Background
The name Rain Tree Crow was chosen to mark a break from Japan's past,with the intention of creating a new long-term project. As the music turned out to be less commercial than originally envisaged,all members of the band aside from Sylvian became amenable to the idea of retaining the Japan moniker,in order to gain maximum exposure. [2] Virgin Records pressured the musicians to let them market the album under the name Japan;however,Sylvian was adamant that this would not take place. Sylvian's opinion prevailed and the album was released as by Rain Tree Crow.
It was decided early on that the project would involve only group compositions,as opposed to the group's earlier modus operandi where songs were largely based on Sylvian's ideas.
According to Karn,"the whole concept and direction of that album was that it was going to be very pop-oriented",wanting "to surprise people by doing the unexpected—by coming back into a market which we'd left behind a very long time ago. So,we decided that we would have a new name—Rain Tree Crow. The more obscure the name,the better. We believed that it would be a long-term project and that the name Rain Tree Crow would become more important than the name Japan". [3]
There had initially been talk about doing a second or third album,and possibly touring,but ultimately,personalities clashed toward the end of the project,with Sylvian citing differences of opinion,money and the re-emergence of "old tensions and frustrations". [4]
Recording
"The two main studios used for recording were Miraval in the South of France,chosen particularly for its ambient live rooms,and Condulmer,near Venice. Four to five weeks recording at each location produced the bulk of the material. The principal notion behind the project was to leave the tape rolling and see what transpired in the extempore sessions. This concept of impromptu performances represented a sharp contrast to the ways in which the group had originally worked." [5]
It was the last time all four group members collaborated,but it laid the groundwork for other related projects. In particular,Jansen Barbieri Karn,also known as JBK,emerged afterwards.
In an interview in 2009,Sylvian said:
"Although much of the finished work incorporates seeds of the original improvisations from which it grew, there was a lot of re-recording and polishing of the material. I don’t remember there being too much of a struggle regarding the different directions the material took although I do remember I’d frequently be forced to justify my decisions whereby one piece or approach might be deemed out of context and another not. ‘Blackwater’ might be the exception here. I think I fought harder for that track than any other. Not because it was of the greatest interest but it was a strong piece that worked well in the body of the remainder of the album".
— Interview by Markus Deisenberger on 22 November 2009 [4]
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