On the early records of Japanese singer and pianist Akiko Yano, Yellow Magic Orchestra often lurk just beneath the surface. Since the 1970s, Yano has worked with the band’s future members in a wide range of constellations. At the Tokyo concert in September 1978 that forms the basis of the live album 7 O’Clock In Tokyo, the core trio of Yellow Magic Orchestra – Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi – were all on stage. Yet the star is Akiko Yano, who firmly assigns the men the role of accompanists.
Within the songs, jazz that is not quite jazz collides with pop that is not quite pop; experimental passages meet traditional, folkloric elements, alongside sounds that would soon be called synth pop. There are also traces of vaudeville and Kurt Weill–style music theatre, reflecting Yano’s delight in the role of the exalted performer. Anyone looking to understand the long-running fascination with Japanese city pop could find an important clue in 7 O’Clock In Tokyo. Over the span of a single LP, Akiko Yano demonstrates the appeal of genre-hopping that feels effortlessly natural.
7 O'clock In Tokyo
