Friday, January 7, 2011


Japan- Quiet Life (1979) MP3 & FLAC -In Memory of Mick Karn-


"Now that you feel the weather, was it all in vain?  Now that we're together, we seem so alien."

Quiet Life is the album on which Japan took a significant step toward lasting relevance. It sits in their discography as the quintessential "transitional" record, but it's unique hybrid of the alternative Glam-Rock of their first two albums wedded to the more experimental synth and bass driven direction their later work would take suggests that the album should be evaluated on its own terms. In addition, Quiet Life marks the point at which David Sylvian began channeling his inner Scott Walker, taking his distinctive baritone voice down paths untraveled in Japan's earlier work. Yes, in many ways, this album opened the door for a wave of New Romantic bands comprised of much less talented musicians (e.g. Duran Duran), but Quiet Life contains a depth, a darkness, and musical pedigree far beyond the grasp of the New Wave acolytes to come. Simply put, you need to hear this if you haven't already.

Quiet Life (2006 Remastered Edition)
 1. Quiet Life  (4:53)
 2. Fall in Love with Me  (4:31)
 3. Despair  (5:56)
 4. In Vogue  (6:30)
 5. Halloween  (4:24)
 6. All Tomorrow's Parties  (5:43)
 7. Alien  (5:01)
 8. The Other Side of Life  (7:26)
-Bonus Tracks-
 9. All Tomorrow's Parties (12" Version)  (5:19)
10. All Tomorrow's Parties (7" Version)  (3:34)
11. A Foreign Place (B-Side of "Quiet Life")  (3:11)
12. Quiet Life (7" Version)  (6:23)



9 comments:

  1. Thanks! Now I have this in Flac which is awesome.

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  2. I like Duran Duran, sorry. The Chauffeur is a great song. I hope that doesn’t make anyone think less of me.

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  3. Jeff, not at all; I think "Rio" and the first album are pretty strong, but what came after....hmmm

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  4. I think what I was specifically referring to was musicianship actually. The fellows in Japan were/are amazing technical musicians

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  5. I completely agree. It is fortunate that they were able to be be technically proficient as well as creatively interesting. The two don’t always go hand in hand, just look at Dave Matthews Band.

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  6. Jeff, yes, great example. I guess I'll be canceling that DM post I had planned ;)

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  7. Lovely, much appreciated post. THANK-YOU! I'm a HUGE fan of a couple of Sylvians efforts ("Secrets of the Beehive" being exemplary) so it'll be nice to hear something from his formative years. Take care,
    -martwwa

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  8. martwwa, this summer I will be doing a 20 post Sylvian/Japan series , which will include many rarities, so stay tuned :)

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