Could I ever explain?

Continuing my trip back in time through the album charts

12/06/83 : Oil On Canvas - Japan

I've always liked Japan - they were a curious bunch of fellows who made nice noises which weren't really in step with what everyone else was doing.  But, before we get on to that, we have another lucky escape to report - #4 in the charts this week was Kool And The Gang's Twice As Kool (why do I suspect they used the word "kool" a lot?).  Whilst I don't mind the odd Kool track, I was pretty certain I could live without a whole album of it but, rules is rules, so off I went to listen to it - and was somewhat surprised that it wasn't on Amazon.  "Hang on!" I thought "Could this be a greatest hits album?".  Oh yes - let's move swiftly on...

So - back to Japan.  I nearly bought this album a few years afterwards, but decided to go for Exorcising Ghosts instead, which is a very fine sounding and looking double "greatest hits" album (although, apart from "Ghosts" and "I Second That Emotion", nothing they did troubled the higher end of the charts).  But I'm interested to hear what they sounded like live though, so am looking forward to this.

And the answer is, will, not a lot different.  Without a few vague smatterings of applause, you'd struggle to tell this was a live album at all - in some ways that's a compliment on their musicianship, but it does leave you feeling "what's the point?".  And, to be honest, that's not a question I can answer - I think everyone should be aware of their work, but "Alexa, play the top songs by Japan" will sort that out for you just as well as this album (although I will admit it's quite a nice version of "Nightporter").  It's also another album we don't own - 9/29.

We're at #5 with a new entry in the charts this week - it managed a 13 week run before disappearing from view.  Above it in the charts were Michael, David, George and Kool - the Beatles from a different multiverse, maybe?  We also had another new entry in the top 10 - Peter Gabriel's live album at #8, which I've never heard (and I suspect I'd quite like).

Wikipedia tells me that, well, it's actually not quite a live album - because the band was obviously falling apart a load of the stuff from the show in question was done using backing tracks.  And they then owned up later that they actually only used the live recording of the drums - everything else was re-recorded in the studio (the drums?  WHY?!?).  Oh - and there are three tracks on there that were totally done in the studio.  I mean, why call it a live album?!?  My favourite bit was from a critic who said it was "elegiac; very 'remember us this way', but also very 'Sunday Times colour supplement special offer'".  It did well though being Japan's best selling album over here, but it didn't really trouble the charts anywhere else (#20 in New Zealand, anyone?)

"Customers also listened to" David Sylvian (no-one saw that coming), Scritti Politti (it would be nice to catch up with them some day), Heaven 17 and Visage.  I like Japan and I like the songs on this album, but the whole thing about the "live" nature of it has annoyed me so I'm glad I went with Exorcising Ghosts.  If you're not aware of their stuff then do give it an "Alexa, play the top songs by Japan" though..

05/06/83 - Perfectly fine, and perfectly inessential
19/06/83 - A well done example of not-my-sort-of-thing