"BGM" by the Yellow Magic Orchestra is the greatest electronic pop album ever.

I had no idea there was a DVD of the 2008 London shows ('POSTYMO')

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcDcJvUi_2I

Though I think for fun these CA shows are an improvement over 2008

Not from any of the recent shows but still a gorgeous live version of one of their best newer compositions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FTQk9qWv6g&feature=related

There are two of those HASYMO DVDs, can't quite recall where the other gig was filmed

In Spain I think? Gijonymo or something.

When City of Light came out I thought it was really slight, but now I think it's fantastic

My favorite Behind the Mask, from 93

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFdC7A69rDQ

From the Warfield SF show, Seoul Music in great sound quality - begins at 1:12. I don't know if this was broadcast in Japan from rehearsal, or if somebody recorded soundboard for later FM broadcast or what.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8QFEEHH6kU

keith emerson (?!) with sakamoto backstage at the warfield:

http://twitpic.com/5j8zs5

huh, that didn't work--damn you, nu-ilx: http://twitpic.com/5j8zs5

YMO in the studio, early 1980s:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgkj7-VCmEw

I wish so hard for an "official" release of the SF show. I remember hearing a boot of Sketch Show playing "Gradated Gray" and it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. Such an underrated tune.

YMO as covered by... KEANE??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A59Yps4pQq8

Not the weirdest cover when you consider Clapton did "Behind the Mask."

idd

weirdest thing to me has gotta be that "behind the mask" almost made it onto thriller

...which got re-recorded by Phil Collins and sung by Eric Clapton. Point: Clapton's version.

anyone seen the ridiculous "Kimi Ni Mune Kyun" video? really cheaply made but it's hilarious. i've never seen such miserable dancers!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HTyPPELmY0&feature=player_embedded

ha! that is really endearing.

Yeah I saw that a while ago, one of those clips that sums up exactly why I love a band so much.

i love how they apparently didn't even bother to do a second take on any of it, it's just so terribly made (then again, what videos in 1983 weren't?)

The Taiso video is pretty funny too.

hahhaa, forgot about this video. even the camera angle is terrible. kind of 3 feet above them, so it feels like you're watching your children doing the worst dance ever

i guess they were trying to play up the image of being "fun boys"

they should've change their name to fun boy 3

possibly a stupid question, but what is the "fun boy" image?

you know — they are boys, they like to have fun

it looks like they are being forced to have fun at gunpoint

I prefer YMO as waxy aliens meself.

its really kind of amazing how many radical changes in style these guys went through in the span of only 5 years

hahaha, sorry, i didn't know if "fun boys" was a japanese thing in the 80s or something

mei fun boys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JulFmtvgM

the 'wild ambitions' video from the YMO movie is really awesome. just hosono and a kid, hangin, learnin thangs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeMVSNTogG8

love the archery part!

cool alt. mix of the song too.

awesome - that's definitely my favorite tune on Naughty Boys, an album that I think gets underrated in general.

yeah, agreed on naughty boys and "wild ambitions". but the album does get a little soggy in the middle imo!

also, the 30 sec version of "you've got to help yourself" is hilarious

it is but i'd love it if the real version were on there. i'm not too fond of Service. that said it doesn't need it...I don't feel it lags at all

yeah, service is easily their weakest.

as for naughty boys, they're not bad or anything, but I feel like "ongaku"/"opened my eyes"/"lotus love" are the low points of the album and bookended by better tracks.

ongaku! the e-bow!

Alright, I'll give you that one!

i like all three of those - "Ongaku" is gorgeous - but I have to say the new version they are doing of that as HASYMO knocks it out of the park
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFs880dNtmM

as for "Lotus Love", it's a real oddity, sort of downtempo in a weird way, as though it's about to fall apart at any time. it's also one I really like but I really dig it any time Hosono tries to write a pop song

"ongaku" is def better than I remembered. so, you guys got me there. but I can't say I prefer the HASYMO version. guess I'm just not really a fan of the smooth, glitched-out, old man YMO rearrangements. they always strike me as pleasant enough but not much more than that. I've never heard one I'd listen to over one of the original tracks

still think "opened my eyes" is not so hot (worst track on the album imo) and "lotus love" is decent and would sound cool if it played while I explored some ancient mine in a dragon quest game.

i like the old man YMO stuff! just not so much when they do actual YMO tunes, outside of "Ongaku" and "Gradated Gray". i will say that the Sketch Show/HASYMO era is so much different than what they did in the 80's that it's not really fair to compare them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wqshDrNBaU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0laEwhW2vqw

happy end and 1000 knives sound esp. good in 8-bit mode

someone on the excellent kayokyoplus blog translated that weird middle section of "U-T":

Hosono: Hello, I'm your host, Haruomi Hosono. Appearing on the show today are Yellow Magic Orchestra's Yukihiro Takahashi and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Welcome gentlemen.

Takahashi: Thank you.

Sakamoto: Thank you.

Hosono: First, I'd like to ask Mr. Takahashi....do you know about U.T.?

Takahashi: Well, I know YT, but this is the first time to hear UT.

Hosono: Ah, really? Well, then, Mr. Sakamoto, what is the meaning of UT?

Sakamoto: Yes, that refers to super global existence.

Hosono: Oh, really? By the way, Mr. Takahashi's drumming on this song is amazing, isn't it?

Takahashi: Yes. It is amazing.

Hosono: Ohhhh....will you listen to this song on the "BGM"album?

Takahashi/Sakamoto: ARE YOU KIDDING?

one weird fact about this album is that 8 of the 10 tracks are between 4:30-4:40 in length!! and the other two are 5:21 and 5:23 in length. very bizarre consistent total length, despite the tracks being anything but formulaic.

4:35 ballet
4:34 music plans
4:33 rap phenomena
4:33 happy end
5:23 1000 knives
4:33 cue
4:34 U T
4:35 camouflage
4:32 mass
5:21 loom

(track times via spotify)

both sides begin with 4-minute tracks and conclude with a 5-minute track.

anyway, weird.

and really, i'm sure all of those track lengths could be a second or two off in either direction. were they trying to make them all 4'33?

*television voice*
next week, on YMO mysteries

well spotted!

yea I noticed that too. pretty cool since a lot of those tunes have pretty rigid structures. feel like this album could really use a 33 1/3 book, it feels like there are so many stories behind it

33 1/3 have started a Japan series and there's a YMO one on the way, not stated which rekkid yet though.

https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/series/33-13-japan/