Japan - Life In Tokyo

'Life in Tokyo' was Japan's 5th single.

Released originally in 1979, on the Hansa Record Label, the single failed to make any impact on the UK Singles Charts.

Fast forward to 1981 and Japan are having some success on the Virgin Record Label. Due to this Hansa decided to cash in and release the single for a 2nd time. Unfortunatly this didn't pay off as the single failed to reach the charts.

We move again to 1982 and Japan are making it big now. Hansa decide to re-mix the single and try releasing it again this time with the bands approval. With Sylvian co-ordinating the Sleeve design, this time the relase pays off as the single made it to number 28 in the UK Singles Chart.

A classic Japan song with a big Giorgio Moroder production.

Click the link below to download the following:
Video
Single Version
Original 12 inch Version - 1979
Part 2 - 1979 B-Side
'Souvenir From Japan' Mix - 1981
Assemblage Cassette Bonus Remix - 1981
Steve Nye - 7 inch Remix - 1982
Steve Nye - 12 inch Remix - 1982

European Son - 1981 B-Side
European son - John Punter 12 inch Mix - 1981 12 inch B-Side
Theme - 1982 B-Side

http://www.mediafire.com/?i373g21fz10gl

Japan - Quite Life - Single

Japan released their tenth single entitled 'Quiet Life' in 1981. The single had already appeared on their third album 'Quite Life' released in 1979.

Due to the bands popularity their previous label Hansa had decided to cash in and release the single to the UK market.

Previously in 1979 the single had been released in Japan. Backed with the B-Side entitled 'Halloween' this was also taken from the album of the same name.

In 1981 the B-side was changed to 'a Forbidden Place' with a further track entitled 'Fall In Love With Me' appearing on the 12inch.

This single released proved popular as it managed to reach number 19 in the UK singles charts.

Click the link below to download the following:
Single Version
Extended Version
A Forbidden Place - 1981 B-Side
Fall In Love With Me - 1981 12 inch Extra Track
Halloween - Japanese 1979 B-Side

http://www.mediafire.com/?qmvc44f9jamyz

Japan - Oil On Canvas - Album

'Oil on Canvas' is a live album by the British band Japan, released in 1983 by Virgin Records.

Although it is a live recording of their established material, the album also contains three new studio tracks, 'Oil on Canvas', 'Voices Raised in Welcome, Hands Held in Prayer' and 'Temple of Dawn', recorded separately by Sylvian, Sylvian/Jansen and Barbieri respectively. (The name of Barbieri's track is taken from the novel The Temple of Dawn by the acclaimed Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima.)

Although the album was released some months following the band's much publicised split in late 1982, it was ironically Japan's highest charting album in the UK, where it reached number 5 in the Album charts. The album was certified "Gold" by the BPI in 1988 for 100,000 copies sold.

The live tracks on the double-album were taken from Japan's performances in November 1982, during their final live concert tour. Since guitarist Rob Dean had left the band two years previously, Japanese session musician Masami Tsuchiya was added to the line up to play guitar and additional keyboards. The band also used backing tracks to supply additional instrumental parts (for example, in contrast to some previous tours where a guest saxophonist was recruited, many of Karn's saxophone lines were played from tape.

A video version of Oil On Canvas was also available from Virgin Records. This was re-released on DVD in 2006 as "The Very Best of Japan", which also features many of the band's promotional videos.

Tracklisting:
01 - Oil on Canvas
02 - Sons of Pioneers
03 - Gentlemen Take Polaroids
04 - Swing
05 - Cantonese Boy
06 - Visions of China
07 - Ghosts
08 - Voices Raised in Welcome, Hands Held in Prayer
09 - Nightporter
10 - Still Life in Mobile Homes
11 - Methods of Dance
12 - Quiet Life
13 - The Art of Parties
14 - Canton
15 - Temple of Dawn

Click the link below to download the album

http://www.mediafire.com/?bd4awzxdiz9h8

Japan - Nightporter

October 1982 saw the release of Japan's 18th single entitled 'Nightporter'.

Released on the Virgin Label the single managed to make it to number 29 on the UK Singles Chart.

The 7 inch single had a different B-Side to that of the 12 inch making collecting Japan all the more fun.

This has to be one of my favs even though David Sylvian does not rate that highly any more I still love this single after all these years.

Click the link below to download the folloing:
Video
Single Version
12 inch Version
Ain't That Peculiar - Single B-Side
Methods Of Dance - 12 inch B-Side

http://www.mediafire.com/?g39andn531gl7

David Sylvian - Words With The Sharman

The 7th siingle released by David Sylvian was entitled 'Words With The Sharman'.

This was a collection of 3 part instrumental and atmospheric music that was very different with the earlier single releases. this showed that Sylvian could bring together a collection of music with different artists to produce interesting and facinating pieces of work.

Released in 1985 the single did not chart.

Click the link below to download the following:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three

http://www.mediafire.com/?ky8p61m353rry

David Sylvian - Pulling Punches

'Pulling Punches' was the 3rd single released from the 'Brilliant Trees' album.

Released in 1984 it was least successful single from the album only reaching number 56 in the UK charts.

Click the link below to download the following:
Video
Single Version
Backwaters - B-Side

http://www.mediafire.com/?ljq05v4hb94x3

David Sylvian - Pulling Punches - Video

Japan - the Art of Parties

When the ads for Japan's 'The Art of Parties' appeared in the Spring of 1981, every New Romantic worth his or her eyeliner took notice.

The single featured the band's most richly sumptuous dance track to date, wildly syncopated rhythm guitars and horns bursting across Steve Jansen's cascading drums, and Sylvian offering one his most irresistible choruses. Add in Mick Karn's increasingly baroque fretless bass, Richard Barberi's shimmering oriental synth textures and this produces one of the iconic singles of the year promising more to come.

In Canada the single was released as an EP, which is features here. It included the B-Side but added in another 2 tracks to flesh out the release. This proved valuable to the Japan collector as this was the better release than the UK version.

'The Art of Parties' reached number 48 in the UK singles Chart

Click the link below to download the following:
The Old Grey whistle Test Performance
Single Version
Extended Version
Album Version
Life Without Buildings - - B-side
The Width Of A Room - EP Extra Track
The Experieince Of Swimming - EP Extra Track

http://www.mediafire.com/?cxajvam4k7p3x

Japan - the Art of Parties - The Old Grey whistle Test Perrormance

Mick Karn featuring David Sylvian - Buoy

The break up of the band Japan was manily, but not exclusivly, due to the continued anamosity between David Sylvian and Mick Karn.

However this had cooled down by 1986 when Mick was working on his new album 'Dreams of Reasons Produce Monsters'. David Sylvian had been asked to collaborate on the album.

Sylvian had written the lyrics and provided the voculs to two songs, 'When Loves Walks In' and Buoy'.

'Buoy', released as the single from the album, entered the charts at number 63 on the 17th January 1987. This was to be it's highest position as it left the charts 2 weeks later.

Click the link below to download the following:
Single Version
Dreams of Reason - B-Side 1
Language of Ritual - B-Side 2

http://www.mediafire.com/?sm06t65tsrh7a

Japan - I Second That Emotion

'I Second That Emotion' is a 1967 hit single released originally by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Motown label. The song was the group's first Top 5 hit on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart. Less than two years later, the single was covered by Motown labelmates Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations, reaching the top 20 in the UK.

The single was released by the UK group Japan as a single in 1980 in Japan. The following year the single was released in Europe while the UK single was eventually released in 1982 following a remix by Steve Nye.

'I Second That Emotion' became the groups second biggest hit eventually reaching number 9 in the UK Singles Chart.

Click the link below to download the following:
Video
Single Version
Halloween - B-Side

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=2ccb7d0cd98a6267aaca48175a79d1c3e3649dd2c53ac4fd5621d66e282a0ee8

Japan - I Second That Emotion - Video

Japan - The Pop Years 1982

'Pop Years' was a short-lived music show that reviewed music from a certain year, it was first shown on Sky 1, with repeats later shown on Sky 3. It featured famous people from that year and famous people that enjoyed that year in music. This one featured the band 'Japan' and was broadcast on 19th August 2003.

Click the link below to download the file.

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=2ccb7d0cd98a6267aaca48175a79d1c305d6356ac5bfe8715621d66e282a0ee8

Japan - Top Ten New Romantics Number 9

Here is a short retropective look at the band Japan on the Top Ten New Romantics Programe. This includes some short interviews with some band mambers and others that were involved in the band. The band made number 9 in this chart.

Click on the link below to download the AVI Video.

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=2ccb7d0cd98a6267aaca48175a79d1c309088a12d678eb01b8eada0a1ae8665a

David Sylvian - Silver Moon

Silver Moon was the 6th Single to be released by David Sylvian and the 2nd released from the ‘Gone to Earth’ Album. The single was released in September 1986 and made it to Number 83 in the Uk charts. The main reason for the poor chart placing was that the single was released with the lack of any unique B-Side tracks, as the B-side was taken straight from the ‘Gone to Earth’ Album. This meant that a lot of fans did not bother to get the single when it was released. Coupled this with poor air play meant the single did badly in the charts.


As with other later releases Sylvian used the bautiful artwork by Russell Mills, which is very evident on the Limited Edition Foldout Sleeve release. I love this single by Sylvian because of his warm, emotional and pleasant voice and, for me, the uplifting style of music make it an enjoyable song.


Sylvian 2nd Album ‘Gone to Earth’ was an ambitious two-record set which further flouted conventional and commercial wisdom by featuring one record of atmospheric vocal tracks and a second record consisting of ambient instrumentals. The album contained significant contributions from noted guitarists Bill Nelson.


Click the link below to download the following:

The Video

Silver Moon MP3

Silver Moon Over Sleeping Steeples MP3

Gone To Earth MP3


http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=2ccb7d0cd98a6267aaca48175a79d1c3a7e246c2021f98f1c95965eaa7bc68bc

David Sylvian and Ryuichi Sakamoto - Forbidden Colours

In 1983 Sylvian and Sakamoto teamed up again on the ‘Forbidden Colours’ single, which was the theme song to the Nagisa Osima film ‘Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence’. Sakamoto composed the theme music while sylvian wrote the lyrics.

The title of the song and its lyrics reflect the main themes of the movie; the clashes between not only two countries at war but also two vastly different cultures, difficulties on both sides in accepting or even trying to understand the differences in mentality, the contrasting definitions of honour and shame, as well as the underlying homoerotic tension between the two main characters, Japanese Captain Yonoi (played by Sakamoto himself) and British war prisoner Jack Celliers (David Bowie), and the fine line between love and hate and consequently life and death - hence my love wears forbidden colours.

In 1984 the track was re-recorded and released as the B-side to "Red Guitar", the lead single to Sylvian's first solo album Brilliant Trees and was later also included as a bonus track on certain editions of his 1987 album Secrets of the Behive. Both Sakamoto and Sylvian have since recorded several interpretations of the song, both instrumental (under the title "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence") and vocal. An orchestral version featuring vocals by Sylvian was included on Sakamoto's 1999 album Cinemage.

Formats and Traclisting

UK 7" Virgin Records VS 601 & 7" pic disc VSY 601

1. "Forbidden Colours" – 4:42
2. "The Seed and the Sower" (instrumental) (Sakamoto) – 5:00

UK 12" Virgin Records VS 601-12
1. "Forbidden Colours" – 4:42
2. "The Seed and the Sower" (instrumental) (Sakamoto) – 5:00
3. "Last Regrets" (instrumental) (Sakamoto) – 2:40

UK 3" CD Virgin Records CDT 18 (released 1988)
1. "Forbidden Colours" - 4.42
2. "Bamboo Houses" - 5.26
3. "Bamboo Music" - 5.38

Click on the link to download the following:

Video - Full Version
Forbidden Colours

• 12 inch Version MP3
• Extended Accoustic Version MP3
• Live Version
• Soundtrack Album Version

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawerence

• Piano Version
• Soundtrack Album Version

Last Regrets (instrumental) 12 inch
The Seed and the Sower (instrumental) 12 inch

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=2ccb7d0cd98a6267aaca48175a79d1c31cf42c2cb2996d3dce018c8114394287

David Sylvian and Ryuichi Sakamoto - Bamboo House / Bamboo Music

David Sylvian first gained attention as the lead vocalist and main songwriter in the group Japan. In 1982, Sylvian released his first collaborative effort (while still a member of Japan) with Ryuichi Sakamoto. The double A-Side single entitled ‘ Bamboo Houses / Bamboo Music’. The ‘Bamboo Houses’ single in turn features drums by Japan Member and Sylvians brother Steve Jansen, who also appeared in the promo video. A remix of ‘Bamboo Houses’ was included on David Sylvian’s career retrospective ‘Everything and Nothing’ Album release in 2000.


Here you can download the following:

Video
Bamboo Music MP3
Bamboo Houses MP3
Bamboo Houses - 2000 Remix from Everything and Nothing Album MP3

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=2ccb7d0cd98a6267aaca48175a79d1c33d8a81554ce0bc83ce018c8114394287