Japan was an English new wave band that released five albums between 1978 and 1981. They formed in 1974 when brothers David Sylvian and Steve Jansen teamed with their school friend Mick Karn, whose fretless basslines dominate the band’s later releases. Musically, Japan’s output falls into three distinct phases: the subterranean buzz of their guitar-based […]
Mick Karn — aka Andonis Michaelides (July 24, 1958 — Jan. 4, 2011) — was an English-Cypriot multi-instrumentalist and composer who rose to prominence as the bassist in the New Wave/art-pop band Japan, which released five studio albums between 1978 and 1981. Just as the band announced its breakup, Karn debuted as a solo artist […]
Adolescent Sex is the debut album by English funk-rock/art-rock quintet Japan. Released on Ariola in April 1978, the album fuses the subterranean buzz of London’s underground haunts with the rhythmic chic of New York’s strobe-laden nightclubs. The songs Wedding the sonics of Eno and concurrent Ultravox to the precision of Kool & the Gang and […]
The Waking Hour is the singular album by Dalis Car, a one-off collaborative effort between ex-Japan bassist Mick Karn and former Bauhaus vocalist Peter Murphy. Sporting the 1922 Maxfield Parrish painting Daybreak as its cover art, the album was released in 1984 on Paradox. Musically, the album is a continuation of the ethno-exotica first mined […]
Titles is the debut solo album by English composer/multi-instrumentalist Mick Karn, released in 1982 on Virgin. Enlisting the help of Japan cohorts Steve Jansen and Richard Barbieri on several cuts, the album was recorded in the final weeks of that band’s existence. Tracklist: A1. “Tribal Dawn” (4:05) A2. “Lost Affections in a Room” (4:10) A3. “Passion […]
Tin Drum is the fifth album by English art-rock/New Wave band Japan, released in 1981 on Virgin. Tracklist: A1. “The Art of Parties” (4:09)* A2. “Talking Drum” (3:34) A3. “Ghosts” (4:33) A4. “Canton” (5:30) B1. “Still Life in Mobile Homes” (5:32) B2. “Visions of China” (3:37) B3. “Sons of Pioneers” (7:07) B4. “Cantonese Boy” (3:44) […]
Quiet Life is the third album by English art-rock/New Wave band Japan, released in December 1979 on Hansa. Tracklist: A1. “Quiet Life” (4:53) A2. “Fall in Love with Me” (4:31) A3. “Despair” (5:56) A4. “In Vogue” (6:30) B1. “Halloween” (4:24) B2. “All Tomorrow’s Parties” (5:43) B3. “Alien” (5:01) B4. “The Other Side of Life” (7:26) […]
Obscure Alternatives is the second album by English funk-rock/art-rock band Japan, released in October 1978 on Hansa. Tracklist: A1. “Automatic Gun” (4:07) A2. “…Rhodesia” (6:48) A3. “Love Is Infectious” (4:10) A4. “Sometimes I Feel So Low” (3:46) B1. “Obscure Alternatives” (6:50) B2. “Deviation” (3:23) B3. “Suburban Berlin” (4:59) B4. “The Tenant” (7:14) Credits: David Sylvian […]
Dalis Car were an English art-pop duo comprised of former Japan bassist Mick Karn and ex-Bauhaus vocalist Peter Murphy. The project yielded the album The Waking Hour on Beggars Banquet-imprint Paradox in 1984. Members: Mick Karn (bass, keyboards, guitar, saxophone, programming), Peter Murphy (vocals), Paul Vincent Lawford (drum programming, electronics) Discography: The Waking Hour (1984)
Gentlemen Take Polaroids is the fourth album by English art-rock/New Wave band Japan, released in 1980 on Virgin. Tracklist: A1. “Gentlemen Take Polaroids” (7:08) A2. “Swing” (6:23) A3. “Burning Bridges” (5:23) A4. “My New Career” (3:52) B1. “Methods of Dance” (6:53) B2. “Ain’t That Peculiar” (4:40) B3. “Nightporter” (6:57) B4. “Taking Islands in Africa” (5:12) […]
