Album · Japan
Tin Drum by Japan
Tin Drum is an album by Japan, released in 1981. 4 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 5 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “The Art of Parties”, on 1 list with a best position of #1173.
Tin Drum, the fifth and last studio album by Japan, came out on Virgin in November 1981, and it's the sound of a band that started out in glam-rock finery arriving somewhere entirely its own. Steve Nye produced, and David Sylvian, Steve Jansen, Mick Karn and Richard Barbieri build the songs out of taut drum patterns, Karn's slithering bass and Barbieri's cool electronic washes, with Sylvian crooning over the top.
"Ghosts" became a top 5 UK single, all hush and space, while "The Art of Parties", "Visions of China" and "Talking Drum" twitch with nervy, far-flung rhythms. Plenty of listeners hear it as the most original thing Japan ever did and their finest hour, which made the split in December 1982, just as success was arriving, all the more of a jolt.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Tin Drum on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Art of Parties | 1 | #1173 | – | 2003 | |
| 2 | Still Life in Mobile Homes | 2 | #647 | – | 2003–2023 | |
| 3 | Visions of China | 1 | #1501 | – | 2003 | |
| 4 | Talking Drum | 1 | #1808 | – | 2003 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.