#yellow-magic-orchestra — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

#YouTube introduced me to this group years ago, and just started to recommend them again to me.
I had almost how good they really are. And a live show even better.

#YMO #YellowMagicOrchestra #Firecracker #2012Live #Live

#live #2012live #firecracker #yellowmagicorchestra #ymo #youtube

zeruch @[email protected] · 2024-05-23 · 21:22 UTC

In 1984, #YellowMagicOrchestra made a rather bi-polar film consisting of concert footage (#YMO at that stage was already a well-oiled live machine) interspersed with almost dada-is shorts starring the members of YMO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vjs0_roKnQ8

#yellowmagicorchestra #ymo

emuziek @[email protected] · 2024-04-21 · 18:47 UTC

Cosmic ! - all vinyl mix - https://hearthis.at/emuziek/cosmic/

#HaruomiHosono #Supersempfft #RolfTrostel #HaraldGrosskopf #KlausSchultze #RainerBloss
#OrchestralManoeuvresInTheDark #OMD #RüdigerLorenz #TriAtma #Brain #Explorer #krautrock
#YellowMagicOrchestra #YMO #ThierryMeyer #Mobieus #Plank #Neumeier #Zenamon #SergioFerrarsei #LoveSpirit #Reichmann #Arpadys #electronica #vinyl #cosmic #synthwave #komsiche #minimal #MastodonMusic #MastoMusic #MastoRadio #Music #MusicHistory #Musodon #dj

#haruomihosono #supersempfft #rolftrostel #haraldgrosskopf #klausschultze #rainerbloss

KEXP 🎶 #NowPlaying Bot @[email protected] · 2024-04-19 · 04:20 UTC

🔊 #NowPlaying on #KEXP's #EasternEchoes

Yellow Magic Orchestra:
🎵 Rap Phenomena

#YellowMagicOrchestra

https://open.spotify.com/track/1ta8wvLW6xchXFOB8zXqHm

#nowplaying #kexp #easternechoes #yellowmagicorchestra

1001 Other Albums @[email protected] · 2024-04-07 · 16:00 UTC

[This guest post was written by wbwolf about number 85 on The List. The album was submitted by avi_miller. Note: Japanese names follow Japanese order, family name followed by given name.]

If there is any Japanese artist that belongs in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, it’s Yellow Magic Orchestra. They were one of the bands that helped shape synth-pop. Along with Kraftwerk, they were cited by Afrika Bambaataa as one of the early influences on hip-hop and electro. And the band started as a one off.

In the mid-1970s, Hosono Haruomi (formerly in Happy End), put out a series of solo albums that explored orientalist themes, both from within Japan and from outside. Hosono, along with his Tin Pan Alley production group, would work with top studio musicians in Japan. In 1978, Hosono put out Paraiso, which was credited to Hosono Haruomi & The Yellow Magic Band. One track of that album, “Femme Fatale” features Takahashi Yukihiro, former drummer for Sadistic Mika Band and Sakamoto Ryuichi, a classically trained keyboard player and arranger. All three had become interested in electronics and fusing them with Asian melodies. Over the course of 1977 and 1978, they worked on a number of projects along a similar theme: Pacific, along with Suzuki Shigeru (Tin Pan Alley) and Yamashita Tatsuro, based around the theme of the ocean; and Cochin Moon, fusing Indian ragas and electronic music.

Around the time Sakamoto was working on his own solo debut album, Hosono had the idea to do a one off studio project aiming at an overseas market. Hosono, Sakamoto and Takahashi recorded Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. In early 1979, the first album was remixed and released internationally. The success of the band both in Japan and overseas moved them out of the studio and into a full fledged band.

Ironically, the follow up Solid State Survivor was not released internationally until much later. Tracks from the album would be released on the international version of X∞Multiplies, a 1980 mini-album collaboration with comedy group Snakeman Show. But upon release in Japan, Solid State Survivor was a huge hit, selling over a million copies (a rare feat in the country), along with two top 20 singles.

The cover sets the tone of the album, with Hosono, Sakamoto and Takahashi dressed in red jumpsuits, seated around a table with two mannequins. The rear sleeve has them carrying the mannequins away from the table. There is a bit of tongue in cheek here.

The theme of the album is still Japan, but Japan of the present and near future. The album is divided into two pieces. Side A is instrumentals, leading with “Technopolis”, an ode to Tokyo. In a way, it was anticipating the cyberpunk themes of a technically advanced Tokyo being a major center. “Absolute Ego Dance” features wordless vocals by Sandii, who would go onto her own international career with Sandii & The Sunsetz. “Rydeen” is one of the most famous YMO songs, covered numerous times.

Side B is vocals. Lyrics are all in English, written by Chris Mosdell, an English writer based in Tokyo. The side leads off with “Behind The Mask”. Sung using a vocoder, the lyrics use the imagery of a Noh mask to evoke the facelessness of modern society. This song was released as a single in the US and UK. Michael Jackson would write his own lyrics to the song, and it was intended to be included on Thriller, but royalty payments couldn’t be agreed upon, so it was dropped. Greg Phillinganes and Eric Clapton would each record Michael Jackson’s version in the 1980s. Jackson’s recording would finally surface on his 2010 posthumous album.

Next is a robotic take on “Daytripper”. Much like Devo’s version of “Satisfaction” or Flying Lizard’s “Money”, it uses synthesizers and a drum machine to create a choppy sound. “Insomniac”, again using a vocoder and again touches on the isolation, this time late at night. Finally, the album closes with the title track “Solid State Survivor”. Despite the more uptempo music, the lyrics have a sense of dread, underscoring the isolation and facelessness of modern society.

Overall, this album is a great place to start with Yellow Magic Orchestra, and Japanese popular music in general. YMO would continue as a band until 1984, but all continued to do solo work and would occasionally collaborate with each other. Sakamoto would go on to be an Oscar winning composer. YMO, both as a group and members individually, had a major influence on Japanese popular music that is becoming more appreciated around the world. This album is but one example of that rich tradition worthy of exploration.

[Alt text for accompanying image: The album artwork is a photo of the three band members wearing red jumpsuits, seated around a table with two mannequins, one also wearing a red jumpsuit and another wearing a see-through blue dress. The background is yellow, with the band name (just “Yellow Magic”) in grey font at the top and the album name in smaller font along the bottom.]

https://1001otheralbums.com/2024/04/07/yellow-magic-orchestra-solid-state-survivor-1979-japan/

#1001OtherAlbums #1970s #electro #HaruomiHosono #Japan #RyuichiSakamoto #synthpop #YellowMagicOrchestra #YukihiroTakahashi