Japan: Gentlemen Take Polaroids - 1981

 

The quality feel is continued on this, a stylish, elegant offering.

It contained more Ferry/Roxy-influenced stuff such as the beguiling Swing and the very Eno and "Heroes"-esque semi-instrumental (the vocals only come in right at the very end), Burning Bridges. The very European-sounding, Grace Jones-ish My New Career is excellent too. The loose and languid syncopations of Gentlemen Take Polaroids could have been something off Bryan Ferry’s solo albums from nearly ten years in the future. Maybe it was Ferry who was influenced by Japan? 

Methods Of Dance is definitely under the Roxy phase two influence, all sexy saxophones and lush rhythms. I love the sound on this, it finds me appreciating Japan more and more, all these years later. 

Ain’t That Peculiar is a Smokey Robinson cover (the group also covered I Second That Emotion) and it is virtually unrecognisable from any Motown version of the song, being given an early eighties rhythmic electronic makeover. 

Nightporter is a mournful classically-influenced piece (Satie I believe) and Taking Islands In Africa could easily be Ultravox, with its electro synth sweeps. The album, as good as it undoubtedly was, however, tends to be unfairly overlooked, sitting as it does between Quiet Life and the band’s generally-acknowledged finest piece of work.

Secondary, 2 of 5

Comments

  1. Pierce Brown08/05/2025, 13:22

    Thanks for the heads up, need to rivist this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Panther08/05/2025, 14:14

      I like all the Japan stuff. They were a bit underrated.

      Delete

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