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BGM is the fourth album by Yellow Magic Orchestra, released on March 21, 1981.^[1] The title stands for "background music", though promotional material indicated that it could also mean "Beautiful Grotesque Music". This album was produced by Haruomi Hosono. YMO was the first band to utilize the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, one of the first programmable drum machines, as early as 1980,^[2]^[3] and by early 1981, they released BGM as their first album utilizing both the Roland MC-4 Microcomposer and TR-808.

Different recording equipment was available as well. Alfa Records, YMO’s record company, had just installed a 3M 32-track digital recorder in its studio. Hosono, however, was not fond of its overly sharp sound quality. As a solution, he recorded all the rhythm sections on a TEAC/TASCAM 80-8 analog recorder first and copied them with the 3M machine. The result was fuller, much compressed rhythm tracks. Unfortunately, no known working samples of the 3M recorder exist in Japan today, making it quite difficult to play the master tape.

Peter Barakan debuts as YMO’s co-lyricist. Ryuichi Sakamoto was often absent from the BGM recording sessions, and he turns in "Music Plans" as his only new composition for the album, since "1000 Knives" (from his 1978 debut album The Thousand Knives of Ryuichi Sakamoto) and "Happy End" were new recordings of his earlier materials. "Loom" is also a re-working of "The Infinite Space Octave" by YMO computer programmer Hideki Matsutake, and features a slow, upward glissando similar to the Deep Note, THX's audio logo. Another song, "Rap Phenomena" was an early attempt at electronic rap.^[1] Like most YMO albums, song titles were printed in both Japanese and English, as listed below. "来たるべきもの" more accurately translates to "What should come".

When released in 1981, the album's reception was positive. Stereo Review praised the album for its "remarkable" blend between "East and West," its "catchy tunes," its "ambitious collection of electronics," and for "pushing at the frontiers of electronic rock" but noted that this affected the album's accessibility.^[4]

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Ballet" (バレエ)	Yukihiro Takahashi/Peter Barakan	Takahashi	4:34
2.	"Music Plans" (音楽の計画; "Ongaku no keikaku")	Ryuichi Sakamoto/Barakan	Sakamoto	4:34
3.	"Rap Phenomenon" (ラップ現象; "RAP genshou")	Haruomi Hosono/Barakan	Hosono	4:33
4.	"Happy End" (ハッピー・エンド)		Sakamoto	4:33
5.	"1000 Knives" (千のナイフ; "Sen no KNIFE")		Sakamoto	5:24

Side two
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Cue" (キュー)	Takahashi/Hosono/Barakan	Takahashi/Hosono	4:33
2.	"U•T" (ユーティー)		Yellow Magic Orchestra	4:34
3.	"Camouflage" (カムフラージュ)	Takahashi/Barakan	Takahashi	4:34
4.	"Mass" (マス)	Hosono/Barakan	Hosono	4:32
5.	"Loom" (来たるべきもの; "Kitaru beki mono")		Yellow Magic Orchestra/Hideki Matsutake	5:21

Personnel

References

^ ^a ^b ^c BGM at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
^ Jason Anderson (November 28, 2008). "Slaves to the rhythm: Kanye West is the latest to pay tribute to a classic drum machine". CBC News. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
^ Mickey Hess (2007), Icons of hip hop: an encyclopedia of the movement, music, and culture, Volume 1, ABC-CLIO, p. 75, ISBN 0313339031, retrieved 2011-05-29
^ "Yellow Magic Orchestra: BGM", Stereo Review, Volume 46, CBS Magazines, p. 38, 1981, retrieved 2011-06-01

This 1980s electronic music album–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[allmusic_bgm-1] BGM at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-05-29.

[cbc_808-2] Jason Anderson (November 28, 2008). "Slaves to the rhythm: Kanye West is the latest to pay tribute to a classic drum machine". CBC News. Retrieved 2011-05-29.

[3] Mickey Hess (2007), Icons of hip hop: an encyclopedia of the movement, music, and culture, Volume 1, ABC-CLIO, p. 75, ISBN 0313339031, retrieved 2011-05-29

[4] "Yellow Magic Orchestra: BGM", Stereo Review, Volume 46, CBS Magazines, p. 38, 1981, retrieved 2011-06-01

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[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
   Artist      = [[Yellow Magic Orchestra]] |
   Cover       = YMO - BGM album cover.jpg  |
-  Released    = 1981 |
+  Released    = March 21, 1981 |
-  Recorded    =  |
+  Recorded    = |
-  Genre       = [[Electropop]] |
+  Genre       = [[Electro]], [[Electropop]], [[Electro hop|Electro&nbsp;hip&nbsp;hop]], [[Synthpop]] |
   Length      = 47:06 |
-  Label       = [[Alfa Records]] |
+  Label       = [[Alfa Records]] <br> [[EMI|EMI Music]]<ref name="allmusic_bgm"/> |
   Producer    = [[Haruomi Hosono]] |
   Reviews     = *[[Allmusic]] {{Rating|3|5}} [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r53034|pure_url=yes}} link] |
@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
   | Single 2 date = 1981}}
 }}
+'''''BGM''''' is the fourth album by [[Yellow Magic Orchestra]], released on March 21, 1981.<ref name="allmusic_bgm">{{allmusic|class=album|id=r53034|accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref> The title stands for "[[background music]]", though promotional material indicated that it could also mean "Beautiful Grotesque Music". This album was produced by [[Haruomi Hosono]]. YMO was the first band to utilize the [[Roland TR-808 |Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer]], one of the first programmable [[drum machine]]s, as early as 1980,<ref name="cbc_808">{{cite web|title=Slaves to the rhythm: Kanye West is the latest to pay tribute to a classic drum machine|date=November 28, 2008|author=Jason Anderson|publisher=[[CBC News]]|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/music/story/2008/11/27/f-history-of-the-808.html|accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=Icons of hip hop: an encyclopedia of the movement, music, and culture, Volume 1|author=Mickey Hess|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|year=2007|isbn=0313339031|page=75|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=LldOLnIQ66cC&pg=PA69|accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref> and by early 1981, they released ''BGM'' as their first album utilizing both the [[Roland MC-4 Microcomposer]] and TR-808.
-'''''BGM''''' is the fourth album by [[Yellow Magic Orchestra]]. The title stands for "[[background music]]", though promotional material indicated that it could also mean "Beautiful Grotesque Music".
-This album was produced by [[Haruomi Hosono]]. It is the first YMO album to utilize the [[Roland MC-4 Microcomposer]] and [[Roland TR-808 |TR-808 Rhythm Composer]].
 Different recording equipment was available as well. [[Alfa Records]], YMO’s record company, had just installed a [[3M]] 32-track digital recorder in its studio. Hosono, however, was not fond of its overly sharp sound quality. As a solution, he recorded all the rhythm sections on a [[TEAC Corporation|TEAC]]/[[TASCAM]] 80-8 analog recorder first and copied them with the 3M machine. The result was fuller, much compressed rhythm tracks. Unfortunately, no known working samples of the 3M recorder exist in Japan today, making it quite difficult to play the master tape.
-Peter Barakan debuts as YMO’s co-lyricist. [[Ryuichi Sakamoto]] was often absent from the ''BGM'' recording sessions, and he turns in "Music Plans" as his only new composition for the album  (since "1000 Knives" and "Happy End" were new recordings of his earlier materials). "Loom" is also a re-working of "The Infinite Space Octave" by YMO computer programmer [[Hideki Matsutake]], and features a slow, upward glissando similar to the [[Deep Note]], [[THX]]'s [[audio logo]].
+Peter Barakan debuts as YMO’s co-lyricist. [[Ryuichi Sakamoto]] was often absent from the ''BGM'' recording sessions, and he turns in "Music Plans" as his only new composition for the album, since "1000 Knives" (from his 1978 debut album ''The Thousand Knives of Ryuichi Sakamoto'') and "Happy End" were new recordings of his earlier materials. "Loom" is also a re-working of "The Infinite Space Octave" by YMO computer programmer [[Hideki Matsutake]], and features a slow, upward glissando similar to the [[Deep Note]], [[THX]]'s [[audio logo]]. Another song, "Rap Phenomena" was an early attempt at [[Electro hop|electronic rap]].<ref name="allmusic_bgm"/> Like most YMO albums, song titles were printed in both Japanese and English, as listed below. "来たるべきもの" more accurately translates to "What should come".
+When released in 1981, the album's reception was positive. ''[[Stereo Review]]'' praised the album for its "remarkable" blend between "East and West," its "catchy tunes," its "ambitious collection of electronics," and for "pushing at the frontiers of electronic rock" but noted that this affected the album's accessibility.<ref>{{citation|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra: BGM|work=[[Stereo Review|Stereo Review, Volume 46]]|publisher=[[CBS Magazines]]|year=1981|page=38|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3aY9AQAAIAAJ|accessdate=2011-06-01}}</ref>
-Like most YMO albums, song titles were printed in both Japanese and English, as listed below. "来たるべきもの" more accurately translates to "What should come".
 ==Track listing==
@@ Line 106: / Line 104: @@
 *[[Peter Barakan]]: [[Lyrics]]
 *[[Hideki Matsutake]]: Computer programming
+==References==
+{{reflist}}
 {{Yellow Magic Orchestra}}