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Released = 1978, November 25 | |
Released = 1978, November 25 | |
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Recorded = 1978, July 10 - September 5 | |
Recorded = 1978, July 10 - September 5 | |
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Genre = [[Electronic music|Electronic]] ( |
Genre = [[Electronic music|Electronic]] ([[Electronic dance music|dance]], [[Electro music|electro‑funk]], [[Electronic rock|rock]], [[Techno|proto‑techno]]), [[Experimental music|Experimental]] ([[art rock]], [[Avant-garde music|avant‑garde]]), [[New Wave music|New Wave]], [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]], [[Synthpop]], [[World music|World]] ([[Music of Asia|Asian]], [[exotica]]) | |
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Length = 37:35 <br />36:04 (US mix)| |
Length = 37:35 <br />36:04 (US mix)| |
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Label = [[Alfa Records]] | |
Label = [[Alfa Records]] | |
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Producer = [[Haruomi Hosono|Harry Hosono]] | |
Producer = [[Haruomi Hosono|Harry Hosono]] | |
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Reviews = *[[Allmusic]] {{Rating|4|5}} [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r632985|pure_url=yes}} link] | |
Reviews = *[[Allmusic]] {{Rating|4|5}} [{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r632985|pure_url=yes}} link] | |
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Last album = | |
Last album = ''[[Yellow Magic Orchestra#History|Paraiso]]'' (1977) | |
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This album = '''''Yellow Magic Orchestra''''' <br /> (1978) | |
This album = '''''Yellow Magic Orchestra''''' <br /> (1978) | |
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Next album = ''[[Solid State Survivor]]''<br />(1979) | |
Next album = ''[[Solid State Survivor]]''<br />(1979) | |
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'''''Yellow Magic Orchestra''''' is the first official studio album by [[Japan]]ese [[electronic music]] band [[Yellow Magic Orchestra]], who were previously known as the Yellow Magic Band. Originally released |
'''''Yellow Magic Orchestra''''' is the first official studio album by [[Japan]]ese [[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 [[North America]] in early 1979, with the [[United States]] 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. |
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The album was an early example of [[synthpop]],<ref name="sfweekly_interview">{{cite web|last=Stout|first=Andrew|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra on Kraftwerk and How to Write a Melody During a Cultural Revolution|url=http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2011/06/yellow_magic_orchestras_ryuich.php|work=[[SF Weekly]]|accessdate=30 June 2011|month=June 24|year=2011}}</ref><ref name="allmusic_ymo_album">{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r632985}}</ref> a genre that the band helped pioneer.<ref name="scaruffi"/> It was also as an early example of a [[Computer music|computer-themed]] album,<ref name="japantimes"/> and contributed to the development of [[Electro music|electro]], [[hip hop]],<ref name="dayal_interview"/> [[techno]],<ref name="allmusic_kings_techno"/> [[Yorkshire Bleeps and Bass|bleep techno]],<ref name="sicko_brewster_76"/> and [[chiptune]].<ref name="japantimes"/> The album's innovations in electronic music included its use of the [[microprocessor]]-based [[Roland MC-8 Microcomposer]] [[music sequencer]]<ref name="discogs_ymo_lp"/> which allowed the creation of new electronic sounds,<ref name="billboard_1979"/> and its [[Sampling (music)|sampling]] of [[Video game music|video game sounds]].<ref name="sfweekly_interview"/><ref name="japantimes"/> |
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The album sold 250,000 copies in Japan<ref name="oricon_album_archive"/> and entered the [[Billboard 200]] and [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|R&B Albums]] charts in the United States.<ref name="allmusic_ymo1"/> Its most successful single was "Computer Game / Firecracker", which sold over 400,000 records in the United States<ref name="sarasota"/> and was a top 20 hit in the United Kingdom.<ref name="chartstats_game"/> |
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==Production== |
==Production== |
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{{Listen |
{{Listen |
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|filename=YMO - |
|filename=YMO - Computer Game.ogg |
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|title=" |
|title="Computer Game" |
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|description=A sample of " |
|description=A sample of "Computer Game", which was combined with "Firecracker" into a hit single called "Computer Game". It [[Sampling (music)|samples]] [[Arcade game|arcade]] [[Video game music|game sounds]] from ''[[Space Invaders]]'' and ''[[Circus (video game)|Circus]]''. |
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|filename2=YMO - Firecracker.ogg |
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|title2="Firecracker" |
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|description2=A sample of "Firecracker", which was combined with the "Computer Game" track into a hit single called "Computer Game". It was later sampled by artists such as [[Afrika Bambaata]] and [[Jennifer Lopez]]. |
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|format=[[Ogg]] |
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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 [[Asian people|Asianness]], exoticisation and Orientalism from a Japanese perspective.<ref name="guardian_ymo">{{cite web|last=Lewis|first=John|title=Back to the future: Yellow Magic Orchestra helped usher in electronica - and they may just have invented hip-hop, too|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/jul/04/electronicmusic.filmandmusic11|work=[[The Guardian]]|accessdate=25 May 2011|date=4 July 2008}}</ref> The album would eventually be called ''Yellow Magic Orchestra'', as a satire of Japan's obsession with [[black magic]] at the time.<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> The project proved highly popular, culminating in a career for the three musicians; one that would last until 1983, before successful solo careers and reunions over the decades to come. |
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 [[Asian people|Asianness]], exoticisation and Orientalism from a Japanese perspective.<ref name="guardian_ymo">{{cite web|last=Lewis|first=John|title=Back to the future: Yellow Magic Orchestra helped usher in electronica - and they may just have invented hip-hop, too|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/jul/04/electronicmusic.filmandmusic11|work=[[The Guardian]]|accessdate=25 May 2011|date=4 July 2008}}</ref> The album would eventually be called ''Yellow Magic Orchestra'', as a satire of Japan's obsession with [[black magic]] at the time.<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> The project proved highly popular, culminating in a career for the three musicians; one that would last until 1983, before successful solo careers and reunions over the decades to come. |
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They began recording the album in July 1978 at a [[Shibaura]] studio in [[Tokyo]]. It utilized a wide variety of [[electronic musical instrument|electronic music equipment]], including the [[Korg PS-3300|Korg PS-3100]] [[polyphonic synthesizer]], the [[Moog modular synthesizer|Moog III-C]] and [[Minimoog]] [[monosynth]]s, the [[Polymoog]] and [[ARP Odyssey]] [[analog synthesizer]]s, the [[Oberheim polyphonic|Oberheim Eight-Voice]] [[synthesizer]], the [[Fender Rhodes]] [[electric piano]], the [[Korg VC-10]] [[vocoder]], the [[electronic drum]] [[Drum kit|kits]] [[Yamaha Drums]] and [[Pollard Syndrum|Syn-Drums]], and the [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender Bass]] [[electric bass]]. It was also the earliest known [[popular music]] album to use the [[Roland MC-8 Microcomposer]], which was [[Music programming|programmed]] by [[Hideki Matsutake]] during recording sessions.<ref name="discogs_ymo_lp">{{Discogs release|453067|Yellow Magic Orchestra – Yellow Magic Orchestra}}</ref> Roland called the MC-8 a "[[computer music]] composer" and it was the first stand-alone [[microprocessor]]-based [[music sequencer]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Russ|first=Martin|title=Sound Synthesis and Sampling|year=2008|publisher=[[Focal Press]]|isbn=0240521056|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_D2cTt5DPmEC&pg=PA346|accessdate=21 June 2011|page=346}}</ref><ref name="SOS Nov. 2004">{{cite journal |author=Gordon Reid |title=The History Of Roland Part 1: 1930-1978 |date=Nov. 2004 |url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov04/articles/roland.htm |journal=[[Sound On Sound]] |accessdate=2011-06-19}}</ref><ref>Chadabe, Joel. 1997. Electric Sound: The Past and Promise of Electronic Music. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, (p. 194).</ref> It also introduced features such as a [[keypad]] to enter note information and 16 [[kilobyte]]s of [[random access memory]] which allowed a maximum sequence length of 5200 notes, a huge step forward from the 8-16 step sequencers of the era.<ref name="SOS Nov. 2004"/> At the time, ''[[Billboard (magazine)|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.<ref name="billboard_1979">{{citation|title=Artists and producers strive for inroads overseas|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=26 May 1979|volume=91|issue=20|issn=0006-2510|page=61|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_iQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT61|accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref> The band later described both the MC-8 and its programmer Hideki Matsutake as an "inevitable factor" in both their music production and [[Concert|live performances]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Sound International, Issues 33-40|work=[[Sound International]]|year=1981|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Sj5LAAAAYAAJ|accessdate=21 June 2011|page=147}}</ref> Besides the electronic equipment, the only [[Acoustic music|acoustic]] [[Musical instrument|instruments]] used in the album were a [[Steinway & Sons|Steinway]] [[piano]] and [[marimba]] [[percussion instrument]].<ref name="discogs_ymo_lp"/> |
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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 (video game)|Circus]]'' and ''[[Space Invaders]]''. Both ''Circus'' and ''Space Invaders'', along with several other [[Golden age of video arcade games|popular arcade video games]], were also featured in the promotional film for "Tong Poo". |
The album was an early example of [[synthpop]],<ref name="sfweekly_interview"/><ref name="allmusic_ymo_album"/> a genre that Yellow Magic Orchestra helped pioneer.<ref name="scaruffi">{{citation|title=A history of rock music 1951-2000|author=[[Piero Scaruffi]]|publisher=[[iUniverse]]|year=2003|isbn=0595295657|chapter=The new wave of pop and synth-pop|page=234|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=04KtwVkHNv0C&pg=PA234|accessdate=2011-05-26}}</ref> It was also an early example of a computer-themed album, predating [[Kraftwerk]]'s ''[[Computer World]]'' (1981) by several years.<ref name="japantimes">{{cite web|date=February 29, 2008|title=YMCK takes 'chiptune' revolution major|author=Daniel Robson|work=[[The Japan Times]]|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fm20080229a1.html|accessdate=2011-06-11}}</ref> ''Yellow Magic Orchestra'' experiments with different styles of electronic music, such as [[Music of Asia|Asian]] melodies played over synthpop backings in "Firecracker" and "Cosmic Surfin", the extensive use of [[Video game music|video game sounds]] in "Computer Game", and the [[Electronic dance music|electronic]] [[disco]] bass in "Tong Poo",<ref name="allmusic_ymo_album"/> a song that was inspired by [[Music of China|Chinese music]] produced during the China's [[Cultural Revolution]],<ref name="sfweekly_interview"/> and in turn influenced [[video game music]] such as ''[[Tetris]]''.<ref name="japantimes"/> 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 (video game)|Circus]]'' and ''[[Space Invaders]]''. Both ''Circus'' and ''Space Invaders'', along with several other [[Golden age of video arcade games|popular arcade video games]], were also featured in the promotional film for "Tong Poo". |
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The titles for several songs on the B-side are based on [[Jean-Luc Godard]] film names. “Tong Poo” is the [[Cantonese language|Cantonese]] title for ''Le Vent d'est''. “La Femme Chinoise” is ''La Chinoise'' with “femme” (the [[French language|French]] word for “woman”) added after the feminine definite article “la.” Finally, “Mad Pierrot” is an [[English language|English]] translation of {{nihongo|気狂いピエロ|''Kichigai Piero''}}, the title under which ''[[Pierrot le fou]]'' was released in Japan. |
The titles for several songs on the B-side are based on [[Jean-Luc Godard]] film names. “Tong Poo” is the [[Cantonese language|Cantonese]] title for ''Le Vent d'est''. “La Femme Chinoise” is ''La Chinoise'' with “femme” (the [[French language|French]] word for “woman”) added after the feminine definite article “la.” Finally, “Mad Pierrot” is an [[English language|English]] translation of {{nihongo|気狂いピエロ|''Kichigai Piero''}}, the title under which ''[[Pierrot le fou]]'' was released in Japan. |
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==Release history== |
==Release history== |
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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 Records|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. |
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 Records|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. A&M Records also released the album across Europe and Canada that same year.<ref>{{Discogs master|45096|Yellow Magic Orchestra – Yellow Magic Orchestra|type=album}}</ref> |
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"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. |
"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. |
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| LP: ALR-6012; cassette: ALC-1511 |
| LP: ALR-6012; cassette: ALC-1511 |
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| [[ |
| [[Europe]] |
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| 1979 |
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| [[A&M Records]] |
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| [[LP record|LP]] |
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| AMLH 68506, PSP 736 |
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| [[North America]] |
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| 30 May 1979 |
| 30 May 1979 |
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| [[A&M Records]], [[Horizon Records|Horizon Records & Tapes]] |
| [[A&M Records]], [[Horizon Records|Horizon Records & Tapes]] |
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== Personnel == |
== Personnel == |
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*[[Ryuichi Sakamoto]]: [[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]], electronics, [[Percussion instrument|percussion]], orchestration |
*[[Ryuichi Sakamoto]]: [[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]], electronics, [[Percussion instrument|percussion]], orchestration |
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*[[Yukihiro Takahashi]]: [[Singing|vocals]], [[Drum kit|drums]], percussion, electronics |
*[[Yukihiro Takahashi]]: [[Singing|vocals]], [[Drum kit|drums]], percussion, electronics |
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*[[Hideki Matsutake]]: [[Roland MC-8 Microcomposer|Microcomposer]] [[Music programming|programming]] |
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*[[Chris Mosdell]]: [[Lyrics]] |
*[[Chris Mosdell]]: [[Lyrics]] |
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*Hideki Matsutake: [[Micro Composer]] programming |
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*Shunichi Hashimoto: Vocal on "Simoon" |
*Shunichi Hashimoto: Vocal on "Simoon" |
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*Masayoshi Takanaka: [[Electric guitar]] on "Cosmic Surfin" and "La femme chinoise" |
*Masayoshi Takanaka: [[Electric guitar]] on "Cosmic Surfin" and "La femme chinoise" |
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==Computer Game / Firecracker== |
==Computer Game / Firecracker== |
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| ⚫ | The song "Firecracker" was released as a single in Japan in 1978<ref name="discogs_2542232">{{Discogs release|2542232|Harry Hosono & Yellow Magic Orchestra – Special DJ Copy}}</ref> and in the United States and United Kingdom in 1979,<ref>{{Discogs master|91437|Yellow Magic Orchestra – Firecracker|type=single}}</ref> becoming a major [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] hit in the United States.<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> 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<ref name="sarasota">{{cite journal|title=Computer rock music gaining fans|journal=[[Sarasota Journal]]|date=August 18, 1980|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7s4mAAAAIBAJ&sjid=h44EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4481,2128223|accessdate=2011-05-25|page=8}}</ref> and entering the top 20 of the [[UK Single Charts]].<ref name="chartstats_game"/> The single was also released across Europe that same year.<ref name="discogs_91436">{{Discogs master|91436|Yellow Magic Orchestra – Computer Game / La Femme Chinoise|type=single}}</ref> |
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{{Listen |
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|pos=right |
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|filename=YMO - Computer Game.ogg |
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|title="Computer Game" |
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|description=A sample of "Computer Game" from the album. This track was later combined with the "Firecracker" song from the same album into a hit single called "Computer Game". The track [[Sampling (music)|samples]] [[Arcade game|arcade]] [[Video game music|video game sounds]] from ''[[Space Invaders]]'' and ''[[Circus (video game)|Circus]]''. |
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}} |
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| ⚫ | The song "Firecracker" was released as a single |
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| ⚫ | The song was |
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===Chart positions=== |
===Chart positions=== |
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===Popular culture=== |
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| ⚫ | 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).<ref>{{cite book|last=Buckley|first=Peter|title=The rough guide to rock|year=2003|publisher=[[Rough Guides]]|isbn=1843531054|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=7ctjc6UWCm4C&pg=PT908|accessdate=25 May 2011|page=901}}</ref> The "terse [[Video game|videogame]]-[[funk]]" sounds of "Computer Game" would have a strong influence on the emerging [[Electro music|electro]] and [[hip hop music]] genres;<ref name="dayal_interview">{{cite web|last=Dayal|first=Gheeta|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra|url=http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/blog/archives/00000615.htm|work=Groove|publisher=The Original Soundtrack|accessdate=17 June 2011|date=07/07/2006}}</ref> the song's use of [[Video game music|video game sounds]] and [[Beep (sound)|bleeps]] has been described as "ahead of their time"<ref>{{cite book|title=Incredibly Strange Music, Volume 15|author=V. Vale & Andrea Juno|publisher=[[RE/Search|RE/Search Publications]]|year=1994|isbn=0940642212|page=89|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=A4g7AQAAIAAJ|accessdate=2011-06-06}}</ref> and as having a strong influence on 1980s hip hop<ref>{{cite book|title=Rap attack 3: African rap to global hip hop, Issue 3|author=David Toop|edition=3rd|publisher=[[Serpent's Tail]]|year=2000|isbn=1852426276|page=129|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=xnruAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=2011-06-06}}</ref> and [[pop music]].<ref name="sfweekly_interview"/> It was later included in [[Electro hop|electro hip hop]] artist [[Mantronix]]'s [[compilation album]] ''[[That's My Beat]]'' (2002), which consists of electro music that influenced his early career.<ref>{{allmusic|album|r607041|That's My Beat: Mantronix}}</ref> |
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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).<ref name="allmusic_kings_techno">{{allmusic|album|r854597|The Kings of Techno: Carl Craig}}</ref> The song also influenced Sheffield's [[Yorkshire Bleeps and Bass|bleep techno]] music; [[Warp (record label)|Warp]]'s third record, "[[WarpVision|Testone]]" (1990) by Sweet Exorcist ([[Richard H. Kirk]] and [[All Seeing I|Richard Barratt]]), 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).<ref name="sicko_brewster_76">{{citation|title=Techno Rebels|author=Dan Sicko & Bill Brewster|edition=2nd|publisher=[[Wayne State University Press]]|year=2010|isbn=0814334385|page=76|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=h6TNjUt-QrkC&pg=PA76|accessdate=2011-05-28}}</ref> "Testone" was in turn sampled in the UK hit "Tunes Splits The Atom" (1990) by [[808 State]] and [[MC Tunes]], as well as in "Naughty Naughty" (1994) by Jus a Test.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sweet Exorcist|url=http://www.whosampled.com/sampled/Sweet%20Exorcist/|publisher=[[WhoSampled]]|accessdate=17 July 2011}}</ref> |
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"Computer Game / Firecracker" was also sampled in a number of other songs,<ref name="whosampled_ymo">{{cite web|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra|publisher=[[WhoSampled]]|url=http://www.whosampled.com/sampled/Yellow%20Magic%20Orchestra/|accessdate=2011-05-28}}</ref> including [[Teddy Riley (producer)|Teddy Riley]]'s hip hop single<ref>{{Discogs release|401601|Al B. Just Two Mc's – Wong}}</ref> "Wong" (1986) by Al B. & Just Two MC's,<ref>{{citation|title=Dance Trax|first=Brian|last=Chin|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=1 November 1986|volume=98|issue=44|issn=0006-2510|page=31|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=9CMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA31|accessdate=2011-07-07}}</ref> [[2 Live Crew]]'s "[[Move Somethin' (album)|Mega-Mixx II]]" (1987),<ref name="whosampled_ymo"/> [[De La Soul]]'s "Funky Towel" (for the 1996 film ''[[Joe's Apartment]]''),<ref>{{citation|title=Nothin' Like the Reel Thing: Soundtrack & Film Score News|author=David Sprague|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=29 June 1996|volume=108|issue=26|issn=0006-2510|page=68|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=pgkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA68|accessdate=2011-06-13}}</ref> [[Jennifer Lopez]]'s worldwide hit "[[I'm Real (Jennifer Lopez song)|I'm Real]]" (2001), and the original unreleased version of [[Mariah Carey]]'s "[[Loverboy (Mariah Carey song)|Loverboy]]" (for the 2001 film soundtrack ''[[Glitter (soundtrack)|Glitter]]'').<ref>{{cite web|title=Mariah 'Ripped Off' Twice on Same Record|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,49437,00.html|publisher=[[Fox News Channel|Fox News]]|date=April 4, 2002|accessdate=2011-05-28}}</ref>
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 14:05, 17 July 2011
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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 North America in early 1979, with the United States 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 synthpop,[1][2] a genre that the band helped pioneer.[3] It was also as an early example of a computer-themed album,[4] and contributed to the development of electro, hip hop,[5] techno,[6] bleep techno,[7] and chiptune.[4] The album's innovations in electronic music included its use of the microprocessor-based Roland MC-8 Microcomposer music sequencer[8] which allowed the creation of new electronic sounds,[9] and its sampling of video game sounds.[1][4]
The album sold 250,000 copies in Japan[10] and entered the Billboard 200 and R&B Albums charts in the United States.[11] Its most successful single was "Computer Game / Firecracker", which sold over 400,000 records in the United States[12] and was a top 20 hit in the United Kingdom.[13]
Production
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.[14] The album would eventually be called Yellow Magic Orchestra, as a satire of Japan's obsession with black magic at the time.[14] The project proved highly popular, culminating in a career for the three musicians; one that would last until 1983, before 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, including the Korg PS-3100 polyphonic synthesizer, the Moog III-C and Minimoog monosynths, the Polymoog and ARP Odyssey analog synthesizers, the Oberheim Eight-Voice synthesizer, the Fender Rhodes electric piano, the Korg VC-10 vocoder, the electronic drum kits Yamaha Drums and Syn-Drums, and the Fender Bass electric bass. It was also the earliest known popular music album to use the Roland MC-8 Microcomposer, which was programmed by Hideki Matsutake during recording sessions.[8] Roland called the MC-8 a "computer music composer" and it was the first stand-alone microprocessor-based music sequencer.[15][16][17] It also introduced 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 of the era.[16] 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.[9] The band later described both the MC-8 and its programmer Hideki Matsutake as an "inevitable factor" in both their music production and live performances.[18] Besides the electronic equipment, the only acoustic instruments used in the album were a Steinway piano and marimba percussion instrument.[8]
The album was an early example of synthpop,[1][2] a genre that Yellow Magic Orchestra helped pioneer.[3] It was also an early example of a computer-themed album, predating Kraftwerk's Computer World (1981) by several years.[4] 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",[2] a song that was inspired by Chinese music produced during the China's Cultural Revolution,[1] and in turn influenced video game music such as Tetris.[4] 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. Both Circus and Space Invaders, along with several other popular arcade video games, were also featured in the promotional film for "Tong Poo".
The titles for several songs on the B-side are based on Jean-Luc Godard film names. “Tong Poo” is the Cantonese title for Le Vent d'est. “La Femme Chinoise” is La Chinoise with “femme” (the French word for “woman”) added after the feminine definite article “la.” Finally, “Mad Pierrot” is an English translation of 気狂いピエロ ([Kichigai Piero] Error: {{nihongo}}: text has italic markup (help)), the title under which Pierrot le fou was released in Japan.
Release history
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. A&M Records also released the album across Europe and Canada that same year.[19]
"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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 25 November 1978 | Alfa Records | 12" LP; cassette | LP: ALR-6012; cassette: ALC-1511 |
| Europe | 1979 | A&M Records | LP | AMLH 68506, PSP 736 |
| North America | 30 May 1979 | A&M Records, Horizon Records & Tapes | 12" LP | SP-736, AMLH 68506 |
| Japan | 25 July 1979 | Alfa Records | 12" LP; cassette (US version) | LP: ALR-6020; cassette: ALC-1533 |
Track listing
Original pressing
| 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)" | Haruomi 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—)" | Yellow Magic Orchestra | 0:43 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tong Poo (東風, tonpū, "east wind")" | Ryuichi Sakamoto | 6:15 | |
| 2. | "La femme chinoise (中国女, Chūgoku-onna)" | Chris 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)" | Yellow Magic Orchestra | 1:17 | |
| 4. | "Mad Pierrot (マッド・ピエロ)" | Haruomi Hosono | 4:20 | |
| 5. | "Acrobat (アクロバット)" | Haruomi Hosono | 1:12 |
US pressing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Computer Game 'Theme from The Circus" | Yellow Magic Orchestra | 1:48 | |
| 2. | "Firecracker" | Yellow Magic Orchestra, Martin Denny | 4:50 | |
| 3. | "Simoon" | Chris Mosdell | Haruomi Hosono | 6:27 |
| 4. | "Cosmic Surfin" | Haruomi Hosono | 4:51 | |
| 5. | "Computer Game 'Theme from The Invader" | Yellow Magic Orchestra | 0:46 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Yellow Magic (Tong Poo)" | Ryuichi Sakamoto | 6:17 | |
| 2. | "La femme chinoise" | Chris Mosdell | Yukihiro Takahashi | 5:55 |
| 3. | "Bridge over Troubled Music" | Yellow Magic Orchestra | 1:18 | |
| 4. | "Mad Pierrot" | Haruomi Hosono | 4:21 |
Personnel
- Haruomi Hosono: Bass, electronics, keyboards, arrangements
- Ryuichi Sakamoto: keyboards, electronics, percussion, orchestration
- Yukihiro Takahashi: vocals, drums, percussion, electronics
- Hideki Matsutake: Microcomposer programming
- Chris Mosdell: Lyrics
- Shunichi Hashimoto: Vocal on "Simoon"
- Masayoshi Takanaka: Electric guitar on "Cosmic Surfin" and "La femme chinoise"
- Tomoko Nunoi: Additional vocals on "La femme chinoise" (credited as "Sexy Voice")
- Minako Yoshida: Vocals on "Tong Poo" (US version)
Chart positions
| Year | Release | Chart | Peak Position |
Weeks | Total Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | LP | Japan Oricon LP Chart[10] | 20 | 73 | 187,000 |
| 1978 | Cassette | Japan Oricon CT Chart[10] | 17 | 35 | 63,000 |
| 1980 | LP | U.S. Billboard 200[11] | 81 | ||
| 1980 | LP | U.S. R&B Albums[11] | 37 |
Computer Game / Firecracker
The song "Firecracker" was released as a single in Japan in 1978[20] and in the United States and United Kingdom in 1979,[21] becoming a major R&B hit in the United States.[14] 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[12] and entering the top 20 of the UK Single Charts.[13] The single was also released across Europe that same year.[22]
Chart positions
| Chart (1980) | Peak position[23] |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[13] | 17 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 60 |
| U.S. Dance Club Singles | 42 |
| U.S. R&B Singles | 18 |
Popular culture
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).[24] The "terse videogame-funk" sounds of "Computer Game" would have a strong influence on the emerging electro and hip hop music genres;[5] the song's use of video game sounds and bleeps has been described as "ahead of their time"[25] and as having a strong influence on 1980s hip hop[26] and pop music.[1] It was later included in electro hip hop artist Mantronix's compilation album That's My Beat (2002), which consists of electro music that influenced his early career.[27]
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).[6] The song also influenced Sheffield's bleep techno music; Warp's third record, "Testone" (1990) by Sweet Exorcist (Richard H. Kirk and Richard Barratt), 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).[7] "Testone" was in turn sampled in the UK hit "Tunes Splits The Atom" (1990) by 808 State and MC Tunes, as well as in "Naughty Naughty" (1994) by Jus a Test.[28]
"Computer Game / Firecracker" was also sampled in a number of other songs,[29] including Teddy Riley's hip hop single[30] "Wong" (1986) by Al B. & Just Two MC's,[31] 2 Live Crew's "Mega-Mixx II" (1987),[29] De La Soul's "Funky Towel" (for the 1996 film Joe's Apartment),[32] Jennifer Lopez's worldwide hit "I'm Real" (2001), and the original unreleased version of Mariah Carey's "Loverboy" (for the 2001 film soundtrack Glitter).[33]
References
- ^ a b c d e Stout, Andrew (2011). "Yellow Magic Orchestra on Kraftwerk and How to Write a Melody During a Cultural Revolution". SF Weekly. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ a b c Yellow Magic Orchestra at AllMusic
- ^ a b Piero Scaruffi (2003), "The new wave of pop and synth-pop", A history of rock music 1951-2000, iUniverse, p. 234, ISBN 0595295657, retrieved 2011-05-26
- ^ a b c d e Daniel Robson (February 29, 2008). "YMCK takes 'chiptune' revolution major". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2011-06-11.
- ^ a b Dayal, Gheeta (07/07/2006). "Yellow Magic Orchestra". Groove. The Original Soundtrack. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b The Kings of Techno: Carl Craig at AllMusic
- ^ a b Dan Sicko & Bill Brewster (2010), Techno Rebels (2nd ed.), Wayne State University Press, p. 76, ISBN 0814334385, retrieved 2011-05-28
- ^ a b c Yellow Magic Orchestra – Yellow Magic Orchestra at Discogs
- ^ a b "Artists and producers strive for inroads overseas", Billboard, vol. 91, no. 20, p. 61, 26 May 1979, ISSN 0006-2510, retrieved 2011-05-29
- ^ a b c "Yellow Magic Orchestra" (in Japanese). Yamachan Land (Oricon archives). Retrieved 2011-06-01.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) (Translation) - ^ a b c "Yellow Magic Orchestra: Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
- ^ a b "Computer rock music gaining fans". Sarasota Journal: 8. August 18, 1980. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
- ^ a b c "Computer Game (Theme From 'the Invaders')". chartstats.com. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
- ^ a b c Lewis, John (4 July 2008). "Back to the future: Yellow Magic Orchestra helped usher in electronica - and they may just have invented hip-hop, too". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ^ Russ, Martin (2008). Sound Synthesis and Sampling. Focal Press. p. 346. ISBN 0240521056. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
- ^ a b Gordon Reid (Nov. 2004). "The History Of Roland Part 1: 1930-1978". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 2011-06-19.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Chadabe, Joel. 1997. Electric Sound: The Past and Promise of Electronic Music. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, (p. 194).
- ^ Sound International, Issues 33-40. 1981. p. 147. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ Yellow Magic Orchestra – Yellow Magic Orchestra at Discogs (list of releases)
- ^ Harry Hosono & Yellow Magic Orchestra – Special DJ Copy at Discogs
- ^ "Yellow Magic Orchestra – Firecracker" at Discogs (list of releases)
- ^ "Yellow Magic Orchestra – Computer Game / La Femme Chinoise" at Discogs (list of releases)
- ^ "Yellow Magic Orchestra: Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
- ^ Buckley, Peter (2003). The rough guide to rock. Rough Guides. p. 901. ISBN 1843531054. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ^ V. Vale & Andrea Juno (1994). Incredibly Strange Music, Volume 15. RE/Search Publications. p. 89. ISBN 0940642212. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
- ^ David Toop (2000). Rap attack 3: African rap to global hip hop, Issue 3 (3rd ed.). Serpent's Tail. p. 129. ISBN 1852426276. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
- ^ That's My Beat: Mantronix at AllMusic
- ^ "Sweet Exorcist". WhoSampled. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- ^ a b "Yellow Magic Orchestra". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
- ^ Al B. Just Two Mc's – Wong at Discogs
- ^ Chin, Brian (1 November 1986), "Dance Trax", Billboard, vol. 98, no. 44, p. 31, ISSN 0006-2510, retrieved 2011-07-07
- ^ David Sprague (29 June 1996), "Nothin' Like the Reel Thing: Soundtrack & Film Score News", Billboard, vol. 108, no. 26, p. 68, ISSN 0006-2510, retrieved 2011-06-13
- ^ "Mariah 'Ripped Off' Twice on Same Record". Fox News. April 4, 2002. Retrieved 2011-05-28.