Oil On Canvas

ALL four members were grafting on solo projects, and by late '82 Japan's demise was formally announced. "When I finished Tin Drum, I felt I'd written my ideal pop song", Sylvian told Sounds, "and I didn't want to explore it any further. It was enough." Q magazine mourned: "It all ended in tears, but for a time Japan were the knees of highly chic, beautifully made-up bees. They looked like a match for anyone. Alas, alas, alas." Their farewell tour (which climaxed, appropriately enough, in Japan) was to be the source for '83's live double album OIL ON CANVAS, again immaculately produced by John Punter with the band. Focusing almost exclusively on material from the last two albums (which gives some indication of what the band considered to be their best phase), it added three new compositions and a stroll through "Quiet Life".