🎵 AotW Yellow Magic Orchestra - X ∞ MULTIPLIES (SP-4813)

[LPJim]

Yellow Magic Orchestra
X ∞ MULTIPLIES
A&M SP-4813

Haruomi "Harry" Hosono - bass, vocals, keyboards
Yukihiro Takahaski - lead vocals & drums
Ryuichi Sakamoto - keyboards

SIDE ONE

Nice Age 3:55
Behind the Mask 3:36
Rydeen 4:26
Day Tripper 2:40

SIDE TWO

Technopolis 4:14
Multiplies 2:58
Citizens of Science 4:29
Solid State Survivor 3:58

Entered the Billboard Top 200 on September 20, 1980 & reached # 177, charting for 2 weeks
Reissued on CD in 1993 & available via amazon.com
A 10" LP version with different tracks was issued in Japan.

JB

 

[Rudy]

I bought this as a cut-out back in 1981, but didn't find anything as catchy as the hit from their earlier A&M album. Can't say I've played it all that much--it might be worth a listen.

 

[Mr Bill]

Not as good as thier Horizon debut the previous year, but there are a couple catchy tunes here. I used "Rydeen" in one of my USC Film School projects...

 

[Rudy]

"Firecracker" was the song that got all the airplay here; I was hoping for more of the same when I picked up this album as a cut-out.

We had a few international hits around the same time. Kraftwerk's Computer World album had some songs with a lot of airplay ("Pocket Calculator" and "Numbers/Computer World 2"). Musical Youth had "Pass The Dutchie." Giorgio Moroder in addition to producing Donna Summer brought his Ital-disco sounds to the US. And "Firecracker" was in the middle of the fray. UK punk was also starting to make some noise.

You don't hear this diversity on the radio anymore...

 

[Mr Bill]

You don't hear this diversity on the radio anymore...

Man I miss 1979-83, musically. Disco was dying, Punk and New Wave was happening. What great memories and what a great time!

--Mr Bill
pogo till you puke!

 

[Rudy]

Disco just sort of evolved back into R&B/Funk, where it should have remained. And there was tons of great music there being made as well, as well as in jazz fusion. In high school, all the stuff like the B52s, Gary Numan, Devo and others were all the rage, and J. Geils for some reason had a huge following in Detroit, so songs like "Flamethrower" and "Freeze Frame" got tons of airplay also. Music was shooting off in all directions at the time--it was great for someone like me who listened to everything.

Today's so-called acts on the Top 40 seem more like tabloid fodder than musically inclined IMHO...