Saturday, April 22, 2006

just say yes...

The scene opens with the camera close-up on a pair of French windows, as two pairs of sneaker-clad feet approach... As the doors slide open, the camera pans upwards to the faces of FERRIS and CAMERON; both have looks of faint wonderment...

CAMERON: (Respectfully) The 1961 Ferrari GT California... less than a hundred were made... My father spent 3 years restoring this car... it is his love, it is his passion...

FERRIS: (Interrupting) It is his fault he didn't lock the garage!

Yello - Oh Yeah



For a long time this and The Race were all I really new of Yello. I have to say that I liked both songs, and their "unconventional" image certainly intrigued me, but they remained something of a mystery. That was until the reissue of their first 6 albums late last year. Oh Yeah! I really don't know what took me so long, as they tick so many of the "Jim music" boxes.

I'll dispense with the history lesson, as that can be found elsewhere. To simply describe their music as "dance" or "electronic" does Yello a great disservice; it is both of these things, and much more besides.

Their first album, "Solid Pleasure" (1980), is a fun-packed art pop adventure. At this point, the line up still included guitarist Carlos Peron alongside the recognisable moustaches of Boris Blank and Dieter Meier. For me, it makes the album sonically more ecclectic than later releases. That isn't to say that later records aren't worthy of attention. They are. For me though, Yello's thirst for experimentation and comic swagger on "Solid Pleasure" make it something special...

Here's a taster:

Yello - Night Flanger



Yello - Bananas To The Beat



Oh yeah.

Buy - Yello remasters.
Visit - the official Yello site.

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