Japan – Oil on Canvas (1983): Incorporating glam rock, synth pop, and art rock into a big sound, Japan was one of the more fascinating British progressive rock bands. I knew nothing about the band when I came across this live double album, Oil on Canvas, which is their sixth and last album. It took me a while even to realize that the splashes of color on the cover represent an abstract painting of a face. Some of the tracks actually sound too good to have been played live; and indeed, what I have read about Oil on Canvas indicates that some of the tracks were re-recorded in a studio.