Japan
Nightporter - News Archive
Richard and The Bays 2009
Richard travelled to Australia with The Bays in January 09 to
perform two shows on the 14th / 15th at the Sydney Festival. The
band improvised a soundtrack to the film "Run Lola Run",
performing, along with a giant screen, from a floating barge in the
Sydney Harbour. Pictures and comments about the event here.
ozboys emailed in this report about the evening:
"We went to see the Bays perform last night to the film Run Lola Run as part of the Sydney Festival 2009.
What an experience. 
Was it the way they had the crowd enthralled with their playing?
Was it the fact that we sat through it during one of Sydney's wonderful thunder storms?
Was it the fact that it was raining on an off all night?
Who cares. They were brilliant.
We arrived at Darling Harbour for about 6.30 in search of somewhere to eat. Opted for an Indian restaraunt.
After dining we went to try and find a spot to sit. At 6.30 the crowd
was thin on the ground, but by 7.30 it was a different story. All the
best spots were taken. It is hard to describe where the event was
taking place but Darling Habour at one end has tired wooden seating.
Timber decking like an old sailing ship. This circles around then
entire end of this section of the habour. Not good with size but
problably 100 metres wide. Anyway all of the seating had been taken up
and the crowds were not extending back from here. Not wanting to stand,
we managed to find a spot in front of the screen. Floating in the
habour.
To our left about 30 metres away the boys were picked up in a dingy to
take them to the stage. They had a tent set up in front of the screen
which is where they played. The screen itself was raised above them so
you could watch either the film, or try and see the band. This was the
hard part as they were not lit up. The only lighting was from their
equipment, so we could not see them at all. Tried to take pictures etc
but they just did not come out. Could only get a screen shot
advertising the night and a picture of where we were. No chance of
getting a shot of the boys at all. Where they were picked up was the
spot we were going to sit at at first but it was a really bad spot to
try and watch the film. Subtitles at that angle would have proven to be
too difficult - it is a German film, with English subtitles.
As we waited, the weather began to turn for the worse, though this had
been happening most of the afternoon. In the morning we had 40 degree C
blue sky sunshine. Then by 3.30 it had clouded over and the thunder and
a little rain started. The clouds remained for the rest of the evening.
The temperature also dropped making a much cooler evening. It was the
weather which delayed the performance. They came on at about 21.20
instead of 20.30. When they came on all was fine and then shortly into
their performance the rain came on. Sydney rain is not that light when
it happens. So those who had no umbrellas had to make a dash for it or
put up with the rain. Open air performances have their downsides.
Luckily we had a large brolley which we managed to share with two girls
from Germany. They were next to us so we all crowded under the brolly
together. We had to do this throughout the performance as the rain came
and went from a heavier downfall to constant drizzle.
So the performance. It was fantastic. The girls with us also said that
they found the music to be really good. They said on several occassions
that the band were playing very well, and we had to agree. They blended
in so well with the film. Never seen the film before, and I do not
think I could watch it again as I feel the film and they live music
made it so outstanding. I think if I watch the film now it will have
less of an impact, though the plot and how it flowed was most
entertaining.
I cannot describe what style of music the boys played. I guess there
was an element of their drum and bass style, but also fast paced synth
/ electro feel to it.
The night ended at 22.50 and we hung around for a little while to see
if the boys would come back on land, but the dingy kept taking people
onto the cinema platform, so they must have been doing something on
there after so we left.
A very good night had by all.
ozboyz"
iTunes Obscurities
Karl emailed to let me
know that the Dalis Car music video for "The Judgement Is The Mirror"
is available to download at the iTunes music store. I thought I would
have a browse about and found quite a few rare Japan related tracks
that you might want to check out. All have previews available so you
can try before you buy:
1. Takagi Masakatsu - exit/delete - this marvellous song is written by
and features David Sylvian on lead vocals. It appears on the album
"Coedia".
2. Burnt Friedman & Jaki Liebezeit - The Librarian (nonplace
version) - this is an alternate version of the Nine Horses song with
David on lead vocals. You can find it on the album "Secret Rhythms
Vol.2".
3. Fennesz - Transit - again with David Sylvian, on the album "Venice".
4. Blonde Redhead & David Sylvian - "Messenger" - on the Eqqus EP.
5. Penguin Cafe Orchestra tribute album - features Steve Jansen plus the guys from YMO
6. Yellow Magic Orchestra - LondonYMO - live album recorded at the Royal Festival Hall in 2008
7. Sandii & The Sunsetz - Calling You (live) - on the compilation CD "World Classics: Sri Gati".
8. Richard Barbieri - Forbidden Song - featured on the compilation CD "The Wolf and the Moon - Drop 6".
Japan "Nightporter" Party, Saturday 29th November 2008
Thankyou to everyone who came along and especially those that helped
out at the event. I had an amazing night - great to play and hear so
many Japan classics in good company. Some photos of the event are here (thanks Stix!) - more to follow. We will do it again next year!
Mick Karn live date in Sweden
Mick played
Halmstad
on November 8th as the guest of Isuldars Bane, at a special one-off
event (IB Expo 08). Tracks performed were "Feta Funk", "Mustard
Grapes", "Thundergirl Mutation" and "Twitchy Handmover". He also
played on the other artists material. Thanks to Maria at the japansylvian forum for reporting on the event.
Mick performed alongside Pat Mastelotto
(drums - has worked with Akiko Yano and Robert Fripp), Pamelia Kurstin
(an extraordinary Theremin player), Paintbox (a side project of
"Gicken" and Linnea, the bass and cello player respectively from Isuldars Bane), Jan Schaffer (Swedish session guitarist, living legend in Sweden, has played
with ABBA, Bob Marley and Zappa, to name a few), Valgeir Sigurdsson
(Icelandic producer who has worked with Björk, The Kronos
Quartet, Bonnie Prince Bily etc) and Luca Calabrese (horn player from
Italy).
Steve Jansen DVD out in Japan
"The Occurrence Of
Slope", filmed in Japan "featuring footage from Steve's February 29,
2008
"Slope" performance at the Meguro Persimmon Hall. The DVD was released
on Japan on 21st November, catalogue number P-Vine PVDV47.
Musicians featured: Steve Jansen (drums, keyboards, computer
programming, string arrangements), Keigo "Cornelius" Oyamada (guitars),
Masakatsu Takagi (piano, keyboards), String Quartet lead by Seigen
Tokuzawa. Visuals by Shoko Ise.
Vocalists on screen during the performance: Tim Elsenburg (Sweet BIlly
Pilgrim), Thomas Feiner, Anja Garbarek, Nina Kinert, David Sylvian,
Joan Wasser (Joan as Police Woman).
Live content includes previously unreleased music as well as a live
interpretation of the soundtrack 'Ascent' written for Shoko Ise's film
installation 'Swimming in Qualia'.
DVD extra features include exclusive, unreleased collaborative works by
Jansen & Ise - 4 film shorts with looped playback. High quality
artwork designed by Shoko Ise.
The best price, including shipping (at exchange rates on 16th October 2008), is from the SamadhiSound store or HMV Japan. If the DVD arrives in time, I plan to play some of it
during the party on November 29th.
Richard Barbieri's new album "Stranger Inside"
Richard Barbieri's new
solo album "Stranger Inside" is out now on K Scope / Snapper
Records. For all details
including track lists, credits, music preview and a free MP3 download, visit the "Stranger Inside" mini site.
Over the next few months Richard's own site will be developed further and it's hoped more free and exclusive downloads will be available.
I asked Richard who the blurred faces are on the artwork, he answered "They are the strangers inside"!
Steve working with John Foxx
According to his myspace page, John Foxx is working on ambient material with Steve Jansen.
Japan, Rain Tree Crow and David Sylvian mini LP card sleeve re-issues
On July 2nd the following albums were re-released in Japan, in mini replicas of the original album covers:
Gentlemen Take Polaroids VJCP68872
Tin Drum VJCP68873
Oil On Canvas VJCP68874
Rain Tree Crow VJCP68875
David Sylvian - Brilliant Trees VJCP68876
David Sylvian - Gone To Earth VJCP68877-78
David Sylvian - Secrets of the Beehive VJCP68879
These are followed on July 23rd by the Hansa era albums:
Adolescent Sex: BVCM-35413
Obscure Alternatives: BVCM-35414
Quiet Life: BVCM-35415
Assemblage: BVCM-35416
The contents of
all releases are the same as the remastered versions that came out in
the UK in 2003/2004. There is a boxed version of the Virgin releases
available for order from Disk Union. However, to secure one you will need to ask a Japanese friend to get one for you, or use a buying service such as Japonica or Rinkya.
This is because Disk Union will not sell to customers outside Japan.
The box includes extra space for the Hansa era albums, available
separately.
Site update - new various artists compilations page
This page
includes information on over 180 various artists compilations featuring
Japan. Some include material that you can not find anywhere else,
so collectors should check it out. Currently I am cross-referencing
this with the rest of the discography to make it easier to track down
certain tracks that you can not buy on a Japan CD.
David Sylvian update
David makes a
contribution to the track "Honor Wishes" on the new Joan As Police
Woman album "To Survive". Read more about this
project and listen to a clip of "Honor Wishes" at davidsylvian.net.
The UK iTunes store features a bonus track which features David on
backing vocals, "No Question".
David is currently working on new
material. Posts to the japan-pioneers Yahoo! Group have revealed that the new recordings feature guest appearances from Evan Parker, Christian Fennesz and John Tilbury.
Mikael from Sweden wrote in with some more news about Mr. Sylvian: Arve
Henriksen has a new album out now on ECM records. David Sylvian is
featured on 2 songs - "Before and afterlife" and "Thermal".
Mikael wrotes: "Some songs sound like Arve Henriksen, some sound like
Jon Hassell and some sound like David Sylvian around Alchemy".
http://www.arvehenriksen.no/
David Sylvian "The World
Is Everything" Tour 2007
David
has now completed his tour. The first few shows in Scandanavia and the
UK went well, but after the Royal Festival Hall performance the set was
slightly shortened, omitting "Nostalgia", probably because the set was
seen as a little long. In Rome the concert was interrupted by a female
member of the audience who heckled David and tried to get on stage.
Following the Italian dates the members of the band succumbed to a flu
bug which unfortunately led to a couple of dates being cancelled. The
tour resumed and completed with dates in Hong Kong, Osaka and Tokyo.
Unfortunately the Tokyo show featured a shortened set as David, still
under the weather, was losing his voice. The second half of the tour
featured "Jean The Birdman". Despite setbacks, the tour performances
were very well received. Reaction to most shows can be read in the
archived of the japan-pioneers Yahoo! discussion group (link in the
main menu above).
Tour
merchandise included a beautiful hardback book with a SamadhiSound
label CD sampler including two brand new vocal tracks from David.
A
new limited edition instrumental CD, "When Loud Weather Buffeted
Naoshima" is available from 6th August from David's web shop.
July 2007
Yellow Magic
Orchestra to play Live Earth!
Y.M.O.
- Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi - are
headlining the Kyoto Live earth concert on July 7th. The event is
expected to be broadcast worldwide and will be available on the
internet via MSN. It will be the first time they have played live using
the name "Yellow Magic Orchestra" in 25 years, as for legal and musical
reasons until this point they have appeared as "XYMO" (not YMO) and
"Human Audio Sponge". The latter has been used recently so that the
audience are aware of the musical difference between "Human Audio
Sponge" (more accoustic/experimental/glitchy) and "Y.M.O." (electronic
pop/dance music). The lines were recently blurred when at the "Smile
Together" charity show "H.A.S." played several "Y.M.O." tunes in
electronic style and the Kirin Lager version of "Rydeen" (which uses
accoustic guitar and other more "natural" sounds) was released under
the original band name. Whatever, it is really exciting that Y.M.O. are
playing and what would really make it special, and relevvant, would be
a guest appearance from David Sylvian to perform "World Citizen (I
Won't Be Disappointed)".
14th
April
David speaks about Toru
Takemitsu
Sunday Feature, BBC Radio
3, 10pm, Sunday April 22nd.
Enter the
Garden: Toru Takemitsu. The composer Takemitsu's
music, philosophy and personality are explored alongside his attraction
to the metaphor of the garden - 'I design gardens with music',
claims Takemitsu, a Japanese artist who found success on the concert
platforms of the West before returning to the cultural influences of
his birthplace. Including interviews with his daughter Maki, film
directors Masahiro Shinoda and Peter Grilli, composer Dai Fujikura,
conductor Oliver Knussen, pop musician David Sylvian, a gardener from
the Hama Rikyu garden in Tokyo and a previously unheard
interview with the composer himself, recorded in the early 1990s.
Listen
live:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/
Thankyou to Paul Green
from the japan-pioneers Yahoo! Group for letting us know about the
programme.
11th
March
David Sylvian and Steve
Jansen have been
recording new material with Joan as Police Woman
for
Steve's album project, due out later this year on Samadhisound.
The Yellow Magic Orchestra
have got
back together for a promotional campaign for Kirin
Lager.
The
soundtrack is "Rydeen 79/07", a download only single, which made No1 in
the iTunes chart in Japan. The trio are playing live on 19th May in
Yokohama, Japan under the name "Human Audio Sponge".
28th
January
David Sylvian and Steve
Jansen
as Nine Horses new mini-album "Money For All" was released 22nd
January. For more about this release see below (Dec 21st 2006
entry).
Mick Karn
is planning live dates in Japan this Spring to promote his latest album
"Three Part Species". For more information visit Mick's website www.mickkarn.net
Richard Barbieri,
as a member of The Porcupine Tree, has a new album out this Spring
called "Fear Of A Blank Planet". The group will also be on tour from
April. For details of dates and a whole lot more, visit the brilliant
Porcupline Tree website www.porcupinetree.com
The Ippu-Do
box set "Magic Vox" sold out on pre-orders and lots of people who
waited until after Christmas to buy it have been disappointed. It is
expected that the Ippu-Do best of album "Lunatic Menu" that includes a
few remixes not included in the box set, will be re-issued. The songs
are already available for official download at various Japanese sites
e.g. Sony Music Online.
Ryuichi Sakamoto
and Yukihiro
Takahashi have both confirmed that they are involved in a
celebration of Haruomi
Hosono's
work to mark his 60th birthday which is this July 9th. Several Hosono
releases are in the works in the coming months, the first of which to
be confirmed is a collection of his 1970's solo work, including a lot
of rare material.
Holger Czukay
has said that David
Sylvian
has worked with him on new, expanded versions of "Plight and
Premonition" and "Flux and Mutability" for release later in 2007. Both
albums, which consist of long experimental pieces of music, were
originally released in the late 1980's.
The UK BBC TV "Holiday"
programme broadcast a segment about Tokyo on Wednesday 24th January.
Background music included Japan's
"A Foreign Place" and "Temple of Dawn" plus Sakamoto's theme from
"Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence". An overview of the programme content is
at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/holiday/destinations/japan_tokyo/
If you have any news
items relating to Japan, the solo members and associated artists please
email me at night.porter@ntlworld.com
21st
December
Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!
Thankyou
to everyone who has contributed to the site this year. February 2007 is
the 10th anniversary of Nightporter going online, under its original
name "Japan Assemblage" on Compuserve. Some of those first pages still
exist in the depths of this site! Over the next few weeks I'll be
recalling some of the events in Japan/solo fandom over the last decade.
But don't wait for me to write things - join the Yahoo! Group and start
some discussions. It always gets busy at the beginning of the year and
it will this time around, with new releases from Nine Horses (David
Sylvian and Steve Jansen) and live dates from Mick Karn coming
up.
"Money
For All" by Nine Horses due out in the UK, January.
This
new CD from Steve Jansen, David Sylvian and Burnt Friedman is the
follow up to the critically acclaimed "Snow Borne Sorrow". It features
two stunning new tracks "Money For All" and "Get The Hell Out". Both
showcase Sylvian and Jansen at their best. "Money For All" again has
Sylvian in great narrative form, beginning with an all too familiar
description of the airport shoe shuffle before touching on personal
debt, online gambling, the consumer society and people's perceptions of
others because of where they are from rather than who they are. Some
people have said they are tiring of Sylvian's political commentary but
not me. Not when he does it with such style and wit. This is the
Sylvian I like - just as much as I did when I was a kid and his
political concerns were less global and more about his experience as a
teenager in London. There are even backing singers with bags of soul,
great vocal harmonies.
"Get The Hell
Out" is very different, much more Jansen, great rhythm
track and bass sequencers, and then strings to back up Sylvian's
warnings to the mysterious "Caroline" who we last heard about in
"Exit/Delete" (Sylvian's guest spot on Tagaki Masakatsu's "Coedia"
album). Again, the lyrics and performance really take you on a journey,
if a bit of an uncomfortable one. The message here is not specific,
this is the observational Sylvian and you are not sure if he is writing
from personal experience. The song makes me think of some non-existent
"Lost" flashback involving Sawyer and Kate; a bit disconcerting on the
17.30 from Kings Cross but not unwelcome. Who is "Caroline"? Someone
tell me. The rest of the tracks on the album are remixes of numbers
from "Snow Borne Sorrow", plus the Japanese bonus "Birds Sing For Their
Lives" with a vocal from Stina Nordensam. It's all good - but the first
two songs are the best.
Best wishes
Paul
24th
November
The
"Pretty In Pink" Japan Party, celebrating the 25th Anniversary
of the release of the "Tin Drum" album took place on 23rd November in
London. Many thanks to Sean who organised the night. I could not make
it there but Sean has reported that it was a real buzz for him to see
so many people dancing to Japan. Tracks played included most of "Tin
Drum" plus plenty of others from the back catalogue.
Something new:
The
first Samadhisound Podcast by David Sylvian and Steve Jansen is online
now and it is a real treat. Hear a unique continuous mix of works from
their label catalogue including a stunning central suite of tracks from
"Blemish" featuring Derek Bailey. The podcast ends with a clip of a new
song "Money For All". Get the podcast now at the following URL: itpc://podcast.sylvian.oxfordmusic.net/podcast.xml
11th
November
Mick Karn and Richard Barbieri
on new Lustans Lakejer remasters!
In
1982, while Steve Jansen and David Sylvian were in Japan working with
Ippu-Do (see below), Sandii & The Sunsetz and Takahashi, Mick
and
Rich went to ABBA's Polar Studios in Stockholm to record with Swedish
group Lustans Lakejer. Richard produced the sessions, resulting in the
albums "En Plats I Solen" and "A Place In The Sun" (an English language
version with some different songs). "A Place In The Sun" was released
in a number of countries under the more media-friendly band name
"Vanity Fair". This November Lustans Lakejer are having their back
catalogue re-released by Stranded Records, all titles having bonus
tracks - mostly 12" singles and b-sides. More information can be found
at this
Swedish store and a Lustans
Lakejer fan site.
10th
November
The other side of Japan
Steve
Jansen is selling display quality prints of unpublished photographs
taken by him during the Japan years. Photographs include candid and
portrait work of David Sylvian, Mick Karn, Richard Barbieri,
Ryuichi Sakamoto and others. You should have a look as some of the
images show a side of Japan that was not on public view at the time
they were active. I hope that Steve's venture is a success and that one
day he may be able to publish a book of his work. For more information
and to see those photographs visit Steve's Imageshop
7th
November 2006
Rob Dean - a rare
sighting in Costa Rica!
Esteban
from Costa Rica has emailed to say he has seen Rob Dean make a guest
appearance with a group called Tribal. Rob played on two songs,
including solos with "amazing fuzzy guitar". Esteban has said he may
have some photo evidence of this rarely seen specimen soon.
Lots of Steve Jansen (and
some Sylvian)
Check out Steve's
section at SamadhiSound for
some new music and stunning photography of David and Masami Tsuchiya in
Paris, 1982. Also look for the shots of Yukihiro Takahashi and
Sweet Billy Pilgrim from their recent Japanese tour. After you have
done that you must visit Sweet Billy
Pilgrim's brilliant blog for
more about Jansen, Takahashi, his Tokyo experiences, and for one
Sylvian related anecdote that will leave you smiling all week. Further
coverage of the Japanese tour can be found at Yukihiro
Takahashi's website, including images of the tour
merchandise.
Anthony Reynolds - Jack
"Pioneer Soundtracks"
One
of
this site's contributors Anthony Reynolds has his debut album with Jack
("Pioneer Soundtracks") re-released in expanded form this month. The
album includes a Sylvian sample, I'm not saying where and what, you
will need to find it yourselves. Check out his website.
Anthony is working soon with former Sylvian collaborators Readymade on
a new project.
15th
October 2006
Ippu-Do "Magic Vox" CD
and DVD box set due out December 20th in Japan.
Japan members, Sandii,
Bill Nelson and Ryuichi Sakamoto all feature.
The
box set will include the Ippu-Do albums "Normal" (1979), "Real" (1980),
"Radio Fantasy" (1981), "Night Mirage" (1983), "Live & Zen"
(1984),
"Rice Music" by Masami Tsuchiya and "Out of Reach" by Akira Mitake.
Included are many tracks featuring performances by Mick Karn, Steve
Jansen and Richard Barbieri. Sandii provides backing vocals on several
songs while Bill Nelson and Ryuichi Sakamoto make guest appearances on
"Rice Music". The icing on the cake is that this set comes with
a DVD of previously unreleased video clips and performances.
All
albums with the exception of "Real" feature bonus tracks.
Why
be interested? Ippu-Do's front man and main songwriter Masami Tsuchiya
was a member of Japan for their final tour and "Oil on Canvas".
However, before that his band Ippu-Do were one of the groups
contemporary to Japan that were directly influenced by their sound and
style. From "Radio Fantasy" on there are clear similarities to the
Japan sound, with all the subsequent relases featuring the group
themselves. "Out of Reach" by Akira Mitake was produced by Richard
Barbieri and is a lost gem, with a lovely smooth pop
production - something later continued on the Dolphin Brothers album. I
also enjoy the first two Ippu-Do albums, where Masami works through his
interests in 60s guitar bands and German electronic and prog sounds -
often in the same songs. Like the first two Japan albums, they have a
raw sound that is pretty compelling and a nice contrast to some of the
more refined material on the later recordings. Like "Nightporter"?
Check out "Crystal Leaves" on "Night Mirage", a truly beautiful number.
Nearer the release date there will be audio clips available on the Sony
website so you can sample the sound of Ippu-Do for yourself.
September 2006
Hansa era remastered
albums re-issued in jewel cases.
Now
at mid-price, all four albums ("Adolescent Sex", "Obscure
Alternatives", "Quiet Life" and "Assemblage") include the same
content as the 2004 releases, but have amended booklets. The
reason BMG are doing this is that it is cheaper to produce jewel case
CD's than digipacks. The CD's will have the same catalogue numbers as
the digipack versions, but there is a lower price so people
should be aware of which version they are buying if
using online stores.
2nd
July 2006
"Assemblage" and "Obscure
Alternatives" remasters fixed!
When
the remastered versions of "Obscure Alternatives" and "Assemblage" were
released in 2004 there were a few errors. These have now been fixed.
Collectors of course will want both versions! The errors that are now
fixed were: on "Obscure Alternatives" the title track has an edited
intro. On "Assemblage" the intro to "Adolescent Sex" was edited and the
incorrect version of "Life In Tokyo" was included as one of the bonus
tracks. The CD used to include the original 12" version, it now
features the mix that was on the cassette version of
"Assemblage".
But
how do you tell the new versions from the old? Ian from the Yahoo!
Group Japan-Pioneers (join via the link above) posted the following
message:
"For fellow trainspotters
only here on in...
I'm assuming that most of the copies for sale as new in the shops
feature the corrected version. Unfortunately, there is no visible
way to tell the versions apart; i.e. no changes to the sleeve
desgn/catalogue number or the like. Even the disc designs are
identical. But to help anyone else who wants to check before parting
with any money (assuming they can make such checks) here are some small
difference I've spotted between my original version (with the mistakes)
and the remaster;
- the cover no longer has the sticker on the front detailing the
contents (i.e. remastered, contains videos etc)
- the disc itself while identical does have some differences if you
hold it up to the light and look at the computer number codes in the
centre by the spindle hole
-- original version with mistakes: has a 'Deluxe' mark (I'm assuming
this is the pressing factory) and the number IFPL8723 (and smaller,
backwards print: IFPL 502 82876566962 01)
-- the corrected remaster version: has a 'Sonopress' mark (again,
the pressing factory?) and the numbers are: 513 16550 / 82896566962 21
OK, you might need to get your microscopes out on that one. ;-)"
Many thanks Ian!
Discography updates
Today
I have uploaded updated pages for "Obscure Alternatives", the Canadian
"Special Edition" EP, "Life In Tokyo" and the USA "Japan" LP. There are
still many items to add, uploads are happening at least weekly so keep
checking back.
17th
June
Competition Closed! The
winner is Trevor from London. Thankyou to everyone who entered. There
will be more competitions in the future - watch this space.
Japan members
featured on forthcoming Japanese releases!
I am very pleased to
announce that some of the best 80s albums by Sandii & The
Sunsetz and Yukihiro
Takahashi
are being re-released in remastered form in Japan this year. Even
better, Takahashi gets a DVD featuring Steve Jansen. The
titles
and release dates: (Thankyou to Theo Spadlo and HMV Japan)
YUKIHIRO
TAKAHASHI - BOYS WILL BE BOYS (DVD) (Sony Music Entertainment: MHBL
20). Recorded Live August 1983 at Shibuya Koukaidou. Tour members were
Yukihiro Takahashi, Keiichi Suzuki, Bill Nelson, Hajime Tachibana and
David Palmer. The band's costumes are very fetching school uniforms. I
did not recognise Keiichi Suzuki as he has a funny looking "bowl"
haircut! 
DVD Track List:
1. RIPPLE
2. MY BRIGHT TOMORROW
3. KAGEROU
4. MAEBURE
5. ARK DIAMANT
6. SAYONARA
7. FLASHBACK
8. THE REAL YOU
9. ARE YOU RECEIVING ME?
10. ITS ALL TOO MUCH
11. ITS GONNA WORK OUT
12. THE APRIL FOOLS
YUKIHIRO TAKAHASHI & TOHRU KAWASAKI - SHIN-SEINEN (DVD)
(Sony Music Entertainment: MHBL 21). Recorded Live on October 27, 1984
at NHK Hall. Tour members were Yukihiro Takahashi, Iva Davies, Mitsuru
Sawamura, Hajime Tachibana, Rodney Drummer and Steve Jansen. Guest
musician (on the DVD): Haruomi Hosono (appears in THE PRICE TO PAY). I
have never seen this film so can not comment on how much we actually
see of Mr Jansen.
DVD Song List:
1. WILD & MOODY
2. STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED
3. MURDERED BY THE MUSIC
4. DISPOSABLE LOVE
5. HELPLESS
6. DAY TRIPPER
7. THE PRICE TO PAY
YUKIHIRO TAKAHASHI - TOMORROWS JUST ANOTHER DAY (CD)
(Sony Music Entertainment: MHCL 791). This album was originally
released in 1983 and is one of my favourites. It compliments Japan very
well and is one of the albums that sounds like The Dolphin Brothers.
Guest musicians are Pierre Barouh, Bill Nelson, Ryuichi Sakamoto and
Haruomi Hosono.
TIME AND PLACE - YUKIHIRO TAKAHASHI LIVE 1983 (CD) (Sony Music
Entertainment: MHCL 792). This features some different songs to the DVD
release "Boys Will Be Boys", including a duet version of "Drip Dry
Eyes" featuring Sandii and a new studio track "Happiness Is Happening".
YUKIHIRO TAKAHASHI - WILD & MOODY (CD) (Sony Music
Entertainment:
MHCL 793). This album includes "Stranger Things Have Happened", a UK
single written by Steve Jansen.
YUKIHIRO TAKAHASHI - POISSON D'AVRIL (CD) (Sony Music Entertainment:
MHCL 794). This is the soundtrack to Yukihiro's comedy film of the same
name. All four CDs will have Mini LP Style Cardboard Sleeves.
Sandii & The
Sunsetz remasters out 13th September 2006:
Sandii - "Eating
Pleasure" (Sony MHCL855), Sunsetz - "Heat Scale" (Sony MHCL858),
"Immigrants" (featuring David
Sylvian
on three songs) (Sony MHCL856) and "Viva Lava Liva" (Sony MHCL857). The
latter includes three live tracks recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon at
the same time as "Oil On Canvas", so if you want to you can re-create
the experience of the final Japan tour at home! For more Sandii news
scroll down this page.
11th
June
Competition - win "The
Very Best of Japan" CD and DVD.
Completists out there
will want
this as both are press copies with a promotional sticker. To win this
fabulous prize (kindly donated by D) please answer the following
question: What was the song that Japan performed when they made their
debut appearance on "Top of the Pops"? Email your answers to night.porter@ntlworld.com
Site Updates:
Check out some new record label scans and sleeve images in the
discography, kindly provided by Stefan, The Ozboyz, Vince and Paul W.
Between them I have received over FIFTY
new items to add to the pages on there. All will be included eventually
but it takes time to get them resized and added to each page of the
discography.
28th
May
Japan's first demo tape
found!
Apologies
for the lack of updates, I have been on holiday in Japan. I had a great
time and managed to pick up some cool Japan and YMO related things,
some of which will be appearing
on this site very soon. However, two
items emailed to me are far more interesting. MD found an original copy
(on reel to reel format) of the very first Japan demo tape.
I sent
Simon Napier-Bell some images of it and he has verified it is the real
thing: "Wow!
Instantly evocative. I recognise my typed label, the tape box, the
picture, everything. It was the first demo tape I made of them (and the
first photo I had taken of them) when I'd just chanced on them and
thought the world would find them instantly irresistible.
Amongst
the many
great replies was one
from one of the A&R guys at Pye who
said Mick didn't know how to
play his bass and the group would never
get
anywhere until they changed their bass player. And another classic,
from CBS. "This group have potential. Unfotunately we don't invest in
potential." (Could be the death-nell explanation of the current music
industry decline)". Meanwhile,
I have put MD in contact with a musician friend who should be able to
get the tape archived. It is in reel to reel format and has not been
played by its present owner. I don't need to tell you how important
this find is. Keep your fingers crossed that we are able to hear it one
day.
Collectors Corner 3: Quiet
Life coloured vinyl LP
This
item was sent in by Martin Horler. Take note of the typography of the
label which is different to the regular one, which uses the "Japan"
logo. Martin has been told that the album is in "brown" vinyl. Does
anyone know any more about it? Some Japanese pressings look like this
when held up to the light, but this is not a Japanese pressing - it is
manufactured by Pye in England.
30th April
Collectors Corner 2: 1978
Acetate
This
acetate, apparently once the property of David Sylvian
himself,
was auctioned on Ebay in 2005. It includes 4 songs, "Communist China",
"The Unconventional", "Performance (not album mix)" and "Don't Rain On
My Parade (not album mix)". What is an acetate?: "An acetate looks like
a vinyl record, but it is actually a metal plate covered in a layer of
acetone. Acetates are much more stiff and more dense than a vinyl
record. Also, since they are not made to sell, an acetate usually has a
handwritten or typewritten label and a plain sleeve is used to store
it." (taken from
http://www.styxcollector.com/vinylresources.html).
24th
April
Uncut
magazine
has published a good review of "The Very Best of Japan" and the cover
mounted CD features "Nightporter". A small picture of David appears at
the bottom right of the insert. The magazine also has an illustration
of the Japan singer at the beginning of the reviews section and a full
band shot with the review itself. Reviews of the CD and DVD have also
appeared in Record
Collector and Classic
Rock, the latter piece by Geoff Barton, who mentions the
lack of early material.
20th
April
Japan's p***s and the
mystery of the "Shut Up" sleeve
I
asked Simon Napier-Bell about that "Shut Up" sleeve (see below). He did
not know about that but has given us something else pretty special to
have a look at! Check it out at his site.
If you know Portugese you
might like to read this page
I also received the following email
from Twan:
Hello,
in the
collector's
corner i noticed your request for more info on this single, I own both
copies so i can compare them. Everything looks identical: sleeve label
vinyl matrix no. etc. The only major difference is that the regular
version (don't rain) is printed in orange/red where 'shut up' is in
magenta. Also the black/white picture on Shut Up is more a brownish
black/white, almost like an old photograph. Hope this is of any help.
cheers,
Twan
A
BIG THANKYOU to
everyone who contributed to the website hosting fees (see 14th April
below) - enough was raised and it will enable me to keep the site
running for another year.
17th
April
Virgin/EMI to re-isssue
Japan and solo titles at mid-price
On
May 29th Virgin/EMI are re-issuing "Gentlemen Take Polaroids", "Tin
Drum", "Oil On Canvas", "Rain Tree Crow", "Brilliant Trees", "Gone To
Earth", "Alchemy" and "Secrets of the Beehive" at mid-price.
"Tin
Drum" will be a re-package without the box, photo book and "Art of
Parties" CD single, so if you have not bought that edition yet, do so
now.
Collectors Corner
I
love it when people go through the discography and find "new" things
that I did not know about. I love it so much that I have decided to
feature the best new additions here, before they are added to the
discography. I hope you approve - let me know.
Adolescent
Sex/Don't Rain On My Parade - unusual Spanish sleeve
This
is a new one for me - the back sleeve has "Shut Up" written on it in
the place of "Don't Rain On My Parade". Also, there is some additional
text at the bottom right corner of the sleeve, "L.G. EL SIGLO XX. SA -
Av. Fabergada, s - Hospitales (1978)". Click here to view
the full size version. Email me
if you know more! Photo provided by Martin H.
Deviation USA
acetate/test pressing
I have never seen this
before either! Thankyou for sending it in Martin. For a
higher resolution image, click on this
link.
Coming in the next few
days - bizarre "pirate" tapes, unusual test pressings and acetates with
unreleased tracks...
Site
Fundraising Update
Thankyou
to the people who have contributed to the cost of the upkeep of the
site - we're nearly there after only three days!
14th
April
Site
Fundraising!
Its that time of year
again - the website hosting fees are due and I need to raise money to
keep the site online. "Nightporter" has now been running for over 9
years and if enough money can be raised it will be able to see its
tenth birthday in 2007!
I did not need to ask for
donations last year as I used the fee received from BMG/Sony for
writing the sleeve notes for the Japan Hansa era re-issues to pay for
the hosting and domain name.
If you would like to
contribute to the costs of running the site please donate via paypal by
clicking the button below or by logging in to your own account and then
using the "send money" link to my user name -
night.porter@ntlworld.com
Thankyou for all of your
support to date
Paul Rymer
News
Updates
Steve
Jansen remixes Sakamoto
The
new Ryuichi Sakamoto remix album "Bricolages" includes "Break With"
remixed by Steve. Other people on the CD are Haruomi Hosono,
Cornelius,
Christian Fennesz and Carsten Nicolai (Alva Noto). The album is due out
on May 24th in Japan and from online retailers, catalogue number Warner
WPCL-10315.
Further fan comments about "The
Very Best of Japan" CD and DVD:
KC wrote:
"Just
to repeat what others have said, really. The CD is utterly pointless,
the packaging is sloppy and full of typos, it completely ignores the
fact that Japan were a band, so ultimately, it serves no purpose
whatsoever, other than as a purchase for the completist. It’s
an
insult the people who made the music, as well as their fans.
The DVD
version of Oil
on Canvas, however, is a different matter. I’ve
been
waiting for this to be reissued ever since my old video version was
stolen way back in 1990! That said, the packaging is sloppy and
I’m sure they’ve got the running order mixed up in
there as
well."
PN wrote:
"I'm
sorry but looking at the track listing, I see tracks I already have in
my collection and nothing new. I will not be parting with my money just
for another album sleeve as that is all you are doing.
Unfortunately Hansa and Virgin have been bleeding us dry for years
without anything new to offer!"
TE wrote:
"I have been reading your
comments on the new “The Very Best of Japan” CD/DVD
set with interest.
I completely agree with everything you say and think you are right to
have a “bitch” about it. I am amazed that a record
company
as big as EMI didn’t take the time to make themselves
“familiar” with Japan’s material and get
all their
facts straight before the artwork went to press. EMI have missed an
opportunity here and with some careful thought and planning
“The
Very Best of Japan” could have been GREAT as you say. It
would
have been wonderful to have those original 7” single edits
all on
one album. If EMI felt it essential to include some album versions,
they could have been tagged on the end as alternatives or something
– perhaps make it a double CD.
Another thing that has really frustrated me is that on the DVD, the
Hammersmith concert is listed as 1983 ! Japan had split up at
the
very end of 1982. I was also at one of the concerts that was being
filmed for the Oil on Canvas video so I know for a fact it was November
1982. Some might think these are minor details but it does irritate me
to say the least."
Thankyou
to everyone who has written in about the CD and DVD. It is good to know
that there are a LOT of people out there who care about the treatment
of Japan's back catalogue.
5th
April (Updated 17th June)
New Sandii album and new
"Greatest Hits"! The
new album (out on June 21st on Pony-Canyon) is called "Mele O Aloha"
and features The Coconut Cups. The material is Hawaiian and Tahitian
inspired but is expected to be more in the pop style than traditional
music. The best of collection is called "Sandii's Love Pacific" and is
being released by Sony on July 19th. The collection includes
material drawn from Sandii's 1990s and more recent albums and
concentrates on songs that have a Polynesian/Hawaiian/Tahitian flavour.
Sandii recorded three new tracks for this release.
1st
April
"The Very Best of Japan" has
prompted more email, including information from another third party
stating categorically that David Sylvian had nothing to do with the
track listing of the CD. So who knows what the truth is!? Meanwhile, on
the Japan-Pioneers list there has been some fun as someone made some
insulting remarks about Tim Bowness only to find out that Tim is an
active member of the group... Luckilly things have been sorted out but
it just shows you never know who might be reading so be careful what
you post!
31st
March
"The Very Best of Japan" CD
has prompted a huge increase in email to the site. None of it is good.
A lot of people are disappointed that the CD includes album versions of
songs. While it is generally agreed that these are the definitive
versions, the longtime fans have also waited for years to buy the
"single" versions of several songs. These are the songs that first
introduced many of us to Japan, they were the ones played on the radio,
the ones that evoke the strongest memories. Here are some quotes from
the emails that I have received:
"...but
what a
gratifying and, at the same time, irritating release. don't
want
'methods of dance' or the album version of 'ghosts' - i mean, why ?"
"...can't
help but feel a little pissed at being mislead . . ."
"I bought
this disc because I thought it was going to contain some single edits and mixes which I didn't
already own - but as you note on your Nightporter site, every single track on
there was already included in the remastered CDs of 2003, so I've just wasted my
money! :-/
You'd
think
if they were putting together a "greatest hits" CD for the
"casual"
buyer, they'd bother to include all the special edits of tracks
that were
made back in the day, precisely for such a purpose.
Also if I
were a band member, I'd probably be rather disgruntled that
there's
no
photograph of any of them apart from Sylvian, or any listing in the CD booklet of who
any of the musicians are. But then I expect they're used to that by
now!
Oh well...."
"What about the other members of Japan? Are they being written out of
history?"
"EMI has
done a remarkable job with so many other artist reissues (Duran Duran, Ultravox, Human
League, OMD, Pet Shop Boys) so why have they dropped the ball on Japan?"
So who
was
responsible
for deciding the final tracklisting of the CD? Not Virgin, EMI or BMG
apparently. It was allegedly David Sylvian - he preferred
the full length album versions of songs to the edited versions. While I
have to agree that, yes, the album versions are the best ones, it is a
shame that we can not have the option of buying the singles on CD. If
you would like to comment on this, please contact me at night.porter@ntlworld.com
29th
March
A statement about Mick
Karn's tour postponement has been made on the front page of his
website. Please click here to read it.
28th
March
Mick Karn tour cancelled?
According to Ticketmaster it has, but with no official announcement on
www.mickkarn.net it is not possible to confirm what has happened.
26th March
New Mick Karn single
"Of & About" available from HMV shops, Amazon from 3rd
April and online at www.mickkarn.net now!
Mick
is also touring the UK in
May, see further down this page for the dates. His new album, "Three
Part Species" is now due out in June.
"Wonderful World"
EP by
Nine Horses out on Monday 27th March.
The main reason for buying this
single must be the non album track "When Monday Comes Around",
featuring a rasping Sylvian vocal, almost sinister. The backing is
quite sparse. Although credited to Nine Horses, Burnt Friedman does not
appear on this track which is a Sylvian and Jansen co-write. The single
edit of "Wonderful World" sounds remixed to me, with a little extra
percussion. In terms of packaging, do not let the online images put you
off, the digipack is really nice, with full credits inside and a
picture of the group on the back. The text is a lot easier to read than
on "Snow Borne Sorrow".
"The Very Best of Japan"
CD and DVD out on Monday 27th March.
The
DVD is great - "Oil on Canvas" has never looked better, nor have most
of the promo video clips - and check out the alternate mix of "Swing".
Sadly, "Life in Tokyo" is a little pixelly but I believe it
is
better to have this in slightly poor quality than not at all. Now about
the CD - stop reading now if you can't abide whingeing...
Longtime readers
of this site will not be surprised to learn that yet again mistakes
have been made with a Japan CD release. It is good that this album is
available, but with a little more thought it could have been GREAT. I
was quite excited about the original tracklisting as it was rather cool
- all of the 7" single hits on one CD - fabulous. Sadly, as I should
have expected, the record company's apparent unfamiliarity with the
material has let them down. Specifically, "I Second That Emotion",
"European Son", "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" and "Nightporter" are the
regular album versions. "The Art of Parties" is the 12" version, also
available on "Exorcising Ghosts". "Canton" is also the same as on "Oil
on Canvas". A lot of the credits are also incorrect. I'm not going to
list them all here. Why should I be bothered about such details?
Apologies for the bitch but when will a record company take the back
catalogue of this group seriously and get things right?
Simon
Napier-Bell writes about Danny Morgan, a
figure from the early days of Japan, in his column dated January 22,
find it by clicking the link here.
NEWS
UPDATES & OPINIONS: Archive
March 2006
"The Very Best of Japan" on CD
and DVD special offer
The
£50 (UKP) to spend on the Japan and solo back catalogue was
won
by a UK based fan, details will be disclosed if he gives permission.
Congratulations and thankyou to Townsend Records for running the
competition/offer.
"The Very Best of Japan" on CD and DVD.
Available from March 27th. CD catalogue number CDV3018. DVD catalogue
number VDVD11.
CD includes all of the UK hit singles on one
release for the first time.
DVD includes all the hit single promotional
videos, plus "Oil on Canvas".
Sleeve notes written by Chris
Roberts.
Nine
Horses "Wonderful World" UK CD single is also released on March 27th.
This includes the previously unreleased song "When Monday Comes Around"
and a radio edit of the title track.
Stefan reported
to the Yahoo! Group that the Nine Horses (David Sylvian
& Steve Jansen) album has won a prestigious German
record critics award, the "Preis der deutschen
Schallplattenkritik". Meanwhile, the single "Wonderful World" will be
released on March 27th in UK stores and online. The CD only single
includes the non album track "When Monday Comes Around" and a radio
edit of the title track.
February
2006
Mick
Karn has announced the release of a new album "Three Part
Species" for May 2006, and some live dates in the UK:
15th May Glasgow, King Tuts
16th May Manchester, Life Cafe
17th May Newcastle, Academy 2
18th May Barfly, Birmingham
20th May Nottingham Social
21st May Oxford Zodiac
22nd May Bristol, Fleece
23rd May Brighton Festival
24th May London 93 Feet East
Tickets
are on sale now! Keep checking
www.mickkarn.net for updates.
It
seems that someone must have been listening (see archive news for 2005)
- "Tamahime Sama" and the other Alfa/Yen Records albums by Jun
Togawa are being re-released this Spring in Japan by Sony.
Most have been unavailable on CD for over a decade. Togawa is a very
unusual singer with a wide vocal range. Her material can be quite
challenging, both in terms of arrangement, vocal performance and
lyrical content, addressing issues such as mental illness, suicide and
abuse. It is also often humorous, never boring or predictable. Her
voice is sometimes deep and growling, sometimes very high-pitched and
OTT girly, but when the material demands it she can sing beautifully.
Togawa has no direct connection to Japan or the former members solo
careers but she has worked with Hosono and a number of other artists
that have worked with Sylvian and co.
January 2006
Susan,
the singer based in Japan who is a friend and collaborator with Masami
Tsuchiya, Yukihiro Takahashi and Sandii performed
a special Valentines show on Sunday 5th February at Milk in
Tokyo. For reports visit
Susan's website. I'm pleased Susan is recording new material
with a band who respect her 80's work and also the need for something
new. Bravo!
Sylvian
to tour? Some Italian promoters have stated in the past week
that David may be playing live later this year. The story has been
denied by Opium (his management office) but they have not ruled out the
possibility.
December
2005
I'm
getting a lot of requests for Japan lyrics - they are available on the
website "Slowfire"
which is well worth checking out.
The
other request I am getting is for videos on DVD, or copies of TV
appearances. Sadly, there is little available from official sources. I
would recommend you join the Yahoo! Group, make friends with people and
they will no doubt trade with you. The only other alternative is to buy
from Ebay. I would urge you to investigate the making friends option
first - it will be cheaper and you will also be in the loop for the
time when official releases are due.
Best
wishes for the holiday season from Paul.
November
2005
The
Japan albums "Adolescent Sex" (BVCM37218), "Obscure Alternatives"
(BVCM37219), "Quiet Life" (BVCM37220) and "Assemblage"(BVCM37221) are
being re-released in replica LP sleeves at budget price in Japan on
21st December. These are 24-bit remastered using the JVC K2 system and
are the same as the versions released in Japan in 2001. The price for
each is 2,100 Yen (£10.50). (Contributor - Scott
Truelove).
Paul
Morley has recorded a cover version of "Ghosts" under the name
Infantjoy. The track is included on the album "Where The Night Goes"
(Sony Classical 82876738772) which was released on November 21st.
(Contributor - Thomas Furch).
The
new album from David Sylvian and Steve Jansen under the name Nine
Horses, "Snow Borne Sorrow" continues to receive glowing reviews in the
first month of release. It charted in Italy but other sales information
has not been available. Some advance purchasers were disappointed by
the service from the Samadhi Sound online store, who failed to deliver
the album on the release date. This may have been because the stock was
exported from the USA - it was notable that American buyers received
their copies on time. I had no trouble finding the album in UK music
stores in the North of England on the release date. It was also
reported that the album was widely available in Japan a week before the
official release date. Visit the 
The new album from David Sylvian
and Steve Jansen is released under the band name Nine
Horses. It is a collaboration with Burnt Friedman
and a number of other guest musicians, including Ryuichi
Sakamoto and Stina Nordenstam.
The album title is "Snow Borne Sorrow", UK catalogue number Samadhi
Sound SS006. Release date 24th October 2005. More information,
including the download single "Wonderful World" is at 
Ryuichi Sakamoto appeared at the
Barbican in London on October 10th with Alva Noto,
performing improvised pieces and material from the album "Insen". As
Ryuichi played piano, Carsten (Alva Noto) manipulated the sound and
added beats and electronic noises. This was fed through to video
screens that reacted to what was being played, creating animations that
at times appeared like a game, and at others was very hypnotic. The
final number was a radical interpretation of "Merry Christmas Mr
Lawrence". I was lucky to meet Mr Sakamoto after the show and he was a
gentleman. I appreciate the time he took for a brief chat, although of
course how do you put over 20 years of questions you always wanted to
ask into a few minutes without coming across as a total
nutter? 