Obscure Alternatives [Remastered] [Digipak] [ECD] - Japan

...result being the 1979 album Obscure Alternatives. The group had seen Talking Heads while they were away on tour and had been impressed with the intelligence of both the group’s music and their audience. It was an example they wanted to follow, and at the same time Japan were becoming attracted to traditional Eastern music.

Obscure Alternatives exposed those interests for the first time, and to good effect. An air of Germanic austerity ...
...Deviations, provided a further interesting counterpoint.

Although the album was a significant step forward from Adolescent Sex, the group were less than enchanted with their producers and engineers and sought still to sort out their style properly.

There was clearly major potential here, but it was still not yet being realised.
  ... more

In the first part of their career, Japan had struggled to find a fitting style and sound. Their first album, Adolescent Sex, was a mistake and rushed out by an impatient record company before the band were ready.

However, after a short, stadium filling tour of Japan, Ariola herded them back into the studio, the result being the 1979 album Obscure Alternatives. The group had seen Talking Heads while they were away on tour and had been impressed with the intelligence of both the group’s music and their audience. It was an example they wanted to follow, and at the same time Japan were becoming attracted to traditional Eastern music.

Obscure Alternatives exposed those interests for the first time, and to good effect. An air of Germanic austerity in some of Sylvian’s songs, such as Suburban Berlin and Deviations, provided a further interesting counterpoint.

Although the album was a significant step forward from Adolescent Sex, the group were less than enchanted with their producers and engineers and sought still to sort out their style properly.

There was clearly major potential here, but it was still not yet being realised.
 

...less