YMO poll: Sakamoto vs. Hosono vs. Takahashi

Ok froggie, I gave Technodelic and BGM a spin and they're ace. Technodelic jumped out at me as a particularly cool and weird combination of Japan, Thomas Dolby and Kraftwerk. BGM is a shade less compelling but still full of interesting stuff. Will review the rest soon!

I ride for Sakamoto’s soundtrack to Wings of Honneamise, specifically the piano shit with all the big octave intervals etc

Oh huh turns out that’s the theme.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=83VoWltZdus

I’ve always sought out Sakamoto’s stuff. He’s profilic but very hit or miss, as has probably been noted. I should probably spend more time hunting down the better stuff from Hosono & Takahashi, but

It's hard to choose between the three but Hosono has such fascinatingly deep roots and he was doing brilliant shit like this in the mid-seventies.

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

Someone on the dedicated "BGM" thread made a comment that everything YMO and their members did between 1981 and 1983 is "pure gold". I made a quick list - damn they were prolific! Given that I'm really enjoying "BGM" and "Technodelic", which of these are recommended next?

Ryuichi Sakamoto ‎– Left Handed Dream (1981)
Yukihiro Takahashi ‎– Neuromantic (1981)
Riuichi Sakamoto & Danceries ‎– The End Of Asia (1982)
Tokiko Kato With Riuichi Sakamoto ‎– Miłości Wszystko Wybaczy (1982)
Haruomi Hosono ‎– Philharmony (1982)
Yukihiro Takahashi ‎– What, Me Worry? (1982)
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Naughty Boys (1983)
Ryuichi Sakamoto ‎– Coda (1983)
Ryuichi Sakamoto ‎– Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983)
Danceries With Ryuichi Sakamoto ‎– Chanconette Tedesche (1983)
Yukihiro Takahashi ‎– Tomorrow's Just Another Day (1983)

takahashi was never as good as this era: i'm a huge fan of both neuromantic and what, me worry in particular. if i had to pick between a ymo album and neuromantic on a desert island, i would instantly grab neuromantic.

one reason for the high quality across the board is that they were all playing and contributing songs on each other's albums, even the solo ones.

Naughty Boys is basically a perfect pop album

of the rest, I'd say Left Handed Dream, Philharmony, and Neuromantic. those Sakamoto albums are all over the map though. the Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence OST is great but it may not be what you're expecting. it sounds like the Link to the Past soundtrack.

I still haven't heard Left Handed Dream! But Philharmony rules. "Luminescent-Hotaru" is maybe the best single song out of albums from the ones i've heard out of the list above.

er...sorry i mangled that, but you know what i mean. i am having a nice ymo & friends afternoon, thanks thread

in light of recent discush on the hosono thread i'd be interested in knowing how people feel about this 10 years on. i suspect that the scales will tip even further in hosono and takahashi's favour? for me it's unequivocally sakamoto, i can't even consider the question rationally tbh, his post-debussian harmonic sensibility appeals to me on such a deeply visceral level

also his capacity for "rigorous" (lol) experimentation outside the formal strictures of conventional pop music, especially in the latter part of his career, for me sets him apart from the other two (who i also love ofc but for different reasons)

this is probably kind of a boring convo actually now that i think about it haha