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1978
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Released = 1978, November 25 |
Released = 1978, November 25 |
Recorded = 1978, July 10 - September 5 |
Recorded = 1978, July 10 - September 5 |
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]]) |
Genre = [[Electronic music|Electronic]], [[Electronic dance music|Dance]], [[Electro music|Electro-funk]], [[Rock music|Rock]], [[Techno|Proto-techno]], [[Experimental music|Experimental]], [[Avant-garde music|Avant-garde]], [[New Wave music|New Wave]], [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]], [[Synthpop]], [[World music|World]] |
Length = 37:35 <br />36:04 (US mix)|
Length = 37:35 <br />36:04 (US mix)|
Label = [[Alfa Records]] |
Label = [[Alfa Records]] |
Line 17: Line 17:
| Type = studio
| Type = studio
| Single 1 = Computer Game" / "Firecracker
| Single 1 = Computer Game" / "Firecracker
| Single 1 date = 1979
| Single 1 date = 1978, 1979
| Single 2 = Cosmic Surfin
| Single 2 = Cosmic Surfin
| Single 2 date = 1979 (promo only)
| Single 2 date = 1979 (promo only)
Line 46: Line 46:
|filename=YMO - Computer Game.ogg
|filename=YMO - Computer Game.ogg
|title="Computer Game"
|title="Computer Game"
|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]]''.
|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]]'', ''[[Circus (video game)|Circus]]'', and ''[[Gun Fight]]''.
|format=[[Ogg]]
|filename2=YMO - Firecracker.ogg
|filename2=YMO - Firecracker.ogg
|title2="Firecracker"
|title2="Firecracker"
|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]].
|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]].
|format=[[Ogg]]
}}
}}


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.


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 [[Rhodes piano|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 Jazz 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=0-240-52105-6|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>[[Joel Chadabe|Chadabe, Joel]]. 1997. ''Electric Sound: The Past and Promise of Electronic Music''. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, (p. 194). ISBN 978-0-13-303231-4.</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"/>
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 [[Rhodes piano|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 Jazz 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=0-240-52105-6|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>[[Joel Chadabe|Chadabe, Joel]]. 1997. ''Electric Sound: The Past and Promise of Electronic Music''. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, (p. 194). ISBN 978-0-13-303231-4.</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"/>


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=0-595-29565-7|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]]''. The song also [[Sampling (music)|samples]] the opening [[chiptune]] used in the arcade game ''[[Gun Fight]]'' (1975).<ref>{{YouTube|Ry-qc4yhFC0|Gun Fight}}</ref> 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=0-595-29565-7|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]]''. The song also [[Sampling (music)|samples]] the opening [[chiptune]] used in the arcade game ''[[Gun Fight]]'' (1975).<ref>{{YouTube|Ry-qc4yhFC0|Gun Fight}}</ref> 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 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.

Revision as of 04:06, 12 July 2012

Untitled
Professional ratings
Review scores
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Allmusic[1]

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,[2][3] a genre that the band helped pioneer.[4] It was also as an early example of a computer-themed album,[5] and contributed to the development of electro, hip hop,[6] techno,[7] bleep techno,[8] and chiptune.[5] The album's innovations in electronic music included its use of the microprocessor-based Roland MC-8 Microcomposer music sequencer[9] which allowed the creation of new electronic sounds,[10] and its sampling of video game sounds.[2][5]

The album sold 250,000 copies in Japan[11] and entered the Billboard 200 and R&B Albums charts in the United States.[12] Its most successful single was "Computer Game / Firecracker", which sold over 400,000 records in the United States[13] and was a top 20 hit in the United Kingdom.[14]

Production

"Firecracker"
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.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

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.[15] The album would eventually be called Yellow Magic Orchestra, as a satire of Japan's obsession with black magic at the time.[15] 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 Jazz 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.[9] Roland called the MC-8 a "computer music composer" and it was the first stand-alone microprocessor-based music sequencer.[16][17][18] 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.[17] 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.[10] 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.[19] Besides the electronic equipment, the only acoustic instruments used in the album were a Steinway piano and marimba percussion instrument.[9]

The album was an early example of synthpop,[2][3] a genre that Yellow Magic Orchestra helped pioneer.[4] It was also an early example of a computer-themed album, predating Kraftwerk's Computer World (1981) by several years.[5] 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",[3] a song that was inspired by Chinese music produced during the China's Cultural Revolution,[2] and in turn influenced video game music such as Tetris.[5] Both "Computer Game" tracks proper contain the same audio and were made to sound as if both games were being played in the same room; each track being from the perspective of its titular arcade game unit: Circus and Space Invaders. The song also samples the opening chiptune used in the arcade game Gun Fight (1975).[20] 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.[21]

"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

Side one
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
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 Orchestra1:48
2."Firecracker (ファイアークラッカー)" Yellow Magic Orchestra, Martin Denny4:50
3."Simoon (シムーン)"Chris MosdellHaruomi Hosono6:27
4."Cosmic Surfin' (コズミック・サーフィン)" Haruomi Hosono4:51
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 Orchestra0:43
Side two
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Tong Poo (東風, tonpū, "east wind")" Ryuichi Sakamoto6:15
2."La femme chinoise (中国女, Chūgoku-onna)"Chris MosdellYukihiro Takahashi5:52
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 Orchestra1:17
4."Mad Pierrot (マッド・ピエロ)" Haruomi Hosono4:20
5."Acrobat (アクロバット)" Haruomi Hosono1:12

US pressing

Side one
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Computer Game 'Theme from The Circus" Yellow Magic Orchestra1:48
2."Firecracker" Yellow Magic Orchestra, Martin Denny4:50
3."Simoon"Chris MosdellHaruomi Hosono6:27
4."Cosmic Surfin" Haruomi Hosono4:51
5."Computer Game 'Theme from The Invader" Yellow Magic Orchestra0:46
Side two
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Yellow Magic (Tong Poo)" Ryuichi Sakamoto6:17
2."La femme chinoise"Chris MosdellYukihiro Takahashi5:55
3."Bridge over Troubled Music" Yellow Magic Orchestra1:18
4."Mad Pierrot" Haruomi Hosono4:21

Personnel

Chart positions

Year Release Chart Peak
Position 		Weeks Total
Sales
1978 LP Japan Oricon LP Chart[11] 20 73 187,000
1978 Cassette Japan Oricon CT Chart[11] 17 35 63,000
1980 LP U.S. Billboard 200[12] 81
1980 LP U.S. R&B Albums[12] 37

Computer Game / Firecracker

The song "Firecracker" was released as a single in Japan in 1978[22] and in the United States and United Kingdom in 1979,[23] becoming a major R&B hit in the United States.[15] 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[13] and entering the top 20 of the UK Single Charts.[14] The single was also released across Europe that same year.[24]

Chart positions

Chart (1980) Peak position[25]
UK Singles Chart[14] 17
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 60
U.S. Dance Club Singles 42
U.S. R&B Singles 18

The song was popular with the emerging hip hop community, which appreciated the new electronic sounds, and in the Bronx, where it was later sampled by pioneering hip hop artist Afrika Bambaataa in his famous 1983 debut album Death Mix (1983).[26] The "terse videogame-funk" sounds of "Computer Game" would have a strong influence on the emerging electro and hip hop music genres;[6] the song's use of video game sounds and bleeps has been described as "ahead of their time"[27] and as having a strong influence on 1980s hip hop[28] and pop music.[2] 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.[29]

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).[7] 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).[8] "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.[30]

"Computer Game / Firecracker" was also sampled in a number of other songs,[31] including Teddy Riley's hip hop single[32] "Wong" (1986) by Al B. & Just Two MC's,[33] 2 Live Crew's "Mega-Mixx II" (1987),[31] De La Soul's "Funky Towel" (for the 1996 film Joe's Apartment),[34] 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).[35]

References

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ 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)
  3. ^ a b c Yellow Magic Orchestra at AllMusic
  4. ^ a b Piero Scaruffi (2003), "The new wave of pop and synth-pop", A history of rock music 1951-2000, iUniverse, p. 234, ISBN 0-595-29565-7, retrieved 2011-05-26
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  15. ^ 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.
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  20. ^ Gun Fight on YouTube
  21. ^ Yellow Magic Orchestra – Yellow Magic Orchestra at Discogs (list of releases)
  22. ^ Harry Hosono & Yellow Magic Orchestra – Special DJ Copy at Discogs
  23. ^ "Yellow Magic Orchestra – Firecracker" at Discogs (list of releases)
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  25. ^ "Yellow Magic Orchestra: Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
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  35. ^ "Mariah 'Ripped Off' Twice on Same Record". Fox News. April 4, 2002. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
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