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YMO - TOKYO 1980 [YUKIHIRO TAKAHASHI R.I.P. 1952 - 2023]

January 15, 2023 – 12:13 pm

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YUKIHIRO TAKAHASHI R.I.P. 1952 - 2023

Yukihiro Takahashi, the drummer and vocalist of legendary Japanese electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra, has died on January 14, a source close to him said. He was 70. Takahashi was known as the composer of “Rydeen,” one of the most popular tracks of YMO, the trailblazing band he formed in 1978 with Ryuichi Sakamoto, world-renowned musician and composer, and Haruomi Hosono.

Known for wearing suits in the style of Mao that were designed by Takahashi, YMO was a pioneer of futuristic techno-pop, making full use of synthesizers in the late 1970s, when the arcade game “Space Invaders” became a hit. The trio’s performances, including tracks such as “Technopolis,” were well received in the United States and Europe. The band’s music became popular in Japan following its success overseas. The Tokyo native underwent surgery for a brain tumor in August 2020. - asia.nikkei.com

Becoming a rich source of hip-hop samples, Yellow Magic Orchestra’s influence would permeate rap and other strands of club music. Cited as a formative influence by first wave Detroit techno artists, the group remain a perennial touchstone for electronic voyagers. - clashmusic.com

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YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA
Tokyo 1980 [no label, 1CD]
World Tour From Tokio To Tokio. Live at the Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan; December 26, 1980. Broadcast on December 29, 1980. Very good FM broadcast.

Thanks to Fokker1918 for sharing the show at Dime.

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“This FM broadcast was actually mostly taken from the 25th with All You Need is Love and Technopolis taken from the 26th. The reason for combining the gigs was that Technopolis was not played on the 25th (due to a technical problem with the performance on the 24th) and the broadcasters felt it would be wrong to leave out one of YMO’s biggest hits thus using the recording from the 26th.”

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Lineage (from what I could understand from the original info):
Yamaha T-5 (tuner) > SONY TC-K55 (recorder) > TDK MA-C90 (tape) NR: DOLBY-B
Playback: Aiwa AD-F50M, Aurex PC -X66AD, Behringer Tube EQ

Click on the highlighted tracks to download the MP3s (320 kbps). As far as we can ascertain, these tracks have never been officially released on CD.

Please Do Not Hammer The Links. Due to the size of some of the files, please be very patient when downloading the tracks. It could be that the server was very busy. The tracks should still be around. Please try again later.

Kindly email us if you encounter persistent problems downloading the files. Also email us if you have any rarities you’d like to share with our readers.

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Track 01. Riot In Lagos 6:16
Track 02. The End Of Asia 6:09
Track 03. Behind The Mask 3:40
Track 04. Rydeen 5:00
Track 05. Maps 5:39
Track 06. Nice Age 3:54
Track 07. Citizens Of Science 4:41
Track 08. Solid State Survivor 4:08
Track 09. Radio Junk 4:22
Track 10. Kang Tong Boy (Cantonese Boy) 7:35
Track 11. Tong Poo 4:31
Track 12. Firecracker 5:19
Track 13. Cosmic Surfin’ 4:09
Track 14. Thousand Knives 10:02
Track 15. All You Need Is Love 2:04
Track 16. Technopolis 4:52
83 mins

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