Great question, though to me YMO >>>> The Beatles - but I probably would've named them too.
Discounting bands like King Crimson that have had 20-some members throughout the years, what came to mind was Neu!, because then you can throw in Harmonia, those good Rother albums, La Dusseldorf, and some of Dinger's later stuff, though admittedly post say 1987 I don't think either of them were up to much good.
― Abstinence Hawk (frogbs), Monday, 12 January 2015 03:23 (nine years ago) link
https://soundcloud.com/vgo/vgo-vs-korg-dsn-12-tong-poo-ymo
― MaresNest, Thursday, 15 January 2015 12:18 (nine years ago) link
I got a whole Takahashi album off YouTube and it is smooth, chic 80's excellence. I don't have the link but you can find it easily enough.
― SCOTTISH PEOPLE ONLY (I M Losted), Saturday, 17 January 2015 15:32 (nine years ago) link
ymo and the beatles aren't really good correlates, b/c the members of YMO (particularly hosono) had done a lot of great stuff before YMO even existed. more like the faces or something.
― I dunno. (amateurist), Sunday, 18 January 2015 23:41 (nine years ago) link
btw hosono's work as a performer and producer is kind of inexhaustible. i feel like every week i find some new album that's in the "hosono axis" that i can't stop playing. wtf is with this dude?
@idunno not the point. not trying to come up with analogies, it's just a simple question: what (standard band-sized) band has ever put out more quality stuff, under its own banner and those of its members' solo careers/side projects/outside collaborations, than YMO?
before/after, doesn't matter.
― soyrev, Monday, 19 January 2015 00:35 (nine years ago) link
oh, i see.
what about fairport convention?
― I dunno. (amateurist), Monday, 19 January 2015 04:00 (nine years ago) link
idk if this marks me a philistine or what, but i've never really scoped them out. best place to start?
also if anyone here wants to reup the various YMO-related bootlegs that've been floated itt at various intervals...plz...
― soyrev, Monday, 19 January 2015 05:03 (nine years ago) link
I guess the self titled debut is a good place to begin. They start out as a kinda exuberant, exotic disco fantasia made with 70s electronics and as they progress it gets more arty and sophisticated but holding onto their explorative poppy edge.
Maybe S_T>BGM>Solid State Survivor>Technodelic>Naughty Boys>x∞Multiplies>Service>Technodon, I'm sure people will chime in with a different scheme but they are all worthy of attention.
― MaresNest, Monday, 19 January 2015 09:46 (nine years ago) link
If you ask me Solid State Survivor is the best starting point, it's got some of their best-known material and it's the closest to the "Japanese Kraftwerk" tag that they always seem to get. They don't really have an LP that represents them as a whole, they changed directions so fast that they were different nearly every time out. The first five in the list that MaresNest posted are all absolute essentials. Muliplies is great too (and hilarious!) but you have to be careful to not get the US version (which has 5 songs from SSS). Service I never warmed to, even without the comedy bits. Technodon is kind of a dud though I do like the live album they came out with after. Even though it's not a YMO reunion proper, Sketch Show with Hosono and Takahashi is really good too, particularly Loophole which I still listen to a lot.
By the way, just to add to the above conversation, even more incredible about these guys is that they were putting out great solo albums even as YMO was running at an album-a-year pace. Sakamoto did B-2 Unit, Left Handed Dream, and the Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence soundtrack, and Takahashi was a pop star in his own right with the Murdered by the Music, Neuromantic, and What, Me Worry? albums. Hosono only has the (great) Philharmony album but he also was producing an insane amount of material for other artists and running the YEN label with Takahashi. Not to mention how much these three guys were touring, I really don't know how they did it all
― Abstinence Hawk (frogbs), Monday, 19 January 2015 14:16 (nine years ago) link
great summary, frogbs. my favorite YMO started with SSS, then BGM, then Naughty Boys, currently Technodelic. "They don't really have an LP that represents them as a whole, they changed directions so fast that they were different nearly every time out." is really true. The first thing I heard by them was Naughty Boys and it gave me a very false impression of what they were all about. Later on I heard the S/T and was astonished.
Neuromantic and What, Me Worry? are just as good as the top handful of YMO records.
― ♪♫_\o/_♫♪ (Karl Malone), Monday, 19 January 2015 16:36 (nine years ago) link
Parts of Neuromantic and What, Me Worry are super Avalon/Ferry-esque.
Not sure if this has been linked before but just found this and it looks like a good resource: http://artcontext.com/artskool/jem/yt.html
― ♪♫_\o/_♫♪ (Karl Malone), Monday, 19 January 2015 16:40 (nine years ago) link
soyrev, if you have a couple minutes check out http://artcontext.com/artskool/jem/index.html and click the "YMO studio/live" link on the left for an overview of their discography
― ♪♫_\o/_♫♪ (Karl Malone), Monday, 19 January 2015 16:43 (nine years ago) link
sorry for posting over and over, but one more thing:
on that last link i posted, the description of SSS says "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)."
anyone heard this?
― ♪♫_\o/_♫♪ (Karl Malone), Monday, 19 January 2015 16:45 (nine years ago) link
I am very familiar with that webpage and have discovered a lot of awesome groups through there (For example, I had no idea that P-Model had so many albums - Mutant Sounds kinda led me to believe they only had a couple, like the Plastics). Too bad it's not really updated anymore. All three YMO members have very thorough sections on there and there are a lot of releases on there I wouldn't know of otherwise.
― Abstinence Hawk (frogbs), Monday, 19 January 2015 17:19 (nine years ago) link
i think soryev was asking for a place to start re. fairport convention, no? in which case i'd say, richard and linda thompson's "i want to see the bright lights tonight"
― I dunno. (amateurist), Monday, 19 January 2015 19:53 (nine years ago) link
technodelic kind of underrated IMO
― I dunno. (amateurist), Monday, 19 January 2015 19:54 (nine years ago) link
xpost oh oops!
― ♪♫_\o/_♫♪ (Karl Malone), Monday, 19 January 2015 19:54 (nine years ago) link
XXP - Oh shit! Apologies soryev!!!
― MaresNest, Monday, 19 January 2015 20:21 (nine years ago) link
http://youtu.be/_UtYH95kxa4
Because there can't be too much Bryan Ferry-ism in the world IMO.
― SCOTTISH PEOPLE ONLY (I M Losted), Monday, 19 January 2015 21:10 (nine years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrDIr9SKHpU
― MaresNest, Tuesday, 20 January 2015 23:40 (nine years ago) link
I haven't heard much FC but "Sailor's life" is really awesome and kinda typifies my vision of what I want FC to be or whatever..
― brimstead, Wednesday, 21 January 2015 00:33 (nine years ago) link
haha no worries karl/mare, i appreciate the gesture anyway!
but if anyone does have any YMO/-related boots lying around, that would be super cool...:)
― soyrev, Wednesday, 21 January 2015 00:45 (nine years ago) link
https://soundcloud.com/factmag/mikey-iq-jones-the-essential-yellow-magic-orchestra
― K-CHOLO (lpz), Friday, 23 January 2015 06:15 (nine years ago) link
promo for a new Polysics EP:
https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/p180x540/10346436_924542590913526_6432228236959749198_n.jpg?oh=878a2190bcd2acb4a4ba914e1db0681a&oe=556D07AE
― Abstinence Hawk (frogbs), Friday, 23 January 2015 12:47 (nine years ago) link
that YMO Stream facebook group is really really great, you should all join
― Abstinence Hawk (frogbs), Friday, 23 January 2015 12:50 (nine years ago) link
man, i sort of hate the soundcloud interface; i wish there was a way to DL stuff from that site.
― I dunno. (amateurist), Friday, 23 January 2015 16:58 (nine years ago) link
There is, but whoever uploads the song has to enable the download
― ♪♫_\o/_♫♪ (Karl Malone), Friday, 23 January 2015 17:14 (nine years ago) link
the youtube-dl command line tool works for soundcloud too fyi
― original bgm, Friday, 23 January 2015 17:46 (nine years ago) link
guess you need a facebook account to see the ymo group, huh? doesn't seem like it's public :-/
― original bgm, Friday, 23 January 2015 17:47 (nine years ago) link
FB Page keeps on giving.
"I want to introduce the model today has produced five years ago.But the world of self is the last...In 1980, YMO world tour stage is.Materials are sawn timber, Thong, bamboo, beads, etc.Without seeing the reflection toward the transparent plastic plates so they might.Since use for Christmas tree lights can have many variations.Is, of course, not in the photo, I get sound. Well, I'll often do a ~ (-. -;"
http://i60.tinypic.com/2je2ujl.jpghttp://i57.tinypic.com/2jdjnza.jpghttp://i60.tinypic.com/2mdp3r7.jpghttp://i62.tinypic.com/155j6uo.jpg
― Nekomizu don't work (MaresNest), Thursday, 29 January 2015 14:36 (nine years ago) link
Didn't really know where to post this as she doesn't have a dedicated thread but Sheena of Sheena & The Rokkets died today aged 61, RIP punk rock lady...!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_ZjRmZk8sc
― MaresNest, Saturday, 14 February 2015 19:20 (nine years ago) link
looks like it was cancer. r.i.p. :-/
― original bgm, Saturday, 14 February 2015 19:46 (nine years ago) link
was surprised/amused when this scene happened in an episode of Hibike Euphonium (an anime about highschool marching bands)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_bhDwZEN5U
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Thursday, 7 May 2015 12:54 (nine years ago) link
ha that's awesome
my japanese professors (in their 40s) know that tune so i guess it's not *that* surprising
― charva favela (clouds), Thursday, 7 May 2015 13:33 (nine years ago) link
it's "rydeen." you'd be harder pressed finding a japanese person who doesn't know it
― soyrev, Thursday, 7 May 2015 14:46 (nine years ago) link
I dunno how accurate this is but I see YMO as sort of a Japanese Beatles, nearly everything I've heard from Japan seems to be influenced by them in some way. Then again like 80% of the Japanese music I've listened to is technopop, but still
― frogbs, Thursday, 7 May 2015 15:26 (nine years ago) link
not really soyrev -- quite a few of the teachers, tutors and exchange students in my program i've talked to have no idea who they are.
― charva favela (clouds), Friday, 8 May 2015 03:39 (nine years ago) link
"I dunno how accurate this is but I see YMO as sort of a Japanese Beatles, nearly everything I've heard from Japan seems to be influenced by them in some way."
not just japan. modern music. they were fundamental influences for everything from early techno to early hip-hop to early videogame music (a lot of which they composed). ask bambaataa, or anyone who went to detroit club nights in the late '80s. their influence is everywhere.
@clouds that's surprising. young and old, every japanese person i've met and talked about music with has laughed at me for asking if they know/like YMO. i have to imagine if you played them rydeen they'd at least recognize the theme.
― soyrev, Friday, 8 May 2015 09:42 (nine years ago) link
This medley kicks fucking arse, especially the middle section of Rydeen, awesome.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYFlk_GFB8Y
― Let's talk about Bucks baby (MaresNest), Thursday, 23 July 2015 12:12 (nine years ago) link
Oh man I love watching these dudes play with all that bulky equipment. Takakashi is one of the classiest drummers I've ever seen, all dressed up like that.
― frogbs, Thursday, 23 July 2015 12:26 (nine years ago) link
I bought this off eBay for like 15 bucks - pretty cool
http://coolestsound.jp/Takahashi_Yukihiro_Metafive_Techno_Recital_Takahas/2014.07.20/010395/
All of it sounds great, though I do question why he has an all-star lineup like this when they're just kinda along for the ride. Towa Tei's "Radio" is excellent and I'm really glad they perform it here.
― frogbs, Thursday, 23 July 2015 12:52 (nine years ago) link
my wife's best friends dad produced them! #namedrop
― panettone for the painfully alone (mayor jingleberries), Thursday, 23 July 2015 18:39 (nine years ago) link
Damn!
― Let's talk about Bucks baby (MaresNest), Thursday, 23 July 2015 19:41 (nine years ago) link
Is that Lay My Love an Eno/Cale cover?
― Brakhage, Thursday, 23 July 2015 20:50 (nine years ago) link
That it is!
― frogbs, Thursday, 23 July 2015 20:59 (nine years ago) link
Whoa that I would love to hear
― Brakhage, Friday, 24 July 2015 17:02 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, WTF, YouTube?
― Naive Teen Idol, Saturday, 25 July 2015 03:39 (nine years ago) link
If you ask me Solid State Survivor is the best starting point, it's got some of their best-known material and it's the closest to the "Japanese Kraftwerk" tag that they always seem to get.
I'm listening to this album just now, I've never bought into the notion of YMO as the 'Japanese Kraftwerk' and this album is no closer to that tag than any of their others, in fact the comparison irritates me. I much prefer the BGM/Technodelic era of YMO fwiw.
― Possibly Fingers (Tom D.), Saturday, 25 July 2015 19:38 (nine years ago) link
OK, "Insomnia" is pretty Kraftwerk! But that is surely a homage?
― Possibly Fingers (Tom D.), Saturday, 25 July 2015 19:44 (nine years ago) link