A Half Speed Mastered edition of Japan's fourth album from 1980. Mastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road. Features the single Gentlemen Take Polaroids. Japan's fourth album is a study in serious mood development. Japan's subtle mixture of spidery guitars, lush saxophones, and elastic bass is fleshed out with David's Sylvian's effortless vocals and some truly classy synthesizer work that, somehow, doesn't seem to have dated. Mick Karn pulls double duty with the sax and bass and, as usual, his work is what grounds the band - for proof, see My New Career or Taking Islands in Africa. Among the standout tracks, Burning Bridges borrows more than a few notions from the collaborations between David Bowie and Brian Eno, but nevertheless manages to present a beautiful soundscape that is fresh and dynamic. With a phrase from one song becoming the title of another, Sylvian's lyrics are more oblique than usual. The record also includes a wonderfully infectious cover of the Marvin Gaye classic, Ain't That Peculiar. This is the modern-rock version of smoky, late-night jazz.
2LP - Double 45 RPM half-speed mastered edition. This is the ultimate for high quality reproduction as the faster the replay speed of the record, the higher the potential quality. Also, the shorter side times allow the level recorded to the master lacquer discs to be increased thereby improving the signal to noise ratio.