Hooray for 1979 Giorgio Moroder colloborations.
Sometimes I get caught up in obsessively listening to one song over and over, and today it's been Japan's "Life In Tokyo", released in 1979.
Japan are one of my favourite bands, and I do love Giorgio Moroder cheese, so of course a collaboration between the two is going to appeal to me. I'm pretty sure, though, that when I first heard this song I wasn't particularly impressed. Obviously something has since clicked, because now it's one of my favourite Japan songs. The bass line and synths work together to produce something quite hypnotic.
The version in the video is half the length of the version I've been listening to today, but the longer 12" version that's up on Youtube is entirely different again. Apparently there are at least eleven different versions of the song floating around.
This video actually makes me laugh. The "standard" band layout is usually drums at the back, guitarists near the front, right? Yet here we have Steve Jansen on drums right up front, while guitarist Rob Dean is all the way in the back somewhere near the backup singers. Poor Rob Dean, nobody cares about you, generally considered the ugly member of Japan. Perhaps if you were as pretty as Steve you wouldn't have to stand way in the back like an embarrassment. Do they even show his face during the whole video? I only noticed close ups on his hands.
That same year, Sparks, who are probably my favourite favourite band, also released a collaboration with Moroder: their eighth album, No. 1 In Heaven. The final track from that album, "The Number One Song in Heaven", is another favourite of mine. I have possibly said the word "favourite" too many times in this paragraph. But I really do love Sparks, and I really do love this song.
The video has Ron Mael x3! What could be better? Well, possibly a different haircut on Russell, but Ron's haircut here is, in my opinion, one of his best, and it's there three times, so perhaps it makes up for it.
Again, this is a song where I usually listen to the longer version. This is only the second half of the song as it appears on the album, but it's the more upbeat and danceable half, and makes a great end to a great album.
Japan are one of my favourite bands, and I do love Giorgio Moroder cheese, so of course a collaboration between the two is going to appeal to me. I'm pretty sure, though, that when I first heard this song I wasn't particularly impressed. Obviously something has since clicked, because now it's one of my favourite Japan songs. The bass line and synths work together to produce something quite hypnotic.
The version in the video is half the length of the version I've been listening to today, but the longer 12" version that's up on Youtube is entirely different again. Apparently there are at least eleven different versions of the song floating around.
Click to viewThis video actually makes me laugh. The "standard" band layout is usually drums at the back, guitarists near the front, right? Yet here we have Steve Jansen on drums right up front, while guitarist Rob Dean is all the way in the back somewhere near the backup singers. Poor Rob Dean, nobody cares about you, generally considered the ugly member of Japan. Perhaps if you were as pretty as Steve you wouldn't have to stand way in the back like an embarrassment. Do they even show his face during the whole video? I only noticed close ups on his hands.
That same year, Sparks, who are probably my favourite favourite band, also released a collaboration with Moroder: their eighth album, No. 1 In Heaven. The final track from that album, "The Number One Song in Heaven", is another favourite of mine. I have possibly said the word "favourite" too many times in this paragraph. But I really do love Sparks, and I really do love this song.
The video has Ron Mael x3! What could be better? Well, possibly a different haircut on Russell, but Ron's haircut here is, in my opinion, one of his best, and it's there three times, so perhaps it makes up for it.
Again, this is a song where I usually listen to the longer version. This is only the second half of the song as it appears on the album, but it's the more upbeat and danceable half, and makes a great end to a great album.