Bgm [Import, Original recording remastered]

Yellow Magic Orchestra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 29, 2011)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony Import
• ASIN: B0000DELA0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,558 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Ballet

2. Music Plans

3. Rap Phenomena

4. Happy End

5. 1000 Knives

6. Cue

7. U T

8. Camouflage

9. Mass

10. Loom

Editorial Reviews

2011 remastered reissue of the Japanese progressive rock act's 1981 live album. Epic.The trailblazing force behind the emergence of the Japanese techno-pop sound of the late '70s, Yellow Magic Orchestra remains a seminal influence on contemporary electronic music -- hugely popular both at home and abroad, their pioneering use of synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines places them second only to Kraftwerk as innovators of today's electronic culture. BGM stands for "background music," and one could be mistaken for thinking that this is an album of ambient-sounding tracks. Instead, it's a continuation of YMO's techno aesthetic, focusing more on Takahashi's distorted vocals and similarly liquid synth sounds, which give much of the album a melancholic air. Through this re-issue the band's amazing musical accomplishments

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it in 1981, love it now, July 21, 2005

By 

E. J Petersen "mizarkey" (Central California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bgm (Audio CD)

A friend from Japan introduced me to YMO back in 1981 with a recording of 'Nice Ace' off the Multiplies album. I was hooked. I traveled to Japan that year and picked up BGM while I was there. Man, that synth solo in "1,000 Knives" is insane. I had some friends that used it to breakdance to back in the early 80s. The other tracks I love are "Cue", "Ballet", "Camouflage" and "Happy End". I used part of "Loom" along with a bit from Kate Bush's "Hounds of Love" album (a non-song part between "Jig of Life" and "Hello Earth") to make a cool phone machine message.

Anyway, YMO was good at the type of music they produced (synthpop). I highly recommend BGM, Multiplies, and the others, along with Yukihiro Takahashi's solo works Murdered by the Music and Neuromantic.

Eric - CA

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favourite YMO album, February 12, 2007

By 

Steven Guy (Croydon, South Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bgm (Audio CD)

I can't remember when I bought this album. It must have been some time in the early 1980s. I was listening to the music of John Foxx, Japan, Ippu-Do, Bill Nelson, David Sylvian, Brian Eno, Jon Hassell, Harold Budd, Fad Gadget, S.P.K., Sandii & The Sunsetz, Cabaret Voltaire, Kraftwerk and Deutsche Amerikanische Freundschaft at the time. Yellow Magic Orchestra were unique, and they are, still.

BGM is not really an album of songs, it is really an album of instrumental pieces and "soundscapes", partly instrumental and some with vocals, and some with fragments of singing and spoken words. The music is all quite atmospheric and rich in instrumental lines and textures. Some of the pieces could be easily arranged for and played by an orchestra. "Mass" and "U.T." sound like orchestral music over a drum machine. There is some acoustic drumming here from Yukihiro Takahashi (a very fine drummer) and, possibly, Ryuichi Sakamoto (he drums in the video clip of "Cue"). The keyboard playing is, of course, sublime and it is clear that the three members of the group let their imagines run free on this album. They were superstars by this stage and they could more or less do whatever they liked .... and they certainly did!

I loved to contrast the music of D.A.F. with Y.M.O. - DAF were the quintessential "Minimalist" Punk band - one keyboard line and drums; YMO could have been described as "Maximalist", in comparison, with their multi-layered and contrapuntal music. Like Kraftwerk and Cabaret Voltaire, YMO didn't always rely on words and lyrics alone to carry the meaning of their songs, the sounds, instrumental timbres, harmonies, melodies, rhythmic contures and song structures provided their music with internal rhetoric.

BGM, overall, is a "moody" and atmospheric album. I have recently seen some of the songs performed live on YouTube (I never saw any promotional videos at the time!) and I am [still!] impressed with the intensity and power of YMO live. In some ways, all the music on this album would have sounded even better live, I'd be willing to wager! Alas, YMO never toured Australia.

BGM is quite unlike anything else Yellow Magic Orchestra recorded and it is very unlike anything else anyone else recorded before or since. Hmmm, okay, maybe "Radio Fantasy" by Ippu-Do owes something to this album - "Magic Vox" and "Radio Japan" could easily be played back-to-back with any of the tracks from BGM and not cause the listener to flinch.

It is a pity "Radio Fantasy" is not readily available on CD.


However, If you want to get an insight into YMO - check out the video of "Cue" (one of the their best songs) on YouTube. Stunning!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Catchy, Futuristic, Funky & Smart, September 18, 2006

By 

David Alston (Chapel Hill, NC, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bgm (Audio CD)

Great to see YMO's stuff out on CD - I had this (and a pair of their other releases) on vinyl when I was in middle school, and after many years, it's still great stuff. YMO stood alongside some of the Krautrock groups (especially Kraftwerk and Can) as something way ahead of their time, and Ryuichi Sakamoto has crafted an extremely fascinating solo career over the last 2 decades.

In any case, the shimmering electro-pop here was immaculate - catchy, futuristic, funky and smart.

Check 'em out.

-David Alston