The 1001 generater finally challenged me. I was in with the first couple song but by the 3rd and fourth it all sounded the same. The Velvet Underground cover was interesting and would sound good on a mix tape but other than that nothing stood out to me. Hard pass.
Best Song: Quiet Life. Just enough energy and synth to be mildly interesting. Worst Song: Despair. Slower than hell, but not even melancholy enough to evoke an emotion. Overall: I've never heard this album before, and yet I feel like I've heard it 100 times over the course of this list. Another forgettable British band to throw onto the pile.
Influential maybe, but forgettable certainly.
Started out solid, but definitely felt repetitive by the end. Pretty much every song went one for twice as long as it should have - the songs were interesting to start but never really felt like they built anywhere. Inoffensive, but not something I'd come back to. Top tracks: Quiet Life, All Tomorrow's Parties
Really not a style of music I like, apparently
This sounds like Duran Duran. I don't like Duran Duran.
It started out pretty decent but got worse as it went on. This album did not need to be this long, it just began to drag on. There were no songs that stood out in a good way
2.5
Inoffensive, but uninteresting
I listened to this a couple of weeks ago. Can’t say I remember much about it. Simpsons: No
This is quite mediocre. If I had to pick one track to listen to again, it would probably be Quiet Life.
Love new wave so was hoping to like this a lot more than I did. Will give it another listen but felt like a lot of the songs dragged on and on.
It was fine. 2/5
This is fine. It's not particularly good, though, and I'm not really sure its place on this list. The long instrumentals are not bad, but they don't do enough interesting things to justify taking up the majority of the songs. On the other hand, I don't think the singer is very good, and when the instrumental sections start, I'm a little relieved to not have to hear the creepy tones of his voice. Favorite Song(s): All Tomorrow's Parties
I was not previously familiar with the artist or album. This is new wave, but it is very atmospheric almost like dream pop. The music was fine, but nothing really stood out to me. The Velvet Underground cover was just ok. I would not seek this one out again.
I can appreciate the music here, as it seems like this was an earlier synth album. But it was kind of boring and the singer sounded too close to Morrisey for my liking. Probably won't be coming back but I don't think it's bad music.
Not too bad but more forgettable English new Wave
70’s/80’s new wave is weird. Cool Velvet Underground cover though.
I get it that this band have had influence on many later bands like Duran Duran, but for me the tracks just were too alike.
This album was a challenging listen tbh. The opening track, while it had drive, didn’t capture my attention and interest from the jump. I can appreciate the possible influence this album had on future synth-pop artists but I just wasn’t feeling it. Stand out track: In Vogue
So dramatic, and yet so bland.
Not catching my attention.
This one was a lot of fun and I had no idea who this artist was
Duran Duran beta version. Like most beta versions, this one also feels a bit undercooked. Ends up sounding like completely generic synthpop.
It was okay. Started out interesting, but faded fast.
Heard it back in the day but thought another listen couldn't hurt. Again, I was wrong. Hasn't caused an appreciation whatsoever.
Really cool energy right out of the gate. Love that new wave sound. I’m less sold on the 6-minute melancholy numbers but the bass on “In Vogue” is keeping me hooked. I wanted to like this more than I did but there were too many slowish, druggy numbers. I liked the first two tracks though. Overall this band has an opening act vibe but I can’t see myself wanting to buy a headlining ticket to one of their shows. 2.5
I liked the first track the most and then the rest kind of fell off. It's really a shame when an album starts with a banger and then doesn't follow it up with other tracks of equal quality. There's definitely some depth on this album but overall it didn't grab me enough. I think I'll have to give it another spin at some point though.
È stato come mangiare il bianco dell’uovo. Non sa di niente ma ogni tanto mordi un boccone con sopra il sale e allora provi qualcosa
I don't think I enjoyed a single song on this album.
Felt like an unrefined, crappy Duran Duran
New Wave is not for me. Couple tracks enjoyable.
It's pretty middling in terms of an album you have to hear before you die. Overall, I felt like the ideas here were explored in more interesting ways or pulled off better by other bands. Maybe Japan were early in the New Wave movement, but I can't really tell why this is considered essential listening.
It’s okay. I can hear where Duran Duran got their inspiration - but I think this album lacks an edge
Like it's nice, but also forgettable. It feels like someone opened and 80's time capsule and put this on. I'm not mad at it, but like.... I don't see the impact it had on my daily life
If you had played this for me with no knowledge of what I was hearing, I’d say it came out in 83 or 84 so I can see it’s ahead of its time and probably influenced others after it. That said, I still found it fairly boring. The only song that produced a strong reaction from me was Other Side of Life which I hated for the whiny tone to the vocals, although the lead singer sounded decidedly Duran Duranesque. Best I can do is a 2.
No thank you. I don't *think* this is actively bad so we'll leave it at a 2...but it might be. 1.6
Meh.
STANDOUTS: Quiet Life OVERALL: 2/5; there's no need for this album to be on the list.
Not list worthy, boring, and over all bad, like what kind of a name is Japan?
Sounds like it's from the 80s but it's from the late 70s. That's impressive but that's about it. The album is mostly forgettable.
This obviously had a huge impact on what would become new wave later, but honestly I found it rather dull.
Can hear the influences this has had on other artists but none of the individual songs grab me and make we want to listen again.
This got boring quickly.
Sounds like generic 80s dance music, not sure why its included
El primer tema bien, la versión de All tomorrow parties bien, el resto muy aburrido.
Another bland and uninspiring album to scratch off this fantastic list.
Surprisingly easy listen. I can tell this band would birth several of the big acts we know today that came out of the 80’s. I was surprised this came out in the 70’s, and it’s even more 80’s core than stuff by the cure I’ve heard in the 70’s. I was also surprised I didn’t die of new wave cringe here. All in all, not my alley but nothing that made me want to mute the album.
first song had some good energy then it kinda fizzled from there. Felt like a directionless, bland copy of other great 80s bands. Don't want to listen to this one again.
Am I back in 2008 at Area 51s 80s night? After the 1st few it took a darker twist.
This is Duran Duran wannabe + Cure wannabe but not as good as either. (And I don't like the Cure!)
One or two of the darker, more atmospheric songs were decent but the rest is just pretty run of the mill synth pop. 4/10
This is what people who don't like new wave think new wave sounds like. Repetitive, unadventurous, and uninteresting.
Rollazo.
It was okay. New wave can be a bit samey
Not for me. Pretty boring tbh
Interesting voice, but quite boring
The first track is really good. I loved the beat, the bass and the synth immediately. And maybe the first song is too good and sets the bar too high because I was expecting more of the same, but the rest of the album does not really deliver. Of course, there's still some great instrumentation going on (I really enjoyed how the bass is locked in with the drums throughout almost the entire record), but I didn't really care for the vocals (also didn't really have time to go through the lyrics today). Also, there are some parts that really suck, like the cover of All Tomorrow's Parties. It just sounds uninspired. The sequencing also seems a bit off. There are really good first two songs with a lot of energy, but the entire momentum is killed immediately by Despair. And I actually liked the song in the beginning, but then it's completely butchered by the terrible French pronunciation. Oops, I forgot to rate this one and came back after a couple of weeks and I don't remember anything about this album anymore except for that first song. 2/5 then it is.
The current top review perfectly encapsulates my feelings after listening, just unremarkable really. Not sure what makes this stand out from other synth-pop records from the time. A few tracks did not have much going on and took me out of the listening experience.
Origins of later bands like Depeche Mode. Quiet life was okay song, also had remake of All Tomorrows Parties
Listened while in a traffic jam. It didn’t improve the situation.
not my bag
Not really my style.
This was headed for a 1-star review until I was swayed All Tomorrow's Parties. Maybe the synth sound and production were novel enough at the time to carry it, but in 2024 I struggle to see why this is included in this project.
I enjoyed the opener but the rest felt like bland 80's music. Cool cover though!
Disco music. But not the "get the party started" kind of disco, rather the "it's 3:30 in the morning, party's almost over, people are starting to head home and the janitors are getting ready to mop the sticky floor" kinda disco. Still solid for what it is.
this is one of those albums that i'd only listen to all the way through because i'm devoted to getting all 1001
Meh just a bit boring
Snoozefest but interesting to hear the transition from 70’s new wave into 80’s synth pop
new wave liejuviikko jatkuu japanin (iso-britannia) tunnin pituisella turhuudella. huonon päivän jälkeen mykistynyt merkityksetön lopetusmusiikki, ehkä sopii tälle päivälle.. sentään saa poisalta tämän.. huhhuh tarvitaan jotain rikkomaan tätä juoksevaa räkäklimppiä mitä on ollut viimeiset muutama albumia.. maybe pink floyd - animals next? i like that album... maybe more than dark side of the moon... perhance?? maybe unpopular opinion... people are gonna hate me for this.... here come the fanboys.. whatch out guys, the popular kids are coming.... sigh... the other side of life
Insanely underwhelming without any hint of originality. Lackluster, lazy, and, after a while, downright annoying vocals, which leads to the album’s repetition. Instrumentation does a wonderful job of breaking up the album and is easily the bast part, including the arrangements and writing. Lyrics were fine, but ultimately unmemorable. Whole thing was just inoffensive at best. 2/5
2.125
Forgettable appropriated pop.
Meh
He’s got the voice of Paul McCartney but he squanders it with this shit.
80s vibes for the win.
Doofus vocals and stupid 80’s-before-the-80’s keyboard tunes. Dumb.
Gear: Grado Hemp Mix: egal. Musik: egal. Wertung: 😑(😑)/5
Foreshadowing and pioneering so many of the artists that dominated the 80s, this album is a window into the 70s music world in transition. I can’t say that I love much of this album — I didn’t at the time and still don’t, even with a more mature listening ear — but there’s no doubting the debt owed to Japan by Nik Kershaw, Duran Duran, and so many others.
It was rather boring for me. Felt like listening to an old game's ost, with someone singing over it
Best song: I second that emotion Vibes: goofy spooky, dramatic glam
Nothing of note, but it was not bad listening.
odd entry. All Tomorrow's Parties has "lime in the coconut" vibes. Not the worst album on this list.
It's fine, nothing too noteworthy about it
New Wave as a genre has always been very hit or miss with me. Japan's album "Quiet Life" is on the earlier side of the genre's inception (being released in the late 70s), and it certainly sounds like it. I hadn't heard of Japan but their aesthetic is pretty solid (at least on this album). There's something foggy and hazy about the synth work here. Maybe it's me projecting this cover's vibe onto the album itself, but it feels like an intoxicated night out in the city. This is the vibe I get off most of the tracks; subtly somberful and dramatic. The washed-out mixes on the vocals and instrumentation are likely contributors to this aesthetic, which when it comes to looking at each song in a vacuum, is probably my biggest flaw with this album. "Despair" is hauntingly gorgeous, with saxophone and sorrowful piano leads driving a heartbreaking ballad. The lyrics are in French, but from what I gather, they're referencing the destruction of some sort of art medium. It's easily my favorite song here. Aside from that though, with the more direct tracks, there's an interesting mood that's evoked overall, but nothing happens that excels these songs past that basic pre-established mood. Can't say I'm too fond of the vocals here either, especially on the song "In Vogue" where there's so much sub that it's just irritating. In general, though, I just find the vocals to be forgetful and sleepy and not in a way that particularly compliments this album's style. There are moments where it works, like on "Aliens" where I think the vocalist comes off more emotive and I think the song is particularly ear-wormy. My overall conclusion after hearing this is that I find the instrumentation itself cool and effective, but the songs themselves leave a lot to be desired. Can't say I really dug this one.
Started okay but got old fast
Feels a ton like Roxy Music. Nothing really struck me as "must listen."
Not exactly my thing, but I also don't dislike it.
Thought it was gonna be in Japanese. Did not expect it to be this funky, I have to say I didn't really vibe with this album unfortunately, it just wasn't my thing. Maybe I'll like it in the future but for now I am not the biggest fan.
this album was conservatively 135,832 hours long.
schlecht gealterter Pop(?)
Kind of like a Roxy Music and New Order hybrid? I like the Roxy Music bits and have enjoyed songs by Japan in the past, but I think their style changed for this album.
Sounded like a bad Duran Duran impersonation. Wasn’t much to like in this one.
Eh, kinda boring.
More 80s music from 1979. Never heard of this band. Not bad but I could’ve gone my entire life without hearing and wouldn’t have been any worse off
Another whole lot of what? Why is this here? 2* Once again, Spotify took me to something better after this, aka Duran Duran. Enjoyed: a foreign place
Not my cup of tea 1.5
Japan makes the best '80s synth pop, often dubbed as "city pop". Japan, on the other hand, is just another annoying, unremarkable snippet of the genre.
The band sounds like Duran Duran broodier cousin - but this record is a it winding and meandering. Shame - as some tracks show a lot of promise.
This might be one of the most "background music" albums I've listened to so far. All the songs kind of blended together and nothing really stood out to me.
Too slow and emotional for me.
Very clear this one influenced artists like Duran Duran. Doesn’t mean I can’t find it boring and forgettable. Not bad but I would not listen again. The title track was ok I guess.
Was this really so uniquely essential that it needed to be in the list? A bit of a nothing burger tbh
Didn't know much about Japan before this came up. I'd heard a Sylvian collaboration with Eno, but that's all. Post-listen reading says they'd started as a glam rock Roxy Music clone, but that seems behind them here, and I don't hear a strong Bryan Ferry likeness that others do. Instead it's impossible not to hear Simon LeBon, and learn that Japan were eclipsed by Duran Duran fairly soon. "Quiet Life" - First track has New Romantics all over it, ahead of the "movement" "Fall in Love with Me" Simon Le Bon meets Gary Numan synths "Despair" slowing things down for a piano/drum machine ballad en Francais! Guitar/e-bow soars overhead, Bowie/Roxy-esque sax joins in. Between Berlin-era Bowie and Ultravox. Pretty, but unexceptional. "In Vogue" Sylvian sings in a closet over an unexciting backing track "Halloween" Either it's a thematic decision or they're reusing lines from previous tracks. Again this could be a Duran Duran basement tape. Vocals still muffled. The bloom, is off this rose by now. I'm almost disinterested in listening to the rest of the LP. "All Tomorrow's Parties" - Velvet Underground cover, vocals still buried in the mix. The synths and guitars do a fun job of updating the sound of the classic track. "Alien" This one starts a little different, at least. A bass and percussion drone before things pep up with the rhythm guitar and keys. Vocals still buried. "The Other Side of Life" Yawn. Just yawn. Cut to the run-out groove, please.
Whilst I bought and loved 80’s synth and New Romantic music Japan never impressed me. I liked a lot one or two hits, Ghosts and Nightporter, but their albums did nothing for me at all. Japan were great musicians and Richard Barbieri in particular has become one of my favourites with his involvement in various prog rock ventures. Having now given Quiet Life a listen my opinion of Japan has not changed. There is one standout track, Despair which I would listen to again. The rest is forgettable having not aged well at all.
Boring
Oh look, more generic British synth pop. Too bland to hate but nothing to recommend it either.
My initial thought here was that I’ve heard of Japan but not heard them. Then I realised it was X-Japan I was thinking of. I don’t think I’ve heard Japan at all. Who knows though, I’m often wrong as I don’t actually know that much. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Quiet Life This felt like it had a promising start as I did quite enjoy the titular track, but everything following it felt like b-sides with not much going for them. They felt like the music you might have on in the background if you didn’t want any distractions from something as it is so unnotable that you can forget that it is even playing. Really felt like a let down after that opener.
Started pretty strongly but quickly became quite bland, with a very uninspired Velvet Underground cover thrown in for good measure
Good production and mixing, but completely forgettable.
Duran Duran did it better.
well... I just listened to this 30 minute ago 0- and cannot remember anything from it. Nt sure why they included remixes of songs. I was a heavy listener of New Wave when it came out - - do not recall ever hearing these tunes except some kicks taken by Duran Duran,
I was hoping based off of the band name for some Japanese music I had never heard of. Maybe some city pop or something of the sort. But this album was not that. It's a slow, dreary version of European synth pop/glam rock. I was not a fan of it at first but it did grow on me. Not a fan of how bleak it is though.
No pues entiendo where does the recomendación comes from pero no le entendí haha no es mi target la verda, un popular opinión me parecio algo plano y largo… no entendí pues
Not so terrible but there's no reason for this to be here. I should give it a 1 just for that terrible cover of All Tomorrow's Parties but I'll be nice.
This is getting old at track 5.
I never knew Japan was the missing link between glam and Duran Duran but when I first put this on that was my first impression. Over tracks 1 & 2 this feeling was hard to shake, but not a bad thing. Despair dips into slower territory. Frankly, it is a momentum killer in the number three song slot (even if it's an okay song). It breaks the Duran Duran association for me and Japan moves into a different place in my musical map. In this Quiet Life songs 1, 2, and 4 are Top Quality while the All Tomorrow's Parties cover is a terrible mistake and everything else is just okay.
New wave synth pop but like depressing.
I can see how this would fit into the landscape of influencing bands to come in the synth pop and new wave genre. Some of the instrumentals were ok but the singing was awful and made it a hard listen. Fave track: Quite life
It sounded like a knock off Duran Duran album. The first two songs started out promising, but then all of the songs sounded the same and seemed to drag on. I didn't finish listening to the album because I was just over it.
Thoughts before review: Feels like another fairly obscure 80s British new wave band. I don't recognize this album cover or any of the songs names. This probably isn't going to be for me. Review: Yeah not really my thing. Slow, gothy synth pop. Usually on these types of albums I recognize a hit or 2 but not here. The only song I recognize, and also my favorite song on the album, is their cover of Velvet Underground's All Tomorrow's Parties. I'm adding that one to the playlist.
Sloppy, boring poetry losely sung over funky basslines and interesting keyboard medleys. Ultimately it’s the uninspiretional vocals that let me down. Not my cup of tea.
I’m not gonna give it a 1 because it’s not terrible, but wow I do not like this. That version of All Tomorrow’s Parties abandons basically everything I like about the song. Limp-wristed mewling synth pop. Best song: The Other Side of Life(?)
😐
Instrumentation was nice, but the vocals were bad.
A few good songs on this album but overall nothing really stands out and is completely outclassed by later albums in the same genre. The band didn't even stay together much longer after this album was dropped, so I'm not sure they even enjoyed it. Wanted to fall asleep. Sounded like vampire disco music
# 91 : Who? What? Why? - Unremarkable and forgettable early synth pop. It started off ok with Quiet life, but after that it just slowed right down and got boring. I Had to skip a track or two to stay awake… Favourite Track : Quiet Life Listened : 19/10/2023
weird-ass 70s band with two many synths. Putting in the 2-3 range preliminarily.
Not my thing at all, although some of the tracks with Steve nye were a bit better than the rest. Otherwise completely unremarkable.
Proto INXS and Duran Duran. Slow paced. At certain points (namely "In Vogue"), songs just feel repetitive and too long. Favorite track: "Halloween"
The cover of “All Tomorrow’s Parties”is awful. It almost dropped this to 1 star, but the fact that this came out in 1979 instead of the early 80s, meaning it was a trailblazer and ahead of its time, saves a 2 for it. I wish more songs had been like “Other Side of Life”, which is more moody and less generic synth pop.
Musically, the sound of Quiet Life is intriguing, theres's some good stuff to pull out of it, but the vocals are off putting if not boring.
I'm not really sure about this album. I don't know Japan already as a band. I thought it seemed really fun listening at the beginning and I love a lot of synth pop so was excited to really enjoy this. But I have to say I really don't like the more droney vocals on tracks including Alien. I think actually synth pop can be really hit or miss for me because it seems like it's really challenging to make it actually "pop" or stand out as something super creative and different and not just a mush of sounds. I can hear the band's more glam rock-ish roots in this album which is less my style. I quite like the title track Quiet Life but apart from that the album really dragged for me.
I’m a fan of 80s new wave but I didn’t really dig this one. Some of the darker tracks are cool. I can appreciate the influence of this album on said 80s new wave bands though
I find the sound underwhelming, the voice whiney. There were some aspects of the title track that I found appealing, but the charm wore off quickly in subsequent tracks. And seriously, who just names their band after another country?
Very progressive and ahead of its time for 1979. That still wasn't enough to keep me interested. I kept wanting it to be more than talented guys just going through the motions. Come on, guys, put some passion into it. These guys must have felt really screwed when Duran Duran completely copied them and then went on to be massive superstars. But this is a case of "if the songwriting were a little better and the sound a little bigger". Should of, would of, could of....
Not very impressed by this. I like the synths that are on some of the songs, but not much else. It's about average I'd say, though. Certainly not the worst music I've heard.
Despair sounds like something from Twin Peaks, I feel that I need to be in a certain mood and time to listen to this probably. Quiet Life is definitely the best song.
Album 135 of 1001 Japan - Quiet Life Rating : 2/ 5 Nothing here that caught my interest. I'm assuming the band was an influence on Duran Duran. Quiet similar. If I have to choose, I'll take the latter.
Really enjoyed ‘Quiet Life’ and that might have set my expectations a little bit high for the rest of the album but the rest was really just quite forgettable.
1/8, 13%
Title track raised hopes - really interesting forerunner of Duran Duran & the others. But the rest of the album was painful, especially the shockingly bad cover of ATP.
I'm sure that this is someone's favorite album. I am not that person. The only saving grace is a decent velvet underground cover. 2/5
Meh
No prior exposure, but there may have been a good reason for that. Overall nothing special. 2/5
Only 1 good song I enjoyed on here, the rest was very meh
OK album.
Mehhh I see the appeal, but it is not me
Man, what is it with these wave bands? New wave, darkwave, synthwave... they all sound exactly the same. Sine/saw synth over cheap-sounding drums, overly-dramatic lyrics that are also somehow super shallow, and that vocal style... whatever that is. You know what I'm talking about. Every wave band vocalist sounds exactly the same. There are SO MANY albums that sound exactly like this on the list. We don't need so damn many. I'm super over it. Mandatory 1-star deduction for unnecessary saxophones.
Soft, mélodieux, style particulier un peu pop. Me donne des vibes Killers/30 Seconds to Mars. New wave romantique. Moins de tounes accrocheuses que je l'aurais pensé. S'écoute bien, mais pas mémorable.
2.5
Rollazo.
this just felt like 80s noise like I was in a grocery store, to be fair I didn't listen very close but I didn't really feel a desire to
Een beetje zeurderige 13 in een dozijn New Wave. Geen fan van de blazers die her en der tevoorschijn komen. Lelijke albumhoes. Een beetje meh allemaal. 2,5 afgerond naar 2.
Not 4 me..
It's like Duran Duran, but worse!
For 1979, sounded like a 1986 Duran Duran. Interesting album with some sharp mood swings (Despair). Didn’t have real staying power with me.
Not good. No need to revisit.
boffff
Are we sure this isn't Duran Duran? Meh, didn't do anything for me.
Meh...
I did not enjoy the singing on most of the album
2.75
Did I just listen to Duran Duran? A more gothic, dark Duran Duran? I was surprised to see these guys came before Duran so now I know where Duran stole their sound. Speaking of stealing, tell me you didn't hear the sounds of Policy of Truth, by Depeche Mode in song #2? I really thought it was going to be a cover of that song when I first heard. I can say this isn't for me, but holy shit, when you cover Velvet Underground's All Tomorrow's Parties 3 times, I'm not going to rip them too bad. By the time you get to quiet life, you do realize Duran Duran ripped these guys off. Don't know too much about Duran, but the riffs in Quiet Life are exactly like some Duran song.... Anyway, not for me except for the Velvet cover. BTW, that song off the Banana album. And now I own a concert shirt form that very same album. I'm going to score a 2.5 for the Velvet song. Otherwise probably much lower for me. 2.5 Will score as 2
Pretty standard 70's New Wave album. Well executed and didn't actively piss me off which is nice. Outside of that not much to say. Totally unmemorable. 2
2 I didn’t realize the entire nation put out an album, but good on them. The 1979 release date surprised me, as it sounds like something that would have come out within the new wave scene in the mid 1980s. Considering the nation is responsible for things like the Walkman and Super Nintendo, I guess it makes sense Japan was ahead of their time here as well. Anyway, while it seems they were pioneers for a sound that would define the decade ahead, they’re a lot less remarkable than any of the groups that would follow. The title track was decent enough, but I really couldn’t find anything to note beyond that. No real versatility across the board in any area, with most songs blending in with the next. When it was finished, I didn’t even realize I had listened to a deluxe version of the album and had heard some form of the song All Tomorrow’s Parties three times (which I guess is a Velvet Underground cover… oops, sorry Dad). While there’s not a bad sound anywhere to be found, I can see why Japan isn’t talked about more within the context of new wave… or even really music as a whole. Definitely one of those groups where it seems their influence was much more impactful than their output.
Rollazo
This album is fine, but I am just getting really tired of British bands from the 80s. This is not for me.
Something went very wrong with the concept of singing in the 70s. I did actually quite like some of the first few tracks.
The first song isn’t bad but it’s also not good enough for me to listen to the whole thing
Not quite talking to me is this. All tomorrow's party's is still great though.
Uit de tijd dat bands zich ineens gingen vernoemen naar steden en landen. Aardige jaren tachtig-muziek, best aan te horen, en daarna ben je het meteen weer vergeten. Het heeft allemaal te weinig attentiewaarde, dus geen drie sterren.
Direct na 'Frankie Goes To Hollywood' is dit ineens wel heel lege muziek. Heb halverwege twee uur pauze genomen voordat ik doorluisterde. Ik nam de muziek niet meer in mij op...
Ik luister deze direct na Frankie Goes To Hollywood, maar dan is het toch wel wat veel van het goede met al dat wazige 80s new wave gedoe. Wat ik wel een mooie docu vond over de tijd van de New Romantics (dit soort muziek rond 1980) was Blitzed! Muziekdocus, fan van! Deze muziek, wat minder.
Quiet Life- groovy quite laidback track. Wish the vocals were a little more prominent 👍 Fall in love with me- lyrics a lot of nothing, but sufficiently atmospheric👍 Despair- boring piano track In vogue- this wasnt a standout at all Halloween- Bit more bombastic👍 All tomorrows parties- Feel there is a bit too much going on in the instrumental for what is essentially a folk track Alien- standard synthpop track The other side of life- bit of a dirge This was a mediocre new wave album 2/5
Kinda cool dream-like trance album. Gives me some David Bowie vibes.
Geht.
This wasn’t for me.
Meh
Meh
Never heard of the band Japan before today, and for good reason. Just some typical run of the mill synthpop. Sure it may have been ahead of its time, having been released in the late 70s, and sounding like music from the 80s, but David Sylvian's voice is terrible. He moans most of the time. By times, you can hear a lot of Duran Duran in their sound, and Mick Karn's bass playing is great, especially on the songs Alien, Other Side of Life, and Life in Tokyo! All in all, I could have gone without listening to this album. I am realizing through this exercise that I hate synthpop new wave music. Favourite songs : Alien, Halloween, Life in Tokyo Least favourite songs : Despair, Other Side of Life, All Tomorrow's Parties, In Vogue, Fall in Love With Me 2/5 (a point added just because of Mick's phenomenal bass playing)
Niemendalletje
Not much to say here, the album felt bland. Although there were some groovy moments, the mixing and vocals make it sound like a karaoke track - weirdly amateurish.
Never heard of this band before and certainly never heard any of the songs. I love the song, Despair. So haunting. At times during the album I almost thought I was listening to a early Duran Duran album. I think the album would have been better to get to know back in 1979, but listening to it now for the first time I can only appreciate how it might have been a new and different sound for its time. I think if I hear it more it is something I would definitely like. I would definitely like to keep this one around and listen to it again and again. 2.5/5
it’s naht good
It was okayyy. There are a lot of new wave albums on this list that are better
David Sylvian's hair.
Oh, the power of retrospection and perspective. Had I been introduced to this album a long time ago, I would've quickly dismissed it as "electronic music" like the closed-minded fool I was. Now, I hear so much more in it than I would've found back then. This is a very talented band in so many ways, and this is a good album with some solid tracks on it. If I heard this music randomly somewhere with no information about it, I would not have guessed this is a 70s band. After several of the songs in a row, I definitely got a little tired of the same New Wave/electronic/synth-pop sound to the music, but a lot of albums in any genre tend to feel that way because these days I almost always listen to streaming services on random or shuffle, so other than this project, I don't typically listen to albums or a single artist.
Ok sound - ominous mellow 60s rock vibes - cool vibe but wasn’t in the right mood for parts of the album
hm
no!
Fog rolls into a wasteland with an arcade ruled by a B-level Tina Turner. Spandex and vibrantly colored leather is all the locals have to wear. Suddenly, an average suburban white boy is ripped through a portal by an obnoxious sidekick puppet character. He’s on a mission to set the people free with his Walkman only he doesn’t know it yet. To slow him down, the witch-like Fake Turner replaces his hair-band rock tape with this album by manipulating the puppet. In a moment of desperation, a young punk scrambles out of the underground sewer world, crashes into him, destroying the tape. The under-dweller takes off their helmet with a hair sweep to reveal an Elizabeth Shue knock-off. The quest for the ultimate powered mixed tape begins.
No thank you. Drums were all right.
This is not great music to listen to while fighting the fire giant in elden ring but honestly it didn’t even sound that great in general
I didn’t really like it. The songs felt kinda similar and didn’t really move me
ehh. not particularly impressed.
Not much interesting about this one. Kinda glam pop synth pop feel from the 80s. Very subtle lyrically and the album feels like it drifts along. Pretty mediocre. 3.7/10
I was expecting worse, but at its best Japan deliver synthish sounds with an unconventional palette. Fall In Love With Me was the peak of said sound, but things dropped off pretty hard after that: Some experiments with form at the end weren't enough to justify the song lengths.
Terrible version of All Tomorrow's parties. Never have liked Kahn's fretless bass playing. Sylvian's voice is very wearing over the course of a whole album. Not really stood the test of time
Didn't like...in my opinion the worst part of 80s music
2.5
Ever notice how generally bands named after places and locations suck? Think about it: Europe? Sucks. Chicago? Sucks. Japan? Sucks. The theory is sound. Too bad this band isn't.
Dit zijn de te-saai-bevonden b-kantjes van Duran Duran toch?
This is quite bad. Unimaginative lyrics and singing, nothing really special about it really. 4/10.
Japan had an interesting following in the Eighties, but it has not aged well.
pretty tuneless synth pop
more background fare. Quite liked Despair. Generally, not my thing. Doesn't annoy me, and not rushing to switch it off. Not a huge fan of the vocalist though.
Not my favourite this. Think it makes the list by virtue of being seminal in doing something first (or almost first) in 1979, but a lot of people did similar stuff better. A couple of decent tracks (the opener grew on me after the first listen and Fall In Love With Me is good, very Duran Duran-y), but nothing else grabbed me.
80s af, and that's not a good thing.
80s oversincere
This album was FINE, and by that I mean "adequate." It just sounded like the back end of a second tier Duran Duran album. When do we get to see Duran Duran on this list? "All Tomorrow's Parties" just made me wonder when we're going to get to get to see the Velvet Underground on this list. I needed to know why this album is on the list, because I couldn't hear it. It was completely listenable, mind you, just not very memorable or distinctive to me.
I dunno, I have enjoyed some of the eletropoppy stuff on the list, but this is a bit boring. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood
recht fad, hab mir nix gemerkt
Den Gesang halt ich kaum aus...ansonsten so gar nichts Besonderes. Aber für nebenbei ok
A band I know very little about. The opening song 'Quiet Life' is giving me Duran Duran vibes - upon reading the wiki on this album, the band dismiss being of the genre New Romantic. Crazy to learn that this band was once a Glam Rock band, moving onto being synth pop with a one-off single made with Giorgio Moroder. It's a shame they didn't continue working with Giorgio on this album. The star rating is absent for me on this album, ✰✰ from me. Not an album I need to listen to again. I would rather listen to Duran Duran (or Sparks or INXS) - this album predates Duran Duran's debut album, maybe they heard this album by Japan and bettered it.
Not really my thing
This seems like a hipster wanker's choice. Plenty of 80s pop out there that's way more interesting than this. Points for production values but that's about it.
There's no way this isn't going to be new wave. Yeah, it is. I actually fell asleep. 2/5.
Not bad, not great.
A little taste of synth pop new wave, which I wish they'd taken further. I guess it was early days for that genre - I think bands like Duran Duran probably took this vibe and ran with it much better. I did like the title track and 'FalIing Love With Me' though. This is more of a 2.5 really but it falls into the 'ok but forgettable' category.
Other than the name David Sylvian, it doesn’t sound like this album has much to offer. Yes, it’s ok background music, but it never takes off and all the songs sound the same.
Not a bad album, but didn't stick with me that much
Nothing special, at best, and I'm starting to suspect some heavy British favoritism in this list...
Dull.
80's cheese but very bland
Kuuntelin kolmessa osassa eri päivinä niin vaikea muodostaa mielipidettä kokonaisuudesta, mutta ihan vekkulista äänimaailmasta huolimatta tylsä levy.
Muutama ihan toimiva biisi/hetki levyllä auttoi saattelee levyn loppuun, mut loppupuolen japaniskeida ei toiminu
Pretty weird for my liking
Not very fond of this one
Meh
I was quite enjoying it then he murdered and buried the body of all tomorrows parties and i was too annoyed to hear anything else than nico gasping for air. I think there is a lot of interesting proto-synth pop development here and its probably a very important record, so fair play to it but my longlasting impression im afraid is nico silently crying.
the first couple of songs are ok but the rest is legit bad
Really not my thing at all. Found it quite boring. Couple of ok tracks. 2 stars
Gosh, I've listened to some Japan before but never this album. It's so whiny and I've had enough of this style. Maybe if I'd heard this first I would've liked it, but now I was just skipping songs when I couldn't stand them anymore.
seems like bad david bowie, esp since it's the same time
Asian video game music. Not terrible.
Nothing stood out about this album.
These guys need a cup of coffee before recording an influential album
Agh, just not very good. Pretty forgettable. Feel like their sound is quite close to The Police's but without being as iconic.
As much as I love synthpop today, this early 80s synthpop is just not it for me. I think a lot of it has to do with the style of voice/singing that was popular at the time. It also all just feels very repetitive and like the songs don't have a lot of momentum. Not trying to knock it for someone else- it's just not for me.
Very 80s
Only listened to two or three tracks because I was pulled away but it didn't grab me to be honest.
It was ok, it fell flat in too many places for me to consider it any better than that. 2*
Kind of thing Dave would rate as 5 stars.
I thought it was alright, but nothing too special. I found the singing to be very monotonous, and not in an interesting way.
This is pretty sleepy, boring music. Alien and A Foreign Place were highlights, but this is at best driving music
au lieu du café il ya du nescafé du lait en poudre au lieu du lait ect. au lieu de bowie il y a japan
"Despair" has a cool melody
The only memorable and interesting thing about this album and band, is their band name.
Pas vraiment d’interet. Je ne sais pas trop quoi penser de ca .. je n’ai pas de souvenir le lendemain sauf peut etre la 1ere toune qui annoncait quelque chose de bien, mais apres rien du tout. 2.75
This was... fine. I was disappointed in the Velvet Underground cover.
didn’t like it that much
Synth-pop rock, fængende hooks, melankolsk
neet
Yeah I'm not listening to all of that
What the hell is this? Completely un-listenable, got like 4 songs in and had to quit.
Disappointing, given that new wave is usually right in my wheelhouse. I can hear what they're doing: the cold synths, the deep vocal, the bass doing something unusual, but none of it grabbed me. It slid past without leaving a mark. Style without much underneath it, at least on this listen.
no!
hollow 80s synth pop as far as I can tell. nothing catches my ear
I thought liking Depeche Mode would mean I'd also like Japan (the band), but that wasn't the case. This is a dull album, which I don't plan to even try listening to again. I think that's the type of music that makes people say the 80s sounded horribly.
Aburrido...
Not a fan of this one. Too quiet and didn’t draw me in lyrically or sonically.
I can’t believe this was even on here, I can’t imagine anyone thinking you have to listen to this.
The synth sound is high pitched and I don't find it melodic enough to pull me into listening to an albums worth of songs. .
Whiney, dated and boring. The triple Crown for the late 70s early 80s genre.
EASY 1 I didn't like anything about this
Nope
Closest thing to an Asian album on this list is a white band named Japan.
Love the title track but most of the rest is pretentious forgetful dross. HATE the farty bass tones, are they meant to be ironic?
Not my music
This was really boring. The songs were really long. I didn’t enjoy this.
yay. synth pop. woo. hoo.
Another laboured album of different songs that might as well be one long moan.
1.2/5 I've never really enjoyed 80s music like this and this was pretty average to my ears
Modern romantic 80’s rubbish
No gusto
Meh
Temu Duran Duran. And never cover Velvet Underground songs if you are a Temu band.
quiet life: tiene onda, peor no es tanto mi estilo fall in love with me: tiene onda, peor no es tanto mi estilo despair: malarda in vogue: la voz del tipo me transmite trsiteza halloween: no se no me copa all tomorrow's parties: meh, son todas iguales alien:los mismo que todas las anteriores the other side of life: same shit a forgein place: nada en conclusion, malardo.
Couldn't get into this at all unfortunately. Guess it's an early example of this kind of 80s sound synth pop (new romantic? I don't know where the lines are at all). I'm not mad keen on a lot of that music and this falls short of even that for me so far. Whenever I was trying to think of it as possibly pioneering, I reminded myself it's after Stevie's whole golden period.
I know the title of the book isn’t meant to be taken literally but I think I could’ve lived my life quite comfortably having not heard this before I died. It came and went with nothing of interest and I more than likely will have forgotten all about by the week’s end.
1. quiet - 2 2. fall - 0 3. dezpair - 2 4. vogue - 1 5. hallouueen - 1 6. partiez - 1 7. alien - 0 8. life - 1 9. place - 2 10. tokyo - 2
Just not good.
Boring
Bored pretty quickly
I liked the 2nd song. Everything else an absolute drag. Japan is a great country though
Did not enjoy. I don’t mind rock but didn’t enjoy this band.
Je me suis ennuyé. C'est terrible. Il y a eu plein d'albums que j'aimais pas trop et même des albums que je trouvais assez médiocre, mais je crois que c'est la première fois que je m'ennuie vraiment. C'est de la synthpop, peut-être un peu avant-gardiste, puisqu'on est en 1979 ? Mais franchement, je ne comprends pas l'intérêt de cet album. C'est terrible, mais je crois que ça sera mon premier 1. Parce que même ceux que j'ai notés 2 jusque-là (et il y en a peu), je me suis pas totalement ennuyé, j'ai toujours trouvé un petit quelque chose de pas inintéressant. Ici ? Rien. Donc bah ça sera mon premier 1. Il m'aura fallu 58 albums pour en donner un. J'espère que demain, ça sera mieux.
Lame...
Hard to hear
A 60min new wave album? What could go wrong? Why do 80s artists sing in such an annoying way? It maybe sounded cool back then, but it aged so poorly. You can sort of hear it in Tears for Fears, Bowie, etc. It irks me to a similar level as country singers adding that extra twang in their voice.
1+ Stars (3/15)
No
No se si el nombre se ideo por tener un integrante asiatico en el grupo, pero bueno, el album no me ha gustado.
What a boring pile of shit.
No. Just no.
1.5 A flock of pigeons.
this album did nothing for me, not overly into that experimental (if that’s what it is) type 70’s music