In Loving Memory

"I burn a candle in your place I picture the passion on your face
Feelings that rise on a wave and fall away
All the pleasures have returned,all of the lessons I should have learned
Return again to light for us to see
You're like a map of buried gold I search for treasure in your soul
And when I'm gone,you know I will come back to you
We'll sail on a river,way out to the Baltic Sea love will keep us together
And the tide will draw you close to me
Never words so true,never words so wise
Love will keep us together,cause there's more to this than meets the eye
I'm like a mountain made of stone,I'm like a new day dawning
I'll be here every morning,close to you"

Buoy-Mick Karn/David Sylvian

When I learned last Wednesday that former Japan bass player Mick Karn had died this past January I was filled w/ anger and sorrow,anger that such a beautiful human being such as Antonis Michaelides was taken from us at the tender age of 52(my own father was only 51 when he passed away and it just seemed too soon then,ditto for Mick)anger also that the news had only just reached me after Mick's passing on January 4th,how this had escaped my attention I don't know.

Having been a fan of Mick's since I first discovered him in Japan back in 1979 and followed his solo career after Japan had called it a day in 82 there was an overwhelming sense of sorrow that this genius of the fretless bass never really got his dues,whether it was his infectious bass line on "European Son" or his soulful saxophone playing on "The Tenant" on Japan's sophomore album "Obscure Alternatives'' Mick Karn was an artist in every sense of the word,I still own a copy of the programme from his sculpture exhibition in London in either 81 or 82,I knew jack shit about art but went to see Mick's exhibition anyway.

Maybe it was because Japan were "local boys who made it to the big time" that I became a huge fan but frankly even if we hadn't shared a South East London postcode I think I would've been impressed by them,hearing their third album "Quiet Life" in 79 had a huge impact on me,they had a sound and a look that pre dated the New Romantic movement by 2 years,sadly their record label Hansa did a poor job marketing and promoting them,maybe because their debut album in 79 "Adolescent Sex" got crucified by the music press but "Obscure Alternatives" their follow up contained some solid tracks but the radio stations weren't buying it which is a shame because by the time "Quiet Life" was released this was band hitting their stride.

A change of label and a slight change in their sound by the time they signed for Virgin in 80 and released "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" saw Japan scratching the the surface of the top 40 but when they released their 5th and sadly final album "Tin Drum" there seemed to be no stopping them,suddenly the top 40 music buying public were very aware who Japan were and w/ Hansa now re releasing previous Japan songs that had failed to chart it was a great time for the likes of yours truly as my Japan record collection grew and grew.......

If there'd been a VH1 back then and a "Behind The Music" the Japan story would have been cannon fodder for them w/ the world finally sitting up and taking notice and on the back of three exceptional albums the band called it a day after their 82 "Tin Drum" tour,after years of fighting w/ their record label the fighting now took place w/in the band,perhaps the straw that broke the camels back was on the eve of the tour Mick's girlfriend and band photographer Yuka Fujii left Mick for lead singer David Sylvian......ouch!!!

The obvious bad blood between Mick and David was evident when neither appeared on the others debut solo albums despite the fact both former band mates Steve Jensen and Richard Barbieri showed up on Karn's album "Titles" in 82 and Sylvian's "Brilliant Trees"in 84 but by 87 and Karn's second solo effort "Dreams Of Reason Produce Monsters" there seemed to a reconciliation as David appeared on two tracks "Buoy" and "When Love Walks In" and 4 years later all four members got together to record a new album but not under the Japan name but Rain Tree Crow but it would prove short lived as the foursome never worked together again as the old issues that tour them apart 9 years earlier resurfaced.

Mick Karn had become a highly sought after bass player w/ his name showing up on the credits of albums by Gary Numan,Kate Bush and Joan Armartrading not to mention projects w/ Midge Ure of Ultravox "After A Fashion" and a project w/ Pete Murphy of Bauhaus called Dali's Car but he also became a major player in the Jazz fushion world as he continued to make albums,but upon learning he was diagnosed w/ cancer he made one last project w/ Pete Murphy as a follow up to 84's "The Waking Hour" which would prove to be his final body of work as he passed away on January 4th.

I was lucky enough to see Japan live 3 times in 81 and 82 not to mention own a considerable vinyl collection of Japan and David Sylvian and Mick Karn projects that I've been able to upgrade on cd,I was lucky enough to not only see Mick's sculpture exhibition but also meet him twice and still have signed pictures of him, I am looking to pick up his autobiography"Japan & Self Existence" for his version of the 82 brake up of Japan and the ill fated Rain Tree Crow reunion.

For those who missed out on Japan I recommend the following cds:Exorcising Ghosts,Assemblage,The Very Best Of,Quiet Life,Gentleman Take Polaroids,Tin Drum and Oil On Canvas,from Mick's solo career Titles, Dreams Of Reasons Produce Monsters but if you really want the full Mick Karn/Japan experience get a hold of the dvd of The Very Best Of Japan and watch the live "Oil On Canvas" concert footage,marvel at how Mick bends notes out of his fretless bass and watch in awe as he moves across the stage,maybe then you'll understand why his death is such a tragic loss to the music world,rest in peace Antonis,gone but NEVER forgotten.