YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA

It will be unwise, that this paradoxical, half and half , masterpiece, should be denied, at least a listening. Why? For starters, it is an un-matched blend of the best technologies, recording-wise, production-wise and performing-wise, with the perfect-timing and in the the perfect place for this to happen, 1978, Tokio/Japan. Founding members, Hosono, Sakamoto and Takahashi, prior of this release, were quiet familiar with the Tokio underground Dark/ Rock scene, which down there,was like a pre-gothic pioneer of the one we know now. In some way, this was thought to be released as a Haruomi Hosono, solo studio recording. It changed to what we now know as The Yellow Magic Orchestra or YMO. So this first YMO, was upbrought with extreme taste and refinement, it was itself, subversive, conceptually speaking, a direct exposure and satire of the commercialy exploited "exotic "Yellow" culture" marketing, now that post-WW2, had been settled in the past, market-wise. Performed with top of the line,electronic synths, gadgets and paraphernalia ( that is why, it is in the P/E category,I suppose ), a bass/vocalist and a drummer. Of course, the once considered guest, then turned member, and still very productive,up to this day, Ryuchi Sakamoto had the same kind of "sonic-effect", Eno had with Roxy Music. Luckly for Roxy, it never affected the quality of musical composition but enhanced it , opposite to what happens, in this half & half small wonder. (of course this is not Sakamoto's fault, that takes team-work!). Concluding that this is pre-Kraftwerk work, it could easily be marked, for good and bad as the first "synth-pop" album. ...Composition wise, it is as silly and hollow as Kraftwerk's... At least YMO, kind of make a joke about it, BUT in the long run, it could easily be forgotten. Great in everything, but musical composition! ***3 PA stars.