UGLY THINGS MAGAZINE x GONZO! 07.25.24
In Collaboration with Ugly Things Magazine Issue #66:
Research & Investigation: THE BADGE!
By Justin Murphy
“This is the best Japanese band I have ever seen. You should debut in England!” John Weller (Paul Weller’s father and manager) told the Badge. In June of 1982, the Jam toured Japan and welcomed the Badge as the opening act throughout the run. Unless you are a part of a small group of dedicated record collectors or happened to be around Japan in the ‘80s, they may not sound too familiar. As a more recent fan of the group, I wanted to know more and proceeded to research and investigate.
The Badge consisted of Nobuaki Tanaka (vocals, bass), Shoji Nakamura (vocals, guitar) and Tetsu Kawasaki (vocals, drums). The group made their major debut in 1982 and disbanded in 1986. Here we are in 2024 and the Badge are still nearly unheard of outside of Japan. Fortunately, there is a loyal cult following preserving the music and memories of the suit-and-tie three piece from Fukuoka, Japan.
Earlier this year, I visited Poor Cow, a popular rock ‘n’ roll joint located in Tokyo and owned by Fifi of the band Teengenerate. I met up with Mr Yotta aka “The Badge Freak,” who is the head of the Badge fan club, the Badge Official Fan Site, and a staff member of “The Badge Night,” a yearly event consisting of Shoji Nakamura (the only original member) and three supporting members from a different band, the Barrel, playing songs from the Badge. Mr Yotta brought along Mr Uchiyama, who is also involved in the management of “The Badge Night.” Both men are among the most dedicated Badge fans and saw the group actively throughout the ‘80s. Together, we discussed the history, the music and the small but significant impact of this rock ‘n’ roll group.
One of the most important catalysts in the discovery of the Badge was due to the work of Powerpearls compilation series, which from 1998–2001 compiled obscure power pop from all around the world. Volume 6, released in 2000, introduced the Badge to people all over, eventually leading to the reissue of their music. The Badge were the only Japanese group to be a part of the power pop compilation and were also chosen to be on the cover of that volume.
The Badge’s story goes back to Fukuoka in 1971 when original vocalist Nobuaki Tanaka formed a group called Rindon. This obscure band, responsible for the roots of Japanese power pop, had three singles released in 1974-75. After Rindon disbanded, Nobuaki began singing solo, accompanying himself on guitar and harmonica in the same small venues where he used to perform with Rindon. In the spring of 1978, he met Shoji Nakamura in a music store and Shoji mentioned that he was a fan of Rindon. Shoji was still only a student at this time, but he and Nobuaki ended up playing together with other friends. Tetsu Kawasaki wasn’t in the band at first as he was going to the university in Tokyo, but Shoji was able to convince him to return to Fukuoka and join. In the beginning they called themselves the Rain. When the group started playing, Tetsu was at first asked to play guitar, but he enjoyed playing with the two so much that he ended up on the drums, practicing very hard to master his new instrument. The Rain started out playing in local clubs, but at times there would be few as fifteen people in the audience. It wasn’t going particularly well, but they continued and developed a different mindset than the previous groups that they all played in—a “not for fun, but for real” attitude.
Another guitarist, Kiyomi Ishihara, joined them for a short time during 1980-1981. As they played more concerts, they began to get some recognition. After recording a demo tape they started to make progress, even getting some television exposure, most notably Fuji TV’s music contest HOT-TV, which they won for three consecutive weeks. By 1982, they’d relocated to Tokyo where they renamed themselves the Badge.
That same year, on June 16th, they are chosen to be the opener for the Jam’s tour of Japan. This was without a doubt the group’s biggest achievement as much of their loyal fan following continued to build, even after their breakup, due to their exposure of being the supporting act to a well-acclaimed group.
In July 1982, they debuted one of their most beloved seven-inch singles on Teichiku Records, “Photographs of Two People,” originally a Rindon song. It’s a terrific pop tune with soft vocal melodies, a perfect song that gets better and better with each listen. It happens to also be listed as their most popular song among Badge fans, according to their fan site. They look attractively mod on the cover, stating to the listeners, “The Badge has come, please listen!” The B-side to the debut was the song “Dancing,” which was the one that successfully landed on Powerpearls Volume 6 and another power pop compilation titled, Shake Some Action Volume 6 - All Around the World. During this time, they performed in their hometown frequently as well as other Japanese cities.
In January of 1983, the second single, “Winking is a Thing of the Past” backed with “Just One Kiss,” was released, and in May of the same year, their first and only album, Touch, was released containing songs ranging from Merseybeat to power pop with a punk edge. Flex! magazine noted it as “An excellent album, one of the best Japanese power pop releases of the early ‘80s (not that there’s a lot of competition anyway…).”
Their later releases from 1984-85 were on King Records. During what fans call “The King Years,” the Badge are very much modeled after the Jam, catchy and energetic. In August of ‘84, the first single following their album, was “Jumping off the A Train” / “Black Generation,” good songs with a more professional and commercial sound. “London Paradise” / “Message from UK” (dedicated to Ray Davies) is released immediately after, an excellent release for fans of power pop. The guitar is flexible and vigorous, reminding me of the Riptides who were also active around the same time. The third release of “The King Years,” in November of 1984, is “Oh Carol!” / “You are Stranger.” The sound is moodier and less memorable with ‘50s/’60s pop elements. Following this was the “99 Club” single in December. This was also the name of their fan club/newsletter/fanzine issued around 1984-1986. It’s a solid single and one of the songs explores rockabilly, which is arbitrary but interesting. At this point, the direction is much different than the primitive earlier recordings. The last official King Records single is the 12-inch “One Boy” in August of ’85, which has a lot of English pop, rock and soul inspiration. All in all, it’s hard to beat their earliest recordings, but there are a handful of catchy songs in this later period.
The Badge continued to tour through 1985, but disbanded after a live performance on September 22, 1986. Although they had released one album, four seven-inch singles and three 12-inch singles on major labels in Japan, they were never able to achieve much success, including chart success, during their ‘80s lifespan.
Afterwards, the three members went their separate ways, Shoji Nakamura as a composer producing commercial songs for local companies, and Tetsu Kawasaki towards music production and eventually away from the music scene entirely. The leader, Nobuaki Tanaka reformed the Heartbreak Band (another band name that had been used temporarily in lieu of the Badge) with others in 1986 and remained with that band until 1992. He continued as a soloist, too, but eventually fell ill. On May 7, 1999, Nobuaki Tanaka passed away at the age of 47.
After many years, in 2019, Shoji Nakamura returned to a sold out show in their hometown for the very first “The Badge Night.” From 2019 until now there have been a total of four of these nights celebrating the original group, most recently in February of 2024. With more activity on the rise, fans of British beat, ‘80s power pop and mod should get acquainted with this overlooked group.
It’s quite interesting to think how far the British Beat of the ‘60s pervaded and traversed into Japan. The radio would certainly be the cause for this interconnection. The ‘80s were an innovative time with personal computers, video cameras and mobile phones making their first appearance. You can only imagine the exhilarating rush of hearing western rock music on the radio for the first time! Shoji states in a separate interview, “Like in Kawasaki, it was radio. In Fukuoka, there was RKB Mainichi Broadcasting, KBC Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting and also FEN (radio broadcasting for the US military base in Japan) because there was an American military base there. I used to listen to those. Every Sunday they had a Top Ten program. Then I thought ‘Western music is cool.’ It’s the same now, but I don’t pay much attention to the lyrics, I listen mainly to the music.” Shoji explains that when he was a student in high school, punk and new wave was prevailing and starting to become an inspiration—bands such as the Sex Pistols, the Damned, 999, Nick Lowe, Ian Gomm, Elvis Costello and other Stiff Label artists. Later, it became clear that The Who, the Beatles, the Kinks were the most important influences to the group. With all things considered, the Badge is mostly regarded as mod-revival group based on their overall sound, image and aesthetics.
In Japan the Badge were also considered pioneers of using English phrases in their songs. This was something that actually began in the early days of rock and pop in Japan and the GS (Group Sounds) bands of the 1960s, but it became more common during the ‘80s. It was even debated in music magazines whether rock music could be sung at all in Japanese. Some artists and critics felt that rock and pop could not sound right in Japanese. English is often used for aesthetic appeal because it is considered to be fashionable, as well as potentially more accessible to a global audience. Active from 1993-1996, Teengenerate were another popular Japanese group, closer to the punk side, doing this. They are famous for using English lyrics as a Japanese band, most of them incomprehensible and used with a sense of humor. Japanese and foreigners found it groundbreaking. In the documentary, Get Action! The Story of Teengenerate, they are even championed by Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub.
During this time another music scene was happening in Japan, specifically in the Badge’s hometown of Fukuoka: Mentai Rock. Although I did stumble across one article that included the Badge as part of that group of musicians, they weren’t really considered a part of the Mentai Rock scene. Mentai Rockers were a group of Japanese artists from that region who became nationally recognized during the late 1970s into the early 1980s. I do like Sheena & the Rokkets, who are considered Mentai Rock. They opened for Elvis Costello during his Japanese tour, and their album, Vacuum Pack rated #44 on Rolling Stone Japan’s “100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time.” Fink (Fifi’s brother and another member of Teengenerate) states in his personal interview with Shoji, “The Badge is not part of the so-called “Mentai Rock” is it? One of the reasons I like the Badge is that I don’t feel like I belong to that kind of group at all.” Shoji replies, “We were aware that we weren’t Mentai Rock and that we didn’t want to be included in something like that. Maybe we were enjoying our solitude, and we were also proud that no one else could do what we did. No other band can sing in a chorus as well as we do. Even live, the Badge don’t miss a beat at all.”
Some of my favorite Badge songs are on the 2003 CD compilation Smash it Up! Previously Unreleased Songs and Demos Vol 1 1981-1986. Some songs even ranked in the indie charts and were featured on Japanese TV. Most are raw and fast, including great songs such as “Kanasiki Midnight Rocker,” “Rainy Day” and “Buriki no Omotya (Too Young to Die).” The overall sound is poignant but still very driving. The vocals are terrific and retain the perfect melodic rasp. Shoji’s guitar always has a great shimmer to it and Nobuaki’s bass tone is punchy and creatively imagined like many great power pop songs. Tetsu’s drumming never does more than it needs and all the fills are played to support the whole of the music. I like what Paul Collins said in his memoir when he was learning the drums before joining the Nerves. His drum teacher said to him, “What’s a beat? A beat is the same sound over and over again! Don’t you forget that!”
The best songs of the Badge are capable of bringing emotion to the susceptible sentimentalist. For people who get light-hearted listening to songs such as “Go All the Way” by the Raspberries or “Couldn’t I Just Tell You” by Todd Rundgren” (basically the best power pop songs of all time), the Badge will be to your liking. To start, I would go with the Volume 1 of unreleased songs aforementioned or the Teichiku Single Collection which has the first two singles plus bonus tracks. The Badge has a generous amount of top quality power pop to offer, and it’s impressive that this sound was being created at this time in Japan. Shoji states in the previously mentioned interview with Fink, “I think that harmony was our strength, because all three of us liked singing. It is said that people who love to sing also bring that out in their instruments. Even the sound of the drum has a singing spirit.”
The Japanese music scene is still very much active. There are many first-rate bands maintaining the integrity of rock ‘n’ roll. Some other noteworthy groups I’ve come across include Firestarter, the Choosers, Treeberrys, Rock Juice and Angelface.
The Badge were known to their fans for being nice people. All members were very kind and fans enjoyed their benevolence on top of their musical talents. Again, the only active member is Shoji Nakamura and it looks like he’s been continuing to do “The Badge Night” the last few years, collaborating with other bands across from Japan who adore The Badge. I look forward to the next Badge Night, and also future releases from Mr Nakamura. He has released a few solo albums post-Badge that are worth checking out, and recently, one of the Badge seven-inches was re-released and sold out immediately.
Thanks again to Mr Nitta, Mr Uchiyama, Fink and Fifi. This article is dedicated to the original Badge leader, Nobuaki Tanaka: may your music live on and never be forgotten!