The inaugural release on Kunihiko Murai’s legendary Yen Records, Philharmony is a landmark electronic work by Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Haruomi Hosono. The album was recorded almost entirely by Hosono himself using the latest synths, drum machines, sequencers, and the (then) emerging technology of digital sampling, specifically the E-mu Emulator, which would be later made popular by everyone from Herbie Hancock to David Bowie to The Orb. Somewhat cheekily, Hosono even credits Prophet-5, Emulator, Linn, and MC-4 as “guest performers” on the album. “Sports Men” is certainly the cut here and is probably Hosono’s most well-known pop song.
Recommended – Full Listen
A1 Picnic = ピクニック
A2 Funiculi Funicula = フニクリ, フニクラ
A3 Luminescent / Hotaru = ホタル
A4 Platonic = プラトニック
A5 In Limbo = リンボ
B1 Living-Dining-Kitchen = L.D.K.
B2 Birthday Party = お誕生会
B3 Sports Men = スポーツマン
B4 Philharmony = フィルハーモニー
B5 Air-Condition = エア・コン
Art Direction, Design, Photography By – Yukimasa Okumura
Coordinator [Yen Label Coordination] – Kazusuke Obi
Design [Hair And Make] – Chiaki Shimada
Guest, Performer – Hajime Tachibana, Kazuhiko Katoh*, Keiko Shinozaki, Koji Ueno, Masayoshi Sukita, Moro*, Namu (3), Ume (3), Yukihiro Takahashi, Yukimasa Okumura
Liner Notes [Obi] – 細野晴臣*
Management – Yoichi Ito
Music By – Haruomi Hosono (tracks: A1, A3 to B5)
Producer – Alfa Records, Inc., Haruomi Hosono
Programmed By [PCM] – Hideki Matsutake (tracks: A4)
Recorded By, Mixed By – Haruomi Hosono, Yoshifumi Iio
Translated By [Lyrics Englishcized By] – G. Duke*, P. Barakan*
Written-By – Denza* (tracks: A2), Kiyono* (tracks: A2), Aoki* (tracks: A2)
