Yellow Magic Orchestra -

Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) was a Japanese electro/art-pop trio that released six proper albums and a live disc between 1978 and 1983 on Alfa. They were formed by veteran multi-instrumentalist Haruomi Hosono (ex-Apryl Fool, Happy End) and featured drummer Yukihiro Takahashi (ex-Sadistic Mika Band). During YMO’s initial run, singer and keyboardist Ryuichi Sakamoto launched a prolific solo career with international reach.

Members: 細野晴臣 [Haruomi Hosono] (bass, keyboards, electronics, vocals), Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards, electronics, percussion, vocals), 高橋幸宏 [Yukihiro Takahashi] (drums, electronics, percussion, vocals)

Background

Yellow Magic Orchestra was formed in 1978 by veteran musician Haruomi Hosono, who started nine years earlier as the bassist of psych-rockers Apryl Fool. During the early 1970s, he played multiple instruments on three albums with folk-rockers Happy End. Mid-decade, he cut two albums with pop-funksters Tin Pan Alley. He launched his solo career with the 1973 release Hosono House. Concurrently, he played on albums by Inoue Yousui (Ice World, 1973) and Osamu Kitajima (Benzaiten, 1974).

In late 1977, Hosono formed The Yellow Magic Band, a loose collective of studio musicians assembled for his fourth solo album Paraiso, a tropical set that appeared the following year. The band included drummer Yukihiro Takahashi and keyboardist Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Takahashi had cut three albums between 1973 and 1975 as a member of art-rockers the Sadistic Mika Band. Simultaneously, he partook in the folk combo Buzz, led by his older brother Nobuyuki. As recordings took place for Paraiso, Takahashi used some of the same musicians for his debut solo album Saravah!, including Hosono and Sakamoto.

Sakamoto’s recording career dated back to 1975 with appearances on albums by Lily, Kohei Oikawa, and Kobayashi Masahiro. His first headlining album was the 1976 ALM Records release Disappointment-Hateruma, a free-improv collaborative effort with percussionist Toshi Tsuchitori. In 1977, Sakamoto and Hosono interacted on albums by Taeko Ohnuki (Sunshower), Tatsuro Yamashita (Spacy), and Chu Kosaka (Morning). That same year, Sakamoto played keyboards on four songs (all of side A) on Olive’s Step, the fifth album by jazz-rock guitarist Kazumi Watanabe.

After recordings wrapped on Paraiso and Saravah!, Sakamoto recorded his debut solo album Thousand Knives of with backing by Hosono, Takahashi, and Watanabe. Also in 1978, Hosono recorded two further solo albums: Cochin Moon (co-billed to Tadanori Yokoo with help from Sakamoto) and Pacific (co-billed to Shigeru Suzuki and Tatsuro Yamashita with appearances by Sakamoto and Takahashi).

In July 1978, Hosono enlisted Sakamoto and Takahashi for a studio-based project fusing electronic music with exotica. Intended as a one-off, it was released on Alfa that November as Yellow Magic Orchestra. The album’s success made YMO an ongoing concern.

Yellow Magic Orchestra

Yellow Magic Orchestra released their self-titled debut album on November 25, 1978, on Alfa.

The album contains three group-written miniatures and “Firecracker,” which appropriates a Martin Denny theme. Haruomi Hosono composed “Cosmic Surfin’,” “Mad Pierrot,” and co-wrote “Simoon” with English lyricist Chris Mosdell, who co-wrote “La femme chinoise” with Yukihiro Takahashi. Ryuichi Sakamoto submitted “Tong Poo” (titled “Yellow Magic” on the international version with vocals by Minako Yoshida).

Hosono plays string and synth bass and shares multiple synthesizers (Korg PS-3100, Moog III-C, Minimoog, ARP Odyssey, Oberheim Eight-Voice) with Sakamoto, who plays a Steinway and Fender Rhodes piano and splits percussive chores with Takahashi, who plays marimba, electronic Syn-Drums, and conventional Yamaha Drums.

Guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka plays electric leads on “Cosmic Surfin'” and “La femme chinoise,” the latter with “Sexy Voice” French narration by Tomoko Nunoi. Shun’ichi “Tyrone” Hashimoto sings through the Korg VC-10 vocoder on “Simoon.”

Yellow Magic Orchestra marked the earliest known use of the Roland MC-8 Microcomposer, a computerized note reader and super-speed synth communicator, programmed by YMO fourth wheel Hideki Matsutake.

1. “Computer Game ‘Theme from The Circus’” (1:48)
2. “Firecracker” (4:50)
3. “Simoon” (6:27)
4. “Cosmic Surfin’” (4:51)
5. “Computer Game ‘Theme from The Invader’” (0:43)

1. “Tong Poo” (6:15)
2. “La femme chinoise” (5:52)
3. “Bridge over Troubled Music” (1:17)
4. “Mad Pierrot” (4:20)
5. “Acrobat” (1:12)

Sessions spanned July 10 to September 5, 1978, at Alfa Studio A in Shibaura, Minato, Tokyo, where Hosono produced Yellow Magic Orchestra between Paraiso and The Smile of Life, an album by American blue-eyed soul singer Ronnie Barron for the Japanese Better Days label.

The original Alfa cover depicts three floating objects (medallion, cigarette case, vintage radio) against a teal backdrop.

In June 1979, Yellow Magic Orchestra appeared in Europe, Oceania, Brazil, and North America on Horizon, a jazz-funk division of A&M. This version (remixed, sans “Acrobat”) depicts a wire-headed geisha by German-American artist Lou Beach, a recent cover artist for Head East, Jakob Magnusson, Marilyn Scott, Sad Cafe, and Weather Report. US copies appeared on yellow vinyl.

On July 13, A&M issued “Yellow Magic (Tong Poo)” as a UK single (b/w “Cosmic Surfin”’). In October, “La femme chinoise” became the second UK single (b/ “Mad Pierrot”).

In December 1979, Horizon combined “Computer Game ‘Theme From The Circus'” with “Firecracker” as a US a-side (b/w “Yellow Magic (Tong Poo)”). A club hit, “Computer Game” gained favor in the nascent hip hop community. It reached No. 17 on the US Billboard R&B Singles chart and No. 60 on the Hot 100.

In February 1980, “Computer Game (Theme From The Invaders)” became YMO’s third UK single, released as a maxi-7″ with “Firecracker” and “Technopolis,” a track from their second album. “Computer Game” reached No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart.

In the video to “Computer Game,” photo images of YMO stand straight in red tunic suits that change color during the chip-tune section as computer graphics run in the background. Midway, the wire-head geisha appears with neon bolts generated from her shades.

Yellow Magic Orchestra reached No. 20 during a 73-week stay on the Japanese Oricon LP Chart with sales of 187,000 units. In the US, the album reached No. 37 on the R&B Albums chart and No. 81 on the Billboard 200.

Solid State Survivor

Yellow Magic Orchestra released their second album, Solid State Survivor, on September 25, 1979, on Alfa.

Side A includes two upbeat instrumentals: “Technopolis” (by Ryuichi Sakamoto) and “Rydeen” (by Yukihiro Takahashi). Haruomi Hosono composed “Absolute Ego Dance,” a sprinting number with the processed voice of American-Japanese singer Sandii Suzuki. Sakamoto arranged “Castalia,” an ambient track with choral synth.

Lyricist Chris Mosdell contributed to three Side B cuts: Hosono’s “Insomnia,” the Sakamoto/Takahashi co-write “Behind the Mask,” and the Yukihiro-composed title track, which features guitarist Makoto Ayukawa (Sonhouse, Sheena & The Rokkets), also heard on the Beatles cover “Day Tripper.”

A1. “Technopolis” (4:14)
A2. “Absolute Ego Dance” (4:38)
A3. “Rydeen” (4:26)
A4. “Castalia” (3:30)

B1. “Behind the Mask” (3:35) originated as a jingle for a 1978 Seiko quartz wristwatch commercial.
B2. “Day Tripper” (2:39)
B3. “Insomnia” (4:57)
B4. “Solid State Survivor” (3:55)

Sessions occurred at Studio A in Shibaura, Tokyo, between bookings by Casiopea and Tatsuhiko Yamamoto. Hosono produced Solid State Survivor in sequence with titles by Akiko, Ann Lewis, Circus, Hiroshi Sato, Rajie, Yoshitaka Minami, Yumi ‘Yuming’ Matsutoya, and Sandii’s 1980 Alfa release Eating Pleasure.

Takahashi designed the matching red suits for the Solid State Survivor, photographed by Masayoshi Sukita with hair and makeup by Mikio Honda. Sukita’s photography appears on earlier covers for Haruko Kuwana, Joe Yamanaka, Masayoshi Takanaka, and David Bowie, who modeled his choppy hand gestures during their “Heroes” photoshoot on the works of German expressionist painter Erich Heckel.

“Technopolis” appeared beforehand as an October single (b/w “Solid State Survivor”).

Solid State Survivor reached No. 1 during its 82-week stay on the Oricon LP Chart. It also topped the separate Oricon cassette chart for 65 weeks, amassing combined domestic sales of 1,021,000 copies. Solid State Survivor won the Best Album Award at the 22nd annual Japan Record Awards and beat Kishōtenketsu by Ashoro singer/songwriter Chiharu Matsuyama as the best-selling album of 1980.

Despite the album’s commercial success, Solid State Survivor remained unreleased outside Japan until 1982 when Alfa issued the title in the UK, Europe, and Australia. In 1980, five Solid State tracks (barring “Castalia,” “Insomnia,” and “Absolute Ego Dance”) appeared in the US on an A&M Records version of YMO’s third album, X∞Multiplies.

In June 1980, Alfa issued “Rydeen” as a single, backed with the earlier “Cosmic Surfin’.”

In 1982, Michael Jackson covered “Behind the Mask” for his second adult album, Thriller, but cut it from the tracklist after failing to reach a royalties agreement with Sakamoto, Mosdell, and Alfa. Jackson’s keyboardist, Greg Phillinganes, covered the song for his 1984 album, Pulse. His version inspired a 1987 UK hit version by Eric Clapton. Jackson’s version finally appeared on his posthumous 2010 release, Michael.

Public Pressure

In February 1980, Alfa Records issued Public Pressure, a live album drawn largely from YMO’s 1979 UK and US tours.

Public Pressure contains renditions of three songs each from Yellow Magic Orchestra (“Tong Poo,” “Cosmic Surfin’,” “La Femme Chinoise”) and Solid State Survivor (“Rydeen,” “Day Tripper,” the title track), plus one from Thousand Knives of Ryuichi Sakamoto (“The End of Asia”) and the Yukihiro Takahashi exclusive “Radio Junk,” a brisk electro-pop number.

Side A draws from October 16 and 24 shows at The Venue in London. Side B comes from their November 6 show at New York’s Bottom Line apart from “Cosmic Surfin’,” taken from an early August show at LA’s Greek Theater. The closing postlude, “Back In Tokio,” is from their December 19 homecoming at the Nakano Sun Plaza.

Haruomi Hosono plays electric and synth bass on these numbers while Sakamato handles keyboards, vocoder, and splits drum-machine tasks with Takahashi, who re-touched his vocals in the studio. For this tour, YMO toured as a six-piece with guitarist Kazumi Watanabe and Akiko Yano, who plays keyboards and sings backing vocals. Public Pressure features computer programming by Hideki Matsutake, a Tomita assistant, soundtrack musician, and subsequent mastermind of Logic System.

Post-tour, Ryuichi and Akiko overdubbed keyboards to supplement Kazumi’s missing guitar parts, which Hosono removed when royalty negotiations failed between Alfa and Watanabe’s label, Better Days. This resulted in a more electronic “live” album than presented at the actual concerts.

A1. “Rydeen” (5:08)
A2. “Solid State Survivor” (4:01)
A3. “Tong Poo” (6:01)
A4. “The End of Asia” (6:51)

B1. “Cosmic Surfin'” (4:35)
B2. “Day Tripper” (2:42)
B3. “Radio Junk” (4:19)
B4. “La Femme Chinoise” (6:15)
B5. “Back In Tokio” (1:52)

In 1991, Alfa released Faker Holic, a two-CD document of YMO’s 1979 tour that mixes the London performances with numbers from an October 18 show at Le Palace, Paris (fourteen songs) and the entirety of their November 6 Bottom Line show (thirteen songs).

The 27-song set track contains repeat-performances of eleven songs (including every song on Public Pressure apart from the omitted “Back In Tokio”) and adds additional setlist numbers, including “1000 Knives” and the Solid State Survivor songs “Behind the Mask,” “Castalia,” “Insomnia,” and “Technopolis” (all disc one), plus two unique numbers: “Kang Tong Boy” and “Rocket Factory” (disc two).

Faker Holic restores Watanabe’s guitar parts but retains Takahashi’s studio-overdubbed vocals.

X∞Multiplies

Yellow Magic Orchestra released the 10″ mini-album X∞Multiplies on June 5, 1980, on Alfa.

The short release (29:20 duration), contains two originals, two covers, two miniature prelude/postlude tracks, and five comedic sketches by Snakeman Show, a Japanese comedy troupe comprised of Mamoru Sakisaka (Katsuya Kobayashi), Momonai Hatakeyama (Masato Ibu), and “Snakeman-San” Chris Mosdell.

Side A contains two instances of the Archie Bell & The Drells cover “Tighten Up.” Jazz-rock guitarist Kenji Omura guests on the titular “Multiplies,” YMO’s surf-rock arrangement of The Magnificent Seven theme by composer Elmer Bernstein.

Mosdell wrote lyrics for the two originals: Ryuichi’s “Citizens of Science” and the Sakamoto/Takahashi number “Nice Age,” a UK single with Sandii on the chorus.

A1. “Jingle “YMO” (0:20)
A2. “Nice Age” (3:46)
A3. “Snakeman Show” (1:56)
A4. “Tighten Up (Japanese Gentlemen Stand Up Please)” (3:42)
A5. “Snakeman Show” (2:06)
A6. “Here We Go Again – Tighten Up” (1:08)

B1. “Snakeman Show” (1:26)
B2. “Citizens of Science” (4:30)
B3. “Snakeman Show” (2:08)
B4. “Multiplies” (2:57)
B5. “Snakeman Show” (3:47)
B6. “The End of Asia” (1:31)

Sessions occurred at ALFA Studio A, where Haruomi Hosono produced X∞Multiplies in sequence with Channel Good, the third Sheena & The Rokkets album.

Takahashi (with artist Yoshikazu Ichida) conceived the X∞Multiplies gatefold cover, which shows dummies of each member multiplied on the front, inner-gates (landscape view), inner-sleeve (front and back views), and LP labels.

In the US, an alternate version of X∞Multiplies appeared in late July as a 12″ EP on A&M. This version collects three proper songs from the Japanese mini-album (“Nice Age,” “Multiplies,” and “Citizens of Science”) with five tracks from YMO’s non-international Solid State Survivors: “Technopolis,” “Rydeen,” “Behind the Mask,” “Day Tripper,” and the title track.

In the UK and Netherlands, A&M issued X∞Multiplies as a YMO compilation with three tracks each from their first two albums (Side A) and six tracks from the Japanese mini-album on Side B (removing all but one Snakeman Show number). Both A&M versions of X∞Multiplies reproduced the dummies image in a single sleeve.

In September 1980, “Behind the Mask” appeared as a single in the US (b/w “Citizens of Science”) and UK (b/w “Yellow Magic (Tong Poo)”). In October, “Nice Age” became YMO’s fifth UK single (b/w “Rydeen”). In December, Alfa lifted “Tighten Up” as a Japanese single (b/w “Nice Age”).

X∞Multiplies reached No. 1 on the Oricon LP chart and No. 3 on the cassette chart.

BGM

Yellow Magic Orchestra released their fourth studio album, BGM, on March 21, 1981, on Alfa and A&M. The title is an acronym for “BackGround Music” (misinterpreted in select media as “Beautiful Grotesque Music”). Each track is near-uniform in length (4:33 with a one-second variable) apart from two in the 5:20 range.

BGM contains one group-written number (“U•T”) and two songs each by Yukihiro Takahashi (“Ballet,” “Camouflage”) and Haruomi Hosono (“Mass,” “Rap Phenomena”). The closing track, “Loom,” is a group-rearrangement of “The Infinite Space Octave” by ongoing YMO computer programmer Hideki Matsutake.

BGM marks the first-recorded studio use of the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, a programmable drum machine. YMO first used the TR-808 for 1980 live performances of “1000 Knives,” one of two songs from Ryuichi Sakamoto’s solo catalog (along with “Happy End”) recorded by the band for this album.

Sakamoto made one unique contribution to BGM (“Music Plans”) and abstained from the Hosono/Takahashi cut “Cue,” the album’s lead single. YMO hired co-lyricist Peter Barakan, Sakamoto’s B-2 Unit collaborator who contributes here to the Hosono/Takahashi songs.

A1. “Ballet” (4:34)
A2. “Music Plans” (4:34)
A3. “Rap phenomena” (4:33)
A4. “Happy End” (4:33) is the b-side of Sakamoto’s April 1981 solo single “Front Line.”
A5. “1000 Knives” (5:24) originated as “Thousand Knives” on Sakamoto’s namesake 1978 album.

B1. “Cue” (4:33)
B2. “U•T” (4:34)
B3. “Camouflage” (4:34)
B4. “Mass” (4:32)
B5. “Loom” (5:21)

BGM sessions commenced on January 15, 1981, at Alfa Studios, where Hosono produced the album in sequence with titles by Chakra, Sandii & The Sunsetz, and Snakeman Show, whose eponymous album interpolates cuts by Sandii, Klaus Nomi, and the YMO track “Magnetism – Open Heart” (磁性紀－開け心 – 3:19).

For suitable rhythmic compression, Hosono recorded the rhythm tracks on a TASCAM 80-8 analog reel-to-reel machine and copied them onto Alfa’s newly installed 3M 32-track digital recorder. He also made early use of the Roland MC-4 Microcomposer, a keypad successor to the MC-8 (the world’s first digital sequencer).

“Cue” / “U•T”
Released: April 21, 1981

“Mass” / “Camouflage”
Released: September 5, 1981

Technodelic

Yellow Magic Orchestra released their fifth studio album, Technodelic, on November 21, 1981, on Alfa.

Technodelic features two tracks each by Yukihiro Takahashi (“Pure Jam,” “Stairs”) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (“Prologue,” “Epilogue”). They co-wrote “Light In Darkness” and “Seoul Music,” which features vocal loops courtesy of the LMD-649, a prototype digital sampler (128 KB RAM memory) customized for YMO by Toshiba-EMI.

Haruomi Hosono composed “Gradated Grey” and collaborated with Takahashi on “Key,” a frantic synth-vocal number with lyrics by Peter Barakan, whose ‘transceiver voice’ appears on “Pure Jam.” YMO group-wrote “Taiso” and “Neue Tanz,” noted for its LMD sample of an Indonesian kecak chant.

A1. “Pure Jam” (4:30)
A2. “Neue Tanz” (4:58)
A3. “Stairs” (4:14)
A4. “Seoul Music” (4:46)
A5. “Light in Darkness” (3:40)

B1. “Taiso” (4:21)
B2. “Gradated Grey” (5:33)
B3. “Key” (4:32)
B4. “Prologue” (2:31)
B5. “Epilogue” (4:21)

Sessions began on March 21, 1981, and occurred intermittently through October 13 at Studio A, Tokyo.

“Pure Jam”
Released: 1982

“Taisō” Released: 1982

Naughty Boys

Yellow Magic Orchestra released their sixth studio album, Naughty Boys, on May 24, 1983, on Alfa. It opens with “Kimi ni Mune Kyun,” a group-written chart hit with lyrics by Takashi Matsumoto, an associate of Haruomi Hosono from Apryl Fool and Happy End.

Ryuichi Sakamoto composed “Ongaku” and the bulk of Side B, assisted on select cuts by Yukihiro Takahashi (“Expecting Rivers”) and Haruomi Hosono (“Wild Ambitions”).

Hosono composed “Lotus Love” and co-wrote “Focus” with Takahashi, who wrote “Expected Way” and “Opened My Eyes,” the latter (and “Focus’) with lyrics by Peter Barakan.

Naughty Boys features keyboard work by all three members. Hosono doubles on string and synth bass while Takahashi straddles cymbals and electronic drums. Bill Nelson guests on electric guitar.

A1. “Kimi ni, Mune Kyun (A holiday affair)” (4:07)
A2. “Expected Way” (4:34)
A3. “Focus” (3:41)
A4. “Ongaku” (3:25)
A5. “Opened My Eyes” (3:40)

B1. “You’ve Got to Help Yourself (Preview)” (0:30) is a snippet of a track from their next album.
B2. “Lotus Love” (4:05)
B3. “Kai-Koh” (4:27)
B4. “Expecting Rivers” (4:37)
B5. “Wild Ambitions” (5:10)

On July 27, YMO released Naughty Boys Instrumental, comprised of the backing tracks to eight songs from the proper album. Side B opens with a full instrumental version of “You’ve Got to Help Yourself,” a Sakamoto/Takahashi cut re-recorded with vocals for their next album. Side A replaces “Kimi ni, Mune Kyun” with an instrumental version of its b-side, “Chaos Panic.”

A1. “Chaos Panic” (4:12)
A2. “Expected Way” (4:34)
A3. “Focus” (3:41)
A4. “Kai-Koh” (4:27)
A5. “Expecting Rivers” (4:37)

B1. “You’ve Got to Help Yourself” (4:21)
B2. “Lotus Love” (4:05)
B3. “Ongaku” (3:25)
B4. “Opened My Eyes” (3:40)
B5. “Wild Ambitions” (5:10)

Sessions for the Naughty Boys spanned October 1982 through March 1983 at Alfa Studio A.

“Kimi ni, mune kyun” / “Chaos Panic” Released: 1983