Service (album)

Service
Studio album by Yellow Magic Orchestra
Released December 14, 1983
Recorded September–October 1983
Genre Electronic (dance, rock), Experimental (art rock), J‑pop, New Wave, Synthpop
Length 50:44
30:18 (original EU pressing)
Label Alfa Records
Producer YMO
Yellow Magic Orchestra chronology
Naughty Boys Instrumental
(1983)		 Service
(1983)		 After Service
(1983)
Singles from Service
  1. "以心電信" / "You've Got to Help Yourself"
    Released: 1983
  2. "Every Time I Look Around (I Hear THE MADMEN Call)"
    Released: 1984
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]

Service was the sixth and, at the time, final studio album by Yellow Magic Orchestra. The band dissolved the following year after a world tour, but would later reform in 1993 for a one-off reunion album, Technodon. Each member would continue their already established solo careers, while Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi also formed the band Sketch Show. Like ×∞Multiplies, it contains a mixture of YMO songs and comedy sketches performed by Super Eccentric Theater, or S.E.T. Some European editions omit the sketches, effectively cutting the album's length in half.

Service features "You've Got to Help Yourself", which was previously featured in instrumental form on the previous album, Naughty Boys Instrumental. The 2nd "S.E.T." track featured a sample of Casiopea's song "Time Limit". "以心電信" more accurately transliterates to "Telegraph from the heart".

Track listing

Side one
No. Title Lyrics Music Length
1. "Limbo"   Yukihiro Takahashi/Haruomi Hosono/Peter Barakan Takahashi/Hosono 3:21
2. "S.E.T."       4:21
3. "The Madmen[2]"   Hosono/Barakan Hosono 4:40
4. "S.E.T.[3]"       1:23
5. "Chinese Whispers"   Takahashi/Baraken Takahashi 4:27
6. "S.E.T."       4:16
7. "You've Got to Help Yourself" (以心電信; "Ishin denshin") Hosono/Baraken Ryuichi Sakamoto/Takahashi  
Side two
No. Title Lyrics Music Length
1. "S.E.T.+YMO"       5:53
2. "Shadows on the Ground"   Sakamoto/Takahashi/Barakan Sakamoto/Takahashi 4:20
3. "S.E.T."       3:25
4. "See-Through"   Baraken Yellow Magic Orchestra 3:36
5. "S.E.T."       4:09
6. "Perspective"   Sakamoto/Barakan Sakamoto 5:12
7. "S.E.T."       0:46

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ This song was inspired by Daijiro Morohoshi's comics "Mud men".
  3. ^ The introduction is "Time Limit" of Japanese jazz fusion band "Casiopea".
Yellow Magic Orchestra
Studio Albums
Live Albums
Singles
"Firecracker" · "Tong Poo" · "Technopolis" · "La femme chinoise" · "Computer Game" · "Rydeen" · "Behind the Mask" · "Nice Age" · "Tighten Up" · "Riot in Lagos" · "Cue" · "Mass" · "Taiso" · "Pure Jam" · "Kimi ni Mune Kyun" · "Kageki na Shukujo" · "You've Got to Help Yourself" · "Every Time I Look Around (I Hear the Madmen Call)" · "Pocketful of Rainbows" · "Be a Superman"
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