Big in Japan were a punk band that emerged from Liverpool, England in the late 1970s. They are better known for the later successes of their band members than for their own music. According to the Liverpool Echo, Big in Japan were "a supergroup with a difference - its members only became super after they left"^[1] Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Location within England Coordinates: , Sovereign state United Kingdom Constituent country England Region North West England Ceremonial county Historic county Merseyside Lancashire Admin HQ Liverpool City Centre Founded 1207 City Status 1880 Government  - Type Metropolitan borough, City  - Governing body Liverpool City Council Area  - Borough & City 43. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979. ... The Liverpool Echo and Liverpool Daily Post are two newspapers published by Trinity Mirror on Merseyside in the United Kingdom. ... SuperGroup is a reality show on the channel VH1. ...

History

Coming from the same Merseyside scene as Echo & the Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes, OMD and Dalek I Love You, Big in Japan formed in late 1977. They started off playing gigs around Liverpool, most notably at the seminal Eric's Club.^[1] Their stage show was unique: lead singer Jayne Casey would perform with a lampshade over her shaved head, guitarist Bill Drummond played in a kilt and bassist Holly Johnson performed in a flamboyant manner which he would later take further in Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. ... Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk group, formed in Liverpool in 1978. ... The Teardrop Explodes (L to R) Alan Gill, Julian Cope, Gary Dwyer and David Balfe The Teardrop Explodes was a British New Wave/Neo-Psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. ... Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (often abbreviated to OMD) are a synth pop group whose founder members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, UK. OMD record for Virgin Records (originally for Virgins DinDisc subsidiary). ... Dalek I Love You For other uses, see Dalek I Love You (disambiguation). ... Location within England Coordinates: , Sovereign state United Kingdom Constituent country England Region North West England Ceremonial county Historic county Merseyside Lancashire Admin HQ Liverpool City Centre Founded 1207 City Status 1880 Government  - Type Metropolitan borough, City  - Governing body Liverpool City Council Area  - Borough & City 43. ... Big In Japans EP Big in Japan was a punk band that emerged from Liverpool in the late 1970s. ... William Ernest Drummond[1] (Bill Drummond) (born April 29, 1953, Butterworth, South Africa)[2][3] is a Scottish musician, music industry figure, writer and artist. ... Formal Highland regalia, kilt and Prince Charlie jacket for Black tie. ... Holly Johnson (born William Johnson on February 9, 1960 in Liverpool) is best known as the lead singer of British pop group Frankie Goes to Hollywood. ... Frankie Goes to Hollywood (FGTH) was a UK New wave band that was popular in early 1980s. ...

Jayne Casey would later state:

Ian Broudie said that "It was more performance art than rock'n'roll. But it gave me a healthy disregard for musicianship. It's ideas that are important, not proficiency."^[3] The Monkees were a pop-rock quartet created and based in Los Angeles in 1965 for an NBC American television series of the same name. ... Ian Broudie (born August 4, 1958 in Liverpool, England) is a prolific musician and producer, best known for his 1990s band the Lightning Seeds. ...

Hatred of the band reached such a level that a petition calling on them to split up was launched by a jealous young Julian Cope. Displayed in local shop Probe Records the petition gathered 2000^{[citation needed]} signatures including those of the band themselves.^[4] Shortly afterwards the band did split up although this was due to personal differences rather than the petition. Julian Cope (born Julian David Cope, on 21 October 1957) is an Welsh rock musician, writer, antiquary, musicologist, poet and forward-thinker who came to prominence as singer of Liverpool post-punk band The Teardrop Explodes in 1978. ...

The band left the total recorded legacy of seven songs: one on a single, four on their E.P. From Y to Z and Never Again, and two released on a compilation. Their music ranged from punk paeans to the life of prostitution on Suicide a Go-Go, to goofy 50's pastiches complete with high-pitched chipmunk type vocals on Cindy and the Barbi Dolls. A vinyl EP from Crop Circles. ... From Y To Z and Never Again is an EP released by the seminal punk band Big In Japan. ... Whore redirects here. ... Alvin and the Chipmunks, left to right: Theodore, Simon, and Alvin. ...

The band broke up in 1978, but recorded From Y To Z and Never Again afterwards to pay off debts. The unintentional consequence of the E.P. was the formation of the seminal Zoo label, which went on to release early material by Echo & the Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes, amongst others. Zoo Label:Uncaged, a 1995 compilation of Zoo releases. ... Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk group, formed in Liverpool in 1978. ... The Teardrop Explodes (L to R) Alan Gill, Julian Cope, Gary Dwyer and David Balfe The Teardrop Explodes was a British New Wave/Neo-Psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. ...

As of 2005, five out of the seven of the band's recorded songs are available on the compilation CD Zoo Label: Uncaged. Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... CD may stand for: Compact Disc Canadian Forces Decoration Cash Dispenser (at least used in Japan) CD LPMud Driver Centrum-Demokraterne (Centre Democrats of Denmark) Certificate of Deposit České Dráhy (Czech Railways) Chad (NATO country code) Chalmers Datorförening (computer club of the Chalmers University of Technology) a 1960s...

Discography

• "Brutality, Religion and a dance beat (e.g., Big in Japan & the Chuddy Nuddies)" - split single on Eric's (run out of the legendary Liverpool nightclub on Matthew Street, with releases by Jayne Casey's Pink Military project) - "Big in Japan" by Big in Japan and "Do the Chud" by the Chuddy Nuddies (fellow Liverpool band Yachts recording under a pseudonym) - Sept. '77, 7", Eric's 0001.

• From Y To Z and Never Again - EP, (first ever release on the Zoo Label) - "Nothing Special," "Cindy and the Barbi Dolls," "Suicide a GoGo," "Taxi," 1978, 7", Cage 001.

Credits: NOTHING SPECIAL...recorded at the M.V.C.U. 4 track studio (Teac 3340S), Liverpool, July '78. Produced by Noddy Knowler. Musicians: Jayne, vocals; Ian Broudie, guitar; Bill Drummond, guitar; Dave Balfe, bass; Budgie, drums.
CINDY AND THE BARBI DOLLS...recorded at the M.V.C.U. 4 track studio (Teac 3340S), Liverpool, August '78. Produced by Noddy Knowler. Musicians: Ian Broudie, guitar; Bill Drummond, guitar; Dave Balfe, bass.
SUICIDE A GO GO...recorded at T.W. studios, London, November' 77. Produced by Rob Dickens. Musicians: Jayne, vocals; Kev Ward, vocals; Ian Broudie, guitar; Bill Drummond, guitar; Holly, bass; Phil Allen, drums.
TAXI...recorded at Amazon studios, Liverpool, May '78. Produced by the band. Musicians: Jayne, vocals; Ian Broudie, guitar; Bill Drummond, guitar; Holly, bass; Budgie, drums. Location within England Coordinates: , Sovereign state United Kingdom Constituent country England Region North West England Ceremonial county Historic county Merseyside Lancashire Admin HQ Liverpool City Centre Founded 1207 City Status 1880 Government  - Type Metropolitan borough, City  - Governing body Liverpool City Council Area  - Borough & City 43. ... // Extended play (EP) is the name typically given to vinyl records or CDs which contain more than one single but are too short to qualify as albums. ...

Two further tracks by the band have appeared on compilation albums:

• Match Of The Day - an instrumental track which featured on Street To Street: A Liverpoool Album - 1978, Open Eye Records.

• S.C.U.M (Society For Cutting Up Men) - features on Zoo Records compilation album To The Shores Of Lake Placid, first released in 1982.

Three unreleased songs were recorded for the band's only John Peel session of 6th March 1979 Zoo Label:Uncaged, a 1995 compilation of Zoo releases. ...

• Suicide High Life, Goodbye and Don't Bomb China

A bootleg CD-R is in circulation which contains all of the material listed above as well as demo versions of the following songs:

• Society for Cutting Up Men, Boys Cry, Big in Japan, Space Walk, Match of the Day and Taxi
• It also contains the audio from the band's performance of Suicide A Go Go on their Granada TV appearance of 23rd of March 1978 (on Tony Wilson's 'So It Goes).

One additional track is listed in Sounds Magazine:

• Don't Bomb China - private tape.

Members^[5]

• Budgie - later of The Slits and then Siouxsie & the Banshees
• Ian Broudie - later of Original Mirrors, Care, The Lightning Seeds and a respected producer
• Bill Drummond - later of Lori & the Chameleons, the Zoo record label, the JAMMS, and The KLF
• David Balfe - later also of Lori & the Chameleons, and The Teardrop Explodes and the Food record label
• Jayne Casey - later of Pink Military and Pink Industry and then leading light in the Liverpool club and arts scenes
• Holly Johnson - later of Frankie Goes to Hollywood and solo artist
• Kev Ward and Phil Allen - no further musical activity

Peter Clarke, (born August 21, 1957), better known as Budgie, is an English drummer. ... The Slits are an all female punk rock band. ... Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band that formed in 1976. ... Ian Broudie (born August 4, 1958 in Liverpool, England) is a prolific musician and producer, best known for his 1990s band the Lightning Seeds. ... Care was an Alternative Rock band formed by Paul Simpson and Ian Broudie in 1983 in Liverpool, England. ... The Lightning Seeds are an alternative pop band, largely the brainchild of writer, singer and guitarist Ian Broudie (born August 4, 1958, Liverpool, England). ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... William Ernest Drummond[1] (Bill Drummond) (born April 29, 1953, Butterworth, South Africa)[2][3] is a Scottish musician, music industry figure, writer and artist. ... Zoo Label:Uncaged, a 1995 compilation of Zoo releases. ... The KLF (also known as The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs), The Timelords and other names) were one of the seminal bands of the British acid house movement during the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... David Balfe (c. ... The Teardrop Explodes (L to R) Alan Gill, Julian Cope, Gary Dwyer and David Balfe The Teardrop Explodes was a British New Wave/Neo-Psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. ... Holly Johnson (born William Johnson on February 9, 1960 in Liverpool) is best known as the lead singer of British pop group Frankie Goes to Hollywood. ... Frankie Goes to Hollywood (FGTH) was a UK New wave band that was popular in early 1980s. ...

Notes & references