Archive for the ‘Yellow Magic Orchestra’ Category

« Older Entries

Non-music from Japan, music from a Japanese band, and horror disco

Wednesday, December 6th, 2023

Oy.

Yeah so I hoped to write more in 2023 but that sure as shit didn’t work out huh?

So what had happened was my health got worse, my podcast work got more intense, my work got busier, my social life got more hectic, and I spent about a month in the states, which ended up exacerbating several of my health problems.

(Don’t worry, none of my health issues are life-threatening and I am currently seeing multiple medical professionals to improve my health. Also, I can afford all of this, so no need to offer donations or any financial support).

In addition to all of that, this was the year it finally happened: I couldn’t find anything out-of-print worth sharing here. You know my policy; for me to share something on this blog it has to be out-of-print in the majority of the English speaking world. Sure, I would occasionally bend the rules now and then, but after my Warner Bros/YouTube bullshit copyright battle, I’m extra careful now.

I guess I could have scoured the prog store from some ultra-obscure European jazz-rock album or something that has never been re-issued, but I learned a long time ago that whenever I buy music simply because it’s out-of-print, with the intent of sharing it here, it’s rarely something I have any interest in writing about.

But recently I got lucky with three releases that I am 99% sure have songs that are 100% out-of-print, at least in the forms I’m sharing today. And they’re not video game music! They’re proper songs (well, some of them) by artists you might have actually heard of.

I actually do have a few other out-of-print albums that I want to share at some point, but I am making zero promises as to when I will actually do that. Sorry. Life. It’s in the way. Hopefully my health will improve so I can dedicate more time to writing once more.

In the meantime, if you’re really hankering for any written word by yours truly, your best bet would probably be to check out my Letterboxd page. I review every movie I watch. Sure, sometimes it’s just a sentence or two, but sometimes it’s a bit more in-depth. Typical rule of thumb: the more obscure the title is, the more likely I am to write more on it. I’m not going to go deep on something like Robocop when I watch that. Everything that can be said about Robocop has been said. I have nothing to add to that discourse.

Additionally, I am still on Twitter (sigh) and I’m also on Blue Sky. As always, those remain the best way to keep in touch with me, especially since the comment section on this website is now broken. I had to close all comments because I was getting inundated with spam and no filters were able to fix the problems. Sorry about that.

And there’s the podcast! Cinema Oblvia is still going strong! I had to cut down my production schedule a bit, again because of my health, but I’m still putting out at least one episode a month. And I feel pretty safe in saying that I’ll be able to keep that going for a while now. It’s hard work, but I enjoy it more than anything I’m doing at the moment.

If you listen to my podcast and you want to hear more of my absolutely lovely voice that no one at all finds weird or irritating, I was recently on an episode of Gayest Episode Ever talking about Benson, and was also recently on Retronauts talking about Night of the Living Dead, a film that traumatized me so much as a child that I needed to go to therapy because of it. You can find those wherever you get your podcasts. You can find my podcast on most podcast places/apps/websites/whatever as well. Except for Spotify. Because fuck that company.

Have a good new year! I’ll see you here at some point in 2024, that much I can promise.

 

Fred Myrow and Macolm Seagrave
Phantasm Disco
Okay, so there are two different songs called “Phantasm Disco” that incorporate the theme from the 1979 film Phantasm. Yes, really.

One is by an artist called Captain Zorro, which is actually a pseudonym for the disco producer Biddu. People seem to really like that version, but I’ve never come across a physical copy of that 12” single. I would buy it in a heartbeat.

This is not that version, this is a version by the people who composed the music from the film, Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave. In fact, a version of this track is on the Phantasm soundtrack proper, under the name “Phantasmagoria Silver Sphere Disco.” It’s a mix of two different tracks, actually, a spacey, creepy ambient bit followed by the disco tune.

This version is on a 7” single that completely removes the “Phantasmagoria” bits and extends the disco section. I think this version might be on the original Phantasm LP? But I don’t think it’s on the Mondo re-issue from a few years back, as that version (with both parts) is shorter than the 7” single version.

I love the fact that Japan had an exclusive 7” single for the theme to Phantasm and the B-side was an exclusive remix of an album track. Because…why?

If you haven’t seen Phantasm and you like beautiful, surreal horror films that aren’t that scary and don’t make a lick of fucking sense, I recommend it. Someday I’ll get around to watching the multitude of sequels and no doubt be disappointed by all of them.

 

Yellow Magic Orchestra – The YMO Micro Sampler
A Message From YMO
Tighten Up With Excerpts From The Snakeman Show…
Edited Selections From X∞ Multiplies (Nice Age, Technopolis, Rydeen, Behind The Mask, Day Tripper)
I have so many YMO albums, singles, re-issues, appearances, and compilations that Discogs has just straight up given up counting them. This is the latest acquisition in my YMO collection, and one that I was trying to find for a very long time.

It’s a five inch record that was distributed as a promo item exclusively in America to promote the group. It came out in 1980, probably around the time that the export version of X∞ Multiplies was released. In Japan, that album was an EP that had both comedy skits and some previously unreleased tunes by the group. Europe and the United States each got exclusive versions that combined songs from their previous albums with some new tunes. The US version of X∞ Multiplies is actually how I discovered the group, buying it in a used record store probably close to 20 years ago. It’s a safe bet that me discovering that record led me on the road that ended with me moving to Japan, which means that my mom probably hates that record.

This promo has three tracks, a very short 15 second intro, followed by two very short medleys of YMO tracks, oddly with excerpts from the Japanese only version of X∞ Multiplies edited in. As a thing to listen to it’s not that great, but as a historical curiosity for maniac YMO fans like myself, it’s fun.

 

David Sylvian – 日本語シートレコード (Japanese Sheet Record)
Adolescent Sex = 果てしなき反抗 (Version 1)
Adolescent Sex = 果てしなき反抗 (Version 2)
Lovers On Main Street = 表通りの愛人たち
Suburban Love = 愛の回転木馬
Speaking of things that are interesting from a historical standpoint but maybe not the best listening material…

This is the strangest thing I’ve bought all year, and I bought a lot of stupid shit this year. I found it in a used hardware store for about ¥500, and I bought it without knowing what it was because it was ¥500 and I like Japan (the band, I mean, I like the country too but anyways).

But this is not a Japan record. This is David Sylvian only. And he’s not playing any music. Instead, he’s reading Japanese lyrics to Japan songs. The lyrics were submitted by Japanese fans of the band, and they are not translations of the original lyrics, but new original lyrics that are meant to convey the musical mood of the original songs. At least, that’s what the Discogs page says. (Also, for the record, all the art for today’s post was taken from Discogs, my records are currently packed up for an upcoming move.)

I have not bothered to translate these lyrics, and I haven’t asked my boyfriend either, he has more important things to do. Sorry, but it’s already been nearly a year since my last post. If I had put it off until we had time to translate this, I might not have posted anything again until the 2030s, sigh.

 

Posted in Complete Albums, Japan, Yellow Magic Orchestra | No Comments »

Back from the dead with YMO

Monday, May 2nd, 2022

Hey, how’s this thing work again?

Why the even longer break than usual? Well, the typical “I can’t find anything to share” excuse aside, this year has proven to be incredibly busy for me. Since my last post, I got a new job! I’m still teaching English in Japan, but now I’m working for a company that doesn’t seem to actively hate me, so that’s nice. I am working more hours though, which means it’s harder to dedicate free time to creative endeavors. And since more people seem to be visiting my YouTube channel and listening to my podcast than frequenting this blog, those have taken precedence, sorry.

As I’ve said before though, this blog isn’t going anywhere. On the off chance that I do decide to shutter it for good, I’ll definitely put out an update, but again, that’s not likely.

I got some really cool and rare video game music recently, but I know that most people who read my blog don’t come here for that and would be bummed if my first post in nearly half a year was dedicated to Double Dragon remixes, so I’ll save those for next time. Instead, hey check it out more YMO.

Yellow Magic Orchestra
Tong Poo (Special DJ Copy)
La Femme Chinoise (Acoustic Version)
Where Have All The Flowers Gone? (Acoustic Version)
Greenback Dollar (Re-Mix)
My new job is in an area with some record stores. As you can imagine, this is a problem. Thankfully the really good record store is some distance away, just far enough that I can’t make it there during my usual lunch break. However, if a student cancels their lesson, and that lesson is right before my scheduled lunch break, then I have more than enough time to make the walk and spend too much money on CDs I don’t need!

For example, I bought yet another Yellow Magic Orchestra greatest hits compilation. That brings the total number of YMO albums in my collection to a completely unsatisfying 87. That number is like a dare. It’s sitting there, egging me on to see if I can get to an nice big round and even 100. Goddammit.

Anyways, the compilation in question is YMO Go Home!, which the group released in 1999. It’s a two disc set, and while it’s not as good as what I consider to be their definitive greatest his set, UCYMO, it’s still damn good. In addition to all the bangers you’d want, it also has a few harder to find tracks, which are the ones I’m sharing here. The Special DJ Copy of “Tong Poo”was first made widely available as a part of the 1992 Techno Bible 5CD box set (which I own). I think before that it was only on some promo 12″ singles. It’s not crazy different than the original, but it has enough deviations to make it worth a listen.

When this compilation came out in 1999, it was probably most notable for being the exclusive home of both of those acoustic tracks. They have seen been re-released as a part of the 2005 8CD mega box set L-R Trax, which I do not own because I own nearly every single song in that box set and it usually goes for hundreds of dollars these days. I’m crazy, but I’m not an idiot.

The acoustic tracks are great. “La Femme Chinoise” works oddly well as a slow, acoustic number. The song’s melody sounds surprisingly haunting when plucked on an acoustic guitar. Makes me wish for acoustic re-workings of more YMO classics.

“Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” is a bit, well, weirder? First of all, it’s a cover of a Pete Seeger song. How/why/when the hell YMO decided to do a Pete Seeger cover is a mystery. It’s probably for the best that they kept in an acoustic affair though. Pete Seeger’s quiet, contemplative anti-war ballad didn’t need a sequenced beat. Like the other acoustic number, it’s very good. And again, I hope that YMO have some more hidden acoustic gems in the vault that they’ll release someday.

Finally, there’s “Greennack Dollar,” which is on an entirely different YMO compilation called One More YMO, which collection of live cuts. I think that every track on that compilation was previously released save for this one. It was recorded in Budokan in 1980, but not as part of the December concert that served as the source for their legendary Budokan live album, it was recorded earlier in the year.

If you don’t know, “Greenback Dollar” is a cover of a Hoyt Axton song from the early 60s. So, yes, this is YMO covering a song written by the dad in Gremlins. The world is weird sometimes.

Posted in live, remixes, Yellow Magic Orchestra | 4 Comments »

YMO and Moog Inanity

Tuesday, May 28th, 2019

Yellow Magic Orchestra, Sandii & The Suntsetz and Sheena & The Rockets
Tighten Up/Idol Era/Baby Maybe
Haven’t found a YMO rarity in a while. I literally thought I bought all of them. According to Discogs, I currently have 80 releases that feature YMO as an artist, and I think that’s a conservative estimate thank to some Japanese-only releases that I have yet to add to that website.

Currently, YMO is celebrating their 40th anniversary with a re-issue campaign. While that would usually be a call for celebration, the YMO re-releases so far have been a complete travesty. Instead of focusing on collecting rarities, live material or unreleased material, they’re instead repackaging the albums as they were, just in overpriced “prestige audiophile” formats. Many of these releases cost upwards of $100, despite the fact that they lack anything in the way of bonus tracks. You’re buying a nice box and (allegedly) a nice-sounding record with some posters and other extraneous goods thrown in. Complete rip-off for sure. You know how inessential a YMO release has to be for me not to buy it? That’s really saying something.

I found this oddball remix/medley (which I doubt will ever see inclusion on any YMO re-issue) on the 1980 Alfa Special Disco Sampler, one of a series of records that Alfa Records sent to record stores in the late 70s to early 80s.

Of that bunch, this one is special because it’s the only one that features a unique mix, this medley of YMO and their two sister acts, Sandii & The Sunsetz and Sheena & The Rockets. If you don’t know anything about them, I suggest you read the “associated acts” section of my multi-part guide to YMO, where I cover both of these acts and many more!

 

Gil Trythall
Folsom Prison Blues
Harper Valley PTA
Yakety Moog
A Johnny Cash song sung through a vocoder is the kind of things that you didn’t know you wanted until you hear it.

These three tracks are from Country Moog, AKA Switched-On Nashville, which first came out in 1972. It’s one of the many, many (many many many) “Switched-On” knock-off records to be rushed to the market after the success of Wendy Carlos’ Switched-On Bach. It’s not the first “Switched-On” album I’ve featured here, and it will no doubt be the last, as I buy these things the instant any of them cross my path.

Of the Switched-On knock-offs in my possession, this is certainly…one of them. I was going to say that it’s unique, thanks to its blending of country pop and moog electronics, but I don’t even think that’s the case. I’m fairly certain that I own another country-themed moog record somewhere. If not, I’m sure such records exist. Hell, this isn’t even the only country-themed moog record by Gil Trythall, he followed it up with Nashville Gold a year later. That record has a cover of “Wichita Lineman” that I’m sure is just dope as fuck.

I don’t know much about ol’ Gil, other than the fact that he’s prolific enough to have his own Wikipedia page and is still kicking it at 88 years old. Go Gil! Hope you’re still plugging away with oddball covers of obscure country tracks when you’re not apparently working as a well-regarded avant-garde electronic music composer and educator.

Posted in Gil Trythall, Yellow Magic Orchestra | No Comments »

YMOh Yeah

Thursday, June 22nd, 2017

Yellow Magic Orchestra
Technopolis (M.S.T. Mix)
Rydeen (Beat Sonic Mix)
Behind The Mask (Live at A&M Chaplin Memorial Studio 7th Nov 80)
I don’t know if the information regarding when and where that version of “Behind The Mask” was recorded is right. Let me explain.

A few weeks ago I picked up YMO Giga Capsule, a special edition DVD featuring live and rare YMO performances. This is not the same as YMO Giga Clips. That’s a different DVD that focused more on TV show performances and music videos. Giga Capsule is a bigger affair, mostly because it’s a two-sided disc. One side is your standard DVD video and features a nice selection of YMO live footage from various concert videos (all of which are annoyingly out-of-print right now). It’s great, but nothing out-of-the-ordinary.

The other side is what’s special, a unique digital experience full of behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, outtakes and more. Of course, that’s what I’ve gathered from reading about it online. That’s because I can’t get the fucking disc to work on my computer. I think the thing will only work using an old 32bit version of Quicktime that is no longer available and doesn’t work on modern 64-bit machines. If anyone does know anything about getting this thing to work on a new PC, hit me up.

Even though I can’t run the disc’s program proper, I can browse the file directories, which led me to some interesting discoveries. Rather amazingly, this one DVD contains YMO’s complete studio discography, as well as the Live At Kinokuniya Hall album. They’re AIFF files, but they all sound pretty good save for the live album, which is blown out for some reason. Anyone with a bit of technical skill could rip all these files off the disc, easily convert them to MP3, and then have every single YMO record on their hard drive! That kind of thing would never happen today.

There are a lot of other random audio files on this disc. Apparently, somewhere on it are the raw instrumental tracks for several songs. Tried my best, but I couldn’t find them. What I could find was this live version of “Behind The Mask.” I got the information behind its source via the disc’s Discogs page. It could be completely wrong, I have no way of checking. I think I just wrote more words in English about this disc than anyone in the history of the internet. If I’m wrong, please inform me with the correct information.

As for the remixes, they’re from a bizarre remix compilation (pictured above) that features remixes of YMO tracks as well as YMO-associates Sandii, Snakeman Show and Melon. As remixes of YMO go, these are some of the better ones I’ve heard. However, as you may know if you read my multi-part guide to the YMO discography, that’s really not saying all that much. Nearly every YMO remix is complete garbage, even the ones by prominent electronic artists like The Orb. I think it’s because YMO are, at heart, a pop band, and the majority of their remixes have been done by artists looking to make the music more like whatever dance music trend is hip at the time. That just doesn’t work.

Like I said though, these aren’t atrocious. And if you’ve ever wondered what YMO might sound like if they were a mid-90s hardcore house act, well then you are in luck tonight!

Posted in live, remixes, Yellow Magic Orchestra | 3 Comments »

Giga YMO (We need to use giga more, it’s a good word)

Friday, June 9th, 2017

I was previously lamenting about my analog-to-digital struggles. But you know what’s dope and super-easy? Converting one form of digital file to another. I used to write for eHow and thanks to that, I know how to convert anything to anything. Seriously, got a RealVideo file you want to convert to ogg vorbis? I got you covered.

These files are not in ogg vorbis I swear. I’m not a lunatic.

Yellow Magic Orchestra
Cosmic Surfin’ (Live)
Rydeen (Live At Hurrah)
Behind The Mask (Live At Hurrah)
Day Tripper (Live At Hurrah)
Ongaku (Live)
Expecting Rivers (Live)
Cosmic Surfin- (Live 2nd Version)
Technopolis (Live On Japanese TV)
Rydeen (Live On Japanese TV)
Kageki Na Shukujo (Live On Japanese TV)
Riot In Lagos (Live YMO Special)
Solid State Survivor (Live YMO Special)
Rydeen (Live YMO Special)
An item on my holy grail watch-list for some time had been the YMO Giga Clips DVD. This video compiles not only all of YMO’s various music videos, but also features a slew of live performances from various concerts and Japanese TV appearances. I would occasionally see it in stores used, but usually for prices close to $100.

Thankfully, I stumbled upon a heavily discounted copy in Kichijoji last week. It was lacking the original booklet, kind of a big deal here, so it was priced to move. I paid less than a third of it’s usual price. That’s pretty amazing.

The above files are MP3 rips of all the non-album versions that are on the disc. So, none of these are music video rips as those are just the album versions.. I also didn’t include tracks that are also available on live CDs. Not for ethical reasons (those CDs are long out of print) but because the versions on the CDs are of higher quality. I also skipped a few TV performances that appeared to be mostly lip-synced, because what’s the point.

As my copy doesn’t have the booklet, I don’t know all the details behind all of these tracks, I don’t have that information. I do know that the “Live At Hurrah” tracks are a 1979 performance at the Hurrah in New York City.

The YMO Special tracks are from a….YMO Special (shocking I know) that aired on Japanese TV in 1983. That special also featured some behind-the-scenes stuff and interviews. That stuff isn’t on Giga Clips, but you do a search for “YMO Special” on YouTube you can find VHS rips of it rather easily.

“Ongaku” and “Expecting Rivers” are from a concert video. I think they’re from the band’s 1983 Budokan performance. That lines up with their wardrobe/instrument set-up in the video. That concert was released on laserdisc only. Which means I’m going to have to buy another Laserdisc player at some point. That makes me angry and sad.

I have absolutely no clue as to where the second version of “Cosmic Surfin'” is from. It appears to be taken from the same tour as the Hurrah show, however.

The remaining clips are all Japanese TV shows. Again, I don’t know which ones because, no booklet.

Posted in live, Yellow Magic Orchestra | 6 Comments »

Radio Junk and Other Garbage To Distract You

Monday, March 13th, 2017

I just finished the latest chapter in my ever-growing guide to Yellow Magic Orchestra. This one covers the side-projects. It was a lot of fun to write so I hope you all check it out when you have the time.

You’ll also need to read it to understand who I’m writing about tonight. I just wrote a few thousand words on these guys, I’m not doing anymore! Go read that and then come back here to enjoy the tunes.

Takahashi/Jansen
Memory Without Consequence
Memory without Consequence (Extra Polated Mix) [Remixed by Reflection]
Memory without Consequence (Reflection Confused Bits) [Remixed by Reflection]
These tracks are from the Takahashi/Jansen releases that came out in the late 90s, PulseXPulse, and its remix record. I actually put off buying these for a long time because I just assumed they weren’t very good. Takahashi’s first collaboration with Steve Jansen was back in the 80s, and it was a three-song EP of boring sonic wallpaper that I forgot as soon as I finished listening to it. I just figured their later effort was more of the same. Now I’m wishing I had bought them much sooner. While neither are gobsmackingly great, both are very good records that feature some great, hella catchy tunes. Of them, “Memory Without Consequence,” and its remixes are also great, although they have very little to do with the source material.

Metafive
La Femme Chinoise [Live]
Radio Junk [Live]
I cannot possibly express how much I like Metafive and how much I highly recommend all of you pick up their self-titled studio debut, which came out last year.

But that wasn’t their first album. The group actually started as a live project, one that was almost solely dedicated to playing previously recorded Yukihiro Takahashi tracks. They must’ve meshed well enough on the tour to go into the studio.  Whatever the reason, I’m glad it happened. Like I said, that album is wonderful, such a perfect synthpop record. You can also buy it in America on iTunes! So please go do that!  You can’t find their live albums there though, which gives me a good excuse to share a few tracks from those albums tonight.

Like I said, their first live album is comprised almost entirely of Takahashi material, and mostly his solo work. Most of the YMO tracks they do perform aren’t the big tracks, and are instead album cuts or lesser known cuts like “Cue” or “Ballet.” The only big number from his YMO days that they do pull out is “La Femme Chinoise,” and that’s probably because he wrote it. Although he also is the sole songwriter for “Rydeen” and they didn’t play that live, so what do I know.

After their first studio album came out, their live shows shifted gears to feature, not surprisingly, material from that record. But on Metalive, the live album documenting that tour, they still threw in one cover from Takahashi’s past, and I couldn’t be happier with the one they chose – “Radio Junk.”

“Radio Junk” is my favorite YMO song, although technically speaking, “Radio Junk” isn’t even a YMO song. It’s a Sheena And The Rokkets track that YMO wrote for them. It’s the “Nothing Compares 2 U” of YMO. A fantastic track that was cast aside and found new life in the arms of another artist. Despite the fact that YMO never released a studio version of the track, they’ve performed it live on multiple occasions during different tours. You can find them performing on several of their live albums, and other live takes have been included on compilation releases. They must have a soft spot for it. Because it’s the greatest song of all time ever.

Okay. Hyperbole. I know, but it’s really fucking great. Such a good combination of punk/new wave and synthpop. So simple, so effective, and with such great lyrics.

“Fill me with radio junk.”

I can’t breathe. I can’t move. I can’t even think. And I don’t to anymore.

“Fill me with radio junk.”

There’s just too much going on. Too much around me. Too much to handle. I need to drown it out.

“Fill me with radio junk.”

It’s all horrible. I know it’s all horrible. And I know I should care more and do more. But I can’t and I won’t because when I try to, it kills me. So pump me full of bubblegum pop, hair metal, and cheesy love songs. Make me forget. Make it all go away. Make it better.

“Fill me with radio junk.”

Friends Of Earth (FOE)
Total Eclipse
I think I might’ve downplayed how weird this group was in my guide. Because they’re really freaking weird. Maybe the awfulness of their hip-hop blinded me to the overall weirdness of the rest of their tracks. I said that this track was beautiful, and it is, but it’s also damned strange. Mostly because of the samples. The keyboards here have a very hard to describe effect running through them, kind of like a generic “eastern” sound effect, but run through a flange or something. They really set the song apart. I wish I was a better writer so I could describe it in more detail.

But for me, what really makes the song are the haunting, wordless vocalizing by Koshi Miharu. Her voice is just ungodly great. While I’ve had some of her albums for the past few years, I’ve only recently really begun to dig into her back catalog, and so far everything I’ve found has been amazing. Her range (both vocally and stylistically) is just completely incomparable to anyone else, both in Japan and in the West. She’ll definitely be a large focus on the next part of my YMO guide, which focuses on the greatest and most interesting of their associates.

You think Prince had a lot of disciples and proteges? He had nothing compared to the guys in YMO.

BONUS TRACKS
Radio Junk (Live At Budokan 1980) - Yellow Magic Orchestra
Radio Junk – Sheena And The Rokkets
Radio Junk – Yukihiro Takahashi 
Fill me with Radio Junk!

Posted in Friends Of Earth, Metafive, remixes, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Yukihiro Takahashi | 3 Comments »

Happy New Year, let us never speak of 2016 again

Tuesday, December 27th, 2016

I hope you all had a merry little Christmas. I mean, 2016 even managed to make Christmas shit by killing George Michael, but I hope you tried your best. My boyfriend and I went to a special museum showcase of vintage boomboxes! That was pretty fucking dope. Expect a write-up soon!

Gary Numan
Music For Chameleons (Extended Version)
This version of Numan’s single from his 1982 album I, Assassin is approximately 50 seconds longer than the original album version. I feel that, in this case, calling it “extended” is really false advertising. There needs to be another word for it. Maybe “elongated?” No, that sounds stupid. I don’t know. I’m open to suggestions from the peanut gallery for this one.

Yellow Magic Orchestra
Rydeen (Instrumental) (Remixed by YAMADA)
You’ve Got To Help Yourself (POPbanana trap’mix)
These two remixes are from the vinyl edition of the YMO Remixes Technopolis 2000-00. It’s not the best compilation, as most remixes of YMO tracks are downright awful. However, these two takes, which didn’t make it on the CD version, are light years better than nearly every other track on the album, which is odd. Of course, “Rydeen” is a hard song to fuck up, but the remix of “You’ve Got To Help Yourself” is surprisingly great considering that’s not one of YMO’s best tunes. This version has a really rad bassline and some happy fun beeps that sound like something out of a Willian Orbit track, so I can really get behind it.

Posted in Gary Numan, remixes, Yellow Magic Orchestra | 2 Comments »

Adventures From The YMO Family

Sunday, May 1st, 2016

I’m tired, I’m working six days in a row this week and I have to be up to go to work in about seven hours. So of course I decided to randomly write 800 plus words on releases by various Yellow Magic Orchestra associates.

Kenji Omura
Seiko Is Always On Time
The Defector
Maps
Kenji Omura was a longstanding associate of YMO, whose work with members from the group actually pre-dates the band itself; he’s credited as a performer on Yukihiro Takahashi’s solo debut Saravah!, which came out in 1978. Throughout the 70s and 80s he continually popped up on various YMO associate releases, including albums by Akiko Yano, Susan, Logic System (more on him in a second) and Sandii. During YMO’s biggest years he also served as the band’s touring guitarist, performing on their seminal Live At Budokan release.

He was primarily a jazz guitarist (a lot of YMO people have jazz backgrounds) and it shows a lot in his solo work, more than his work as a contributing artist. His 1983 album Gaijin Heaven even goes as far as to have a Steely Dan cover on it, showing that while he was working in the synth-pop field, he was just as interested in rock and jazz fusion as anything else. But, me being me and my interests lying where they are, I’m going to focus on his more synth-pop focused work, specifically these three tracks from his fantastic 1981 album, Spring Is Nearly Here.

While that album is listed as Kenji Omura record, it’s more or less an unofficial YMO release. Not only does it feature all three members of YMO performing their respective instruments, they also contribute as songwriters alongside Chris Mosdell, who served as the group’s English language songwriter for some of their biggest hits, including “Behind The Mask.” The album also features contributions from YMO accomplishes Akiko Yano, Hideki Matsutake and Kazuhiko Kato.

The whole album doesn’t sound like a YMO record (that jazz influence is pretty strong throughout) but the tracks that do sound like YMO really sound like YMO. “The Defector” could have easily been on Naughty Boys, its a pop masterpiece, the kind of track that sounds like it was purposely constructed to be a Top 40 hit and is all the better for it. Unsurprisingly, it was written by Takahashi and his English songwriter, Peter Barakan, two fantastic pop craftsmen.

“Seiko Is Always On Time” is a purely electronic jam, co-written by Sakamoto and obviously channeling “The End Of Asia” with its Eastern influences morphed together with a synthesizer-heavy sound. It’s semi-ambient totally beautiful.

But YMO fans should really take note of “Maps.” If that track sounds familiar, that’s because it’s actually a YMO tune, appearing on both the Budokan and World Tour albums. Those records were recorded in 1980, a full year before this record was released, but close enough for it to be difficult to say if the song was as YMO song first that was later handed off to Omura, or if it was intended for Omura all along. Either way, it’s a great track, and stands up equally with any other classic tune by the group.

Hideki Matsutake & K.I. Capsule
The James Bond Theme
Goldfinger
Hideki Matsutake served as YMO’s programmer, and also worked with electronic music pioneer Isao Tomita in the mid-70s. In the early-80s he went solo under the moniker Logic System, releasing a pair of beautiful albums in the early 80s as well as several…less good albums throughout the remainder of the century (one has a rap track, it’s bad).

For me though, his crowning achievement away from YMO is Digital Moon, a 1979 album composed entirely of James Bond theme covers. I’m not going to say that it’s the greatest album of all time, but it might be the greatest album of all time. You haven’t lived until you’ve heard “Goldfinger” sung through a vocoder. The only way it could’ve been better is if they had gotten Shirley Bassey herself to do it. This is dope shit. If you like dope shit you’ll like this.

Jun Togawa
Suki Suki Daisuki
Late Blooming Girls
An artist so unique that she’s nearly impossible to describe. I think the best I could come up with was “a cross between Madonna, Patti Smith and Klaus Nomi,” thanks to her pop presence combined with her predisposition for violent screaming fits and the occasional foray into operatic bellowing.

Between her solo discography, collaborative efforts and side-projects, she’s released countless records, which makes diving into her discography rather daunting, not to mention incredibly expensive. Any greatest hits compilation is a good jumping off point though, as it will probably feature one of, if not both of these, tremendous songs.

Both of these songs are highlights even if you can’t understand the vocals, thanks to Jun’s amazing vocal range. But if you do know what she’s singing about, they’re even stronger. Thankfully, for “Suki Suki Daisuki” you can find the translated lyrics on this fan-subbed video. As for “Late Blooming Girls,” I don’t have an exact translation with me, but the song is about a woman who’s scared to lose her virginity because she heard it might hurt, only to find the experience quite pleasurable once it happens. You can probably point out the point in the song where that unfolds solely based on how she changes her singing voice.

Jun Togawa is still recording today, and recently released a collaborative noise rock album that includes a new version of “Suki Suki Daisuki.” It’s something else.

Posted in Hideki Matsutake, Jun Togawa, Kenji Omura, Yellow Magic Orchestra | 3 Comments »

I AM PREDICTING A HEADACHE

Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

SPOILER I’M DRUNK

Let’s talk about things that suck.

These are some of the things that I think suck the most

  • Imagine Dragons
  • “Men’s Rights” Advocates
  • Whatever the fuck Amanda Bynes is doing to herself
  • APRIL
  • The random painful red bump on my face that showed up out of nowhere yesterday
  • Mean parents
  • Assholes
  • APRIL
  • Geo-political situations keeping you from people you love
  • People who don’t like kittens
  • The inability to prove yourself as a writer
  • Hardees’
  • APRIL
  • Dropping food in the dark
  • Scott Miller dying
  • No one caring about shit you care about
  • Ohio
  • APRIL
  • The Inevitable Heat Death Of The Universe
  • Throwing your back out
  • The fact that Eve 6 still exists and making music
  • Chris Brown
  • The fact that no one has murdered Chris Brown
  • Seriously, fuck Chris Brown
  • Amanda Palmer
  • The death of “longform” writing

So much shit that sucks! It’s everywhere. The world sucks all around you! How do you combat it?

You combat it by focusing on shit that doesn’t suck! What doesn’t suck?

  • Whiskey
  • People who love you
  • Pizza
  • Whiskey
  • Records
  • Movies about ninjas
  • That Crosby Stills and Nash song with all the doots
  • Playing “This Corrosion” by Sisters Of Mercy alone in your room and rocking out like a monkey on mescaline
  • Pictures of kittens in shoes
  • Movies about breakdancing
  • Adorable nephews
  • Monkeys
  • Hypothetical movies about breakdancing ninjas. Okay, real talk for a second. How come no one has made a movie about a breakdancing ninja I would watch the shit out of that shit.
  • Awesome people who pick fights with misogynists, sexists and racists because its fun to fuck with them
  • Walter Hill movies from 1977 to 1984
  • Months that aren’t April, because fuck April
  • Whiskey

Seriously, you gotta focus on the positive and non-suckage of life (and/or drink lots) or it’s all gonna bring you down. And fuck that shit for bringing you down. You’re better than that bullshit! Be awesome! You’re awesome aren’t you? Well then fuck that shit! Go be awesome! I am so awesome. Holy shit. It’s like, woah, how awesome I am.

Yo! Here’s some awesome music to help you be awesome and crush  the evil powers of suck. Rock this shit like He-Man rocked the power of Greyskull.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Born To Run (Live)
Are you ready for some indisputable facts? Cuz you’re gonna get some.

FACT:  Frankie Goes To Hollywood is awesome.
FACT: Born to Run is awesome
DOUBLEFACT: Frankie Goes To Hollywood covering Born To Run is mega-awesome awesome.

Underworld
Underneath The Radar (12″ Remix)
More bold  facts for you. Underworld was an  awesome synthpop band before they were an awesome electronic band.  I posted this eons ago but that rip was less than awesome. I re-recorded it today. Now it has awesome.

Yukihiro Takahashi
Kid-Nap, The Dreamer
I-Kasu!
Japan is the most awesomest place on Earth and this is a fact. Yukihiro Takahashi (which I spell right despite being HAMMERED so I’m proud of myself) is in Yellow Magic Orchestra, a synthpop band from Japan. Since synthpop is awesome and Japan is mega-awesome then YMO is like, so fucking awesome that there aren’t even words.

Takahashi’s solo work, while not as awesome as YMO, is still pretty damn awesome. This is a crazy track, cuz it’s like synth-ska. Hard to explain, but it sounds like a Specials song put through a moog.

(Kid-Nap and I Kasu! are two tracks, but really one long song, so I call them one song because that’s just easier)

BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE II
RUSH (12″ mix)
THE MOST AWESOME

Posted in Big Audio Dynamite, drunkblogging, Underworld, Yellow Magic Orchestra | 4 Comments »

I’m back! And I brought all the Japanese synth-pop with me!

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013

Okay, so here was my plan: Put a couple posts in the pipe while I was in China, and then once I got to Japan, occasionally blog about the stuff I was getting/feature some music from any out-of-print CDs I may have bought while in the country.

The first part of my plan worked perfectly, however, once in Japan I realized I failed to take into account HOW FUCKING AWESOME TOKYO IS. Sorry, but once I got there the last thing I wanted to do was sit in my hotel room and write about what I bought that day. I wanted to go out and play in the arcades; walk around Shibuya until midnight; go to crazy Japanese clubs; drink crazy Japanese drinks; and so much more! There’s so much to do and see in that city, and the longer I was there, the less I cared about getting back to my hotel in time to write a really good blog post. I just wanted to explore that city until my feet couldn’t take anymore, sleep, wake up, and repeat the whole process. So sorry if the blog kind of fell into a wasteland for a couple of weeks, but I was honestly having too much fun to really care.

But I’m back now! And holy shit do I have a lot to talk about! I plan on writing a couple of massive posts about my trip in the coming weeks/month, hopefully for my oft-delayed new site, but until then, I’m just going to start posting music that I picked up on the trip. I bought a ton of Western stuff, but expect to see a good portion of Japanese music as well, starting with tonight.

Yellow Magic Orchestra
Y.M.O. Mega-Mix
Firecracker (Remix)
Behind The Mask (Remix)
I wish I knew the reason why most of Yellow Magic Orchestra’s discography remains painfully hard to get in the states. Only one of their albums is available digitally on Amazon, and only a select few are available to buy via import. Is it a right’s issue? Or is Sony (I think that’s who own this stuff) just too stupid to give the stuff a proper release. I get why they haven’t bothered to put the CDs out here, but it would cost them next to nothing to get this stuff on digital download stores. What gives?

I didn’t want to wait to find out, so when I was in Japan I pretty much picked up a complete YMO discography across both CD and LP, and over the next few months I’m going to try and figure out what to post and what not to. Sure, nearly all of their albums aren’t available in the states, but I still think that most of them are worth tracking down and picking up, even at import prices. Maybe I’ll do some kind of “Greatest Hits” where I choose my favorite YMO tracks across the records I picked up. I think that’s the best and most ethical way to do things.

Tonight though I’m putting up a complete CD single, because even if the YMO albums proper ever make their way to American shores, I really doubt these remixes will. These are from a 1990 CD single simply called Y.M.O MEGA MIX that contains the self-titled medley track, and two additional YMO remixes.  The mega-mix is a massive 12 minute beast, containing snippets from seven different YMO tracks. None of them are massively re-worked, but it’s a great brief journey through some of YMO’s better tracks, including the excellent “Rydeen” and the super-catchy “Computer Game.”

I personally prefer the two additional remixes more than the mega-mix, especially the mix of “Behind The Mask” that extends the song by nearly two minutes and really lets the track’s excellent melody come to life.

It’s good to be back! And expect plenty of amazing stuff over the next few months! I bought so many records in Japan…

Posted in Complete Albums, remixes, Yellow Magic Orchestra | 3 Comments »

« Older Entries