The role of album covers in shaping Yellow Magic Orchestra's identity

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The Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) album cover is an iconic representation of the electronic music group's experimental and futuristic style. The artwork showcases a combination of vibrant colors, geometric shapes, and futuristic imagery that reflects the band's innovative sound and their impact on the music industry. The album cover typically features the band members posing in distinct outfits, often wearing reflective or metallic clothing that enhances the futuristic theme. The use of bold and contrasting colors, such as neon greens, vivid oranges, and electric blues, creates a visually striking effect and adds to the overall futuristic vibe. The inclusion of futuristic elements, such as robotic or cyborg-like figures, further emphasizes the technological and innovative nature of YMO's music. These elements often appear in the background or as symbols intertwined with the band members, representing the synthesis of human and machine within their music.



Albums That Made Me - Yellow Magic Orchestra

In this series of blogs, I will document a selection of albums that were pivotal in shaping my musical journey. I will focus on what made these albums special to me, as opposed to what makes them special in music, cultural or any other terms. Of course, every album I discuss can be considered as recommended listening, however, please keep in mind that whilst these albums are special to me, that doesn't mean they're particularly special and/or unique in their own right (although in most cases, I would argue that they are!).

Alfa (JP) Cover Art A&M (US) Cover Art Artist: Yellow Magic Orchestra Album: Yellow Magic Orchestra Release: 1978 Label: Alfa (JP) / A&M (US) Genre: Electronic/Synth-Pop Personnel: Yellow Magic Orchestra – arrangements, electronics

Haruomi Hosono – bass guitar, synth bass, synthesizers, production, mixing engineer (credited as "Harry Hosono" for latter two)

Ryuichi Sakamoto – synthesizers, piano, electric piano, percussion, orchestration Yukihiro Takahashi – vocals, drums, electronic drums, marimba, percussion Guest musicians Hideki Matsutake – Microcomposer programming Chris Mosdell – lyrics Shun'ichi "Tyrone" Hashimoto – vocoded vocals on "Simoon" Masayoshi Takanaka – electric guitar on "Cosmic Surfin'" and "La femme chinoise"

Tomoko Nunoi (uncredited on earliest issues) – French narration (credited as "Sexy Voice") on "La femme chinoise"

Staff Kunihiko Murai – executive producer Norio Yoshizawa & Atsushi Saito – recording engineers Shunsuke Miyasumi – recording coordinator Masako Hikasa & Akira Ikuta – management Aijiro Wakita – design, art director Kazuo Hakamada – illustrations US version alternative staff Minako Yoshida – vocals on "Yellow Magic (Tong Poo)" Tommy LiPuma – supervisor Al Schmitt – mixing engineer Mike Reese – mastering engineer Roland Young – art director Amy Nagasawa & Chuck Beeson – design Lou Beach – front cover art Masayoshi Sukita – back cover art Personal Context

Until the age of 20, I hadn't been interested in using synthesisers in my own music creation. I enjoyed listening to music that used synthesisers, but I had no desire to use them in my own music. Upon reflection, this was simply due to not understanding them.

In my youth, I'd been told by many a grumpy, old musician that synthesisers and drum machines were invented to save money in production and put hardworking musicians out of business. Of course, this is utter nonsense, however as a kid, I accepted what I'd been told. I'd always therefore harboured a snobbery towards synthesisers and it wasn't until university, when I learned how synthesisers actually worked and what they were capable of, that I started to view them positively, with the creative potential they yielded.

My learning about synthesisers and understanding the ethos and philosophy of their near limitless tonal and harmonic potential coincided with my discovery of Tom Waits' Swordfishtrombones (and my subsequent shedding of all musical preconceptions). All bets were off and I was truly on the road to exploring sound and music in a way that felt right to me (as opposed to doing things they way other, older people said they should be done). I no longer had any preconceptions or hang-ups about instrumentation or style.

However, whilst I understood the science, I struggled to really grasp using synthesisers in a musical way. I found them to be fun to tinker with, but I was never able to utilise them with much expression.

In my mid twenties I met my partner, who is Japanese. One day whilst chatting about music, the conversation went the way of synthesisers and she casually said " You know Yellow Magic Orchestra, right? ". I had no idea what she was talking about. She showed me some YouTube videos. What I heard was dizzying! This was it! This was music made with synthesisers that (unlike modern EDM or house) spoke to my musical tastes that walked a line between jazz and experimental rock music with shades of disco, funk and more. And it was made almost entirely with synthesisers!

I fell head over heals in love with this band and set about amassing their entire discography, digesting it and finding endless inspiration in their pioneering use of synthesisers. In 1978, the music industry was still figuring out how to best utilise these electronic instruments, and while the technology was still extremely crude by modern standards, these three men were crafting soundscapes and electronic orchestration that was richer and more diverse (and arguably more sophisticated) than a lot of electronic music made today.

Beyond musical inspiration, discovering YMO convinced me that if they could create their music in the late 1970s, then I, in the 21st Century, with all my computer software had no reason not to undertake a similar venture, and thus OSC was born. I.e: without the Yellow Magic Orchestra, there'd be no Opus Science Collective; without YMO, there's be no OSC.

My Takeaways

It's hard to know where to begin. This album combines rock, pop, funk, western-classical, Orientalism, and more, with additional shades of disco and jazz in places, all woven together with an experimental and diverse tonal palette created using synthesis that, in its day, was wildly pioneering (and which still sounds fresh in 2022).

One of the most significant impacts this album had on me however, was that of utilising two or three distinctly different synthesiser tones in a piece of music to interact in a call-and-response manner (like a vocal duet, but on synths). At the time of discovering this album, I was composing songs, but had no way of realising them, as I'm no singer! Upon hearing this album, I realised that it was possible to make something akin to an experimental, electronic, rock/pop album without the need for any vocalists whatsoever. It emboldened me and gave me the confidence to compose in new ways, utilising melodic lead synthesisers in place of vocals, in ways I'd never thought of doing before.

It also focused my approach to sound design as a whole, encouraging me to devote more time to shaping the characteristics of the synthesiser tones I was using. YMO have a way of making synthesisers really speak with expression and character, and so I strived to do the same.

These elements often appear in the background or as symbols intertwined with the band members, representing the synthesis of human and machine within their music. The album cover design is often accompanied by unique typography that is stylized and futuristic, further enhancing the overall aesthetic. The typography is frequently displayed in bold and energetic fonts, sometimes with added digital effects or three-dimensional perspectives.

Yellow magic orchestra album cover

Overall, the Yellow Magic Orchestra album covers are a testament to the band's artistic vision and their ability to push boundaries in both music and design. The visual representation of their music and the use of futuristic elements contribute to the album covers' enduring appeal and iconic status in the world of electronic music..

Reviews for "Yellow Magic Orchestra's album covers and their impact on the music industry"

1. Emily - 2/5 stars - I found the Yellow Magic Orchestra album cover to be quite uninspiring and dull. The artwork lacked creativity and originality, leaving me bored and disinterested. The monotonous color palette and simplistic design failed to capture my attention or evoke any emotions. Overall, I was disappointed with the album cover and expected something more visually striking and engaging.
2. Liam - 1/5 stars - The Yellow Magic Orchestra album cover was just plain ugly. The choice of colors was horrendous and clashed in such a way that it hurt my eyes. The design was chaotic and messy, lacking any sense of coherence or purpose. It seemed like a rushed job with no thought put into it. I wish they had invested more time and effort into creating a visually appealing cover for the album.
3. Sarah - 2/5 stars - The Yellow Magic Orchestra album cover was underwhelming and forgettable. The design lacked any originality and appeared to be a generic template that could be applied to any album. It failed to stand out or make a lasting impression, fading into the background amongst other album covers. Overall, I felt that the cover did not do justice to the music within, as it failed to make a statement or create intrigue.
4. Alex - 3/5 stars - While the Yellow Magic Orchestra album cover was not particularly memorable or visually striking, it was not terrible either. The design was simple and clean, which appealed to a sense of minimalism. However, it lacked the wow factor that one expects from an album cover, leaving me feeling somewhat indifferent towards it. Overall, it was an average effort that did not stand out in any notable way.

Exploring the use of typography in Yellow Magic Orchestra's album covers

The relationship between Yellow Magic Orchestra's album covers and their music