''Assemblage'' is a compilation album by the British band

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, released in September 1981 by

Hansa Records Hansa Records (also known as Hansa, Hansa Musik Produktion or Hansa International) was a record label founded in the 1960s based in Berlin, Germany. Profile The label's most successful act commercially was the German-based band Boney M. with mil ...

Release

Upon release in September 1981, the album spent 10 weeks in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

, peaking at number 32. The album then re-entered the chart in the second week of January 1982 spent intermittently a further 36 weeks in the chart, peaking at number 26 in August 1982, and its final week being the third week of April 1983. The album spent so long in the charts because of the number of singles from the album that were released by Hansa between 1981 and 1983. The album was also re-released on cassette with bonus tracks in October 1982 with the additional title 'Special Edition Double Play'. These bonus tracks served as the track listing of the album when released in Japan in January 1983. ''Assemblage'' was certified Gold by the BPI in January 1983. ''Assemblage'' was one of the first of numerous Japan compilations issued by Hansa/

BMG Ariola Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomera ...

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

, but remains the only one originally released in consultation with the band members themselves. Coincidentally, the titles of five of the ten songs refer to geographical locations (namely Communist China,

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

, Berlin, Tokyo, and Europe). ''Assemblage'' was reissued on CD by

Sony BMG Music Entertainment Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout ...

in 2004, then including four bonus tracks as well as two videos. Initial pressings of this reissue accidentally omit the first bass note of "Adolescent Sex" and include an incorrect bonus version of "Life in Tokyo." Subsequent pressings correct these errors.

Singles

The first single that could be classed as being from ''Assemblage'' is "

Life in Tokyo "Life in Tokyo" is a song by the British band Japan. A collaboration with disco producer Giorgio Moroder, who also co-wrote the song with David Sylvian, it marked a change of direction from the band's previous sound. Originally released as a si ...

", released in April 1981. It had originally been released in 1979 but was reissued in 1981 due to popular demand. It was then remixed by '' Tin Drum'' producer Steve Nye and a new bass was overdubbed by

Mick Karn Andonis Michaelides (Greek: Αντώνης Μιχαηλίδης; 24 July 1958 – 4 January 2011), better known as Mick Karn, was an English-Cypriot musician and songwriter who rose to fame as the bassist for the art rock/ new wave band Japan. H ...

and was released as a single for the third time in September 1982 (known as the 'Special Remix') and peaked at number 28 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. There was also a second remix in late 1982 with synths/drum machine overdubs, which has appeared on various subsequent Hansa/Ariola compilations. The next single, "

Quiet Life ''Quiet Life'' is the third studio album by English new wave band Japan, first released on 17 November 1979 in Canada by record label Hansa (it would be released in the UK some weeks later). The album was a transition from the glam rock-influe ...

" was released in August 1981 and it states on the sleeve that is from ''Assemblage''. It was first released in Japan in December 1979 with a duration of 4:14. It then appeared on the ''

'' album (duration 4:53) and was released in 1980 as an A-side single in Germany and the Netherlands and B-side single in the UK (both a

fade-out In audio engineering, a fade is a gradual increase or decrease in the level of an audio signal. The term can also be used for film cinematography or theatre lighting in much the same way (see fade (filmmaking) and fade (lighting)). A recor ...

version with a duration of 3:53). The 1981 release is an edited version with a duration of 3:34, and it peaked at number 19 in the UK. The third single, " European Son" was released in January 1982. It was originally recorded and produced by

Simon Napier-Bell Simon Robert Napier-Bell (born 22 April 1939) is an English record producer, music manager, author and journalist. At different times, he has managed artists as diverse as the Yardbirds, John's Children, Marc Bolan, Japan, London, Ultravox, Bon ...

and Japan in 1979 and was remixed by ''

'' producer

John Punter John Punter (born 27 January 1949) is a former English record producer and recording engineer. He has worked with many bands and musicians, such as Japan, Procol Harum, Roxy Music, Doctors of Madness, Sad Café and Slade. His career in music span ...

before release. It was first released as a single in Japan in March 1980 and was first released in the UK in 1981 as the B-side to "Life in Tokyo". The 1982 release is a remix by Steve Nye with new bass overdubbed by Mick Karn, and it peaked at number 31 in the UK. The fourth single was a cover of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "

I Second That Emotion "I Second That Emotion" is a 1967 song written by Smokey Robinson and Al Cleveland. First charting as a hit for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles on the Tamla/Motown label in 1967, "I Second That Emotion" was later a hit single for the group du ...

", released in June 1982. It was originally released in March 1980 with the B-side "Quiet Life" in the UK and "European Son" in Japan. The 1982 release is a Steve Nye remix and it became the band's second biggest hit, reaching number 9 in the UK. "Life in Tokyo" was then re-released as mentioned above as the fifth single. The sixth and final single was a cover of

The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacLise w ...

and Nico's "

All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released on the group's 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the song came from Reed's observation of Andy Warh ...

", released in February 1983. The original version was included on Quiet Life and the 1983 release is a remix by Steve Nye and it peaked at number 38 in the UK. The B-sides to the 12" single are live versions of "Deviation" and "Obscure Alternatives", which the single states as being taken from the ''Assemblage'' Special Edition Cassette. The version of "All Tomorrow's Parties" included on ''Assemblage'' is an alternate (early) version recorded and produced by Simon Napier-Bell and Japan.

Content

''Assemblage'' collects recordings from the band's early career (1977–1980) and as shown above Hansa Records re-released no fewer than six singles from ''Assemblage'' and Japan's back catalogue between 1981 and 1983. The first side of the album features songs taken from the band's

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

period (1977–78) The first track, "

Adolescent Sex ''Adolescent Sex'' is the debut album by the English band Japan, released in April 1978 by record label Hansa. To avoid controversy over the title, the album was renamed simply as ''Japan'' in some countries. Content According to AllMusic, ' ...

" differs from the version on the album of the same name as it is a re-recorded version that was first released in August 1978 in the UK as the other side of a double A-side single with "The Unconventional". The second track on Assemblage, "Stateline", was the B-side of "

Don't Rain on My Parade "Don't Rain on My Parade" is a popular song from the 1964 musical '' Funny Girl''. It was also featured in the 1968 movie version of the musical. The song was written by Bob Merrill and Jule Styne. Both the movie and stage versions feature Barbra ...

", the band's first single. The album's second side feature some of the band's

art pop Art pop (also typeset art-pop or artpop) is a loosely defined style of pop music influenced by art theories as well as ideas from other art mediums, such as fashion, fine art, cinema, and avant-garde literature. The genre draws on pop art's ...

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

songs. "Life in Tokyo" is the 1979/1981 single version; the version of "European Son" is the 1980 Japanese B-side to "I Second That Emotion"; "All Tomorrow's Parties" is an alternate (early) version recorded and produced by Simon Napier-Bell and Japan; "Quiet Life" is the album version (which is also the 12" version); and "I Second That Emotion" is the 1980 version. The bonus tracks for the Special Edition Double Play cassette and the track listing for the Japanese version feature the 12" Steve Nye remixes of "European Son" and "I Second That Emotion". The first bonus track, however, is an alternate mix of "Life in Tokyo" by its producer Giorgio Moroder, lasting 6:17, which was previously unreleased. The cassette incorrectly states that it is the 'Special Remix', which was the 12" single release. The version of "Quiet Life" is exactly the same version as featured previously as track 9. The final three bonus tracks are live versions of "In Vogue", "Deviation" and "Obscure Alternatives", which were originally released in July 1980 as part of the ''Live in Japan'' EP which had been recorded in March 1980 in Tokyo.

Track listing

Personnel

;Japan *

David Sylvian David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt, 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan. The band's androgynous look and increasingly ...

– vocals, synthesizers, piano, electric guitar *

– bass guitar,

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

, saxophone,

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

* Steve Jansen – drums, synthesizer, percussion *

Richard Barbieri Richard Barbieri (born 30 November 1957) is an English musician, composer and sound designer. Originally a member of new wave band Japan (and their brief 1989–1991 reincarnation as Rain Tree Crow), more recently he is known as the keyboard ...

– synthesizers,

sequencer Sequencer may refer to: Technology * Drum sequencer (controller), an electromechanical system for controlling a sequence of events automatically * DNA sequencer, a machine used to automatically produce a sequence readout from a biological DNA sam ...

, piano *

Rob Dean Rob Dean (born 23 April 1955) is a British musician turned professional illustrator, who rose to prominence playing lead guitar as a member of the British new wave band Japan from 1975 to 1981. Biography He is from the Clapton district of ...

– guitar,

ebow The EBow, short for electronic bow or energy bow, is an electronic device used for playing string instruments, most often the electric guitar. It is manufactured by Heet Sound Products, of Los Angeles, California. It was invented by Greg Heet i ...

Production

* Ray Singer – producer (tracks 1–5) * Pete Silver –

sound engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

(tracks 1–3) * Tracks 1–3 recorded at Audio International Studios *

Chris Tsangarides Christopher Andrew Tsangarides (17 August 1956 – 6 January 2018) was a British Grammy-nominated record producer, sound engineer, and mixer of Greek Cypriot origin. He was best known for his work with many heavy metal artists, including G ...

– sound engineer (tracks 4–5) * Tracks 4–5 recorded at

Morgan Studios Morgan Studios (founded as Morgan Sound Studios) was an independent recording studio in Willesden in northwest London. Founded in 1967, the studio was the location for recordings by such notable artists as Jethro Tull, the Kinks, Paul McCartney, ...

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer, songwriter, and record producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance mu ...

– producer (track 6) * Jürgen Koppers – sound engineer (track 6) * Track 6 recorded at Rusk Sound Studios, Los Angeles *

– producer (tracks 7–8) * Japan – producers (tracks 7–8) *

– remix (tracks 7–8), producer (tracks 9–10) * Keith Bessey – sound engineer (tracks 7–8) * Tracks 7–8 recorded at DJM Studios * Colin Fairley – sound engineer (tracks 9–10) * Tracks 9–10 recorded at

AIR Studios Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producer Sir George Martin and his business partner John Burgess, after their departure from Parlophone. The studio complex was founded ...

Charts

References

{{Authority control Japan (band) albums 1981 compilation albums Hansa Records compilation albums