Touch Yello [Import]

Yello | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 17, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: 101 DISTRIBUTION
• ASIN: B002N9MK86
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,144 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Expert

2. You Better Hide

3. Out Of Dawn

4. Bostich (Reflected)

5. Till Tomorrow

6. Tangier Blue

7. Part Love

8. Friday Smile

9. Kiss In Blue

10. Vertical Vision

11. Trackless Deep

12. Stay

13. Electric Frame

14. Takla Makan

Editorial Reviews

2009 album from the Swiss Electronic duo. Yello are, without doubt, one of the most influential bands in the wide and open context of Electronic music. From their earliest incarnation as slick Swiss guys with a strange back story making very odd Disco, their music has permeated everything from comedy films to contemporary art installations. But the rhythm of Yello's music is just one side to their cube. Sonics, emotion, and visual elements are all equally important, something more than demonstrated on new concept album Touch Yello. Coming at the end of a decade that has seen the group focusing on myriad projects, of which music was only one, the cinematic Touch Yello is still Yello in every sense of the word. Guest vocalist Heidi Happy weaves her voice through the panpipes and electronic moaning on 'Takla Makan', but the quality of the samples and arrangements stop this album from ever becoming a pastiche. Polydor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As good as ever, in some ways better, November 22, 2009

By 

K. Swanson (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Touch Yello (Audio CD)

4.4 stars

This was a very pleasant surprise indeed.

Boris Blank, a true genius and one of the real pioneers of electronic dance/trance music back in the late 70s and early 80s, is not only as good as he ever was, in some ways he's better. While not quite as thoroughly perfect as his masterpiece, Stella, Touch Yello has very few weak points and a whole bunch of highlights.

There's a ton of funk here, which has always been Blank's specialty. Not many electro guys can really bring the true deep funk, but Blank does it here over and over. Tangier Blue, The Expert, Bostich, Kiss In Blue and plenty more have a lot of propulsion and groove without feeling sterile and dry. It says that Boris played everything on the album, as well as producing it to typical perfection, and it seems BB has really learned how to play solid rhythm guitar, the extra edge that made all his classic albums so elastic. I believe Chico Hablas used to play the git for him, but Blank is as on it as Chico was, and that's pretty on it. This stuff makes me dance and smile and bob my head (and love my ears!). As intended.

The extra thing that made Yello so special, and still does, is the astonishing sound quality. From Claro Que Si's phenomenal Homer Hossa (if you like Yello and/or ambient/natural music, get that track!) to Stella's huge bottom end and the shimmering glow of Touch Yello, that's almost three decades of sound as good as just about any recording out there. This album will blow your mind in the car at volume, or on a really fine system. Many little bits of filigree pop up subtly here and there and on headphones it's quite breathtaking. In a dance club with massive subs, at 120 decibels, this will be something special indeed. Nobody makes a club system come alive quite like Mr. Blank. The man can convey atmosphere like few other producers.

BB's breathy new singer Heidi Happy--love that moniker--brings a nice feel to her tracks, and Dieter Meier is still Yello's other half, doing whatever he does (mostly lyrics and vocals, methinks)...but there's not much left to do once Boris is done with a track. Not every track is a winner; some are merely decent, and Blank's trumpet playing is not up to the level of his production, but in general this is a solid, very enjoyable listen.

When it comes to long-lasting, dependable Swiss exports, the Victorinox knife and world-class watches have a reliable companion: Yello.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious!, February 1, 2010

By 

J. J. Ives (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Touch Yello (Audio CD)

Whether an entrée or an appetizer, the master chefs that are Yello never disappoint. While it's true they are breaking no new ground, they have mastered their signature flavors in a way that, if you'll pardon the vulgarity, is positively orgasmic! They are like Junior's cheesecake! Always perfect!

Boris' obsessive/compulsive attention to details make me ashamed of my own work.

Yes, I paid too much for this cd, but I feel the need to enrich these guys- thirty years they have provided the soundtrack to my life! Solid Pleasure was the first thing I played in the new Walkman I got for Christmas in 1980.

I dread the day that Yello is no more.

Buy this recording!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Subtle Masterpiece!, January 14, 2010

By 

Chasey (Zurich, Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Touch Yello (Audio CD)

This is a wonderful album by Dieter and Boris, in essence it's a blend of essential Yello mixed with Synth and Jazz - and the end result is quite superb. Factor in the penetrative lyrics of Heidi Happy, and you have an album of sheer quality, a perfect reflection of the awesome productive talents of the Swiss duo.