OBSCURE ALTERNATIVES

2.5 stars really!!

Second album from a relatively passable band, which concerns progheads for mostly two reasons: guitarist/singer (and only songwriter) David Sylvain and his future Fripp collabs, and keyboardist Richard Barbieri, who will find a way into Procupine Tree in the late 90's. As a typical late 70's glam rock band (although in terms of look they were more trendy than shocking ala Sparks or Tubes, but took an effeminate poseur stance ala NY Dolls) and bordering on post-punk, the photos on the sleeve gives you an idea of the musical direction taken: none at all, really!! Clearly with this band shot, Sylvain distances itself from his band mates, but there is indeed a real group behind him.

Musically their first three albums are more anything-goes as we get some semi-Bowie tracks (the opening track and Deviation), some reggae songs (Rhodesia is actually quite interesting for a first few listens with its addictive keyboard layer, but doesn't escape its boring fate, while the title track is also reggae-ish), some very riffy tracks (Love Is Infectious is a strong guitar-lead rocker), and some have interesting interplay: Suburban Berlin's keys (Barbieri) and bass (Karn's fretless) works are indeed interesting. Easily the album's highlight is the closing The Tenant (where bassist Karn gets on the sax horn) a nearly instrumental ambient-like with its slow intro and semi-Frippian guitar line.

The remastered version comes with a series of track from this album recorded in Tokyo (over which I won't bother) and a CD-Rom video clip. While hardly a prog album, it turns out that OA might just be the group's better effort and roughly half the tracks on it are susceptible to interest the progheads.

If ever you believe that you had missed something with their first album, let me just tell you that this one is as poor as their debut one.

Of course, this album is almost thirty years old.

Still, I am found of the seventies and there are hundreds of records of great interest which were released in that period. True prog ones (but they were very few during the late seventies) or not.

Passion is totally absent of this record. It is rather difficult to swallow such an inclusion here. Lots of bands available on PA are not prog (the list would be long if I had to mention them all.) but "Japan" is one of the most questionable.

There were lots of creative bands in these days, but very few were prog. They were creative and brought a new angle in ROCK music. "Japan" is absolutely NOT one of these. A band such as "Doctors Of Madness" released far much better albums than this poor one (two actually). Of course, they are totally forgotten by now).

Trying to mention one great song from album is a difficult task. Even if the type of music "Japan" was playing in 1978 was more appealing while I discovered it than now.

Jewel songs are like a ghost in here. They just don't exist. Another weak album from "Japan".

I am just reviewing this band because I got to listen to them some thirty years from now. But not because I believe they were great. By no means.

One star for this poor release.

"Obscure Alternatives" is the second full-length studio album by UK rock/new wave act Japan. The album was released through Hansa Records in October 1978. It´s Japan´s second 1978 album as they had already released their debut full-length studio album "Adolescent Sex" (in some countries titled "Japan") in March 1978. "Adolescent Sex" was not as successful as the band and label had hoped for in their native country (although it faired well in other parts of the world...especially in Japan), and Hansa Records therefore put pressure on Japan to quickly record a follow-up album as they felt that there was great commercial potential which just hadn´t been realised with "Adolescent Sex". It was however not with "Obscure Alternatives" that Japan would find commercial success, as it faired just about as equally unsuccessful in the UK and as successful in Japan as the debut album.

Stylistically Japan continue the eclectic rock style they introduced on "Adolescent Sex". The combination of glam rock, art rock, reggae, funk, punk, pop and electronic music influences is still intact, as is the high level musicianship and the snarling attitude loaded vocals by lead vocalist/guitarist David Sylvian. It´s strangely unmelodic music with a strong focus on heavy grooves, which somehow is still memorable. At this point Japan definitely don´t cater to a commercial audience, but instead produce some pretty challenging glam rock/art rock, with excursions into other musical territories. David Bowie and Roxy Music at their most adventurous are valid references.

Tracks like "Automatic Gun", "... Rhodesia", "Love Is Infectious", and "Suburban Berlin" are among the highlights of the album, but "Obscure Alternatives" is generally a good quality sophomore studio album from Japan. To those who enjoyed the debut album this is more or less just a more mature and defined version of that release. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.