Japan - Adolescent Sex

In 1977, the German label Hansa held a contest that elicited entries from over 1000 bands. The eight winners, including Japan (and an unknown group called the Easy Cure who later became the Cure) received recording contracts and, a year later, Adolescent Sex hit the shops. Perhaps because of its glamrock-esque cover art (this at the height of the first wave of English punk rock), it was largely ignored.

The band's vocalist David Sylvian is legendarily unhappy with the record, and it is possible to guess why: it contains some fairly misguided lyrics--especially on "Wish You Were Black." The album probably seemed pretty edgy and hip at the time, however, complete with its truly odd version of a Barbara Streisand standard, "Don't Rain on My Parade," complete with "ooo-eee-ooo" backing vocals. The record does contain at least two lasting classics: the title track, with its growling "Just keep on dancing" lyric, brittle guitar shards, and punchy rhythm section, and "Communist China," featuring several of Sylvian's early vocal experiments. However, as with all of Japan's albums, the unsung star is Mick Karn's stunningly versatile bass playing, and that is more than enough reason to disagree with Sylvian.

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