Japan - Souvenir From Japan (Great 1989 New-Wave Compilation)

Japan's first label, Hansa, got a little hyperactive when it came to re-releases and re-packagings from the first three albums in the band's career. Souvenir from Japan falls squarely into that category, drawing from the earliest trash glam roots of the group to the more elegant, wistful sounds of its mid-period, all without much regard for chronology or interesting liner notes or anything particularly new. As a starter kit for the beginning Japan fan, though, it's a reasonable enough release. The sound is quite good, the delicate textures and production skill of the group and its collaborators especially noteworthy when it comes to the later songs, and the choice of tunes is generally on the money. Besides the attractive covers of Smokey Robinson's "I Second That Emotion" and the marvelous revamp of the Velvet Underground's "All Tomorrow's Parties," ten other band originals make up the contents. The group's obvious fascination with non-U.K. glamour, or least images of same, make up much of the collection, thanks to the singling out of such cuts as "Life in Tokyo" and "Suburban Berlin," not to mention the ultimately prophetic fascination with "Communist China." Hearing Sylvian's all-too-arch sleaze and sneer on the earliest stuff still raises a smile, considering how much better he would get in the future -- it's hard not to laugh at the extremes he cooks up on "Deviation" and "Adolescent Sex." Collectively the group was still working out its obsessions with first the New York Dolls then Roxy Music at its most beautifully dissipated, but Sylvian's deliciously luscious croon and Karn's increasingly evident skill with fretless bass make Souvenir worth having for the newcomer, if unnecessary for the hardcore fan.

AMG Review by Ned Raggett

Japan - Oil on Canvas (Live New Wave/Post-Punk 1983)

The final Japan release was sold and marketed as a live album, though actually it's a bit of a catchall -- it is indeed mostly from concerts, but also includes a variety of studio instrumentals and a re-recorded version of "Nightporter" mixed in to sound like it's part of the show. The various re-releases of the albums over the years confused matters further, with re-sequencings, the excision of cuts, and more adding to general confusion about the release (not to mention the fact that some reissues completely omitted where the shows were recorded anyway!). Two of the instrumentals, "Oil on Canvas" itself and "Temple of Dawn," are brief, gentle pieces by Sylvian and Barbieri respectively. "Voices Raised in Welcome, Hands Held in Prayer" is a more involving effort, combining a quiet, gamelan-inspired rhythm with found-sound samples from what appears to be a religious ceremony. As for "Nightporter," it's a nice enough new version but isn't notably different or varied from the earlier studio take. The remaining live cuts show that the exquisite tension and serene sounds in the studio were easily transferred to the stage in all their elegant complexity. The Tin Drum selections, which make up most of the release, make the case even more that Japan was as much a prog band as a glam one, Sylvian's captivating vocals flowing over Asian-derived scales and melodies, the guitar parts handled by guest performer Masami Tsuchiya, who also plays some keyboards. "Visions of China" sounds especially grand, Jansen's entrancing drumming seemingly impossible to be created and yet clearly existing. The extended introduction to "Ghosts," Karn's saxophone welling up from the distance like a siren call, is another highlight, along with the slightly rocked-up -- but only just -- "Methods of Dance."

AMG Review by Ned Raggett