MUSIC BLOG OF SALTYKA AND HIS FRIENDS: November 2006

Knife (1984)

Roundly trashed upon its fall 1984 release -- many reviewers took the album almost as a personal insult -- Knife is nowhere near as terrible an album as it seemed at the time. One must remember the circumstances, however: 1983's High Land Hard Rain, as well as the preceding singles on the legendary Postcard and Les Disques du Crepuscule labels, had presented Roddy Frame and crew as the jazz and folk-inflected, acoustic guitar-slinging saviors of pop music from the synth-driven hordes. Knife, on the other hand, was (yikes!) produced by Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler, who (gasp!) brought in a pair of keyboard players to color Frame's (shriek!) newly R&B-flavored pop songs. In retrospect, though, Knife is, while deeply flawed, a thoughtful and largely likable set of tunes. There are three killer singles, the danceable "Still on Fire," "Just Like the USA" (which features a jiggly guitar riff that almost turns into the hook from the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" in a few spots), and the sublime "All I Need Is Everything," a lovely, yearning tune based on a hypnotic guitar riff and featuring possibly the best chorus of Frame's career. Slightly below that fine triumvirate are "The Birth of the True" and the stirring "Backwards and Forwards," which both recall the pretty but slightly strident ballads of Frame's early career, and the peppier "Head Is Happy (Heart's Insane)," all of which are perfectly respectable tunes. Then, though, comes the bland, forgettable "The Back Door to Heaven," and the truly horrible title track, which stretches out too few musical or lyrical ideas over an endless, nearly ten-minute track that seems to be going for a Dire Straits-like ambience but merely sounds noodly and insipid. With a more sympathetic producer and a less obvious method of filler (why not record new versions of those early singles?), Knife would have made it past the cultural arbiters. As it was, Aztec Camera never really recovered.

Tracklisting

1 Still on Fire (4:01)
2 Just Like the USA (4:03)
3 Head Is Happy (Heart's Insane) (4:14)
4 Back Door to Heaven (5:22)
5 All I Need Is Everything (5:50)
6 Backwards and Forwards (4:12)
7 Birth of the True (2:41)
8 Knife (9:04)

Download Link

http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=195643d4400b10322dc7186e4da3e529

Love (1987)

Roddy Frame dispensed with the previous members of Aztec Camera and turned to a group of American session musicians and high-powered producers (Russ Titelman, Tommy LiPuma) for his third full-length album, on which he also abandoned his singer/songwriter, folk-rock approach in favor of an American R&B style. It's a distinct step down from the ingenuity of his first couple of records, and was met with indifference in the U.S., which seemed to be its intended target. In the U.K., the album belatedly took off after its second single, "Somewhere In My Heart," went to #3, and became Aztec Camera's only Top Ten LP. (Other U.K. chart singles were "How Men Are" [#25] and "Working In A Goldmine" [#31].)

Tracklisting.

1 Deep and Wide and Tall (4:06)
2 How Men Are (3:41)
3 Everybody Is a Number One (3:30)
4 More Than a Law (4:43)
5 Somewhere in My Heart (4:02)
6 Working in a Goldmine (5:44)
7 One and One (4:14)
8 Paradise (4:34)
9 Killermont Street (3:20)

Download link:

http://rapidshare.com/files/4974027/Aztec_Camera__1987__love.rar.html

Stray (1990)

A welcome comeback after the flaccid dance-pop of 1987's insipid Love, Stray is among Roddy Frame's most assured and diverse collections of songs. Unlike previous Aztec Camera albums, there's not one unifying style to the disc, and the variety makes Stray one of Frame's better collections. From the assured rocking pop of the singles "The Crying Scene" (the closest thing Aztec Camera ever got to an American hit single) and "Good Morning Britain" (a rousing collaboration with Mick Jones of the Clash and Big Audio Dynamite) to the cool, Chet Baker-ish cocktail jazz of "Over My Head," Frame covers the waterfront, but it's the quartet of songs that constitutes the second half of the album that impress the most. These four songs, "How It Is," "The Gentle Kind," "Notting Hill Blues," and the tender acoustic closer "Song For A Friend," are a loosely connected cycle mingling folk, soul, and pop in varying proportions. Starting with a bitterly cynical denunciation of modern society, the four songs move through sadness and resignation to a hopeful, sweet closure. Shorn of the pretentiousness that mars some of Frame's earlier lyrics -- written, to be fair, while he was still in his mid-teens -- the lyrics on Stray are the first that stand up to Frame's remarkable melodic sense. The simple, low-key production by Frame and Eric Calvi also retreats from the unfortunate excesses of both Love and its misbegotten Mark Knopfler-produced predecessor, Knife. With the exception of Aztec Camera's 1983 debut High Land Hard Rain, this is Roddy Frame's best album.

Tracklisting

1 Stray (5:33)
2 Crying Scene (3:34)
3 Get Outa London (3:41)
4 Over My Head (5:53)
5 Good Morning Britain (4:02)
6 How It Is (4:00)
7 Gentle Kind (5:32)
8 Notting Hill Blues (6:41)
9 Song for a Friend (2:28)

Download link

http://rapidshare.com/files/4986506/Aztec_Camera__1990__stray.rar.html

Dreamland (1993)

Whoever got the idea of putting erstwhile lo-tech pop hero Roddy Frame in the studio with the legendarily hi-tech keyboardist/ composer/ producer Ryuichi Sakamoto ought to at least get credit for thinking outside the box. And if the experiment wasn't an unqualified success, well, that's what usually happens when you think outside the box. Dreamland is far from a failure; by this point in his career, Frame's pop craft is too instinctive to permit that. But Sakamoto does occasionally threaten to overwhelm the songs with his patented super-smooth production and studio fripperies (those strings! those backing vocals!), and in a few cases the songs themselves aren't structurally capable of supporting all that added weight. Several tracks, in particular the rather silly "Spanish Horses," will leave you thinking "Gosh, that was pretty. How did it go again?" And "Safe in Sorrow," a gorgeous pop/soul ballad, feels like it wants to go twice as fast as it does, but can't. All that said, there are some great moments here, including the aching "Let Your Love Decide" and the slightly creepy "Valium Summer"; fans of the Camera should like this album just fine.

Tracklisting

1 Birds (4:56)
2 Safe in Sorrow (4:56)
3 Black Lucia (4:00)
4 Let Your Love Decide (5:03)
5 Spanish Horses (4:34)
6 Dream Sweet Dreams (3:26)
7 Pianos and Clocks (4:53)
8 Sister Ann (5:13)
9 Vertigo (4:54)
10 Valium Summer (5:53)
11 Belle of the Ball (3:24)

Download link

http://rapidshare.com/files/4692002/Aztec_Camera__1993__dreamland.rar.html

Live at Ronnie Scotts (Acoustic)

Tracklisting

1 Birth of the True
2 Song for a Friend
3 Killermont Street
4 How Men Are
5 Sister Ann
6 Good Morning Britain
7 Mattress of Wire
8 Let Your Love Decide
9 Orchid Girl
10 Stray
11 Sunset
12 The Bugle Sound Again
13 Dolphins
14 Oblivious
15 Black Lucia

Download link

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RIQ3KLDE

Greetings.

Country :
Japan

Genre:
Electronic
Style:
Synth-pop

SARAVAH! (1977)

Tracklist :

01 Volare (Nel blu dipinto di blu) 2.26
02 Saravah! 4.03
03 C'est si bon 3.12
04 La Rosa 5.04
05 Mood Indigo 2.51
06 Elastic Dummy 5.03
07 Sunset 4.04
08 Back Street Midnight Queen 4.15
09 Present 4.46

Link to download :
http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=143462213fee35bcc5d0d3526cc6eebb 192 kbs

Between Sadistic Mika Band and YMO. Sakamoto arranges and co-produces. RS was nicknamed The Professor back then. Hosono plays bass. Currently Budget priced. Here we have an early (if not the first) appearance by all YMO members. A good example of late 70s studio pop. Not really related to their later Technopop sound.

MURDERED BY THE MUSIC (1980)

Credits :
Drums - Haruomi Hosono/ Guitar - Kenji Omura/ Keyboards - Ryuichi Sakamoto/ Quasimutant Voices - Chris Mosdell

Tracklist :

01 School of Thought
02 Murdered by the Music
03 Kid-Nap, the Dreamer
04 I-Kasu!
05 Radioactivist
06 Numbers from a Calculated Conversation
07 Bijin-Kyoshi at the Swimming School
08 Blue Colour Worker
09 Stop in the name of Love
10 Mirrormanic
11 The Core of Eden

Link to download :
http://rapidshare.com/files/4194408/_1980__murdered_by_the_music.rar.html

A Technopop classic.Should appeal to early era YMO fans.

"The two 1982 albums are pleasant surprises, with playing and material that's at once aggressive and arty. Murdered by the Music (from 1980 but unreleased in the West for two years) is the more goofy and eclectic. The What, Me Worry? EP features three tracks from the LP of the same name — one with Japanese lyrics this time — plus another bright original and a sprightly cover of an old German tune."

NEUROMANTIC (1981)

Credits:
Engineer - Steve Nye (from Penguin Cafe Orchestra) / Guitars - Kenji Omura , Phil Manzanera (from Roxy Music)/ Keyboards - Haruomi Hosono , Ryuichi Sakamoto , Tony Mansfield(from New Musik)/ Producer, Vocals, Drums, Keyboards - Yukihiro Takahashi/ Programming - Hideki Matsutake/ Saxophones - Andy Mackay

Tracklist :

01 Glass
02 Grand Espoir
03 Connection
04 New (Red) Roses
05 Extra-Ordinary
06 Drip Dry Eyes
07 Curtains
08 Charge
09 Something in the Air

Link to download :
http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=acb119a944f205ece48221bbe002a647

A fine album . Should appeal to YMO fans though none of the YMO period solos tried to duplicate the more instrumental based YMO sound. There was a British music movement at the time called "New Romantic" which included stuff from for example Roxy Music, whom YT admired and OMD, a contemporary act. Possibly more an ironic connection with being neurotic, though I guess in its New Romantic attitude it, in coincidental hindsight (futuresight?) it might even have slight echos in William Gibson's novel Neuromancer, which was published some 3 years later. Recorded March-May 1981 with HH, RS, Omura, Tony Mansfieds, Manzanera, Andy Makay, Matsutake.
Recorded while Yukihiro Takahashi was in full swing drumming/singing with the Yellow Magic Orchestra, this album might as well have been called a YMO album because both Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto play their instruments here. And naturally the mostly fast rhythms are very similar to those in YMO's music as well as the album's overall mood. But some other musicians make an appearance too, such as Phil Manzanera and Andy Mackay both taking a break from Roxy Music.Takahashi is in decent vocal form throughout where the usual echoes of David Bowie and Bryan Ferry from, again, Roxy Music are never far off. On the cover a few pictures of a rather pensive-looking Takahashi are printed but the music is actually rather cheerful. The first few tracks are alright if a bit interchangeable but starting with 'Drip Dry Eyes' (a compilation album favourite) they become excellent.

"I'm not one for using 25 dollar words...so I will just tell you that if you love synth, you will ADORE this album. I first heard the last song on the album, "Something In The Air" on CBC Radio 23 years ago (!!!) This song is NOT the one done by Thunderclap Newman or Tom Petty. It is ethereal and fabulous and man, I can't wait to get a copy of this album again!"

WHAT? ME WORRY? (1982)

Credits:
Artwork By - Hajime Tachibana/ Backing Vocals - Tony Mansfield (tracks: B2, B5) , Zaine Griff (tracks: B1, B2) /Engineer - Julian Mendelsohn , Mitsuo Koike , Yoshifumi Iio/ Guitar - Bill Nelson , Kenji Omura (tracks: A1, B5) /Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Drums - Yukihiro Takahashi/ Mastered By - Hiroshi Yuasa/ Mixed By - Steve Nye /Saxophone - Mitsuru Sawamura (tracks: A1, B2, B4)/ Technician - Hideki Matsutake , Steve Rance

Tracklist :

01 What, Me Worry?
02 It's Gonna Work Out
03 Sayonara
04 This Strange Obsession (tune by Zaine Griff)
05 Flashback (with YMO)
06 The Real You
07 Disposable Love
08 My Highland Home in Thailand (with Bill Nelson)
09 All You've Got To Do
10 It's All Too Much (George Harrison cover)

Link to download :
http://rapidshare.com/files/4211609/Yukihiro_Takahashi_-_What_Me_Worry.rar.html

The tune Flashback includes all members of YMO. YT duets with Bill Nelson (plays throughout the album), Zane Grif and Ronny. This album will appeal to YMO fans. The style changes drastically from track to track. Not really a problem since it's very good.
One of the best Yukihiro Takahashi album during his Yellow Magic Orchestra period, it is certainly a varied one. Melody-wise most songs are strong and a few additional singers provide some welcome relief to Takahashi's "characteristic vocal style" (to put it politely), although he does sing with real passion throughout this album. The two short tracks are instrumentals with a Japanese feel, whereas the songs are clearly influenced by, or themselves influenced the early eighties British synthpop scene featuring the likes of the Human League etc.The English-lyric songs are all co-written by Peter Barakan who also helped out YMO in this respect. As usual the other two YMO members help out their friend here, but they only make an appearance on the wonderful 'Flashback', for which Ryuichi Sakamoto also provides the music. Other highlights include 'Sayonara' which has Japanese lyrics, 'This Strange Obsession' (written and partly performed by Zaine Griff), the melancholic 'Disposable Love' about the effects of a relationship breaking up and the fun 'All You've Got To Do'.'The Real You' continues the vocal style first heard on YMO's 1981 album ‘Technodelic’ with its multiple vocal layers sort of sliding over the accompaniment. The last track on the album is a cover of a George Harrison song from the surreal ‘Yellow Submarine’ soundtrack and anybody who knows the heavily psychedelic Beatles original will raise an eyebrow because here Takahashi manages to turn it into a nice upbeat pop-song, although some psychedelic elements like a Hammond organ sound and the well-known Beatles trick of inverted drum-sounds are retained.

TOMORROW'S JUST ANOTHER DAY (1983)

Tracklist :

01 Ripple
02 My Bright Tomorrow
03 Kagerou
04 Rokugatsu no Tenshi
05 Maebure
06 Coincidence
07 This Island Earth (Bryan Ferry tune)
08 Are You Recieving Me? (Remix)
09 Good Time
10 The April Fools (Bacharach tune)

Link to download :
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7PVPNX6R 192 kbs

Lots of synths, but kind of like an average pop album. A bit dull. Suffers from lack of guests.

TIME AND PLACE (1984) (Live album :16+20 Aug 1983)

Credits :
Keiichi Suzuki, Hajime Tachibana, Bill Nelson, Sandii and David Palmer

Tracklist :

01 My Bright Tomorrow
02 Kagerou
03 Drip Dry Eyes
04 Flashback
05 Maebure
06 Something in the Air
07 It's Gonna Work Out
08 The April Fools
09 Happiness Is Happening [bonus studio track from 1983]

Link to download :
http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=d83ab12c09eaffcb23dfd847cfb9eb29

"Selecting those songs that best combine melody and muscle, Time and Place is a strong live set mostly interpreting Takahashi's previous repertoire but also adding some new things (plus a version of Bacharach/David's "The April Fools"). The band giving it all a unified feel is keyboardist Keiichi Suzuki, Bill Nelson, Hajime Tachibana (ex-Plastics) and drummer David Palmer. Interestingly, Takahashi doesn't drum — he sings, plays keyboards and guitar."

WILD AND MOODY (1984)

Tracklist :

01 Wild & Moody
02 Stranger Things Have Happened (by Steve Jansen)
03 Kill That Thermostat
04 Helpless
05 The Price to Pay
06 Bounds of Reason Bonds of Love
07 Walking to the Beat

Link to download :
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=R9KGBQII

A short album. With Sakamoto, Iva Davies (Icehouse) and Bill Nelson (Be Bop Deluxe). Takahashi is in very good form with excellent arrangements. One of my favorite post-YMO YT albums I've heard. Recorded Aug-Sep 1984 .
At barely thirty minutes more a maxi-single than a full-length album, this first post-YMO project by Yukihiro Takahashi is also a bit short on ideas. Its atmosphere is slightly lackluster – "moody" perhaps, but "wild" is a definite overstatement. Plenty of harsh industrial sounds and a few contributions from former YMO buddies Sakamoto (Fairlight) and Hosono (bass) as well as Bill Nelson on guitar/vocal can't conceal the fact that the musical material is a bit average. A significant pointer is perhaps the fact that all the song-lyrics come from writers other than Takahashi.On the plus side, Takahashi's voice has never sounded better, making it less of a potential irritation and the addition of a few female backing singers also help things along. The best song is perhaps the Neil Young cover 'Helpless' and the album closes strongly with 'Walking To The Beat', co-written with Iva Davies.

"Wild & Moody is an LP of pretty songs — mainly romantic, though a little lyrically offbeat — dressed (but not tarted up) in electro-dance clothing. Nothing awesome, but nearly all of it delightful."

POISSON D'AVRIL -Soundtrack (1985)

Genre:
Electronic
Style:
Leftfield, Synth-pop

Credits:
Computer [Programming] - Takeshi Fujii , Yoshifumi Iio/ Engineer - Shinichi Tanaka , Yoshifumi Iio/ Guitar - Ryomei Shirai/ Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Drums - Yukihiro Takahashi/ Mixed By - Shinichi Tanaka , Yukihiro Takahashi /Piano - Koji Ueno/ Strings - Koji Ueno/ Vocals - Pierre Barouh

Tracklist :

01 Poisson D'Avril
02 Theme from Mari
03 Shohei's CM Song
04 Proud Toilet Attendant
05 Heart in a Hurry
06 Ordinary Day
07 Probably, South Pacific
08 Brand New Day
09 At Speak Easy Club
10 The Trouble with Shohei
11 Theme from Fujiko
12 Soap Opera
13 Poisson D'Avril (instrumental)

Link to download :
http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=ee473467618520e5eac131e6b0c02105 224 kbs

Light, pop-ish instrumentals plus 2 songs. Koji Ueno and Pierre Barouh appear. Takahashi acts in the movie.

"Poisson d'Avril (the French idiom meaning April Fools) is the soundtrack of a film starring Takahashi. (A large poster of "Yuki" is included.) He was apparently seized by the urge to become Burt Bacharach; a surprisingly large amount of it is movie music, in the style of "sophisticated" '60s romantic comedy."

ONCE A FOOL (1985)

Tracklist :

01 Harukanaru Omoi
02 Fuyu No Silhouette
03 Providence (Subarashiki Gensou)
04 Shigoto Wo Oeta Bokutachi Wa
05 One More Chance
06 Sailor
07 I Saw The Light
08 Konchu-ki
09 Nakitai Kimochi
10 Kyou No Sora

Link to download :

http://rapidshare.com/files/4219392/_1985__once_a_fool.rar.html

Sakamoto, Hosono and Kenji Omura play. Typical Takahashi, Nice but not very memorable as it's kind of middle of the road.

Yukihiro Takahashi and Steve Jansen: Stay Close (1986) EP

Tracklist :

01 Stay Close
02 Betsu-ni
03 Stay Close (Weirder World)- [instrumental]

Link to download :
http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=c650146b0e005e5c4e03a0e05819d21b.

Many thanks for the original uploader!Ive just got it few minutes ago to mye-mail:)

lassical, Experimental

Credits:
Computer - Hiroaki Sugawara , Yasuo Kimoto /Keyboards - Takeshi Kobayashi/ Keyboards, Percussion - Yukihiro Takahashi/ Mixed By - Michio Nakakoshi , Shinichi Tanaka , Yoshifumi Iio
Notes:
Theme and Concept : Yohji YamamotoMusic & Produce : Yukihiro Takahashi for Yohji Yamamoto & Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme spring-summer 87, autumn-winter 87-88 collection in Paris. All songs composed & arranged by Yukihiro Takahashi

Tracklist :

01 Parfum De L'aube
02 Memoires D'un Homme
03 Memoires D'une Femme
04 Brise
05 Entracte
06 Parano-Mania
07 Voyage A Travers Le Futurproche
08 Les Filles Qui Arrivent De La Chine
OLD STEP
09 Professeur "Fate"
10 Bondissement
11 Errance

Link to download :
http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=4832f8a797f861c9d4a3d1051d68a444 192 kbs

Instrumentals. Various pieces of fashion show music. Witty sophisticated listening.
I take it that this is music produced for a fashion show.The cd is credited as a collaboration between Yukihiro Takahashi and Yohji Yamammoto. On the back cover it says "For Yohji Yamamoto and Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme spring- summer 87, autumn- winter 87-88 collection in Paris. The music is a combination of piano and computer. You can't dance to it but it seems to have a sense of humor about it. I'm not sure how else to describe it.

EGO (1988)

Tracklist :

01 Tomorrow Never Knows
02 Look Of Love
03 Erotic
04 ASAIRO NO TAMEIK
05 Sea Change
06 Dance Of Life
07 Yes
08 Left Bank
09 Only The Heart Has Heard

Link to download :
http://www.badongo.com/file/1733576 192 kbs

This is a fantastic album including Hosono and Sakamoto. Other guests include Iva Davies of Icehouse, Kenji Omura and Ray Ohara. Solid electronic pop music. Leads right into 'Broadcast from Heaven.

BROADCAST FROM HEAVEN (1990)

Tracklist :

01 TENGOKU KARA NO CHUKE
02 6.000.000.000 No Tengoku
03 Fait Accompli (by Steve Jansen)
04 4.30am NO YET
05 1% No Kankei
06 The Sensual Object Dance
07 SABISHISA NO SENNTAK
08 Forever Bursting into Flame
09 Rehabilitation
10 What the World Needs Now Is Love

Link to download :
http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=5671ed2eca2654cc2195a261f2845bc8.

This and Ego are more interesting than the last several or next few post-la Penseé.

A DAY IN THE NEXT LIFE (1991)

Tracklist :

01 Only Love Can Break Your Heart
02 Furueru Hoshi
03 Ai Wa Tsuyoi Stronger Than Iron
04 360 Degrees
05 Kuuki Suudake
06 Betsu-Ni (by Steve Jansen)
07 Everyday Life
08 X'mas In The Next Life
09 Kami O Wasurete Iwaeyo X'mas Time
10 Nightingale In Heaven

Link to download :
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QKX4L6AJ 192 kbs

The cover for this one is nice. It has a transparent plastic insert with Takahashi's face and title, underneath is the cd booklet which can be folded several ways to give various backgrounds to the picture of Takahashi. It also includes his business card.Takahashi plays everything with guest appearances by Kenji Omura, Keichi Suzuki and Steve Jansen. This is another great cd.

THE ADVENTURE OF GAKU -Soundtrack (1991)

Tracklist :

01 OPENING TITLE
02 PARADISE NAP
03 SUBSIDENCE BRIDGE
04 DRIFTING TWO
05 PRESENTIMENT
06 TORRENT
07 WONDERING TWO
08 THE THEME OF GAKU PART-1
09 ESCAPE
10 THE THEME OF GAKU PART-2
11 HIS LIGHT WITHIN
12 THE VOICE OF JEDI MASTER TURTLE
13 MEET AGAIN
14 THE THEME OF "THE ADVENTURE OF GAKU"
15 LIKE THE ENKA

link to download :
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1SE4ED82 192 kbs

"Produced by Yukihiro Takahashi". All synth and samples. Gaku seems to be a dog, thus making this cd a good companion to Sakamoto's Adventures of Chatran. Comes with a 68 page b&w booklet about the film. The theme is full of clockwork percussion which is interesting. Overall pretty fun.

LIFE TIME, HAPPY TIME (1992)

Tracklist :

01 GENKI NARA URESHII NE
02 OTOKO NI OITE
03 SUTEKI NA HITO
04 Follow You Down
05 Good Days, Bad days
06 Fathers
07 Pursuit Of Happiness
08 Happy Children
09 Mis
10 SHIAWASE NI NAROUYO
11 KOUHUKU NO CHOSH

Link to download :
http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=4a2037276ec05dcadc5012b4e9998ce2 192 kbs

This album also features arrangements that highlight acoustic instruments and an inner serenity that takahashi must have been feeling at that time. There is one absolutely killer techno-pop track included (Mis). Worth the whole cd for this track alone.
Steve Jansen appears

IT'S A Y.T. WORLD -compilation (1996)

Tracklist :

01 Futari no kage ni -4.37
02 Flashback -4.54 (karaoki)
03 Disposable Love -4.28 (Japanese version)
04 Sayonara -5.31 (karaoki)
05 Ich bin der gluckligchste Mensch auf der Welt -3.59
06 Are You Recieving Me? -4.06 (single version)
07 And I Believe in You -4.29
08 Another Door -6.32
09 Walking to the Beat -4.06 (Australian single edit)
10 Poisson D'Avril -4.46 (single version)
11 Kimi ni Surprise! -4.04
12 School of Thought -3.53 (live)
13 Disposable Love -4.27 (live)
14 Sports Men -4.01 (live with Hosono)
15 Key -5.00 (live with Sakamoto and probably Hosono)
16 It's All Too Much -4.28 (live)

Link to download :
http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=711e2e4f3cbf2719d5fc49cb372dbea1 192 kbs

this rarities disc is included only as a special bonus disc in Yen Box Vol.1 (17 CD set of YEN releases)

PORTRAIT WITH NO NAME (1996)

Tracklist :

01 HOLE IN MY SHOE
02 NAMO NAI RENAI
03 OISHII MIZU
04 OWARANAI TABI
05 FIELD GLASS
06 NAGAREBOSHI HITOTSU
07 DONNA IIKOTO
08 ASHINAGA OJISAN NI NAREZUNI
09 ANOKUMO HA, KYOU
10 I'LL BE HOME

Link to download :
http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=b31bd7ccaf29e243e2bdd3e4dd6d0164 192 kbs

CINE TECHNO LOVE (1997)

Tracklist :

01 UN HOMME ET FEMME (Lai/Barduh)
02 MY GIRL (White/Robinson)
03 LA DOLCE VITA (Rota)
04 MELODY FAIR (Bee Gees)
05 "non-english title" (O'riodan/Hogan - the famous Cranberries song which was a hit for Faye Wong))
06 WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMEN (Wright/Lewis)
07 AUJOURD ' HUI C'EST TOI (Lai/Barduh)
08 LAST TANGO IN PARIS (Barbieri) .

Link to download :
http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=e7e630de209edcdd4bda028a447c7c1f 256 kbs

These are Takahashi produced, but not necessarily performed covers of film soundtracks in techno style.

A SIGHT OF GHOST (1997)

Tracklist :

01 Run after You
02 A Sigh of Ghost
03 Inu ni naretara
04 A Smile
05 Trajicomedy
06 Set Sail

Link to download :
http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=d45a31bc2443d193f86c4cd674bdbe7f 256 kbs

or:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8BAOK0NT 256 kbs

This EP has 6 songs and clocks in at 33 minutes. The cover is styled like an old National Geographic magazine. Has some lite electronica type beats, bits of rock guitar, not much more or less than you expect from him.

A RAY OF HOPE (1998)

Tracklist :

01 I Need You (3:39)
02 A Ray Of Hope (4:22)
03 Te Wo Nobaseba - A Touch Of Love - (Album Version) (5:22)
04 Iron Man (4:55)
05 The Choice (5:14)
06 Taisetsu Na Hito - Voice Of The Earth II - (4:34)
07 Memory Without Consequence (5:01)
08 Inu Ni Naretara (5:17)
09 Boku Wa Matteiruyo (4:55)
10 Run After You (London Remix) (6:05)

Link to download :
http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=c269200b5edd0627a466ff167976e7d8 192 kbs

PULSE (1998) with STEVE JANSEN

Genre:
Electronic
Style:
Ambient, Experimental

Tracklist :

01 Life's Like That
02 The Choice
03 Wave
04 Memory Without Consequences
05 A River Dry
06 Prayer Of Gold

Link to download :

http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=c571ac07918e4293c9e21ccd592db4fd.

Limited edition six track mini-album by percussionists Jansen (ex-Japan) & Takahashi (ex-Yellow Magic Orchestra), with guests vocalist Zoe Niblett (Locust) and guitarist AzizIbrahim (ex-Simply Red, Stone Roses, Ian Brown). The CD booklet has a removable lithographic cover. 1998 Medium Recordings

THE DEAREST FOOL (1999)

Tracklist :

01 Sekaijuu Ga I Love You -Everyone Says I Love You- (5:12)
02 Kaze Ni Tuzuku Michi (5:28)
03 For Men -Medicine On The Life- (5:00)
04 Nantonaku Beatnik De Iku Tsumori Datta (5:27)
05 Kyou No Eien (4:18)
06 '00 (6:11)
07 This Beginning (4:06)
08 Re Up (4:28)
09 Kakaru Omoi (4:32)
10 Post Re Up (0:40)

Link to download :
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=M0K0X9SK 192 kbs

BLUE MOON BLUE (2006)

Credits:
Acoustic Guitar - Hirofumi Tokutake (tracks: 2, 12) /Artwork By - Marke Newton /Brass [Euphonium] - Tomohiko Gondo (tracks: 5, 6, 12)/ Computer [Programming] - Tomohiko Gondo/ Engineer - Tomohiko Gondo (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12) , Yoshifumi Iio (tracks: 7, 9) /Glockenspiel - Tomohiko Gondo (tracks: 1, 4, 5)/ Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Drums - Yukihiro Takahashi/ Mastered By - Tom Coyne /Melodica - Tomohiko Gondo (tracks: 2, 10) /Voice [Swedish] - Chiho Shibaoka (tracks: 1, 2, 9)

Tracklist :

01 Something New (4:51)
02 Blue Moon Blue (4:47)
Electronics [Electronic Bass] - Haruomi Hosono
03 A Star Is Born (4:45)
Lead Vocals - Her Space Holiday
04 In Cold Queue (4:48)
05 Lay My Love (5:18)
06 I Like The Wright Brothers, But No Airplanes (3:33)
07 Still Walking To The Beat (4:58)
08 Exit To Reality (3:29)
09 Slow Turning Of My Heart (4:46)
10 Where Are You Heading To? (4:11)
11 In This Life (5:04)
12 Eternally (4:25)

Link to download :
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=IX56OOO9 320 kbs

http://www.keikaku.net/reviews/134 review for the album

Biography :
Yukihiro Takahashi (高橋幸宏 Takahashi Yukihiro, born June 6, 1952) is a Japanese musician, who is best known as the drummer and lead vocalist of the Yellow Magic Orchestra.
Yukihiro Takahashi first came to prominence as the drummer of The Sadistic Mika Band, and became known to western audiences after this band (led by Kazuhiko Katoh, formerly of The Folk Crusaders) toured and recorded in the United Kingdom. After the Sadistic Mika Band disbanded, some of the members (including Takahashi) formed another band called The Sadistics, who released several albums. Finally Takahashi recorded his first solo album Saravah in 1977. In 1978, Takahashi joined Ryuichi Sakamoto and Haruomi Hosono to form the Yellow Magic Orchestra.
After the Yellow Magic Orchestra disbanded in the mid 80s, Takahashi went solo and released a large number of solo albums, primarily intended for the Japanese market. Takahashi has collaborated extensively with other musicians, including Bill Nelson, Iva Davies of Icehouse, Keiichi Suzuki of the Moon Riders (often as a duo dubbed "The Beatniks," although Suzuki essentially functioned as a member of Takahashi's backing band during the Moon Riders' brief hiatus) and in particular Steve Jansen. Takahashi has released a single Stay Close and an EP Pulse as a duo with Jansen.
Takahashi participated in temporary reunions of both The Sadistic Mika Band (as the Sadistic Mica Band, missing the lead vocalist Mika who was replaced by Karen Kirishima), and The Yellow Magic Orchestra (as XYMO). Both of these reunions included tours of Japan, and an album of new material.
Currently Takahashi is a member of the duo Sketch Show, with Haruomi Hosono. Sketch Show has released two albums, one of which Loophole has been released in the UK.
His latest solo album Blue Moon Blue was released on 03/15/06 in Japan.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukihiro_Takahashi)

"Takahashi's albums are far less programmatic and predictable than YMO's. He'll go from a reggae-style version of "Stop in the Name of Love" to a new-romantic soap opera to tongue-in-cheek pop powered by galloping synths to poignant soul-searching to a loopy update of Duane Eddy guitar instrumentals. He gives prominence to guitar (mostly played by YMO pal Kenji Omura, although Bill Nelson's e-bow graces much of What, Me Worry? and Phil Manzanera, bringing fellow Roxy Musician Andy Mackay along for the ride with sax and oboe, is on much of Neuromantic)."(http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=yukihiro_takahashi)

Discography (Solo Albums)

Saravah (1978)
Murdered by the Music (1980)
Neuromantic (1981)
What? Me Worry? (1982)
Tomorrow's Just Another Day (1983)
Time and Place (1984) (Live Album)
Wild and Moody (1984)
Poisson d'Avril (1985)
The Brand New Day (1985) (Best of)
Once a Fool (1985)
Only When I Laugh (1986)
La Pensee (1987)
Ego (1988)
Broadcast from Heaven (1990)
A Day in the Next Life (1991)
The Adventures of Gaku (1991)
Umi Sora Sango no Iitsutae (1992)
Life Time Happy Time (1992)
Heart of Hurt (1992) (Unplugged best of)
Ahiru no Uta ga Kikoete Kuru yo (1993)
Mr YT (1994)
I'm Not In Love (1995) (Best of)
Fate of Gold (1995)
Portrait with no Name (1996)
A Sigh of Ghost (1997)
Pulse:Pulse (with Steve Jansen) (1997)
A Ray of Hope (1998)
Yukihiro Takahashi Collection - Singles and More 1988-1996 (1998)
The Dearest Fool (1999)
BLUE MOON BLUE (2006)

More info :
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