X∞Multiplies: Difference between revisions
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| Released = 5 June 1980 (10", Japan) |
| Released = 5 June 1980 (10", Japan) |
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| Recorded = |
| Recorded = |
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| Genre = [[Electronic music|Electronic]] |
| Genre = [[Electronic music|Electronic]], [[Electronic dance music|Dance]], [[Electro music|Electro-funk]], [[Experimental music|Experimental]], [[Art rock]], [[New Wave music|New Wave]], [[Synthpop]], [[World music|World]], [[Ska]] |
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| Length = 30:16 |
| Length = 30:16 |
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| Label = [[Alfa Records]] |
| Label = [[Alfa Records]] |
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Revision as of 22:23, 11 May 2012
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Stereo Review | "Terrific"[2] |
×∞Multiplies (増殖, Zōshoku, lit. "multiplication") was a mini-album by Yellow Magic Orchestra released in 1980. It contains a mixture of songs and instrumentals by YMO (including a humorous reworking of Archie Bell & the Drells' "Tighten Up"), interspersed with comedy sketches. These sketches are performed by Snakeman Show in both Japanese and English, with YMO participating in some of them.
Release history
×∞Multiplies was released in several formats worldwide. The original Japanese pressing came on 10" vinyl. The United States pressing compiled tracks from both this record and from Solid State Survivor, which had not been released there, while dropping the comedy sketches. The United Kingdom released ×∞Multiplies with additional tracks culled from Yellow Magic Orchestra. All re-issues from 1999 onward reverted to the original Japanese tracklisting.
The tracks differ slightly between the Japanese and US versions: In the original release Nice Age has an abrupt ending and other tracks are crossfaded between the Snakeman Show sketches; in the US version these have clean intros and endings and Jingle 'YMO' is listed as part of the Nice Age track.
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 5 June 1980 | Alfa Records | 10" LP | YMO-1 |
| United States | 29 July 1980 | A&M Records | LP | SP4813 |
| Japan | 5 September 1980 | Alfa | LP (as above US version, with obi) | ALR-28004 |
Track listing
Japan version
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jingle 'YMO'" | Yellow Magic Orchestra | 0:21 | |
| 2. | "Nice Age" | Chris Mosdell | Yukihiro Takahashi, Ryuichi Sakamoto | 3:46 |
| 3. | "Snakeman Show" | 1:56 | ||
| 4. | "Tighten Up (Japanese Gentlemen Stand Up Please!)" | Billy Butler | Yellow Magic Orchestra, Archie Bell | 3:41 |
| 5. | "Snakeman Show" | 2:05 | ||
| 6. | "Here We Go Again ~ Tighten Up" | Butler | Yellow Magic Orchestra, Bell | 1:07 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Snakeman Show" | 1:26 | ||
| 2. | "Citizens of Science" | Mosdell | Sakamoto | 4:29 |
| 3. | "Snakeman Show" | 2:08 | ||
| 4. | "Multiplies" | Yellow Magic Orchestra, Elmer Bernstein | 2:58 | |
| 5. | "Snakeman Show" | 3:44 | ||
| 6. | "The End of Asia" | Sakamoto | 1:32 |
US version
Some pressings included "Tighten Up" as the opening track for Side A.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nice Age" | Mosdell | Takahashi, Sakamoto | 3:55 |
| 2. | "Behind the Mask" | Mosdell | Sakamoto[3] | 3:36 |
| 3. | "Rydeen" | Takahashi | 4:26 | |
| 4. | "Day Tripper" | Lennon–McCartney | Yellow Magic Orchestra, Lennon–McCartney | 2:40 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Technopolis" | Sakamoto | 4:14 | |
| 2. | "Multiplies" | Yellow Magic Orchestra, Elmer Bernstein | 2:58 | |
| 3. | "Citizens of Science" | Mosdell | Sakamoto | 4:29 |
| 4. | "Solid State Survivor" | Mosdell | Takahashi | 3:58 |
European version
On this pressing, the first "Snakeman Show" is actually "Jingle 'YMO'", while the second "Snakeman Show" is the "Japan is #1" skit from the Japanese pressing.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Technopolis" | Sakamoto | 4:14 | |
| 2. | "Absolute Ego Dance" | Haruomi Hosono | 4:37 | |
| 3. | "Behind the Mask" | Mosdell | Sakamoto[3] | 3:36 |
| 4. | "Computer Game 'Theme from The Circus'" | Yellow Magic Orchestra | 1:48 | |
| 5. | "Firecracker" | Yellow Magic Orchestra, Martin Denny | 4:50 | |
| 6. | "Computer Game 'Theme from The Invader'" | Yellow Magic Orchestra | 0:43 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Snakeman Show" | 0:21 | ||
| 2. | "Nice Age" | Mosdell | Takahashi, Sakamoto | 3:46 |
| 3. | "Multiplies" | Yellow Magic Orchestra, Elmer Bernstein | 2:58 | |
| 4. | "Snakeman Show" | 2:05 | ||
| 5. | "Citizens of Science" | Mosdell | Sakamoto | 4:29 |
| 6. | "Tighten Up (Japanese Gentlemen Stand Up Please!)" | Butler | Bell | 3:06 |
Personnel
- Ryuichi Sakamoto: keyboards, electronics, percussion, orchestration
- Yukihiro Takahashi: vocals, drums, percussion, electronics
- Haruomi Hosono: Bass, electronics, keyboards, arrangements
- Chris Mosdell: Lyrics
- Hideki Matsutake: Computer programming
- Snakeman Show: Comedy sketches
- Makoto Ayukawa: Guitar on "Day Tripper" and "Solid State Survivor"
- Sandii: Voices on "Absolute Ego Dance"
- (Uncredited) Akiko Yano: Voices on "Nice Age"
Reception
Upon release, the US version was well received by the Stereo Review, which described the recording as "Terrific" and the performance as "Techno-pop fun." The magazine stated that the "time is right" for the band's "highly technological blend of dance rhythms, heavy metal, and pop melodies" while noting that "Rydeen" in particular "sprints by at a fast clip, ticking off a sprightly tune against a continuous bass-and-drum texture," though the "more rock-style efforts" were not as well received, with the magazine stating that "YMO's electronic tricks" and "the rock sensibility just don't seem to mix."[2] Allmusic later reviewed the Japanese version, describing the record as a "bizarre album" and scoring it 2.5 out of 5 stars.[1]
Charts
| Year | Release | Chart | Peak Position |
Weeks | Total Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 10" LP | Japan Oricon LP Chart[4] | 1 | 24 | 331,000 |
| 1980 | Cassette | Japan Oricon CT Chart[4] | 3 | 30 | 81,000 |
| 1980 | 12" LP | Japan Oricon LP Chart[4] | 7 | 34 | 18,600 |
| 1980 | LP | U.S. Billboard 200[5] | 177 |
×∞Multiplies was the eighth best selling album of 1980 in Japan[6] - the best selling was Solid State Survivor as sales continued from the previous year.
References
- ^ a b X∞Multiplies at AllMusic
- ^ a b Stereo review, Volume 46. Stereo Review. 1981. p. 114. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
{{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Takahashi was listed as a composer before because Sakamoto wrote song's melody in collaboration with him.
- ^ a b c "Yellow Magic Orchestra" (in Japanese). Yamachan Land (Oricon archives). Retrieved 2011-06-01.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) (Translation) - ^ Xoo Multiplies at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
- ^ [1][dead link]