Yellow Magic Orchestra - Firecracker
Yellow Magic Orchestra's - Firecracker - Is the most unusual hit to hit the dance floors and all the way from Japan!!!
Yes, I ventured into that old music box of mine again and pulled out yet another old track that I haven't heard for at least 15 years.
It bought a smile to my face I can tell you. As I can remember trying to dance to this when it first came out.
It seemed as if I wasn't the only one who could fathom out how to dance to this. People around me couldn't make up their minds whether to try and Body Pop to this tune.
Or do the "Robot" move to this song! It was a long time ago, and my mind is a bit hazy as to which dance became the most popular way to dance to this single.
Anyway, the group in question is from Japan and they are called Yellow Magic Orchestra. The single that caused the pandemonium all those years ago was this it's/was called "Firecracker"
The single was so big that it saw the 3 members of the Yellow Magic Orchestra being featured on the Black Usa dance TV show known as Soul Train in December 1980.
The show featured Stevie Wonder - Master Blaster, Kool, and the Gang - Celebration, and Donna Summers - The Wanderer.
Then the show host of the time that was Don Cornelius introduced the trio to the USA public as the Yellow Magic Orchestra and their new single called "Fire Cracker" which went on to become a smash around the world.
"It was quite intimating, says keyboardist Richi Sakayumato. "Everyone else on the show was black. The audience was black. The crew and the presenters were black.
There was no white or Asian face there. Suddenly, it was the oriental guys who were being asked to make the dance music, which defied every stereotype".
Please click on the website link below.
An article called BACK TO THE FUTURE about Yellow Magic Orchestra)
Yellow Magic Orchestra and Soul Train appearance.
Please click on the Youtube video below.
The single called "Firecracker" came from the band's first official album release called "Yellow Magic Orchestra" released in 1978 in Japan.
It eventually got released within the same year is 1979 via these countries - the USA, England, and Europe.
The song is not an original composition by Yellow Magic Orchestra it must be known. The original composition was done by a musician called Martin Denny - (Born April 10, 1911 ‒ Died March 2, 2005).
Denny was an American piano player who toured the world popularizing his brand of lounge music which included percussion, imaginative rearrangements of popular songs, and also original songs that celebrated Oriental culture.
Here below is the original song that was done by Martin Denny called "Fire Cracker" in 1959.
Please click on the Youtube Video below.
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Firecracker - 1979
This album which was done by Yellow Magic Orchestra was one of the earliest examples of synthpop that the German Outfit called Kraftwerk was to popularise and even go further with via the UK synthpop Bands such as Visage, Gary Numan, and Ultravox.
Kraftwerk has gone on record in stating that this record release was a major influence on their future work.
The song was a huge favorite with the New York B-Boys and B-Girls who were into Hip-Hop/Electro music at the time (1980).
In fact, Afrika Bambaataa was to sample the track that was used within his debut album called "Death mix (1983 - Please click on this link to read more about this! - PAGE 901)
The song was also popular with the early Detroit techno music musicians such as Carl Craig, and further down the line with England's Techno/Bleep group that was known as Sweet Exorcist. (They are actually from the city of Sheffield, in England). Sweet Exorcist sampled Part of the song via an influential club hit that they had called "Testone" - Sweet-Exorcist -Testone -Discog link please click here!!
Sweet Exorcist - Testone - 1989
The single that was done by Yellow magic Orchestra eventually got released again as "Computer game/Firecracker" during the same year (1979) - which meant that the "Computer games" single that was found on the original pressing of the album are called "Yellow Magic Orchestra" was added to the song that we know as "Firecracker" to great effect.
In fact, by the end of the year, the song that was now to be known as "Computer games/Firecracker" was to sell over 400,000 units within the USA alone.
A simple, simple tune that when released in 1979 caused a minor sensation in Japan, the USA, and Europe via the dance floors.
Have a listen to this single yourself and reminisce. Or if this is the first time you can hear for yourself what was all the fuss about?
Well, that's all folks for me now anyway.
Please
Dj Mistri and the Electric Soul Show © www.electricsoulshow.com
