Technodon

Summary

Technodon is the eighth and final studio album by Yellow Magic Orchestra and released in 1993, a decade after the band's original breakup. Because the name Yellow Magic Orchestra was owned by former record label Alfa Records, the band were forced to release the album under the name YMO (typically stylized as the "YMO" initialism crossed out by a large "X"). For the tour that followed, they were billed as Not YMO. Future releases by the band would be made under the names Human Audio Sponge and HASYMO.

Technodon
A horizontally compressed photo of the band dressed in suits, with a diffraction grating circle in the middle with the text "Slipping into madness is good for the sake of comparison".
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 26, 1993
RecordedFebruary 2, 1992 – January 31, 1993
StudioSkyline Studio, Midtown Manhattan, Manhattan, New York City
Victor Studio, Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo
Genre
Length63:24
LabelToshiba EMI
ProducerYMO
YMO chronology
After Service
(1984)
Technodon
(1993)
Technodon Live
(1993)
Singles from Technodon
  1. "Be a Superman"
    Released: 1993
  2. "Pocketful of Rainbows"
    Released: 1993

At the time of recording, Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto were incorporating many world music elements into their sound, which is still evident on Technodon, though slightly pared down and featuring simpler technopop arrangements. Yukihiro Takahashi mainly used drum machines for the record as opposed to a drum kit.

Track listing edit

All songs arranged by YMO.

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Be a Superman"Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yukihiro TakahashiSakamoto, Takahashi5:21
2."Nanga Def?"SakamotoYMO5:10
3."Floating Away"William GibsonTakahashi, Haruomi Hosono6:46
4."Dolphinicity" Hosono5:12
5."Hi-Tech Hippies"YMOYMO4:24
6."I Tre Merli" YMO6:05
7."Nostalgia" Sakamoto4:48
8."Silence of Time"SakamotoSakamoto, Takahashi5:41
9."Waterford" Sakamoto, Takahashi5:38
10."O.K."HosonoHosono, Takahashi4:29
11."Chance" Sakamoto4:57
12."Pocketful of Rainbows"Fred Wise, Ben Weisman
(Japanese translation: Reiko Yukawa)
Wise, Weisman5:00
2011 & 2020 re-issues and vinyl release bonus track[1][2]
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
13."Pocketful of Rainbows (English Version)"Wise, WeismanWise, Weisman4:36
14."Somewhere With Devo (Studio Version Demo)[3]"Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim / M. Mothersbaugh, CasaleLeonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim / M. Mothersbaugh, Casale18:23

Personnel edit

Additional Credits edit

References edit

  1. ^ "YMO* – Technodon (2011, CD)". Discogs. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  2. ^ "Yellow Magic Orchestra – Technodon (2020, Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  3. ^ Track taken from Devo - “Recombo DNA”. Only included as a bonus track on Technodon (2011, CD)
  • Technodon at AllMusic. Retrieved 22:08, 8 November 2015 (UTC).