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Tin Drum

Japan Audio CD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
Price: £13.95
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Product details

  • Audio CD (15 April 1985)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Virgin
  • ASIN: B000025JTX
  • Other Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 56,788 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

1. The Art Of Parties
2. Talking Drum
3. Ghosts
4. Canton
5. Still Life In Mobile Homes
6. Visions Of China
7. Sons Of Pioneers
8. Cantonese Boy

Product Description

BBC Review

Despite taking its title from a German novel ('twas ever thus with the literary references for singer, David Sylvian), Tin Drum remains Japan's most Eastern-influenced album. It's all there in the song titles of course. This, their final effort, showed the band really becoming what they'd always wanted to be all through their career: An art-rock band, with aspirations towards the musicianly end of what pop could aspire to (and, aptly, a huge fanbase in their spiritual home of the Orient). Ironically as the band disintegrated (mainly due to Sylvian's urge to strike out alone) following this release,they finally shook off the sub-Roxy Music/glam goth associations that had hampered them in earlier years.

One of the reasons that Tin Drum broke the band out of their image straightjacket (for which they were in no small part responsible, due to their propensity for make up and fey tailoring) was the departure of guitarist, Rob Dean, after the previous album, Gentlemen Take Polaroids. Moving away from the rockist trappings of six-strings, and hanging out with The Yellow Magic Orchestra's Ryuichi Sakamoto had shown the band the light. With Richard Barbieri's spectral keyboards taking the high ground, aided by the almost fusionist tones of Mick Karn's fretless bass and Steve Jansen's masterfully polyrhythmic drums, Tin Drum is, in places wonderfully minimalist and exotically esoteric.

On top of this Sylvian's voice had matured beyond the aforementioned Ferry-lite comparisons. His mournful deep-throated trills suited songs that explored lost love (Ghosts) and the fascination with all things Eastern (the amazingly deft Visions Of China, Canton and Cantonese Boy). As with fellow so-called new romantics, Duran Duran, these boys almost straddled the line marked 'muso', yet avoided crassness with the simple application of taste. Tin Drum has no flashy waste or needless bombast, just evocative skill that remains fresh to this day. --Chris Jones

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The final studio album from Japan 25 July 2003
By Jason Parkes #1 HALL OF FAME
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This reissue of Tin Drum- Japan's most popular LP featuring surprise hit single Ghosts comes with a wonderful 24-page booklet, a deluxe appearance and various photos, including some from Steve Jansen. It also comes with an additional disc comprising The Art of Parties session- two alternate take of TAOP plus Life Without Buildings, as well as the single version of Ghosts.

The album itself is still wonderful, though the Japan sound was pretty much defined on Gentlemen Take Polaroids (1980)- here the music is oriental, as the lyrics were influenced by a collection of photos of Communist China (according to the Black Vinyl, White Powder memoir of Simon Napier Bell, then manager of Japan). The Art of Parties gets straight to the point- a clipped sythetic sound that might have been Roxy Music if they hadn't embraced MOR. Talking Drum is even better- an underrated Japan track which has the same electronic-country feel of My New Career; this seagues into the Top Five hit single Ghosts. Who'd believe that a minimal electronic piece indebted to John Cage and Henrik Ibsen would be their biggest hit? As with 1980's Burning Bridges, Nightporter & Taking Islands in Africa, Sylvian dispenses with the band- notably Mick Karn's fretless bass. This might seem absurd, but Sylvian was going for the song, rather than adhering to the band formula- this was Sylvian's year zero and the pathway to his interesting solo career (see tracks like Bamboo Music, Backwaters & The Stigma of Childhood to see where this lead; also 1999's Godman referred to this!). The light comes back in with the Jansen/Sylvian-composed Canton- wonderful world music that fails to explain why any of this lot weren't employed to provide a film soundtrack...Still Life in Mobile Homes (er, title?...

Tin Drum is just one of the many great reissues of Japan/Sylvian material surfacing from Virgin- as great a reminder as the recent Blemish is, that Sylvian was and remains a major talent. Read more ›

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars I'm turning japanese 7 May 2008
Format:Audio CD
Being a big Lewis taylor fan I recently bought his american-produced album "Stoned" and the last track on the album (which is not listed in the sleeve notes and on all my equipment won't play unless you press play at what seems like the end of the album) there was a song named "ghosts" which is my all time favourite song by Lewis. Imagine my surprise when my fiancee showed me some old vinyl records that she had as a teenager and 'lo and behold there was a track called Ghosts on an EP by Japan so I just had to play it and, yes you've guessed it, one and the same! I was never a fan of Japan when they were current as I dismissed them as being a bunch of pretentious poseurs, an opinion based primarily on their appearance, but now I have mellowed with age I really like this album finding it refreshingly different to current genres with such strong atmosphere and totally original musicality. Despite other bands of that era not being being to my taste this is now one of my favourite albums.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The final stage of Japan's evolution 29 April 2004
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
Japan's "Tin Drum" remains one of the great albums of the early eighties,and it brings back many fond memories to this listener. This new Virginremaster is a real treat, with nicely cleaned up sound quality, greatpackaging with some very arty new photographs in a separate companionbooklet and the bonus "Art of Parties" EP containing the four other tracksput out around the time of the album. My only gripe about this, nice asthe EP is, is that it would have all fitted onto a single disc, whichsaves a lot of fiddling about on the train to work.
Enough grumbling - the music is superb and sounds as fresh today as it didthen, as Japan move on from the excellent "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" albumto take in Eastern themes, most notably in "Visions of China", "Canton"and the superb "Cantonese Boy". The atmospheric "Ghosts" is surely one ofthe strongest singles of the decade, paving the way for David Sylvian'smore ambitious solo works, but all of the tracks on "Tin Drum" are verystrong. The Art of Parties remix single is also particularly fine, and itis nice to see this on CD properly at last. They'd come along way sincethe proto-garage of their early albums.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars THE GENIUS OF JAPAN 24 Jun 2007
Format:Audio CD
If you enjoy intelligent, complex and challenging art rock then you will adore Tin Drum. The best way to describe this record is genius. The drumming is just incredible and is as good as anything put out by either Tool or Rush. Indeed, their are many rythmic and technical similarities between Tin Drum and Lateralus by Tool, although musically, they are very, very different albums. Tin Drum operates perfectly within its own strange and beautiful world and is entirely unique. Stunning.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars tin drum 24 Oct 2008
Format:Audio CD
Tin Drum was the band's one and only masterpiece. This is not pop, this is cutting edge stuff, merging world music influences with modern technology to create a blend of music that has never quite been replicated.In other words, this band was unique. African rhythms, oriental melodies,pulsing synths, and Mick Karn's elastic basslines, cohere with Sylvian's effeminate crooning, to form an album that is simultaneously arresting,primal,and hypnotic.'Talking drum' exhibits a bouncy, quirky, addictive bass, 'Still life in mobile homes' is soaring fast paced opener, and 'Visions of China' is possibly 'Tin drum's most accessible song, hypnotic drumming emebellished by Karn's compelling bass.
There's danceability,ambience,and eerie atmospherics aplenty here.There's poetry in 'Ghosts', for me the most distinctive song to break into the top ten, and Sylvian's best lyric. And 'Sons of Pioneers', a spartan litany of Burundi drums and chunky but fluid bass, marks itself out as the best song, alongside 'Canton', the most overtly 'oriental' song of the album and a definite classic.Mesmerising..The marimba laden Cantonese Boy is probably the most beautiful and unique 'dance' song of the era, and another unlikely hit. No doubt about it, the band's glam image detracted from their music's seriousness but they were purveyors of art, make no mistake.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Memories
The ghost track brings back a host of memories. reminds me when life was very different from now. not sure about digital quality.
Published 18 days ago by Mr. J. Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic alternative
Despite its age it is still imagenative and a well constructed peice of work, Sylvian showing what a genius in the making he was.
Published 1 month ago by Susan Tutton
5.0 out of 5 stars 9/10
the best Japan Album recorded - good songs well written and recorded - a fine cd by a great band - 9/10
Published 3 months ago by J. D. Ruddick
5.0 out of 5 stars Japan at their best
this is probably their finest work, and possibly their most famous album. there's not a lot to say really. if you are familiar with Japan, then there is nothing to add. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Steven Mason
4.0 out of 5 stars stunning
fell in love with this album on its release in '81 & wore out my vinyl copy of it.Brilliant production & excellent musicianship make this album a must have. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Martyn Hinchcliffe
5.0 out of 5 stars Japan
I've owned this album on TAPE! since it first came out. Saw Japan live on the "Sons Of Pioneers" tour in 198? Gr8 to hear it again. Also got the "Collection" down load.10 out of 10
Published on 2 April 2011 by yamyamblue
4.0 out of 5 stars A great and totally unique sound.
'Japan' never really meant anything to me - not until that is the hit that I guess brought them to many people's attention: 'Ghosts'. Read more
Published on 1 May 2010 by FAMOUS NAME
4.0 out of 5 stars A great and totally unique sound.
'Japan' never really meant anything to me - not until that is the hit that I guess brought them to many people's attention: 'Ghosts'. Read more
Published on 1 May 2010 by FAMOUS NAME
4.0 out of 5 stars A great and totally unique sound.
'Japan' never really meant anything to me - not until that is the hit that I guess brought them to many people's attention: 'Ghosts'. Read more
Published on 1 May 2010 by FAMOUS NAME
4.0 out of 5 stars A great and totally unique sound.
'Japan' never really meant anything to me - not until that is the hit that I guess brought them to many people's attention: 'Ghosts'. Read more
Published on 1 May 2010 by FAMOUS NAME
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