RFI: Yellow Magic Orchestra

I love that I still have Technodon and the Sketch Show records waiting for me (and countless solo albums, productions, etc). I've been listening to almost nothing but Hosono/YMO since September 2023 and there's still so much just to hear for the first time, let alone reconsider/re-evaluate.

There's another DVD/CD release from Lyon that I'm guessing came out around the same time as the London Meltdown gig, not sure if the set lists differ much, or the lineup even.

Three years later they were doing a more straight ahead (for them) YMO set some of which is on YT and you can probably still buy somewhere - https://www.discogs.com/release/8467134-Yellow-Magic-Orchestra-Live-In-San-Francisco-2011

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erp2P_zNG1A

Yet another for the "great live versions of Gradated Gray" folder. Hosono/Takahashi harmonies are the best. Incredible YT drumming.

I'm sure you'll like the Sketch Show stuff, they play a lot of it in those live shows so you probably know some of the tracks. I was surprised how well those albums held up actually, I kinda thought that glitchtronica pop sound was something that you could always tie back to the early 00s but it still sounds amazing

Technodon is an album I really didn't care for when I first heard it, it makes way more sense in context of their 90s solo albums though. like don't compare it to the other YMO albums, compare it to say Medicine Compilation. you could tell their styles weren't really jiving at this time but it actually sounds pretty great, I mean for me the big revelation was simply hearing it on a nice system where the bass really came through

also I kid you not the reason why I listen to Technodon so often is because the place I work loves to give out these mint chocolates called "Frango" which always makes me think "Pocketful of Frangos"

actually there are a few good advertising jingles in there. Be a Subaru Man

y'all are making me feel like I should give HASYMO another go. I don't mind that sound and I always found the recordings to be fine but... I can't imagine ever wanting to listen to HASYMO instead of regs YMO versions of any of those songs either. maybe this is the year it clicks tho!