Yellow Magic Orchestra | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 25, 1978 | |||
Recorded | July 10 – September 5, 1978 | |||
Studio | Alfa Studio A, Shibaura, Minato, Tokyo | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 37:35 | |||
Label | Alfa | |||
Producer | Harry Hosono | |||
Yellow Magic Orchestra chronology | ||||
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Singles from Yellow Magic Orchestra | ||||
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Alternative covers | ||||
![]() US cover |
Yellow Magic Orchestra is the first official studio album by Japanese electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra,who were previously known as the Yellow Magic Band. Originally released by Alfa Records,in Japan in 1978,the album was released by A&M Records in Europe and the United States and Canada in early 1979,with the US version featuring new cover art but without the closing track of "Acrobat". Both versions would later be re-issued in 2003 as a double-disc format,with the American version as the first disc.
The album was an early example of synth-pop, [1] [2] a genre that the band helped pioneer. It contributed to the development of electro,hip hop, [3] techno, [4] and bleep techno. [5] The album's innovations in electronic music included its use of the microprocessor-based Roland MC-8 Microcomposer music sequencer which allowed the creation of new electronic sounds, [6] and its sampling of video game sounds. [2] [7]
The album sold 250,000 copies in Japan and entered the Billboard 200 and R&B Albums charts in the United States. [8] Its most successful single was "Computer Game / Firecracker",which sold over 400,000 records in the United States [9] and was a top 20 hit in the United Kingdom. [10]
The album was intended to be a one-off project for producer and bass player Haruomi Hosono and the two session musicians he had hired:drummer Yukihiro Takahashi and keyboard player Ryuichi Sakamoto. The trio were to create their own cover version of Martin Denny's 1959 exotica melody "Firecracker" with modern electronics,as a subversion of the exoticisation and Orientalism of the original tune,along with various original compositions also exploring themes of Asianness,exoticisation and Orientalism from a Japanese perspective. [11] The album would eventually be called Yellow Magic Orchestra,as a satire of Japan's obsession with black magic at the time. [11] The project proved highly popular,culminating in a career for the three musicians;one that would last until 1983,followed by successful solo careers and reunions over the decades to come.
They began recording the album in July 1978 at a Shibaura studio in Tokyo. It utilized a wide variety of electronic music equipment (as well as electric),including the Roland MC-8 Microcomposer,the Korg PS-3100 polyphonic synthesizer,the Korg VC-10 vocoder,the Yamaha Drums and Syn-Drums electronic drum kits,the Moog III-C and Minimoog monosynths,the Polymoog and ARP Odyssey analog synthesizers,the Oberheim Eight-Voice synthesizer,the Fender Rhodes electric piano,and the Fender Jazz Bass. Besides the electronic equipment,the only acoustic instruments used in the album were a Steinway piano,drum set,and a marimba.
It was the earliest known popular music album to use the Roland MC-8 Microcomposer,which was programmed by Hideki Matsutake during recording sessions. The swingy funk element present throughout the album was expressed by Matsutake programming through subtle variations of the MC-8's input. [12] At the time, Billboard noted that the use of such computer-based technology in conjunction with synthesizers allowed Yellow Magic Orchestra to create new sounds that were not possible until then. [6] The band later described both the MC-8 and Matsutake as an "inevitable factor" in both their music production and live performances. [13]
The album was an early example of synth-pop, [1] [2] a genre that Yellow Magic Orchestra helped pioneer. Yellow Magic Orchestra experiments with different styles of electronic music,such as Asian melodies played over synthpop backings in "Firecracker" and "Cosmic Surfin'",the extensive use of video game sounds in "Computer Game",and the electronic disco bass in "Tong Poo", [1] a song that was inspired by Chinese music produced during the China's Cultural Revolution, [2] and in turn influenced video game music such as Tetris . [7] Both "Computer Game" tracks proper contain the same audio and were made to sound as if both games were being played in the same room;each track being from the perspective of its titular arcade game unit: Circus and Space Invaders . The song also samples the opening chiptune used in the arcade game Gun Fight (1975). Both Circus and Space Invaders,along with several other popular arcade video games,were also featured in the promotional film for "Tong Poo". [7]
The album was first released in Japan in 1978. It was released in the US on 30 May 1979 by A&M Records on the Horizon label with a new mix by Al Schmitt,new cover art and a slightly different track listing. This "US version" was subsequently released in Japan on 25 July 1979 by Alfa. Promotional A&M copies were pressed on yellow vinyl.
"Firecracker" was released as a single under the name "Computer Game". As such,on early US pressings of the album,"Computer Game 'Theme from The Circus'" and "Firecracker" were combined as one track,while the firecracker sound effect at the end of the track was indexed by itself as "Firecracker". This was corrected on later pressings. US pressings also featured a more American-friendly mixing (highlighting a punchier equalization and heavy use of reverb). Several of the segues on the second side of the album were edited differently,while "Bridge over Troubled Music" was given an additional electric piano solo over top of the introductory percussion.
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
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Japan | 25 November 1978 | Alfa | 12" LP;cassette | LP:ALR-6012;cassette:ALC-1511 |
Europe | 1979 | A&M | LP | AMLH 68506,PSP 736 |
North America | 30 May 1979 | A&M,Horizon Records &Tapes | 12" LP,cassette | SP-736,CS-736 |
Japan | 25 July 1979 | Alfa | 12" LP;cassette (US version) | LP:ALR-6020;cassette:ALC-1533 |
United Kingdom | 2004 | Epic | CD | 513445 2 |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Mojo | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Smash Hits | 3/10 [16] |
Uncut | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
From contemporary reviews,Rosalind Russell of Record Mirror compared the group to Giorgio Moroder and Kraftwerk stating that the group "might resign themselves to coming a poor second",finding that the group's ethnicity and accents "may put off this nation's xenophobes. But who needs the UK? In the disco world we're small stakes anyway:the sons of Nihon are probably casting their eyes to the States and Germany." [18]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Computer Game 'Theme from The Circus' (コンピューター・ゲーム —サーカスのテーマ—)" | Yellow Magic Orchestra | 1:48 | |
2. | "Firecracker (ファイアークラッカー)" | Yellow Magic Orchestra, Martin Denny | 4:50 | |
3. | "Simoon (シムーン)" | Chris Mosdell | Haruomi Hosono | 6:27 |
4. | "Cosmic Surfin' (コズミック・サーフィン)" | Hosono | 4:51 | |
5. | "Computer Game 'Theme from The Invader' (コンピューター・ゲーム —インベーダーのテーマ—)" | YMO | 0:43 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
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1. | "Tong Poo (東風, tonpū, "east wind")" | Ryuichi Sakamoto | 6:15 | |
2. | "La femme chinoise (中国女, Chūgoku-onna)" | Mosdell | Yukihiro Takahashi | 5:52 |
3. | "Bridge over Troubled Music (ブリッジ・オーバー・トラブルド・ミュージック)" | YMO | 1:17 | |
4. | "Mad Pierrot (マッド・ピエロ)" | uncredited | Hosono | 4:20 |
5. | "Acrobat (アクロバット)" | Hosono | 1:12 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Computer Game 'Theme from The Circus'" | Yellow Magic Orchestra | 1:48 | |
2. | "Firecracker" | Martin Denny | 4:50 | |
3. | "Simoon" | Chris Mosdell | Haruomi Hosono | 6:27 |
4. | "Cosmic Surfin'" | Hosono | 4:28 | |
5. | "Computer Game 'Theme from The Invader'" | YMO | 1:01 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Yellow Magic (Tong Poo)" | Ryuichi Sakamoto | 6:17 | |
2. | "La femme chinoise" | Mosdell | Yukihiro Takahashi | 5:55 |
3. | "Bridge over Troubled Music" | YMO | 1:18 | |
4. | "Mad Pierrot" | uncredited | Hosono | 4:05 |
Yellow Magic Orchestra – arrangements, electronics
Guest musicians
Staff
US version alternative staff
Year | Release | Chart | Peak position | Weeks | Total sales |
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1978 | LP | Japan Oricon LP Chart | 20 | 73 | 187,000 |
1978 | Cassette | Japan Oricon CT Chart | 17 | 35 | 63,000 |
1980 | LP | US Billboard 200 [8] | 81 | ||
1980 | LP | US R&B Albums [8] | 37 |
The song "Firecracker" was released as a single in Japan in 1978 and in the United States and United Kingdom in 1979, becoming a major R&B hit in the United States. [11] The same year, the song was released as the "Computer Game" single, which combined the "Computer Game" and "Firecracker" tracks together. The "Computer Game" single was an even greater international success, selling over 400,000 copies in the United States [9] and entering the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart. [10]
Chart (1980) | Peak position [19] |
---|---|
UK Singles Chart [10] | 17 |
US Billboard Hot 100 | 60 |
US Dance Club Singles | 42 |
US R&B Singles | 18 |
The song was popular with the emerging hip hop community, which appreciated the new electronic sounds, and in the Bronx, where it was later sampled by pioneering hip hop artist Afrika Bambaataa in his famous 1983 debut album Death Mix (1983). [20] The "terse video-game funk" sounds of "Computer Game" would have a strong influence on the emerging electro and hip hop music genres; [3] the song's use of video game sounds and bleeps has been described as "ahead of their time" [21] and as having a strong influence on 1980s hip hop [22] and pop music. [2] It was later included in electro hip hop artist Kurtis Mantronik's compilation album That's My Beat (2002), which consists of electro music that influenced his early career. [23]
The song was also an influence on early techno, specifically Detroit techno, for which it was included in Carl Craig's compilation album Kings of Techno (2006). [4] The song also influenced Sheffield's bleep techno music; Warp's third record, "Testone" (1990) by Sweet Exorcist, defined Sheffield's techno sound, by making playful use of sampled sounds from "Computer Game" along with dialogues from the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). [5]
De La Soul's "Funky Towel" (for the 1996 film Joe's Apartment ), [24] Jennifer Lopez's hit "I'm Real" (2001), and the original version of Mariah Carey's "Loverboy" (for the 2001 film soundtrack Glitter ), [25] which was released as part of the 2020 compilation album The Rarities on October 2, 2020, also sampled the song.
The anime series Cowboy Bebop has a character named Mad Pierrot, and Mad Pierrot's other alias is "Tongpu".
Ryuichi Sakamoto was a Japanese composer, pianist, record producer, and actor who pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto influenced and pioneered a number of electronic music genres.
Chiptune is a style of electronic music made using the programmable sound generator (PSG) sound chips or synthesizers in vintage arcade machines, computers and video game consoles. The term is commonly used to refer to tracker format music using extremely basic and small samples that an old computer or console could produce, as well as music that combines PSG sounds with modern musical styles. It has been described as "an interpretation of many genres" since any existing song can be arranged in a chiptune style defined more by choice of instrument and timbre than specific style elements.
Synth-pop is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic, art rock, disco, and particularly the Krautrock of bands like Kraftwerk. It arose as a distinct genre in Japan and the United Kingdom in the post-punk era as part of the new wave movement of the late 1970s.
Yellow Magic Orchestra was a Japanese electronic music band formed in Tokyo in 1978 by Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi and Ryuichi Sakamoto. The group is considered influential and innovative in the field of popular electronic music. They were pioneers in their use of synthesizers, samplers, sequencers, drum machines, computers, and digital recording technology, and effectively anticipated the "electropop boom" of the 1980s. They are credited with playing a key role in the development of several electronic genres, including synthpop, J-pop, electro, and techno, while exploring subversive sociopolitical themes throughout their career.
Electro is a genre of electronic music and early hip hop directly influenced by the use of the Roland TR-808 drum machines and funk. Records in the genre typically feature heavy electronic sounds, usually without vocals; if vocals are present, they are delivered in a deadpan manner, often through electronic distortion such as vocoding and talkboxing. It palpably deviates from its predecessor boogie by being less vocal-oriented and more focused on electronic beats produced by drum machines.
Haruomi Hosono, sometimes credited as Harry Hosono, is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is considered to be one of the most influential musicians in Japanese pop music history, credited with shaping the sound of Japanese pop for decades as well as pop music outside of Japan. He also inspired genres such as city pop and Shibuya-kei, and as leader of Yellow Magic Orchestra, contributed to the development and pioneering of numerous electronic genres.
The Roland MC-8 MicroComposer by the Roland Corporation was introduced in early 1977 at a list price of US$4,795. It was one of the earliest stand-alone microprocessor-driven CV/Gate music sequencers, following EMS Sequencer 256 in 1971 and New England Digital's ABLE computer (microprocessor) in 1975. Roland called the MC-8 a "computer music composer" and it was considered revolutionary at the time, introducing features such as a keypad to enter note information and 16 kilobytes of random access memory which allowed a maximum sequence length of 5200 notes, a huge step forward from the 8-16 step sequencers at the time. It also allowed the user to allocate multiple pitch CVs to a single Gate channel, creating polyphonic parts within the overall sequence. Due to the high price, only 200 units were sold worldwide, but it represented a huge leap forward in music technology.
Tadao Kikumoto is Roland's senior managing director and head of its R&D center. He designed the TB-303 bass synthesizer and the TR-909 drum machine. He was also the chief engineer of the Roland TR-808 drum machine.
×∞Multiplies is a mini-album and the third studio album by Yellow Magic Orchestra released in 1980. It contains a mixture of songs and instrumentals by YMO, interspersed with comedy sketches. These sketches are performed by Snakeman Show in both Japanese and English, with YMO participating in some of them.
BGM is the fourth studio album by Yellow Magic Orchestra, released on March 21, 1981. The title stands for "Background music", though Japanese TV and press advertising alternately used "Beautiful Grotesque Music". This album was produced by Haruomi Hosono. Recording started on January 15, 1981, in an effort to release the album by March 21, 1981. The album was the first of any kind to feature the Roland TR-808, one of the earliest programmable drum machines; YMO had already been the first band to use the device, featuring it on-stage as early as 1980. In addition to the TR-808, this was also their first studio album recorded with the Roland MC-4 Microcomposer.
Solid State Survivor is the second album by Japanese electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra, released in 1979. Later, Solid State Survivor was released in 1982 in the UK on LP and cassette, also in 1992 in the United States on CD, but many of the songs from this album were compiled for release in the US as the US pressing of ×∞Multiplies (1980), including the tracks "Behind the Mask", "Rydeen", "Day Tripper", and "Technopolis". Solid State Survivor is only one of a handful of YMO albums in which the track titles do not have a Japanese equivalent.
Technodelic is the fifth studio album by Yellow Magic Orchestra, released in 1981. The album is notable for its experimental approach and heavy use of digital samplers which were not commonly used until the mid-to-late 1980s, resulting in a more minimalist and avant-garde sound compared to their previous work.
Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. It is generally produced for playback by DJs who create seamless selections of tracks, called a DJ mix, by segueing from one recording to another. EDM producers also perform their music live in a concert or festival setting in what is sometimes called a live PA. Since its inception EDM has expanded to include a wide range of subgenres.
Public Pressure is Yellow Magic Orchestra's first live album, released on February 21, 1980. It was their second number-one album in Japan, setting a record of 250,000 copies sold within two weeks of release.
Hideki Matsutake is a Japanese composer, arranger, and computer programmer. He is known for his pioneering work in electronic music and particularly music programming, as the assistant of Isao Tomita during the early 1970s and as the "fourth member" of the band Yellow Magic Orchestra during the late 1970s to early 1980s.
WORLD TOUR 1980 is a live album by Yellow Magic Orchestra. It was recorded during the band's 1980 international tour. This is the only YMO live album to include songs originally released on X∞Multiplies; it also features six songs from YMO members made for other projects and two covers. It was released, with a book with photographs taken during the tour, as both a 2-CD set and a 3-LP set, which had a bonus track. "Jiseiki Hirake Kokoro" was originally made for a Fujifilm cassette commercial. It was included in Snakeman Show's self-titled album in mono so that the lyrics, which reference Fujifilm cassettes, could not be understood properly; it was presented here in stereo, and was included in the UC YMO compilation.
WINTER LIVE 1981 is a live album by Yellow Magic Orchestra. It was recorded during the band's 1981 tour of Japan during the winter season of November and December 1981. A set of performances were first released in Betamax and VHS in 1983, featuring illustrations by Yakov Chernikhov. This is the only YMO live album from the BGM/Technodelic era of the group ; although this album only features one song that wasn't in either BGM or Technodelic, YMO also performed "Technopolis" and "Rydeen", as well as more songs from BGM and Technodelic and the unreleased "Loop".
Thousand Knives is the debut solo album by Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. The album is named after Henri Michaux's description of the feeling of using mescaline in Miserable Miracle.
This is the discography of Japanese electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO).
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