JAPAN "JAPAN" (ADOLESCENT SEX) 1978 RCA AUSTRALIA EX-/EX- OOP SYNTH POP LP

$

350

THREE YEARS AGO I LOST ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS TO CANCER, HE WAS A COOL MUSICIAN A DRUMMER BY TRADE, ORIGINALLY FROM SEATTLE, BUT RELOCATED TO L.A. IN 1985, HE AMASSED A VERY LARGE MUSIC COLLECTION, AND HAD KILLER TASTE FOR ROCK & ROLL, SADLY I AM SELLING OFF A LOT OF HIS COLLECTION ON BEHALF OF HIS WIDOW TO HELP PAY OFF DEBTS INCLUDING BILLS, TAXES AND STORAGE UNIT FEES. I AM NOT TAKING ANYTHING FOR THIS SERVICE, DOING IT FOR MY FRIEND (MISS YOU DAVE!). THIS ITEM IS FROM HIS COLLECTION.

THE PHOTO'S MAY BE A LITTLE BLURRY, HAVE A LITTLE GLARE, SOME REFLECTIONS OR IN SOME CASES YOU MAY SEE SPECKS OF DUST. BUT THE PHOTO'S ARE OF THE ACTUAL ITEM YOU ARE BIDDING ON. I DO COMBINE SHIPPING. BUT I DO NOT ACCEPT “BEST OFFERS”, THE MONIES GO TO MY FRIENDS WIDOW.

THESE ARE VISUALLY & PLAY GRADED. LET ME REITERATE I DO NOT TAKE “BEST OFFERS”. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS!!

ARTISTS: JAPAN

TITLE: “JAPAN (ADOLESCENT SEX)”

TRACK LISTING (SEE PHOTOS & BELOW):

A1

Transmission

4:46

A2

The Unconventional

3:00

A3

Wish You Were Black

4:50

A4

Performance

4:36

A5

Lovers On Main Street

4:11

A6

Don't Rain On My Parade

2:55

B1

Suburban Love

7:30

B2

Adolescent Sex

3:44

B3

Communist China

2:56

B4

Television

9:06

Companies, etc.

• Manufactured By – RCA Limited, Australia

• Phonographic Copyright (p) – Hansa Musik Produktion GmbH

• Published By – Ivan Mogull

• Published By – Chappell

• Recorded At – Audio International Studios

Credits

• Arranged By – Japan

• Bass Guitar [Bass Guitars], Vocals – Mick Karn

• Drums, Vocals, Percussion – Steve Jansen

• Engineer [Engineered By] – Pete Silver

• Keyboards, Vocals – Richard Barbieri

• Lead Guitar, Vocals – Rob Dean

• Lead Vocals, Guitar [Second Guitar] – David Sylvian

• Producer [Produced By] – Ray Singer

• Vocals [Additional Vocals] – Ray Singer

• Written-By – David Sylvian (tracks: A1 to A5, B1 to B4)

Notes

? 1978 Hansa Musik Produktion GmbH.

Manufactured by RCA Limited, Sydney, Australia. TMIS.

A Hansa Produktion GmbH.

Recorded at Audio International Studios, London, England.

This is 'Adolescent Sex' with a less controversial title. This Australian pressing has a different sleeve design to the other releases. Furthermore, it has a slightly different label compared to the other Australian Release, Catalogue #: "Japan" VPL1-4075 / VPL1 4075.

The front cover has a photo of the group standing, with David Sylvian in the centre holding a sword. The same photo was used to promote 'Adolescent Sex' in the UK. The back of the sleeve is a shade of purple and lists the song titles and group members.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

• Matrix / Runout (Side A label): VPL1-4075A

• Matrix / Runout (Side B label): VPL1-4075B

• Matrix / Runout (Side A runout): VPL1 4075-A A1A 2

• Matrix / Runout (Side B runout): VPL1 4075-B A1A 3
  

LABEL: RCA VICTOR/HANSA RECORDS AUSTRALIA

CAT. #: VPL1-4075

YEAR: 1978

RECORD CONDITION: THE RECORD IS IN EX/EX- CONDITION, NICE SHINEY BLACK LUSTER. NO MARKS OR SCRATCHES,LINES, ETC.BOTH LABELS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.NICE SHINEY LUSTER TO THE VINYL. NO LIGHT AUDIO BACKGROUND SOUND BETWEEN TRACKS. THE SONGS SOUND GREAT, & PLAYS SUPER CLEAN. THERE IS SOME VERY VERY LIGHT BACKGROUND SOUND ON THE LEAD IN GROOVES, MAINLY ON SIDE I, THE SONGS PLAY VERY CLEAN..

JACKET CONDITION: THE JACKET IS IN EX/EX- CONDITION THERE'S NO WRITING ON THE JACKET. STRAIGHT EDGES, NO WRITING, TEARS, WRINKLES OR SEAM SPLITS, ETC.ETC... THERE'S A LITTLE CORNER/EDGE WEAR IN THE LOWER LEFT (SEE PHOTO).

MORE INFO: I TRY AND MATCH WHAT I AM SELLING WITH DISCOGS LISTINGS. THIS RECORD IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT. AUSTRALIAN/NEW ZEALND RELEASE WITH THE BAND NAME FOR THE TITLE.

MORE ON THE ARTIST & RELEASE:

Japan were an English new wave band formed in 1974 in Catford, South London by David Sylvian (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steve Jansen (drums), Richard Barbieri (keyboards) and Mick Karn (bass guitar). Initially a glam rock-inspired band, Japan developed their sound and androgynous look to incorporate electronic music and foreign influences, eventually becoming an influence on the UK's early-1980s New Romantic scene.

Japan achieved success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, releasing nine UK Top 40 hits, including the 1982 Top 5 hit single "Ghosts", and scoring a UK Top 5 with the live album Oil on Canvas (1983). The band split in December 1982, just as they were beginning to experience commercial success in the UK and abroad. Its members went on to pursue other musical projects, though they reformed briefly in the early 1990s under the name Rain Tree Crow, releasing an album in 1991.

History

The band began as a group of friends in 1974. Brothers David Sylvian (guitar and vocals) and Steve Jansen (drums), keyboardist Richard Barbieri and bassist Mick Karn studied at the same school, Catford Boys', Brownhill Road, South London. As youngsters they played Sylvian's two-chord numbers mainly as a means of escape; sometimes with Karn as the front man, sometimes with Sylvian at the fore.

The band, who were initially nameless, opted to call themselves Japan just before their first live gig in the mid-1970s. The name was intended by Sylvian to be temporary until they could think of something else, but ultimately became permanent.[7] The following year they were joined by lead guitarist Rob Dean, and signed a recording contract with the German disco label Hansa-Ariola in 1977, becoming an alternative glam rock outfit in the mould of Lou Reed, David Bowie, T.Rex, Roxy Music, and New York Dolls although their initial material was guitar-based funk.

After winning a label-sponsored talent contest, they were signed to Germany's Ariola-Hansa Records in 1977 and debuted a year later with a pair of LPs, Adolescent Sex and Obscure Alternatives, which received little notice at home or in the U.S. but did find favour among Japanese audiences.

The first song they recorded with Hansa, in 1977, was "Stateline".

Early years

The band debuted with the 1978 album Adolescent Sex and followed up with their second album, Obscure Alternatives, the same year. Both albums, produced by Ray Singer, sold well in Japan and the Netherlands, where the single "Adolescent Sex" was a Top 30 hit. They also gained some popularity in Canada. However, in their native UK, those albums failed to garner public attention and did not chart.

Though influenced by artists such as Lou Reed, T. Rex, New York Dolls, Roxy Music and David Bowie,both albums were widely dismissed by the UK music press as being distinctly outmoded at a time when punk and new wave bands were in ascendance. The band was managed by Simon Napier-Bell who also managed the Yardbirds, Marc Bolan, London and Wham!.

Mid-career

In 1979, the band briefly worked with the successful Euro disco producer Giorgio Moroder, who would co-write and produce a one-off single, "Life in Tokyo". The track was a significant change in musical style from their earlier guitar-laden recordings, moving them away from their glam rock roots and into electronic new wave.

The electronic style continued on their third album, Quiet Life (1979), which was produced by the band with John Punter and Simon Napier-Bell. In a retrospective review of the band's work, The Quietus described Quiet Life as defining "a very European form of detached, sexually-ambiguous and thoughtful art-pop, one not too dissimilar to what the ever-prescient David Bowie had delivered two years earlier with Low.[It showcased Barbieri's synthesizers, Sylvian's now baritone style of singing, Karn's distinctive fretless bass sound and Jansen's odd-timbred and intricate percussion work, with Dean's guitar playing becoming somewhat sparser and atmospheric.Quiet Life was their last studio album for Hansa-Ariola, although the label would later issue a compilation album (Assemblage) featuring highlights from the band's tenure on the label, followed by a series of remixed and re-released singles.

Final years

After leaving Hansa-Ariola, the band signed with Virgin Records who released their last studio albums, Gentlemen Take Polaroids (1980) and Tin Drum (1981). The albums continued to expand their audience as the band refined its new sound, however the combination of their newer sound and the band's stylised visual appearance led to them unintentionally becoming associated with the early-1980s New Romantic scene. The band had always worn make-up since their inception in the mid 1970s at the tail end of the glam rock era, several years before the New Romantic movement had begun. In an October 1981 interview, Sylvian commented "There's a period going past at the moment that may make us look as though we're in fashion."In another interview, he stated "I don't like to be associated with them [New Romantics]. The attitudes are so very different." Of Japan's fashion sense, Sylvian said "For them [New Romantics], fancy dress is a costume. But ours is a way of life. We look and dress this way every day." Regardless, it had a positive effect on the band's record sales in the UK and they slowly began to gain chart success.

After a couple of lower charting singles, their first UK Top 40 hit was a re-release of the "Quiet Life" single, which peaked at No. 19 in October 1981. Three of the singles from the Tin Drum album also peaked in the UK Top 40, with its unconventional single "Ghosts" reaching No. 5, becoming Japan's biggest domestic hit.[9] The Tin Drum album itself peaked just outside the UK Top 10, and was the band's first record to be certified by the BPI, being awarded a Silver disc within a month of release, and reaching Gold status within four months. The album, produced by Steve Nye, is often regarded as one of the most innovative of the 1980s, with its fusion of occidental and oriental sounds. In 2011, thirty years after its release, Tin Drum was awarded BBC Radio 6 Music's 'Goldie Award' posthumously for the Best Album of 1981.

With personality conflicts leading to rising tensions within the band, Tin Drum was to be the band's final studio album. Long-simmering differences among the bandmembers came to a head when Karn's girlfriend, photographer Yuka Fujii, moved in with Sylvian and the individual members proceeded with their own projects. Rob Dean had already departed (in May 1981) after the release of the Gentlemen Take Polaroids album, as his electric guitar work became superfluous for the band's sound on Tin Drum. Dean subsequently formed the band Illustrated Man. Karn released his first solo album, Titles, at the same time the band announced their split in late 1982.

During the early 1980s, Japanese multi-instrumentalist and experimental keyboardist Ryuichi Sakamoto, of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), briefly collaborated with the band, and worked directly alongside Sylvian on tracks such as "Taking Islands in Africa". In addition, Steve Jansen was influenced by YMO's drummer Yukihiro Takahashi. Sakamoto would continue to work with Sylvian both before and after the band split, and the pair would achieve the hit singles "Bamboo Houses" (1982) and "Forbidden Colours" (1983).

The group's final UK performances came towards the latter stages of 1982, which included a final TV appearance playing together on the Old Grey Whistle Test in October and culminating in a six-night sell-out stint at London's Hammersmith Odeon in November (which would be recorded and filmed to produce Oil on Canvas, a live album and video released in June 1983). During this period, guitarist and keyboardist Masami Tsuchiya performed with the band on stage. Japan's last ever performance was on 16 December 1982 in Nagoya, Japan.

The band decided to split just as they were beginning to achieve major commercial success both in the UK and internationally, with Oil on Canvas becoming their highest charting UK album, reaching No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart,a rare feat for a live album. By this time, the band's back catalogue had begun to sell steadily and both Hansa-Ariola and Virgin Records continued to release Japan singles into 1983, ultimately earning the band a total of nine Top 40 hits in the UK

Adolescent Sex is the debut album by the English band Japan, released in April 1978 by record label Hansa.[3] To avoid controversy over the title, the album was renamed simply as Japan in some countries.

Content

According to AllMusic, Adolescent Sex "snarls with leftover punk intent, a few glam rock riffs, and a wealth of electronics that not only reach back to the band's youth, but also predate much of what would explode out of the next wave of British underground."

Release

Though not a commercial success in their native UK, the album was better received abroad, particularly in Japan itself, where it peaked at No. 20, and in the Netherlands where the single "Adolescent Sex" reached number 27 in the Dutch Top 40 in 1979..

The Japanese release contained several mistranslations of song titles. "Transmission" became "Invitation to Fascination", "Suburban Love" became "Carousel of Love", and "Television" became "Temptation Screen".

The album was remastered and re-released as a digipak CD in April 2004, with four videos as bonus material.

Trouser Press wrote that the album "introduces Japan in all its guitar-rock misery, playing such Bowie-influenced tripe as 'Wish You Were Black' with less style than a sense of urgency". AllMusic retrospectively gave the album a 4.5 out of 5 grade, writing: "A more exciting album than just about anything else they'd ever record, Japan were young, hungry, and more than a little rough around the edges."

Within a couple of years of its release, the band publicly denounced the album.

David Sylvian also said in 1982:

I DO COMBINE SHIPPING! THE $4 FLAT RATE ALSO INCLUDES THE MAILER WHICH COST AROUND $1 EACH. THANKS! NOTE: INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING INCREASED IN JAN. OF 2020.

ALL 12” RECORDS WILL BE MAILED OUT IN CARDBOARD MAILERS DESIGNED FOR SHIPPING WITH ADDITIONAL CARDBOARD SUPPORT. I DO COMBINE SHIPPING WITH OTHER LIKE SIZED ITEMS. ADDITIONAL LPs $1 EA. IN THE U.S. VIA MEDIA MAIL OR OTHER USPS SERVICES. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING IS BASED ON WEIGHT AND COUNTRY. FOR THE U.S. THE $4 COST OF THE MEDIA MAIL INCLUDES MY COST OF THE MAILER, PACKING MATERIALS & TIME. THANKS! BOB

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