YMO

compiled by Nicholas D. Kent
email: ndkent "at" optonline.net

Last updated 05.4.20

(*) means I don't own this album

I included any catalog #s I know of. In general I only own one or two LPs or CDs of any given item.

.

Intro:

YMO was formed by producer Haruomi Hosono with session musicians Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1978. They had already been working together. The initial concept seems to have been to set high tech Kraftwerk type arrangements to the sort of exotic faux orientalism of Martin Denny. The intent was to play up stereotypes, but in styles the members genuinely had a fondness for. While YMO gained a lot of attention and fans it's a mistake to consider them the dominant style of the day or a monster sucess. They were respected by the music industry and their popularity is proven by all the people still fans today (and continued spin off releases). It was originally supposed to be a sort of experimental project that wasn't supposed to be a permanant band but the popularity kept them together for some years. In 1983, after 1982 being a sort of hiatus to do solo work, they decided to wrap up the project and record their farewells.

On the 10th anniversary of the breakup they decided to reform as notYMO for a high profile one shot album and live show. Its generally understood that in 1993 all three realized they still weren't terribly compatible working together.

As of 2002, Takahashi and Hosono and sometimes Sakamoto have been recording as Sketch Show with the name recently changing depending on Sakamoto's exact involvement, it gets confusing, I'm waiting for someone to sort it out.

Studio Albums:

go to singles / live albums / (NOT)YMO / remixes / best ofs / promos

CD masterings and remasterings:

The entire catalog has been re-released a number of times. The 1980s Japanese CDs tend to sound inferior to the newer remasterings, so should be avoided unless you are a big collector. See the individual album listings for details on each specific release.

Around 1992 Restless Records in the US re-released most of the albums in the US remastered. This was quite nice since the albums both sounded better, were affordable and many tracks were out in the US for the first time. While I've not confirmed, I believe the Japanese CDs were updated to these then higher tech CD masters around 1993. The only advantage to the U.S. versions now is they might be real cheap. These are no longer in print

In 1998 all the releases came out again on Alfa in limited edition thin cardboard sleeves and remastered again. Nobody much raves about this series. The price was lower. Probably just for more serious collectors at this point. Avoid unless you are collecting

Then in 1999 collectors were surprised to find that Mitsuo Koike at AST Studio remastered everything with Hosono supervising. These same remasters have come out 3 times since them. Each time the packaging is a bit different but the sound is the same and better than previous CD transfers. The first time was on Toshiba/Emi/Alfa in 1999.In January, 2003 Sony Music House reissued the albums again using the same remasters. Initially they were released with limited edition cardboard covers (with Sony Music House as the label) and then in regular plastic cases.

Yellow Magic Orchestra (Original Mix)

1978 cd: ALCA-286, TOCT-24233, lp: ALR-6012, current MHCL 203

Side A

  1. Computer Games -Theme from the Circus-
  2. Firecracker
  3. Simoon
  4. Cosmic Surfin'
  5. Computer Games -Theme from the Invader-

Side B

  1. Tong Poo
  2. La Femme Chinoise
  3. Bridge Over Troubled Music
  4. Mad Pierrot
  5. Acrobat

This was the original mix with the radio-like game and the cigarettes on the mostly light blue cover. Not released in the US. The balance and EQ is different. There is a longer video game inspired instrumental, Acrobat as a finale but dropped for the U.S.revised album

Yellow Magic Orchestra (A&M Remix)

1979 Alfa cd:ALCA-287, TOCT-24246, lp:ALR-6020, Horizon/A&M lp: SP 736 (USA), Restless Records(USA) cd:72700 current MHCL 204

Side A

  1. Computer Games -Theme from the Circus-
  2. Firecracker
  3. Simoon
  4. Cosmic Surfin'
  5. Computer Games -Theme from the Invader-
Side B
  1. Yellow Magic (Tong Poo)
  2. La Femme Chinoise
  3. Bridge Over Troubled Music
  4. Mad Pierrot
This is the album with the woman on the cover, and by far the most common. Both versions are available in Japan. This is not a remix in the modern club sense at all, it uses the older definition of remix, to do another mix of the album a bit differently balancewise. It does not say really clearlt in either the original or A&M versions which is which. All versions with the side tableon a blue background are the original mix. All versions with the woman made of electronics are the A&M mix. Current Epic/Sony EU and Canadian CDs contain both versions on 2 CDs
   

This is YMO's debut. This album has an exotica flavor that the latter albums don't have. The Big Moog sound struck me as having more of a Wendy Carlos sound than Kraftwerk, who they were styling themselves after. A good humored and impressive album. This album with its video game sfx and synth drums, along with Kraftwerk, was a big influence on early Hip Hop.

Restless re-issued most of the YMO albums a few years ago. The cover art is at times poorly reproduced. They could have printed the lyrics too. On the other hand they sound fine (better than 1980s Japanese CD versions) and are a great music value. (They sell for as little as $10 in the U.S. but have gone out of print)

Ivar de Vries writes about the "A&M Remix" version, the better known of the 2 outside Japan
Although this is the very first album released by the Yellow Magic Orchestra, it is immediately very good. Consisting of Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, who were already experienced all-round musicians having various solo-projects to their names before getting together, YMO gets into the groove straight away. Humour is the word here (like Kraftwerk, though YMO are less minimalist), the sheer fun they must have had making it clearly shines through and, I find, is irresistible.
Both this and their second album have that initially disorienting blend of the old and the new, a theme expressed visually by the robot-girl in kimono on the cover. This means familiar pop-music forms dressed up in vaguely oriental synth sounds, which at the time were quite advanced technologically. At first hearing it can sound slightly kitschy, which perhaps it was meant to be, but repeated listening also reveals quite complicated and musically interesting, indeed orchestral arrangements. The vocoder-sounds may appear outdated, but the overall sound is still fresh and original after all these years.
A lot of the music almost parodies older music. Simoon, for instance, sounds like a futuristic version of something a Japanese jazz combo might have played on a rainy sunday afternoon in a Tokyo bar in the 1920s. And the middle section of Tong Poo has a sort of loose fifties musical style with Sakamotos piano and Minako Yoshidas singing set against a steady rhythm-track with bass-sequencer. The two short Computer Game tracks highlight another theme of the album, which is a kind of techno-optimism developing at that time in Japan, economically recovering after WW-II to export all kinds of new technological gadgets, cars, games etc. to the outside world.
To that outside world, this album provided a great first acquaintance with the self-appointed magicians from Japan, who would continue to give so much more, together and individually.

What's the deal?

A&M, when they got the US rights to this album reworked the material a bit via editing and mastering. Most notable is they made it a touch more American sounding, changed the cover art and removed the video game inspired final track which was more spare and calm than the others. I guess Alfa in Japan found it interesting enough to release in Japan. Or maybe fans were hungry enough for more YMO that they'd buy alternate versions. So both versions are out in Japan and can be differentiated by the tabletop cover or the woman cover.

The A&M mix was used for the US CD released in the 90s.

The current EU and Canada remastered version contains both versions on 2 CDs

Solid State Survivor

1979 Alfa ALR-6022, ALCA-288, current cd: TOCT-24234, Restless Records (USA) cd: 7 72701-2, Alfa/CBS? (UK) lp: ALF 85664 current MHCL 205

Side A

  1. Technopolis
  2. Absolute Ego Dance
  3. Rydeen
  4. Castalia
 Side B
  1. Behind The Mask
  2. Day Tripper
  3. Insomnia
  4. Solid State Survivor
  

Not released intact in the U.S. until the Restless CD arrived in the 90s. Some of its contents wound up on the US LP of Xoo Multiplies (see below) but 3 tracks never came out in the US on LP.

Ivar de Vries writes:
The second YMO album, following quickly at the heels of the first, continues the style of that debut-album. Plenty of fun to be had although 'Castalia' is the first sort of serious track presented. Perhaps significantly, it was composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto who appears to do more compositionally on this album, Haruomi Hosono having done more on the first.
The front cover shows the band in Red Army costumes having a drink with a chairman Mao-type character and what looks like a call-girl, who on the back cover reveal themselves to be a pair of dolls ! (There exists a heavy-metal YMO tribute album whose cover parodies this one). What this has to do with the music is not entirely clear, but the music is anyway quite good ' Takahashi's 'Rydeen' is a rocky track which was always a great opener of live-shows, Hosono's 'Absolute Ego Dance' must have done well in Tokyo discos and 'Behind the Mask' is a another great track which Ryuichi Sakamoto later (1985) made into a rock-song with Bernard Fowler. The only mishap is the Beatles-cover 'Day Tripper' which doesn't come near the original.
YMO took the first two albums on a world-tour in late 1979 and live albums like 'Public Pressure' and 'Faker Holic' contain quite agreeable live-versions of all tracks on these albums.

X Zousyoku Multiplies (EP)

aka XooMultiplies, the "oo" being the infinity symbol. Sometimes just Multiplies

1980 ep: YMO-1 cd: ALCA-12, TOCT-24236, Restless Records(USA) cd: 7 72708 -2 current MHCL 207

Side A

  1. Jingle"YMO"
  2. Nice Age
  3. Snakeman Show
  4. Tighten Up
  5. Snakeman Show
  6. Here We Go Again -Tighten Up-

Side B

  1. Snakeman Show
  2. Citizens of Science
  3. Snakeman Show
  4. Multiplies
  5. Snakeman Show
  6. The End of Asia
This original consisted of the YMO pieces fairly integrated into the Snakeman Show comedy sketches with interruptions and sudden transitions.

The out of print U.S. Restless CD includes 3 much later bonus tracks from the Naughty Boys Instrumental album plus Kageki Na Shukujo, one of YMO's two non-album singles. While not I'm complaining, since these are bonus tracks, they could have added extra tracks to other albums to give complete copy of the non USA released Naughty Boys Instrumental album and/or added Chaos Panic (vocal version), which was also a non-album single track.

X Zousyoku Multiplies (LP)

aka Xoo Multiplies, the "oo" being the infinity symbol, and Americans would not try to say that symbol in Japanese.

1980 cd: ALCA-290, TOCT-24237, lp: ALR-28004, A&M (US) SP-4813

Side A

  1. Nice Age
  2. Behind The Mask
  3. Rydeen
  4. Day Tripper

Side B

  1. Technopolis
  2. Multiplies
  3. Citizens of Science
  4. Solid State Survivor

A&M released the material with edits and minus the jingle and Tighten Up but including 5 of the 8 Solid State Survivor tracks as a lp. This same adapted version later came out in Japan as an alternate version, both being available.

 

BTW almost everyone misreads the name as "Multiples", it's really "Multiplies"

This version was last available in 1999, Sony has not as yet reissued it.

 

Whats the Deal?

Okay, this one is a perpetual source of confusion to new fans. In sequence:

  1. The original 10" vinyl version comes out in Japan with comedy sketches relating to the songs. The first track of this version is a TV Commercial style YMO jingle.
  2. The A&M album version comes out in the U.S. (first track "Nice Age"). This combines most but not all songs from the above 10" EP with 5 of the 8 tracks from of the never released in the US as an LP Solid State Survivor. All the comedy sketches and the Jingle are removed from the 10"EP and some tracks are edited.
  3. The above A&M version gets released in Japan as a regular LP while the 10" EP remains in print too.
  4. Both versions eventually were CD released in Japan. The 10" version usually has a red border similar to the red printed cardboard backing that the 10" was mounted on to better fit in LP bins.
  5. When Restless released it on CD in the US they released the 10" version so as not to duplicate 2/3rds of Solid State Survivor which was making its U.S. debut. This confused a lot of US fans who had the 80s LP version which was quite different from the Restless CD. For whatever reason they padded their release out with Bonus tracks, which is to be commended -- But they were later period bonus tracks they could have put onto those later albums!! Its water under the bridge now since the Restless CDs are out of print
  6. The recent JP, EU and Canadian remasters contain identical 10" contents

But hold the presses! :-)

dave.td mentions he has a yellow vinyl version A&M LP28004 and adds

However the tracks on the album are different, sides A and B are reversed, side B is on side A, side A is on side B, but the first track on side is A is
TECHNOPOLIS, then the proper track order of the original LP

And on side B, it begins with the YMO Jingle "Wolfman Jack" type radio voice, then goes straight into NICE AGE, the third track is the SNAKEMAN SHOW +
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, then the original LP track running order.

NK: I keep thinking perhaps this is an earlier promo attempt of A&M to re-package this material before going with even greater changes. But this is just a guess

BGM

1981 cd: ALCA-291, TOCT-24238, lp: ALR-28015, Restless (US) cd: 7 72703-2 current MHCL 208

Side A

  1. Ballet
  2. Music Plans
  3. Rap Phenomena
  4. Happy End
  5. 1000 Knives
  Side B
  1. Cue
  2. U.T.
  3. Camoflage
  4. Mass
  5. Loom
  

One of the great electronic albums of all time. BGM is a Japanese music biz term for background music. They were trying to be ironic. It's far from "background, music".

For once all versions of this album are the same.

Technodelic

1981 Alfa lp: ARL-28030, cd: ALCA-292, cd:TOCT-24239 lp: (Holland) ALFA 85621, Restless (US) cd: 7 72704-2 current remaster MHCL 209

Side A

  1. Pure Jam
  2. Neue Tanz
  3. Stairs
  4. Seoul Music
  5. Light In Darkness

Side B

  1. Taiso
  2. Gradated Grey
  3. Key
  4. Prologue
  5. Epilogue
    

Another of my very favorite albums. Has a Kraftwerk-like quality without copying them. This and later albums were not released in the U.S.on LP. It has lots of sampler use bedides impressive synth use. This is interesting as samplers were quite new and there was no body of work yet to be influenced by so their use of them is kind of like starting with a blank slate. This and subesequent albums did not get US LP releases until the CDs were reissued in the early 90s

Naughty Boys

1983.5.24 Alfa lp: YRL-28008 (also Hong Kong Records), cd: 38XA-6, 32XA-143, ALCA-293, ALCA-9045, TOCT-24240 Pick Up(Holland) lp: LPU 0014, Restless (US) cd: 7 72705-2 , Roadrunner (German?) cd: LS-9152-2

Currently both the 'regular' version and the instrumental are coupledin a lower cost 2 CD set current cat# MHCL 210-1

Side A

  1. Kimi ni mune kyun (Uwaki na Vacances)
  2. Expected Way
  3. Focus
  4. Ongaku
  5. Opened My Eyes

Side B

  1. You've Got To Help Yourself (Short version)
  2. Lotus Love
  3. Kai-Koh
  4. Expecting Rivers
  5. Wild Ambitions
  

YMO came back after a hiatus working on solo projects for about a year. I think they decided they would wrap YMO up and do it with style by the end of 1983 so they put all their effots into it. For their first of several 1983 releases YMO developed a New Romantic feel while away that I don't go for as much as BGM and Technodelic. They used a 3M digital recorder, but the CD says "AAD". I guess they went for digital too early because it is no engineering marvel, kind of murky sounding. There are some super articulate synth lines, but they pile on too many parts for the material to remain lucid in the mix. Bill Nelson plays guitar becomming an integral part of this YMO sound. release The U.S. cover is reproduced like crap though it sounds better than prior '80s Japanese CD versions. (but probably not the latest remasters like the Hosono supervised ones)

Naughty Boys Instrumental

1983.7.27 Alfa lp: YLR-20002 (also Hong Kong Records), cd: ALCA-13, ALCA-9046, TOCT-24241, Pick Up (Holland) lp: LPU 0015

Side A

  1. Chaos Panic
  2. Expected Way
  3. Focus
  4. Kai-Koh
  5. Expecting Rivers

Side B

  1. You've Got To Help Yourself (full length)
  2. Lotus Love
  3. Ongaku
  4. Opened My Eyes
  5. Wild Ambitions

Here YMO dubbed out the vocals and added a new synth line in place of the vocals. Note that the single Chaos Panic without the vocals replaces Kimi ni mune kyun and the short instrumental You've Got To Help Yourself is replaced by a long version. You can sing along but it feels like the record company was cashing in. Never came out in the U.S. on LP or CD. Perhaps of extra interest to Bill Nelson fans though.

The 2003 Sony Music House reissue combines both the regular and instrumental albums into in one 2 CD package. The Epic/Sony Canada and EU does the same.

Service

1983.12.14 Alfa lp: YLR-28013, cd: 38XA-13, 32XA-144, ALCA-294, ALCA-9047, TOCT-24242,Pick Up (Holland) lp: LPU-0001 Restless (US) cd: 7 72706-2 , Roadrunner (Ger?) lp: LP-9151-2 current MHCL 212

Has Super Eccentric Theater comedy sketches between each cut. On the Dutch pressing the S.E.T. sketches are edited down to short sound bytes and not given separate tracks or credited. Considering I don't speak Japanese, I don't mind it. I'm sure the 2 YMO's albums with comedy sketches are real fun the first time around with the comedy sketches, but I suspect they grow annoying after many playings.

The sound quality is better than on the last one. The writing is more varried too. At this point YMO is sounding more like a very skilled and clever pop band than anything cutting edge.

Side A

  1. Limbo
  2. S.E.T.
  3. The Madmen
  4. S.E.T.
  5. Chinese Whispers
  6. S.E.T.
  7. You've Got To Help Yourself (vocal version)

Side B

  1. S.E.T.+YMO
  2. Shadows On The Ground
  3. S.E.T.
  4. See Through
  5. S.E.T.
  6. Perspective
  7. S.E.T.
    

YMO LP Box

(*)1993
  1. Yellow Magic Orchestra
  2. Yellow Magic Orchestra (remix)
  3. Solid State Survivor
  4. Public Pressure
  5. X Zousyoku Multiplies (10")
  6. X oo Multiplies (lp)
  7. BGM
  8. Technodelic
  9. Naughty Boys
  10. Naughty Boys (Instrumental)
  11. Service
  12. After Service
  13. Bonus LP Haruomi Hosono Interview
Limited edition LP re-issue set for collectors

Techno Bible has a disc of rare tracks See the "Best of" section for details.

YEN YEARS

1996 ALCA-5123 only sold as part of Yen Box 2

OKV stands for Original Karaoke Version

  1. Propaganda (Original Studio ver.) 5.33
  2. Kimi ni Mune Kyun (OKV) 4.08
  3. Chaos Panic (INST.) 4.08
  4. YMO spot - YMO comment (promotion 7") 0.14
  5. Kageki Na Shukujo (OKV) 4:07
  6. See-Through (remixed by B.Eno) 3.36
  7. You've Got To Help Yourself (okv) 4.08
  8. Expecting Rivers (INST.) 3.34
  9. Limbo (OKV) 3.28
  10. The Madmen (OKV) 4.54
  11. Chinese Whispers (OKV) 4.26
  12. Shadows on The Ground (OKV) 4.20
  13. Perspective (Non-vocal ver.) 5.14
  14. Focus (Live)
  15. Kai-Koh (Live)
  16. See-Through (Live)

This was a full disc of rarities enclosed in a boxed set. The live material was left off After Service when it came out on CD, and use tapes of different concerts than on Complete Service. See YEN BOX 1 & 2 for some more material along these lines. Nothing over dramatic but all these variations were never released prior to this bonus disc.

Japanese Singles (*)

Cubic YMO Single Box

1993 (7")(CD)
  1. Technopolis / Solid State Survivor
  2. Rydeen / Cosmic Surfin'
  3. Tighten Up (Japanese Gentlemen Stand Up Please) / Nice Age
  4. Cue / U.T.
  5. Mass / Camouflage
  6. Taiso / Key
  7. Kimi ni mune kyun/Chaos Panic
  8. Kageki na shukujyo / See-Thgough
  9. You've Got To Help Yourself / Expecting Rovers
  10. See-Through (Remixed By Brian Eno)(CD Box Only)
This is a limited edition 10 disc reissue. The 10th disc is unique to theis set aside from the huge YEN Box set. 

Other singles (Overseas)( all *)

Over Seas Collection / YMO

Alfa ALCA 5056/7 Released on 12/13/95

Produced by Haruomi Hosono

Disc 1

  1. COMPUTER GAME/FIRECRACKER UK7"
  2. YELLOW MAGIC (TONG POO) UK7"
  3. COSMIC SURFIN' UK7"
  4. MAD PIEROT UK7"
  5. LA FEMME CHINOISE UK7"
  6. TECHNOPOLIS UK7"
  7. BEHIND THE MASK ITALY7"
  8. DAY TRIPPER ARGENTINA 7"
  9. JINGLE YMO/NICE AGE DUTCH 7"
  10. MULTIPLIES PORTUGUESE 7"
  11. TIGHTEN UP US12"
  12. CITIZENS OF SCIENCE US7"
  13. CUE PROMOTIONAL12"
  14. 1000 KNIVES PROMOTIONAL12"
 Disc 2
  1. RYDEEN UK7"
  2. ABSOLLUTE EGO DANCE UK7"
  3. PURE JAM SPANISH7"
  4. LIGHT IN DARKNESS UK7"
  5. TAISO AUSTRALIAN7"
  6. EPILOGUE AUSTRALIAN7"
  7. THE MADMEN EVERYTIME LOOK AROUND (I HEAR THE MADMEN CALL) GERMENY7"(sic)
  8. YOU'VE GOT TO HELP YOURSELF GERMANY7"
BONUS TRACKS (mail away bonus)
  1. FIRECRACKER [COMPUTER GAME] US7"
  2. COSMIC SURFIN' US7"
  3. TIGHTEN UP US MONAURAL7"
  4. YELLOW MAGIC (TONG POO) US7"
  
Originally typed up by Takeyasu "Ambie" Sasagawa

More a 'best of' than a release of non-CD singles

Another annoying collectable. Contains a booklet. There was a now expired trivia contest to win a bonus EP that appears to contain much more collectable material. I am told the foreign singles are of different lengths, but don't seem to be musically different. So my summary is the "gem" here is the bonus single which you can't get anymore if you buy the CD. The actual contents are just edits of very little interest presuming you have the regular old albums. Out of print.

YMO: Live Albums

As there is substantial amounts of live shows on video I question the large amounts of live CDs. Only an LP and a double album of live material came out when the band was active. That with some videos seemed like the right amount to me.Maybe its to combat bootlegging and make extra yen?

Live At Kinokuniya Hall 1978

(*) 1993 release
  1. Firecracker
  2. Behind The Mask
  3. La Femme Chinoise
  4. Tong Poo
  5. Plastic Bamboo
  6. The End Of Asia
  7. Cosmic Surfin'
  8. Wanted
  9. 1000 Knives
don't have it. out of print. I guess it's interesting as it predates the better known Public Pressure.

Public Pressure (1979)

1980 Alfa lp: ALR-6033, cd:TOCT-24235 current MHCL 206

Side A (London)

  1. Rydeen
  2. Solid State Survivor
  3. Tong Poo
  4. The End Of Asia

Side B

  1. Cosmic Surfin' (LA)
  2. Day Tripper (NY)
  3. Radio Junk
  4. La Femme Chinoise
  5. Back In Tokio
  

 

This and After Service were the only albums of live material issued during YMO's original lifespan.

With Akiko Yano. This album gained notoriety because Watanabe played guitar on the tour, but his record label could not come to terms with permission to use his performance. His performance was dubbed out and overdubed by Sakamoto on synths later in the studio.

Similar concert material was released years later in a more complete form on Faker Holic which restored Watanabe's playing.

Faker Holic-Transatlantic Tour '79

released 1991, Restless (US) 7 72702-2

Disc 1 (London,Paris side)

  1. Castalia
  2. Rydeen
  3. Behind The Mask
  4. Cosmic Surfin'
  5. Radio Junk
  6. Insomnia
  7. La Femme Chinoise
  8. Technopolis
  9. Solid State Survivor
  10. Day Tripper
  11. Firecracker
  12. The End Of Asia
  13. 1000 Knives
  14. Tong Poo
 Disc 2 (New York side)
  1. Rydeen
  2. Behind The Mask
  3. Radio Junk
  4. Solid State Survivor
  5. Zai Kung Tong Shonen
  6. Tong Poo
  7. Day Tripper
  8. 1000 Knives
  9. Rocket Factory
  10. La Femme Chinoise
  11. Firecracker
  12. Cosmic Surfin'
  13. The End Of Asia
  

Like an extended version of Public Pressure.

Restores Watanabe's guitar playing to the Public Pressure live recordings. There is some kind of 1 track difference between US and Japanese versions to annoy collectors or prospective import purchasers. Out of print.

Live at Greak Theater 1979

released 1997 Alfa cd: ALCA-5150

a shortish CD (mid priced), well recorded though. The above incorrect English is exactly what the label on the CD says, not "Live at the Greek Theater" as I guess they mean to call it. Out of print.
  1. Behind the Mask
  2. La Femme Dhinose (incorrectly spelled)
  3. Cosmic Surfin'
  4. Rydeen
  5. Day Tripper
  6. 1000 Knives
  7. Tong Poo
  

Live At Budokan 1980

(*) 1993 release
  1. Riot In Lagos
  2. The End Of Asia
  3. Behind The Mask
  4. Nice Age
  5. Rydeen
  6. Maps
  7. La Femme Chinoise
  8. Citizens Of Science
  9. Solid Stete Survivor
  10. Radio Junk
  11. Kang Tong Boy
  12. Firecracker
  13. Cosmic Surfin'
  14. 1000 Knives
  15. Technopolis (Live at L.A.)
This was a much bootlegged concert broadcast aired on commercial TV. Probably a good thing they got around to a legit release of the videotape but kind of a cash-in to also do a CD or it (then add a bonus just to rope in collectors) Out of print.

YMO World Tour 1980

(*) 1996 release Alfa cd(x2) ALCA - 5065/6, LP(x3) ALJA-7004/6

  1. RIOT IN LAGOS
  2. THE END OF ASIA
  3. BEHIND THE MASK
  4. RYDEEN
  5. MAPS
  6. NICE AGE
  7. THE CORE OF EDEN
  8. CITIZENS OF SCIENCE
  9. LA FEMME CHINOISE
  10. SOLID STATE SURVIVOR
  11. RADIO JUNK
  12. KANG TONG BOY
  13. FIRECRACKER
  14. 1000 KNIVES
  15. ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE
  16. TECHNOPOLIS (psuedo-stereo)
  17. COSMIC SURFIN'
  18. TONG POO
  19. 2 VOICE INVENTION (Bach)
  20. JISEI-KI (studio track)--only on vinyl set
  

more live stuff with teaser items to annoy collectors on a budget. Out of print. I think this is the same show as Live At Budokan 1980 just repackaged by the reorganized Alfa/Toshiba-EMI

Winter Live '81

released 1995 ALCA-5055
  1. Loom
  2. Prologue
  3. Pure Jam
  4. Light in Darkness
  5. Camouflage
  6. Stairs
  7. Neue Tanz
  8. Happy End
  9. Music Plans
  10. Cue
  11. Taiso
  12. Cosmic Surfin
  13. Epilogue
The video version has been out since the concert, so most fans already had or would want the video or laserdisc. Here is the CD, Nothing extra to tease collectors on this one. Out of print.

After Service (1983)

1984 .2.22 Alfa/YEN lp (x2): YLR-40001/2 , Pick Up (Holland) double lp: LPU-0004, Alfa/YEN cd: 38XA-14, 32XA-145, ALCA-295, ALCA-9048 TOCT-24243/4 (2CD), Restless (US) cd: 7 72707-2 (1CD) current MHCL 213-4

After Service

Original 2 disk vinyl edition (italics are tracks left off the single CD versions)

Side A

  1. Propaganda
  2. Tong Poo
  3. Behind The Mask
  4. Solid State Survivor
  5. La Femme Chinoise

Side B

  1. Ongaku
  2. Focus
  3. Ballet
  4. Wild Ambitions
  5. Kai-Koh

Side C

  1. Expecting Rivers
  2. See-Through
  3. Key
  4. Technopolis
  5. Rydeen

Side D

  1. You've Got To Help Yourself
  2. Kageki Na Syukujo
  3. Kimi Ni MuneKyun -Uwaki na Vacances-
  4. Firecracker

Complete Service

released 1992

Disc 1

  1. Propaganda
  2. Tong Poo
  3. Behind The Mask
  4. Solid State Survivor
  5. La Femme Chinoise
  6. Ongaku
  7. Focus
  8. Shadows On The Ground
  9. Ballet
  10. Perspective
  11. Wild Ambitions
  12. The Madmen
Disc 2
  1. Limbo
  2. Chinese Whispers
  3. Expecting Rivers
  4. Kai-Koh
  5. See-Through
  6. Key
  7. You've Got To Help Yourself
  8. Firecracker
  9. Kageki na shukujo
  10. Kimi ni mune kyun
  11. Technipolis
  12. Rydeen

Same concer tourt as After Service but some different dates I think. Brian Eno does the mix. Nothing wildly creative, he just makes the tracks sound quite a bit better. You would think this would make the truncated After Service cd obsolete, but this one is the one that's out of print

 
   

 

YMO's farewell concert. * indicates album tracks left off the CD until 1999 with a 2 CD release

The compilation box Techno Bible has 4 songs not included on the lp.

 

What's the deal?

Okay, this was compiled from several live shows from this late tour. The (19 track) double LP release came out in the then LP era. When it was time to release it on CD several tracks were left off to condense it onto one 16 track CD much to the chagrin of collectors. Then in the early 90s several more songs not on the LP or CD came out in the collectors box YMO Techno Bible. This was followed by a Brian Eno supervised mix on double CD called Complete Service with 24 tracks of a longer, bigger selection of still different performances. Then in 1999 Hosono himself supervised the exact contents of the original intact LP version (19 tracks) remastered on 2 CDs which was reissued by Sony in 2003.

The concert video of this farewell tour is called Propaganda. There is also a minimal instrumental piece heard at the show and on the video, M-16, that hardcore got to hear everYMO track fans always get excited over but isn't all that much to actually listen to.

Watch out that someone doesn't sell you the one (not two) CD version. Unless you are a serious collector there is no benefit in getting it.

L-R Trax

(*) This is a new boxed set with the live material that's been out of print for a couple years along with some "rare" tracks from prior collections also unavailable for the past few years.

 

 

(Not) YMO

Ten years after they split up, Hosono, Sakamoto and Takahashi got back together in 1993 to do a studio album and a big concert. It seems Alfa had financial problems at the time but still had the rights to the name "YMO". There is an "X" over the letters "YMO" wherever it appears. The project was released on Toshiba (who later bought Alfa in its entirety anyway). Obviously after a 10 year wait fans had high expectations, so the ambient pop style of the music didn't deliver the excitement or the cutting edge many wanted. Still it's a fine listen.

I've listed all the releases from this project here, instead of splitting them up in live and studio categories.

The "don" in Technodon can mean "rice" in Japanese or is a suffix added to a name to make it into a giant monster or dinosaur - like Iguanadon. Or even maybe the Italian meaning but thats the least likely - though there is a refrence to what I presume was Sakamoto's favorite NYC Italian restaurant (I Tre Merli) where they ate during NYC sessions and which translates as The Three Crows - which is an ironic self refrence to YMO in 1993

Technodon

1993 Toshiba/Eastworld cd: TOCT 8010, TOCT-24245 (current)

  1. Be A Superman
  2. Nanga Def?
  3. Floating Away
  4. Dolphinicity
  5. Hi-Tech Hippies
  6. I Tre Merli
  7. Nostalgia
  8. Silence Of Time
  9. Waterford
  10. Chance
  11. Pocketful Of Rainbows (Japanese Version)
  

The original version had an optical decoder built into the case's lid to decode the Jenny Holzer quotes in the booklet which are unreadable without itt. Later pressings (seen above) left them visible and skipped including the decoder. Guest narration by William S. Burroughs and William Gibson.

Pocketful of Rainbows

1993 3" CD single, different versions

Technodon Live

1993 cd:TOCT-8090
  1. Be A Superman
  2. Nanga Def?
  3. Floating Away
  4. Dolphinicity
  5. I Tre Merli
  6. Hi-Tech Hippies
  7. Castalia
  8. Behind The Mask
  9. La Femme Chinoise
  10. Waterford
  11. Chance-Rydeen Ending
  12. Tong Poo
  13. Firecracker
I've got the first release which supposedly has more deluxe packaging. (like a simulated snapshot and die cut printing).

Be a Superman

(*) 1993 cd single

said to be no different from the album material

Technodon Remix I

1993 TOCT-8050
  1. Poketful Of Rainbows (Heavy Raibow Mix)
  2. Be A Superman (Human Animal Mix)
  3. Floating Away (Voltage Unlimited Mix)
  4. Nostalgia (Jeux De Mixage)
1-3 by Towa Tei. 4. Nostalgia mixed by Goh Hotoda, YMO's major collaborator on the project and Francois Kevorkian, who often collaborated with Kraftwerk and Jarre to keep their beats and remixes fresh, the track is non-album and contains several minutes of Phillippe Saisse playing Debussy on piano. It breaks into a non-Takahashi-like beat with Sakamoto piano noodlings. (Therewas a NY based synth/jazz fusion band called Sync with Hotoda, Kervorkian and Saisse so these artists had been working together) .Not much YMO content seems to be left, though the same holds true for the Orb's next remix.

Technodon Remix II

1993 TOCT 8070
  1. Waterford (A23 Diversion Mix)
  2. Waterford (A303 One Lane Closed Mix)
  3. Hi-Tech Ambience (Ariel Implosion Mix)
  4. Hi-Tech Hippes (Ground Plane For Perfection Mix)
  5. Nanga Def? (Hope You Choke On Your Whale Meat Mix)
Here the Orb take over and basically use only small amounts of YMO material and construct their own dubs. A big dubby, loud mess. Interesting as an Orb record, not as a YMO one. The very clever UK design studio, Designers Republic, do the album design. Here they do a decent design for I believe their first Japanese commission. In the past Besigners Republic had been heavily influenced by Japanese product packaging and manuals so here it is sold back to japan.

Pre YMO

InDo

(@) 00.02.23 Re-wind cd: RWCL-20002

  1. InDo 2000 [Hosono 2000 Remix] 5.27
  2. InDo (Dub Squad Remix) 10.36
  3. InDo (Audio Active Remix) 4.39
  4. InDo (4 Hero Remix) 8.34
  5. InDo (Masters at Work Remix) 7.25
  6. InDo (Apache 61 Remix) 5.01
  7. InDo [original 1978 'Pre YMO' version] 6.45 (Re-wind Recordings RWCL-20002)
  

This was apparently an unfinished track created by YMO members very early on and was neither finished nor in their fully developed style. The name is presumably in refrence to its Indian flavor. Another "Pre-YMO" track is generally considered the first version of Cosmic Surfin' on the album Pacific but this track also has ties to Hosono's album Cochin Moon also from the same period as the latter has a strong synthesizer plays Indian music feel too. If it weren't for the YMO ties it would be an unfinished little oddity, so thats where the criticism lies I guess. Not that its an unforgivable crime, but it has a certain feel of maxing out on something not very substantial. Recently back in print.

"InDo"/Pre-YMO
Remixed by Junior Vasquez

(*) 2000 Rewind/HB cd5? single HBCD-002

01:Junior's Orchestramental
02:Junior's Magic Beats
03:Junior's Padapella

I don't know for certain but I've seen pre-release info saying a Junior Vasquez mix would be on the album proper (but wasn't). I guess it was saved for this set of mixes. He did a whole album of YMO Covers/Remixes called Junior's Magic Orchestra, but I've not heard it.(cat# KMCT-7006)

 

Twilo
Volume 1: Junior Vasquez Sampler

2000 Virgin Records America (Promo CD) DPRO-15720

This opens with an " InDo"/Pre-YMO remix billed simply as the "Junior Vasquez Remix" and clocks in at 6:50, don't know if it's a 4th mix by him or one of the above 3.
Many thanks to Gregor Meyer for the info!

 

Sketch Show

Audio Sponge

(@) 02.9.19 CTCR-14224

  

Sketch Show

Tronika

2003 mini album

  

Sketch Show

Loophole

  

Sketch Show is the new Hosono-Takahashi collaborative project with Sakamoto as sometime guest!

more info on Sketch Show

 

To Subscribe to the YMO Mailing List (English language)

Some information from Takeyasu Sasagawa, Ross Clement, Yue Yaguchi, Mirai

LINKS:
Kyong Il Lee's YMO Page
Yue Yaguchi's YMO Page
Jun Okamoto's YMO GALLERY photos page

more links on each member's page

Ryuichi Sakamoto
Harouomi Hosono
Yukihiro Takahashi

to the next page YMO (misc),

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