The Vapors are an English new wave and

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, an ...

band that initially existed between 1978 and 1981. They had a

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

with the song "

Turning Japanese "Turning Japanese" is a song by English band the Vapors, from their 1980 album '' New Clear Days''. It was an international hit, becoming the band's most well-known song. The song prominently features an Oriental riff played on guitar. Overv ...

", which reached No. 3 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 ...

in 1980 and No. 36 in the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Career

1978–1982

Based in

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

, Surrey, an early version of the band was playing the Three Lions pub in

Farncombe Farncombe, historically Fernecome, is a village and peripheral settlement of Godalming in Waverley, Surrey, England and is approximately 0.8 miles (1.3 km) north-east of the Godalming centre, separated by common land known as the ''Lammas L ...

when

The Jam The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1 ...

's bassist

Bruce Foxton Bruce Douglas Foxton (born 1 September 1955) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Foxton's music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as bassist and backing vocalist of mod revival band the Jam. ...

spotted them. The band's line-up stabilised with David Fenton (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Howard Smith (drums),

Edward Bazalgette Edward Bazalgette is a British television director and former musician. Biography Bazalgette was the lead guitarist in the 1980s rock group The Vapors, whose hit " Turning Japanese" remains a popular one-hit wonder. He later became a film edi ...

(lead guitar) and Steve Smith (bass). Howard Smith and Steve Smith were not related. The band was originally named the Vapours but had removed the "u" to help garner more attention in the United States. Foxton then offered the band a few gigs and agreed to jointly manage them with John Weller (father of

Paul Weller Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul mu ...

). The Vapors were then offered a slot supporting the Jam on the

Setting Sons ''Setting Sons'' is the fourth studio album by the English rock band the Jam, released on 16 November 1979 by Polydor Records. It reached No. 4 in the UK Albums Chart upon the first week of release, continuing the commercial (and critical) favou ...

tour in 1979. The band signed to United Artists, releasing their first single, "Prisoners", at the end of 1979, but it failed to chart. Their second single, "

", is the song for which they are best remembered. The track was produced by the Jam's producer

Vic Coppersmith-Heaven Vic Coppersmith-Heaven (born Victor Smith, August 1945, England) is an English sound engineer and record producer, best known for his production work with the Jam. Career Smith worked in the recording studios at Polydor after leaving school in 1 ...

and reached number 3 in the UK and number 1 in Australia. It was also a top-ten hit in Canada and New Zealand and reached the top 40 in the United States. "Turning Japanese" was believed to

euphemistically A euphemism () is an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the user wishes ...

refer to

masturbation Masturbation is the sexual stimulation of one's own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation may involve hands, fingers, everyday objects, sex toys such as vibrators, or combinat ...

, although Fenton (the song's writer) denied that claim in an interview on VH1. He did, however, say he wished to thank whoever first came up with that interpretation, as he felt the salacious rumor about what the song 'really' meant may have been what made it a hit. The follow-up singles "News at Ten" and "Jimmie Jones" both peaked at number 44 in the UK Singles Chart. The band released two albums: ''

New Clear Days ''New Clear Days'' is the 1980 debut album by the British rock group The Vapors. It spent six weeks in the UK album charts, reaching a highest position of No. 44 in June 1980. It contains their best-known song, "Turning Japanese", which reached ...

'' (1980) and ''

Magnets A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel ...

'' (1981). ''New Clear Days'' contained "Turning Japanese" and displayed a new wave sound with socially conscious lyrics. That album reached the middle of the charts in the UK, Canada, and US. ''Magnets'' revealed a

sound and darker lyrics, with the song "Jimmie Jones" making reference to

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. Thi ...

leader

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide ...

. That album sold poorly and the band broke up in 1982. Fenton alleged in a later interview with ''

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide. History The early years The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...

'' magazine that lack of record label support was the chief reason for the band's split, while a planned single release was cancelled without explanation. After the Vapors broke up, David Fenton joined the legal profession in the early 1990s, concentrating on the legal aspects of the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

, and from 1999 he worked as a London-based in-house solicitor for the Musicians' Union.

became a television director; his credits include a 2005 BBC documentary about

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; ; xng, Temüjin, script=Latn; ., name=Temujin – August 25, 1227) was the founder and first Great Khan (Emperor) of the Mongol Empire, which became the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in history a ...

and two episodes of ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

'' in 2015. For many years Howard Smith ran an independent record shop, People Records in Guildford, the band's home town. Steve Smith formed the band Shoot!Dispute, which appeared in

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

sessions, and toured in support of

; and later joined the rap/rock band 1ST.

2016–present

After 34 years of inactivity, David Fenton, Ed Bazelgette, and Steve Smith appeared on stage at the Half Moon in Putney on 30 April 2016. With a guest drummer standing in for Howard Smith, they played "Turning Japanese" and then left the stage. Rumors of a reunion were rife, and the Vapors completed a four-date tour in October–November 2016 with Michael Bowes on drums. The Vapors continued with six more concerts in 2017 and 10 in 2018. That included three dates in New York City with David Fenton's son, Dan Fenton, standing in for Ed Bazelgette on lead guitar, where they played several new tracks, including "Secret Noise", "Sundown River", "Letter to Hiro (No11)", "The Right Stuff", "One of My Dreams", and "King L". As of 2017, the band's catalogue masters are controlled by Razor & Tie Industries, which acquired them from

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and th ...

, whose

Alternative Distribution Alliance Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) is a music distribution company owned by Warner Music Group, which represents the rights to various independent record labels. ADA provides "independent artist and label partners with access to the resource ...

serves as RT Industries' worldwide distributor when RT was newly launched in 2018. On 21 April 2018, they re-released "Turning Japanese" on red vinyl with bonus tracks for

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

. In April 2019, the band was announced as the support to

From the Jam The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 198 ...

on the 30-date Setting Sons 40th Anniversary tour. The Vapors had been the opening act for

on the original 1979 Setting Sons tour. On 3 March 2020, the Vapors announced that they would be releasing a new album, ''Together'', and issued "Crazy" as its lead single. ''Together'' was released on 15 May. It was the first album from the Vapors in 39 years, marking one of the longest gaps between studio albums. On 30 August, "Girl from the Factory", the third single from the album, reached number one on the United DJs ''Heritage Chart''. Follow-up single "Wonderland" also reached the top of the Heritage Charts on 22 November. The band celebrated their top-selling album by going out on the New Clear Days 40th Anniversary Tour in 2021. The download-only singles "One of My Dreams Came True" (2021) and "Novocaine" (2022) both reached the Heritage Chart top ten, maintaining the band profile.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

References

External links

True Spin The Vapors – The Story Behind "Turning Japanese" YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vapors, The 1979 establishments in England 1982 disestablishments in England English new wave musical groups English power pop groups Liberty Records artists Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups disestablished in 1982 Musical groups reestablished in 2016