^^ will have to check out that album then. so great to see this stuff getting props now.
did enjoy that Barakan interview quite a bit. funny that Xoo Multiplies was the one that made him a convert. I do find the lyrics on the two YT albums he worked on to be fascinating - they're so weirdly literal at times, they're great but I find it hard to believe that any one person would write them that way (ditto for stuff like "Gradated Gray"). pretty amusing that BGM was slammed at its time of release - looking back now there really wasn't anything like it back then was there? is there now?
― frogbs, Friday, 30 December 2016 14:43 (seven years ago) link
https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/16003157_1219981008109885_5119126157919301350_n.jpg?oh=6f35bf05ebe64b1b57fb545eea73241f&oe=5923D1D8
― frogbs, Monday, 16 January 2017 20:08 (seven years ago) link
I really like their name.― Alex in Doncaster (Alex in Doncaster), Tuesday, February 10, 2004 7:17 PM (twelve years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Yeah, but their music is better.'Naughty Boys' might be the greatest synth-pop album ever.
i agree! it also might have the best name for a synth-pop album ever.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pfU9S-JxrB8/TgFldDZSqNI/AAAAAAAAFeQ/XaRV1Pn1Fos/s1600/Yellow%2BMagic%2BOrchestra%2B-%2BNaughty%2BBoys%2B-.jpg
i got this for Christmas. i love it deeply. i have known about YMO since getting into Cornelius around 1999 but i never heard this full album until this year. the sounds they use are very harmonious. it is like the perfect balance, every drum hit, every synth, it's all there and none of it is distracting or sticking out in any way. and the music is so wonderful. i have not read the translated lyrics yet but there are so many emotions and moods on this record that are very evocative. before NB i mostly knew them from "Firecracker" and other earlier stuff with the slap bass, which was wonderful but a little more on the kitschy side. NB sounds like a record that could come out tomorrow, it is timeless. i look forward to loving this album for the rest of my life.
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Sunday, 22 January 2017 19:30 (seven years ago) link
i always keep my eye out for naughty boys. i have never seen it on the shelves!
― Karl Malone, Sunday, 22 January 2017 19:41 (seven years ago) link
http://i63.tinypic.com/wiqxy1.jpg
― MaresNest, Sunday, 22 January 2017 19:55 (seven years ago) link
It's a great record, definitely prefer Solid State Survivor, though.
― Working night & day, I tried to stay awake... (Turrican), Sunday, 22 January 2017 19:56 (seven years ago) link
http://www.musiconvinyl.com/catalog/yellow-magic-orchestra/naughty-boys-instrumental#.WIUPcU0rJhF
this is the pressing i got. comes with the follow-up instrumental remix LP that is also awesome.
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Sunday, 22 January 2017 20:05 (seven years ago) link
YMO mean so much to me, there's acres of depth in their respective solo careers and the endless productions, collaborations and associations, they're basically the three pillars of modern Japanese mainstream music.
― MaresNest, Sunday, 22 January 2017 20:08 (seven years ago) link
I like "kimi ni mune kyun" and "kai Koh"
― calstars, Sunday, 22 January 2017 20:36 (seven years ago) link
Was Naughty Boys meant to be a parody, or at least somewhat tongue-in-cheek? I mean the "Kimi Ni Mune Kyun" video gives it away a bit, but without understanding the lyrics it's a bit hard to tell. There's just something a bit off about it.
Do wish they'd included "Chaos Panic" because that song absolutely rules - strange they never thought to release it as a single
― frogbs, Monday, 23 January 2017 16:44 (seven years ago) link
"Kimi ni mune kyun" roughly translated means "my heart is yours". Just another silly love song ...
― calstars, Monday, 23 January 2017 16:57 (seven years ago) link
Best Answer: The easiest way to say it would be, "I'm crazy about you." "Kyun " is onomatopoeia, or a word that means what it sounds like, as in "click" or "bomb." You know how your heart makes the funny sound when you think of someone you love. To put it more literally, it means "My heart is pounding hard for you."https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070315014444AASUtzi
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Monday, 23 January 2017 18:42 (seven years ago) link
Is there a vocal version of "chaos panic"? I just know the version on the naughty boys instrumental album. It reminds me of "girls just wanna have fun"
― a but (brimstead), Tuesday, 24 January 2017 01:01 (seven years ago) link
Yeah - it's on the Greatest Hits album I have (Kyoretsu na Rhythm). Definitely one of the hookiest songs they ever did.
― frogbs, Tuesday, 24 January 2017 01:47 (seven years ago) link
"Chaos Panic" is cool but it doesn't sound like Naughty Boys to me at all – it sounds much more in keeping w Hosono's stuff ca. S.F.X and Philharmony.
Honesty, I've always been a bit torn on Naughty Boys – the Japanese verses make things a bit inscrutable and musically it sounds like a completely different band from the first several records, with Sakamoto's heavy synth pads and Takahashi's gated drum sounds replacing the Kraftwerk-ian production from before. I stupidly sold this back in college but "Lotus Love" was the only song that really had stuck with me. Listening back now, the rest ("Expected Way," "Focus," etc.) still sounds largely like kind of generic J-pop, albeit with sometimes slightly more melodic choruses.
For my money, I'm a much bigger fan of BGM's development of their sound but I'll give this another shot.
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 2 March 2017 15:18 (seven years ago) link
it most definitely is a different band - though to be fair most of their records sound completely different, to me
I agree with most of what you're saying, but with one caveat - it may sound like generic J-pop, but to me it's kind of the perfect J-pop album - I love every song on it.
― frogbs, Thursday, 2 March 2017 17:40 (seven years ago) link
there is nothing generic about Naughty Boys -- no another album like it. if you have an example of 80s j-pop with production that dense and detailed, show me please.
― clouds, Friday, 3 March 2017 13:16 (seven years ago) link
Yea I'm referring mostly to the songwriting there. Though even then, songs like "Lotus Love" are quite strange - hard to think of another by-the-numbers ballad that seems to be constantly fallonh apaet like that.You're right that its got a very unique sound to it.
― frogbs, Friday, 3 March 2017 13:42 (seven years ago) link
Ok phoneposting is weird :)
Can anyone recommend a J-pop album with songs as good as Naughty Boys? As much as I love earlier YMO albums and members' contemporary solo albums (especially Technodelic, B-2 Unit, and Philharmony), Naughty Boys is my favorite--it's just one perfect song after another. If it's "generic J-pop," then please give me more of that shit.
― J. Sam, Friday, 3 March 2017 16:55 (seven years ago) link
Surprisingly tough, Naughty Boys is a high bar, Tadiama by Akiko Yano perhaps?
― MaresNest, Friday, 3 March 2017 17:43 (seven years ago) link
not into picking apart songcraft, esp w synthpop, where the sound of things is the main appeal.
i like other YMO albums but they are more recognizable as bands in the studio playing instruments, where "Naughty Boys" sounds like it fell from the sky wholly formed.
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 3 March 2017 22:56 (seven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4cyBlFs_RY
― MaresNest, Friday, 10 March 2017 11:01 (seven years ago) link
The commercial for BGM included there is wtf, wish it was longer.
― MaresNest, Friday, 10 March 2017 11:09 (seven years ago) link
omg. thank you. this is awesome.
There are so many cool YMO things out there like this. i've been listening to them regularly for several years now and i still feel like i'm barely scratching the surface
― Karl Malone, Friday, 10 March 2017 18:01 (seven years ago) link
one of YMO's early producers' son is the director of atlanta.
― carthago delenda est (mayor jingleberries), Friday, 10 March 2017 18:03 (seven years ago) link
these fuji tape commercials are amazing
― Karl Malone, Friday, 10 March 2017 18:56 (seven years ago) link
Rabbit hole awaits you - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbjcQtiyNcA
― MaresNest, Friday, 10 March 2017 20:06 (seven years ago) link
<3<3<3<3
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 10 March 2017 22:42 (seven years ago) link
Thank you mates nest !Does anyone have mp3s of these?
― calstars, Friday, 10 March 2017 23:35 (seven years ago) link
So glad to see YMO threads at the top of ILM so often. I have dug around for YMO-related albums for years and I can tell you the three I think are the best. I should mention that my favorite YMO is their first album.
The first is Thousand Knives of Ryuichi Sakamoto. I think this is his best album and a must-listen for any YMO fan. I would share a Youtube video, but this album appears to be scrubbed from Youtube.
The second is Unit by Logic System. This is the side project of Hideki Matsutake, sometimes called the unofficial fourth member of YMO, although he should have been an official member because they wouldn't have sounded the same without him.
The third is Orient by Hiroshi Sato. I think this album is an absolute gem. Hosono plays bass on this album and it's clearly very in line with what YMO were trying to do -- in fact, Sato was one of the first musicians Hosono approached to be in YMO, though he declined. He later appeared on their albums and on tour, and is considered part of the 'YMO family'.
Thousand Knives and Orient were released in the late 70s, when YMO was at their best, IMO. If you like this side of YMO, I would recommend the stuff Hosono did for the CBS Mastersound series. Also check out the "Summer Nerves" album by Ryuichi Sakamoto & Kakutougi Session, and Sakamoto's collaborations with Kazumi Watanabe.
YMO is in my top 3 bands of all time, but I think they were downhill from Technodelic on. And unfortunately, most YMO-related material seems to come after this point, so it has a more J-Pop sound and less of their original sound, which i think of as a combination of experimental electronica, jazz fusion, disco and self-referentially oriental exotica.
― 3×5, Saturday, 11 March 2017 00:08 (seven years ago) link
I have a disc of sakamoto's commercial music, it's positively delightful. Contains akiko yano singing the most beautiful song about diapers ever
― a but (brimstead), Saturday, 11 March 2017 00:55 (seven years ago) link
hiroshi sato is fantastic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUQjdwRno5g
― clouds, Saturday, 11 March 2017 14:00 (seven years ago) link
Question about this Hiroshi Sato album: Discogs lists it as a compilation (from 1985). If this is true, what does it compile, and from which albums? Japanese characters make it impossible to tell. I really love Orient but that's the only one I've heard so far, and I really love this "Say Goodbye" song and need more of that pronto
― Wimmels, Sunday, 12 March 2017 15:30 (seven years ago) link
I am busy spending my morning face down on a pillow, but you could probably just dump the text into google translate and it'll point the way
― Karl Malone, Sunday, 12 March 2017 15:46 (seven years ago) link
"This album released in 1985 has become sought after album for the 80’s Japanese boogie lovers. It features a revisited version of “Sweet Inspiration” originally released on Hiroshi’s previous LP Sailing Blaster in 1984. This album also contains the amazing track “Say Goodbye” that was originally released on his 1982 album Awakening (featuring singer Wendy Matthews)."
Is all I could find
― MaresNest, Sunday, 12 March 2017 16:05 (seven years ago) link
Thanks! I've done a little poking around and it looks like I need to buy a copy of Awakening.
Only on ILX can I, while waiting for tea to steep, innocently open a thread about YMO--a group I like based on the three albums of theirs I own--and find myself, two days later, in a deep city pop rabbit hole, desperately trying to outbid vaporwavers on eBay
― Wimmels, Sunday, 12 March 2017 16:09 (seven years ago) link
wimmels, i'm pretty sure it's a comp of singles and non-album tracks but i might be wrong. there are no tracks from orient afaict.
― clouds, Sunday, 12 March 2017 16:09 (seven years ago) link
These Miharu Koshi records may be of related interest too, if you didn't already know them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASUSdIw4n9o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adUYFXLPZbI
― MaresNest, Sunday, 12 March 2017 16:13 (seven years ago) link
xp yeah, I noticed that, but only because Orient is the first one I downloaded and, while good, none of it reaches the heights of "Shiny Lady" or "Say Goodbye" imo
Non-album tracks, though, that's too bad, because as far as I can tell, This Boy is a relatively tough one to find (though probably a lot easier to find than the original singles!)
― Wimmels, Sunday, 12 March 2017 16:14 (seven years ago) link
xp thanks! Don't know these at all. Pretty new to this stuff in general. This thread has been awesome / devastating in this regard
― Wimmels, Sunday, 12 March 2017 16:15 (seven years ago) link
^^^
It might be my favorite ILM thread
― Karl Malone, Sunday, 12 March 2017 16:16 (seven years ago) link
City pop in a non vaporwave, irony free way has definitely been making some kind of small comeback among Japanese musicians and producers it seems.
Toki Asako's new record Pink for instance is pretty upfront about it, using producer Tomi Yo who is regarded a a big City Pop stan.
― MaresNest, Sunday, 12 March 2017 16:18 (seven years ago) link
Okay I always try to resist mentioning mine and my friends little radio show and sounding like a shill but I've caved in, mainly because we do play a lot of late 70s early 80s stuff of this stripe and the inevitability of a YMO connection is at the running joke stage, particularly Hosono.
It seems the more we keep digging the more great stuff we find that they've had a hand in somehow, be it mentoring, producing, releasing, guesting, it's madness and unending.
― MaresNest, Sunday, 12 March 2017 16:23 (seven years ago) link
Kate NV's album "Binasu" has that Hosono-produced Miharu Koshi vibe all over it (did I already mention this upthread. If so - sorry).
The YMO-produced rabbithole can be a great one to fall into. For me the Akiko Yano albums that had YMO - or iterations of - playing with Sakamoto producing are the top example of how wonderful this stuff can be. Hosono-produced stuff can go from shiny, glorious synth/sample based pop to fairly standard commercial production. As the '90s loomed the guys seemed to fall in love with cheesy "rave" sonics and lost much of their charm. I like the glitchy "clicks-n-cuts" approach of HASYMO and the Hosono/Takahashi collabs of the early '00s but - again - they seem to have gotten stuck in this sound, or at least Sakamoto has, for the last 10 years or so.
― Acid Hose (Capitaine Jay Vee), Sunday, 12 March 2017 16:40 (seven years ago) link
more ppl need to hear binasu
― clouds, Sunday, 12 March 2017 16:42 (seven years ago) link
I will confess I am struggling a bit with Hosono's singing voice. Assuming I'm alone on this one?
― Wimmels, Sunday, 12 March 2017 16:46 (seven years ago) link
it took me a while but now i love his weird voice
― clouds, Sunday, 12 March 2017 16:53 (seven years ago) link
There's a ... a...."Sesame Street" quality to his voice that I find comforting.
― Acid Hose (Capitaine Jay Vee), Sunday, 12 March 2017 16:55 (seven years ago) link
frogbs mentioned it earlier:RFI: Yellow Magic Orchestra
and i fucking love that album. it's one of my favorites of 2016 in retrospect
― Karl Malone, Sunday, 12 March 2017 17:01 (seven years ago) link