382 Hello Japan - Gentlemen Take Polaroids

Chart  entered : 18  October  1980

Chart  peak : 60

Number  of  hits : 13  ( including  one  by  Rain  Tree  Crow  who  were  the  group's  final  line  up  reconstituted  under  a different  name  )

These  lot  were  never  press  darlings  but  they  persevered  and  as  the  new  decade  got  going  they  got  their  due  reward.

Japan  started  out  as  a  school  band  , Catford  Boys  School  to  be  precise. Despite  their  work  often  having  the  air  of   middle  class  ennui  and  artiness  brothers  David   and  Steven  Batt    were  the  sons  of  a  plasterer  from  Kent. Their  bandmates  were  Richard  Barbieri   a  Londoner  and  Andonis  Michaelidis  ( aka  Mick  Karn )  a  Greek  Cypriot  whose  family  had  emigrated  to  London  in  the  early  sixties. None  of  them  had  much  musical  training  so  learned  as  they  went  along. David  sang  and  did  most  of  the  writing, Mick  played  bass, Steve  was  the  drummer  and  Richard  played  keyboards. They  started  playing  gigs  in  1974  and  the  following  year  were  joined  by  guitarist   Rob  Dean  from  Clapton.

Japan  was supposed  to  be  a  temporary  name  until  they  thought  of  something  better  but  it  stuck. They  were  attracted  to  the  artier  side  of  glam  rock  and  adopted  an  androgynous  look, topped  off  with  make-up  similar  to  the  New  York  Dolls.  David  and  Steve  adopted  the  Dolls-referencing  surnames  of  "Sylvian"  and  "Jansen"  respectively.   They  soon  found  themselves  swimming  against  the  tide  of  pub  rock  and  then  punk. Nevertheless  they  acquired  a  manager  in  Simon  Napier-Bell  and  came  through   a  label-  sponsored  talent  competition  in  1977  which  led  to  them being  signed  up  to  Ariola-Hansa  Records.

Their  first  records  were  released  in  March  1978. The  single  was  a  cover  of  the  show  tune  "Don't  Rain  On  My  Parade"  from  Funny  Girl  given  a  camp  metal  makeover. Although  no  doubt  influenced  by  Bryan  Ferry's  recent  raids on  the  Great  American  Songbook  , David's  voice  sounds  more  like  Smashing  Pumpkins' Billy  Corgan  than  the  Roxy  Music  man  at  this   stage. I  don't  think  it's  that  successful  and  thankfully  it's  actually  the  worst  track  on  their  debut  LP  "Adolescent  Sex" , a  collection  of  otherwise  compelling   tunes  mixing  their  obvious  influences  with  a  chilly  late  night  funk  vibe  courtesy  of  their  excellent  rhythm  section. David's  voice  is  a  feline  instrument  occasionally  settling  for  a  punk  snarl   on  these  songs  about unsatisfactory  relationships  and  oblique  political  references. "I  Wish  You  Were  Black"  is  apparently  a  riposte  to  the National  Front. It  culminates  in  the  extraordinary  "Television"  , a  9  minute  epic  riposte  to   someone  preferring  the  TV  to  sex  where  each  member  excels  themselves  from  Richard's  Riders  On  the  Storm  keyboards  to  Rob  wigging  out  completely  at  the  end.  The  follow  up  single  was  a  double  -side  of  two  tracks  from  the  album,  "The  Unconventional"  and  "Adolescent  Sex". Both  are glam-funk numbers  with  dancing  as  a  metaphor  for  sex  but  the  latter  is  the  stronger  song; the  double  A-side  may  have  been  anticipating  airplay  problems  for  it. They  needn't  have  worried. The  album  was  panned  as  anachronistic  and  out  of  touch  and  the  singles  ignored  by  radio. It  was  appreciated  in  the  country  whose  name they  bore  making  the  Top  20  and  "Adolescent  Sex"  the  single  made  the  Top  40 in  Holland.

They  also  featured  in  a  small  article  in  Jackie  in  the  summer of  1978 . Neither  my  sister  nor  myself  could  get  over  what  they  looked  like  but  it  was  18  months  before   I  heard  of  them  again. In  the  meantime  the  band  were  pressured  to  make  another , more  rock-orientated   record  quickly  and  had  new  product  ready  by  October  that  year.  The  single  "Sometimes  I  Feel  So  Low"  bows  to  the  pressure  somewhat  with  Rob's  circular  riff, Steve's  odd  but  decidedly  rock  beat  and  Richard's  sarcastic  bar-room  piano  which  frequently  threatens  to  turn  the  track  into  Status  Quo. The  album  "Obscure  Alternatives"  is  less  appealing  than  its  predecessor , its  spiky  punk-ish  songs  somewhat  similar  to  Television   and   lacking  any  funkiness  are  less memorable. The  band  try  out  reggae  rhythms  on  the  un-pc  "Rhodesia" and "Obscure  Alternatives"  without  much  conviction  and  the  sax  and  piano  moody  instrumental  closer  "The  Tenant"  is  the  most  memorable  track.

Again  the  album  was  only  successful  in  Japan  where  they  now  spent  an  increasing  amount  of  their  time  as  reflected  in  their  next  single  "Life  In   Tokyo" in  April  1979. By  that  time  David  had  had  an  operation  on  his  throat  which  left  him  with  a  deeper  voice  and  the  need  to  adopt a  new  singing  style   which  was  dangerously  close  to  Bryan  Ferry's. The  single  was  co-written  with  Giorgio  Moroder  who  added  a  characteristic  synthesiser  pulse  to  the  track  and  Rob's  guitar  was  pushed  into  the  background. It  reached  number  28  on  re-release  in  1982.

Their  third  album  "Quiet  Life"  came  out  in  December  1979 . I've  already  covered  it  here.  Just  after  its  release  the  band  got  a  welcome  publicity  boost  when  David  was  voted  "Most  Beautiful  Man  in  the  World"  by  a  Japanese  magazine  which  was  widely  reported  in  the  UK. It  helped  the  album  make  their  first  showing  in  the  UK  charts  peaking  at  number  72. Rather  than  take  a  single   from  the  album   they  released  a   murky , stylised  cover  of  Smokey  Robinson's  "I Second  That  Emotion"  instead . It  wasn't  very  well  received  at  the  time  but  became  their  second  biggest  hit  on  reissue  in  1982.

It  was  their  last  recording  for  Hansa  but  Virgin, noting  the  burgeoning  New  Romantic  scene  and  feeling  that  their  time  might  be  approaching,  felt  that  they  were  worth  a  punt.  This  was  their  first  single  for  the  label ,  available  initially  as  a  double  pack  single   containing  two  synth instrumentals   "The  Experience  Of  Swimming"  ( Richard )  and  "The  Width  of  a  Room  ( Rob )  which  are  pleasant  enough  if  not  essential  and  David's  near-instrumental  post-Vietnam song  "Burning  Bridges"  which  appeared  on  their  forthcoming  album.

"Gentlemen  Take  Polaroids"  itself  has  never  been  my  favourite  song  of  theirs . It's  got  all  the  right  ingredients  , excellent  work  from  the  rhythm  section  again , a  poppy  keyboard  riff  and  suitably  angst-ridden  vocal. It's  actually  hard  to  spot  any  bits  that  a  certain  Birmingham  band  didn't  recycle. It's  just  that  the  song  itself  seems  a  bit  vacuous  with  no  real  lyrical  content  and  a  boring  chorus. The  album  of  the  same  name  had  much  more  to  offer  than  this  bland  taster.