GENTLEMEN TAKE POLAROIDS

O stars actually!!

With this atrocious fourth album, Japan dips very low into the new wave electro-pop that was so hateful of those early 80's. Sounding like a cross of Roxy Music (at best and mostly due to the vocals) and Human League (yup, I puked too!!). With a puffed-up tart-like look on the album cover, Sylvain is clearly taking the artsy-fartsy road but unfortunately forgetting the artsy part. This album is loaded with disgusting instruments such as programmable drums, keyboards and other loatheable inventions of that shameful 80's decade. I believe by now, Japan wanted to be included in the new romatics caste that MTV had created for the sole purpose of their own self-importance. And That Japan sounded like Spandau Ballet was indeed making things worst. Let's forget that Adam Ant and pretend the whole thing never happened!

Worse, not only are some of the works insufferably bad and even offensive, the group takes the option of lengthening them to disgraceful lengths: the 7-min title track and Methods Of Dancing, both overstay their respective welcome (by 6 minutes, and I wish it wasn't a joke ;-), and in the same frame of mind so are the ugly Swing (well over 6-mins) and the ambient Burning Bridges & Nightporter (well over the 5 and under 7 minutes, respectively), where less than nothing happens. Not that in any way, the shorter tracks are any better (as clearly shown by the loathsome My New Career), but the lowest point of the album is the reprise of Ain't That Peculiar, even if its percussive back track holds a bit of interest. The awful closer is another track aiming at those early-80's new wave audiences enjoying the Non-Human-League or the equally ugly Duran Duran.

A truly excruciatingly bad album, that deserves the old (and retired) 0-star rating, along with its equally horrible two follow-up albums. Best carefully-avoided.

'Gentlemen Take Polaroids' is a cool, slick journey straight into the jugular of the 80's New Wave scene, not only presenting the public with a sophisticated look of blow-waved hairstyles and crisp, freshly pressed suits, but also providing listeners with an intellectual take on the current trend in music. Robert Palmer this is NOT ! From my P.O.V., it's the creative Fretless Bass work of Mick Karn (whom also possesses the skill of playing oboe and saxes), and Richard Barbieri's Synth textures which save the day and make some of Japan's albums a worthwhile listen.

Quite a number of tracks on this album are well into the 6 minute mark, the title track being over 7 mins long, with the song structures generally kept simple, repetitive and seldom challenge the listener with any complexities, but it's this minimalistic approach that generates the entire purpose of their music. Rob Dean is still on board with a strong guitar presence, drummer Steve Jansen keeps a solid beat, occasionally embellishes the rhythms with his various percussions, and the Bass and Keys just fall into place. I'm a sucker for the longer cuts presented here, especially the track 'Swing' - again it's the synth work and Bass that never fails to impress. 'Nightporter' is an extremely beautiful example of melancholic piano and synth composition, totally transcending any musical fad from that period, and we are also treated to some slightly darker, ambient moments, like what's featured on the piece 'Burning Bridges' (no, not a cover of the Floyd track off 'Obscured by Clouds' !!). Overall, it's this album (my personal preference) and 'Tin Drum' that I find engaging and have no hesitation in awarding 3 stars. Please try.

There is no denying this album had a major influence on the New Wave scene, but Japan were also distinctly different to a lot of other music outthere at the time like OMD later, for instance. Japan were an excellent band overall but Gentleman Take Polaroids represents the worst they had to offer. Very dated sounding album compared to their more vintage sound of the 80's. I find it disjointed and lacking depth somehow which is the total antithesis of what David Sylvian and vintage Japan is all about. For completionists only.

This is another jewel from "Japan" (just kidding).

If you consider that the opening number is usually one of the best of an album, the worse can be expected with "Gentlemen Take Polaroids".

Since there were little reviews for this album, I read the few ones available. So, basically, there are little to add. The band dig further and further in these electro-beat sounds and plays some sub-par (but premonitory) new romantic music.

Still, some of the most representative bands of the genre will release their debut album a year later than this "Polaroid" stuff. But IMO, in their EARLY life "Classix Nouveau", Duran Duran" or even "Spandau Ballet" released more interesting music than this poor "Japan" album.

I could start a poll on the forum to define which is the worse song from this album. My guess is that "Swing" has all its chances to win the trophy, but "Ain't That Peculiar" is also close to the golden medal.

One of the few bearable track is "Burning Bridges". But it is not a very original song. Fully borrowed to "Subterraneans" from "Bowie" on his great album "Low" released in 1977 while the next two ("My New Career " and "Methods of Dance" have a Roxy flavour (second era, their least interesting one IMO). The same applies to the last two songs from this album. But don't expect great tracks like "Same Old Scene". The ones featured on this album are mellowish, uninspired and dull.

This is NOT a good album. Three out of ten, downgraded to one star since it would be very difficult to raise it to two stars.

Japan are like Deep Purple (bet you never thought that you'd read that) in that they will suffer for being in the ever widening umbrella of prog. Both bands have their niche (DP's is obviously quite a bit larger) but they both suffer from being reviewed in a prog context.

For me Tin Drum was the definitive Japan album. A definite 5 stars for in any Modern Romantic collection.Gentlemen Take Polaroids was a trailing second. Nevertheless, Mick Karn produced a bass sound that I thought unique at the time. It was a sort of fretless Wal that I hadn't seen or heard before: but then again it could be a Travis Bean.

Anyway, for the proggers out there who want to listen to this modern romantic album my best advice is to concentrate on the relationship between Sylvian and Karn and ry to put aside the obvious Vocal similarities with Roxy Music. There is something quite unusual, dynamic and rewarding in thisJapan album but it takes some aural blinkers from a prog perspective.

Ultimately I fail to see the prog element in this album but the style of Karn easily salvages it from the one star prog waste disposal.

PS ... as for the Keyboardist whatever happened to him ;-)

Gentlemen take Polaroids is the fourth studio album in three years from Japan. The band has really developed their sound in those three years and from being only partially enjoyable on their first two albums they made a really good album with their third release called Quiet Life. Quiet Life was much more keyboard dominated than their first two releases and keyboardist Richard Barbieri ( now Porcupine Tree) really seemed to have a more prominant role in the band on that one. That tendency continues on Gentlemen take Polaroids which is a very keyboard/ synth heavy affair and very much ahead of it´s time if you ask me.

The music on Gentlemen take Polaroids reminds me of other early synth pop/ new wave bands from the early eighties like New Order, Depeche Mode, A-ha, Duran Duran and Talk Talk. Talk Talk has really listened to Japan for inspiration that´s for sure. I hear many similarities between the two bands. Their art rock approach to the genre being the most obvious one. But certainly also because of the high compositional level of the music from both bands. Japan is not your average new wave band even though there are similarities between their music and the more light weight bands of that genre.

The songs are all excellent and even though this music might not appeal to many prog heads it´s still of a very high quality IMO. Songs like the title track, Swing ( with cool brass playing from Mick Karn) and Methods of Dance ( with what sounds like Kate Bush singing backing vocals?) are great songs while the more emotional and slow songs Burning Bridges and The Nightporter are excellent too. The bonus tracks on the 2004 CD-Remaster are in fact very good additions to the original album. Taking Islands in Africa appears in a remixed version that is even better than the original and we also get two unreleased songs in The Experience of Swimming and the beautiful instrumental The Width of a Room.

The musicianship is great here. David Sylvian´s voice is emotional and deeper than on the early releases. I´m very fond of his singing style. Mick Karn takes the prize here though with his powerful and inventive basslines and his great sax and trombone moments.

The production is excellent. Much better than most other contemporary releases from other bands. Deep and soft, pleasant and emotional.

There are not many appreciative words about this album from other reviewers but let me state that I think this album is excellent and deserves 4 stars regardless of what others might think. This is not truly progressive but less will do when the music is as good as this. Fans of the three first Talk Talk albums should definitely take a listen here even though Gentlemen take Polaroids is much better than the first two albums from Talk Talk. I´m really happy that I have discovered Japan and to think that I have found them via a progressive rock site is pretty strange and ironic too.

Japan took another leap with Gentlemen Take Polaroids, away from their euro-disco art rock roots and into unique and original territories. Japan's evolution must have had a strong influence on countless other kids on the block, like Gary Numan, Talk Talk, Simple Minds and many others.

Except for Sylvian's poignant Ferry meets Bowie vocals, the comparison with Roxy music has become rather flimsy. Of course, if you would not be familiar with the sound of the 80's, then it's still a useful reference. Also an echo of Eno (Bowie's Berlin years) can be heard in the atmospheric moments like the intro of Burning Bridges. Keyboards had become cheap and easy to play, leading to a new generation of keyboard players that were adhering to an entirely different use of synths then the exhausting Keith Emerson battering of a few years earlier. Suddenly texture and a new original atmospheric sound became more important then soloing. It makes this music definitely non-prog but all the more progressive and influential on future generations of keyboardist. Quite ironically, that influence also extended back into prog, even Geddy Lee picked it up!

The song writing has matured immensely since the previous album Quiet Life. Comparing it with the first two Japan albums is even impossible. While Quiet Life could still be discarded as new wave, this albums has musicianship and song adventures that were leagues ahead of other bands of their generation. Methods of Dance is even more proggy then new wave to my ears, of course it sounds entirely different and the amazing rhythmic tandem of Karn and Jansen often goes into cold disco territories.

Another element that got a growing grip on Japan's sound is the Oriental influence, it can be heard on multiple songs here as on Ain't That Peculiar. It's a path they would further explore on the ensuing album. Also Taking Islands in Africa and the amazing My New Career are marked with influences from world music. One of the highlights of the album is the exceptionally emotive Nightporter, where Sylvian's croon creeps around Barbieri's improvisations on Satie's Gymnopédies, pop meets classical music again.

This album is obviously not recommended to people with 80's allergies and it also isn't entirely perfect. But that is rarely the case with innovative music. It's a solid 4 star album that received a lot of predictable and irrelevant 80s bashing here.

Prog related? Probably. David Sylvian did some albums with Fripp, and Mick Karn played with david Torn. But I wouldn't say this album itself was prog.

The music is brooding, somewhat inventive new wave, with Sylvian moaning like Bryan Ferry with a better ear for pitch. The saving grace, and the reason I own it is Mick Karn's unique bass playing. His style of fretless bass uses mostly Middle Easten sounding licks, in a eerie snakelike pattern. I've heard no one else like him, and the songs where he gets to stretch out are the better ones on this album.

As new wave, this album is very good. But as prog... 2.5 stars.

I found "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" to be a very interesting and intriguing listen. While you can hear that this album must have influenced the New Wave style that was about to hit, this isn't that melodic or catchy.There's nothing on here that I could see as even remotely being considered a hit single.Yet that 80's vibe is here with those synths and guitar sounds especially, but also the electronic sounding beat. I've never been a huge fan of Sylvian's vocals but he keeps it fairly laid back and reserved which for me is a good thing.The bass and sax from Mick Karn is impressive to say the least. And of course Barbieri on synths and Jansen on guitar are always top notch. Interesting too to see the songs average in at almost 6 minutes. So yes this is intriguing with that flavour of new Wave and Pop yet stretching it out in that Brian Eno style. An interesting mix.There's no doubt that this was an influencial album, and as others have mentioned TALK TALK comes to mind first.

"Gentelmen Take Polaroids" is one of my favourites. Sure everything hints at the eighties style of music that was about to open the door (this was released in 1980) but I like it ! "Swing" kicks in at 30 seconds and vocals arrive a minute in. Sax in this one too. Nice. I like the synths after 4 1/2 minutes. "Burning Bridges" sounds like Electronic-Prog and the synths get loud after 1 1/2 minutes. Sax follows and we don't get vocals until after 4 1/2 minutes. "My New Career" has a solid beat with synths as the vocals join in. Sax before 1 1/2 minutes when the vocals stop briefly. "Methods Of Dance" has a beat as the sax plays over top then the tempo picks up and the vocals join in. Excellent sound after 1 1/2 minutes. I like the instrumental section after 4 minutes as well.This is one of the best tracks on here.

"Ain't That Peculiar" is actually a Marvin Gaye cover. Lots of intricate sounds with vocals.The beat is prominant and the synths slowly pulse. "Nightporter" has this laid back piano as the vocals join in. It does get fuller and I like the vocal melodies after 6 minutes. "Taking Islands In Africa" opens with a beat as synths then vocals join in. Love the track "The Experience Of Swimming" a definite top three although I understand that this and "The Width Of A Room" are bonus tracks. Both are instrumentals and they both are fantastic !

3.5 stars but i'm bumping it up. I can appreciate all the 1 and 2 star ratings.This is Prog- Related and as such a target for those who are into Progressive music only. But like Tom Ozric, UMUR and Bonnek I think this was fairly unique in it's day and influential, and have rated it accordingly.

Jeez!, this one really has set the cat amongst the pigeons in the Archives. I can fully understand the aloofness most proggers take with regards to the merit of this 'pop' album. Personally, it's one of my all time favourite albums and if you don't like that, then what the hell is it doing here in the first place? Am I supposed to give this a low rating because I Iove it to bits but it appears on the 'Prog Archives'?

Superb fretless bass by the now deceased Mick Karn, enigmatic wobbly vocals by Sylvian, waves of synths by Barbieri , piano by Ryuchi Sakamoto and good solid offbeat drumming by Steve Jansen make this one of the best 80's albums full stop.

It's smooth in the way 'Roxy Music' were in the same era. Japan, however had something far more inventive about them that set them apart from all contemporaries. Über cool, mature for their age and downright sauve without even trying. This is the album that Duran Duran clearly worshipped before they hit the big time. You've only got to look at Nick Rhodes stupid painted face.

Mick Karn's bass is the driving force behind the entire album. Particularly on the first two tacks where it pumps and bleeps like Jaco Pastorius from 'Weather Report'.

Truthfuly I can't write a review of this album without mentioning Bowie's "Low' from '76 which clearly influenced a lot here from side two of that album.

Awash with wonderful electronics, echoey instruments and clear track separation between sounds, this is a superbly clear recording which flows beautifully into my favourite tune of all time... 'Nightporter'. Stunningly beautiful and melancholic. Ryuichi Sakamoto of YMO and his piano makes this utterly gorgeous. Quite simply the best song I've ever heard. These are not small words - In '99 I held a party on New Years Eve where everyone had to bring along their favourite song of all time where it was played after a speech about it's merits. This still stands true today.

'Gentlemen Take Polaroids' is spacious and wide in sound, where everyone gets to play their instruments without any rush and is full of waves of cold keyboards.

The masterful 'Taking Islands in Africa' is a gem in it's own right with Barbierie's proto sequencer coming to the fore. There was only so much New Romanticism could offer, but Japan pushed the boat out so much further than any other band of their time. It's hard to believe that anyone could progress and change so rapidly within the space of 3 years, considering their '78 New York Dolls efforts.

As if all this wasn't enough, if you buy the cd you get the brilliant 'Experience of Swimming' as a bonus. A Richard Barbieri masterpiece, a keyboard driven slab of doom using beautiful sounds that were virtually unheard in those days of long past.

One of my 5 albums of all time.

Japan greeted the arrival of the 1980s with Gentlemen Take Polariods, an album balanced finely between gorgeously crafted New Romantic pop and more esoteric art rock building on the quieter moments of Bowie's Heroes and Low. Some tracks contain echoes of each other - Swing and Taking Islands In Africa borrow lyrics from each other but give them a very different feel with the former being one of the poppier numbers on the album and the latter being a curious closing number. More immediately accessible than the subsequent Tin Drum, this may well be the best place to jump into the world of Japan.

Review Nº 238

"Gentlemen Take Polaroids" is the fourth studio album of Japan and was released in 1980. It continued in the same vein of their previous third album, "Quiet Life", using the combination of the electronic elements with the traditional musical elements. The final result was an album with a more sophisticated and atmospheric ambient than its predecessor. The album was well received by the critics and it was said if Brian Eno, rather than Bryan Ferry, had rerouted the original direction of Roxy Music, this might well have been the final result. It was their last album with their guitarist Rob Dean.

"Gentlemen Take Polaroids" has eight tracks. All songs were written by David Sylvian except "Ain't That Peculiar" which was written by Smokey Robinson, Warren "Pete" Moore, Marvin Tarplin and Robert Rogers and "Taking Islands In Africa" which was written by David Sylvian and Ryuichi Sakamoto. The first track is the title track "Gentlemen Take Polaroids". It was released as a single before the initial release of the album. It's an excellent song to open the album that sounds very much to the new sound of the 80's. This song was probably one of the songs that most influenced the new wave music. This is one of my favourite tracks on the album. The second track "Swing" is a very good song with great synthesizer work and with nice saxophone work. This is a song with an astounding showcase between Mike Karn and Steve Jansen. By the other hand, the vocal performance of David Sylvian is very intense and precise. The third track "Burning Bridges" is an excellent track that reminds me "Subterraneans", a track from the great eleventh studio album of David Bowie "Low", released in 1977. This is a song with a very special atmospheric musical moment that can't fail to remember us Brian Eno and the Berlin trilogy of David Bowie. It has also great saxophone work. The fourth track "My New Career" is also an excellent track, which has, in my humble opinion, some influences from world music. This is a song with a very solid beat, great synthesizer performance and the vocal work is also great. The fifth track "Methods Of Dance" was used as the B side of their 12" single version of "Nightporter" released in 1982. This is a song with an entirely new rhythm provided by a truly amazing performance of Mick Karn and Steve Jansen. It's an excellent song with a great instrumental section. The final result is superb and make of it on one of the best tracks on the album. The sixth track "Ain't That Peculiar" was also released as the B side of their 7" single version of "Nightporter", released also in 1982. It's a good Smokey Robinson cover song with an intricate sound. The beat on the song is prominent and the synthesizers and the vocals sound nice and enjoyable. However, this is my less favourite song on the album. The seventh track "Nightporter" was remixed and released as a single in 1982, just after the band announced that they were splitting. It was edited in the 7" version and also in the full-length 12" remix version. The song was influenced by the musical work of the French classical composer Erik Satie, particularly by his piece of music "Gymnopedies". It's a very beautiful track and an excellent example of melancholic music and dark musical ambient. This is one of the highlights of the album. The eighth and last track "Taking Islands In Africa" re-appeared as the B side of their single track "Visions of China", released in 1981, and taken from their next and last studio album "Tin Drum". This is also a very good track with a great beat, nice synthesizers and an enjoyable vocal work. It represents an excellent way to finish this album.

Conclusion: I know Japan since 1980, and "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" was my first album from them, and I know the album since it was released. Japan is a very curious and interesting band and they're, in a certain way, a unique and special band. Japan is, in my humble opinion, a band with clear and deep musical influences from Roxy Music and David Bowie. That is particularly noticed on the vocals of David Sylvian, which are very close to the vocals of Bryan Ferry, and the androgynous and provocative look of Sylvian was very close to the visual of David Bowie. By the other hand, the musical influences of Roxy Music and David Bowie aren't strange, because we all know that both had a very strong influence in the new wave music, and despite Japan being not a truly new wave band, they have, for me, some musical influences from that musical movement. In relation to "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" I always loved this album. This is an excellent album very cohesive and very well balanced without weak points. Its music is very modern and has great quality and the performance of all members is absolutely fantastic and irreproachable. I particularly like of the musical relationship between Sylvian and Karn. Mike Karn played a bass sound very powerful and unique, and soon he became one of my favourite bassists. R.I.P. Mike. This album also represents the beginning of the musical partnership between Sylvian and the Japanese keyboardist Ryuichi Sakamoto of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, before and after Japan split. Concluding, "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" is one of the albums that deeply divide the opinions of prog fans. This is the kind of albums that or we can love or hate. And sincerely, definitely I belong to the first group, really.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

In the mid 1980s, well before the proliferation of 5 star lay ratings for not yet available recordings, DAVID SYLVIAN garnered press accolades for his silky voice and was even acknowledged by somebody or other as the most "beautiful" man in the world. His solo career launched soon after the demise of JAPAN when they were at their commercial peak, and his first few releases don't seem to polarize listeners nearly as much as those of his original band. Ambitious and vulnerable, albums like "Brilliant Trees" and "Secrets of the Beehive" have influenced many a prog artist. But here for the first time I'm casting myself back to the only JAPAN album I've heard, one I remember for one lovely haunting ballad and a plethora of high gloss dross. It seems my memory was largely correct.

If this was food, it would be the sort of genetically modified organism that your local coop would only carry under threat of irreversible scandal. Drum machines, non existent melodies, lethargic vocals and generally over long numbers only exacerbate the drudgery. Taking cues from the the most apathetic aspects of BRIAN FERRY's work (title track), and BRIAN ENO ("Burning Bridges"), and peddling influence to nascent artists like SIMPLE MINDS ("Methods of Dance") and ULTRAVOX, the only aspect that really works here is MICK KARN's up front bass, but it can't save the mundane compositions. Part of the problem is the way Sylvian himself is utilized. If Jim Kerr of SIMPLE MINDS had been thrust into "Methods of Dance", with his spasmodic and domineering style, he could have improved it dramatically, but Sylvian just bobs in and out on like he is reading the lyrics off a cigarette box, lyrics that were written moments earlier.

Luckily "Nightporter" signals what the band could achieve when going organic. With mesmerizing piano and synth forming the unbroken arrangement of a morose ballad, it also snapshots Sylvian from his better side. While it could pass for one of his solo tracks, he actually didn't pursue his goals quite as directly when he broke free, so this is a bit of a rarity, and I wonder why. A few of the bonus tracks are better than the originals, such as the eerie instrumental "The Width of a Room"

While much of the popular music from the 1980s hasn't aged gracefully, some bands elicit a nostalgic response which can help us get over some of the truly dreadful constructs. Sadly, most of "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" plays like that snapshot that inexplicably made the cut into the family photo album and has been questioned ever since.

Japan is a band that I actually managed to hate, and I have to say that I've been successful in the task. Now, after about 40 years, I think I can forgive them for having existed and listen to their music without preconceptions. After all, it was David Sylvian's band and I like his solo stuff and there's some Richard Barbieri at the keyboards. I may have missed something, let's hear...

The title track is also the opener. One thing that I hated in the early 80s is that it seems that every singer wanted to sound like David Bowie. Sylvian is not an exception, but the whole band sounds very dated in the 80s. The song is based mainly on a two chord progression which become four in the chorus. Not bad for an elevator, it doesn't disturb. Ok, if there's nothing else available I can listen to it instead of switching a radio off. Just the instrumental coda is uselessly long as it's more repetitive than a Magma suite without being equally interesting.

"Swing" has a very strange tempo. Here Sylvian's voice has a lower pitch and for this reason it's like Spandau Ballet meets Joy Division. The worst thing is the bass line: a "Karn evil" I'd say (forgive me for the joke).

Electronics open "Burning Bridges"it starts promising. Also the keyboard's sound is interesting. The chord progression is unusual and the absence of the electronic drums is a good thing. Sylvian has a low pitched voice, like Richard Wright's Broken China. I have to say that this track has reminded it to me a bit. The instrumental base is probably Bowie influenced. Another album that comes to my mind is "Low". At least one track that I like.

Also "My New Career" has an unusual chord progression with some dissonances, coming mainly from the bass. I can imagine the manager saying: "Ok guys, the track title is appropriate, do something else". I'm still joking, I can't understand this track but it's my problem. I don't know if Japan were just trying to be original in some ways or if there's really an idea behind this song. No comment.

Back to electropop with "Methods Of Dance". Again, it's a sort of dark version of Spandau Ballet to my ears. Some sounds remind to "ZEE: Identity", but without Rick Wright's chord progressions. It's likely because everybody was using the same instruments in 1980. The instrumental interlude, before the sax, has something of early Depeche Mode.

Percussion start "Ain't That Peculiar". It came before Rick Wright's "Strange Rhythm" so it may have influenced him in some way. The two songs are quite similar. Again I can't stand the bass. Slapping is not enough to be funk.

Quite a surprise: the piano intro of "Nightporter". Less electronics: just an electric piano, some background keys and Sylvian's baritonal voice. I like it. It spreads sadness and decadence. It looks like it's about the omonimous movie, but I haven't seen the movie so I can't say. I just remember a trailer with a couple with an umbrella under a heavy rain, so it's possible.

The closer seems to be just sequencer's work. Not totally a stinker, as the vocal melody is not too bad.

It's not completely wasted time as I was supposing, but today we can buy and listen to music in very cheap ways and have instant access to almost everything is released. In 1980 I had few bucks and buying the back catalogue of the big 6 (5 for me, I don't love Genesis) was more rewarding than spending money on this stuff. So, if you want to give it a listen on Spotify, why not?