X∞Multiplies

×∞Multiplies
EP by Yellow Magic Orchestra
Released	5 June 1980 (10", Japan)
Genre	Electronic (dance, funk), Experimental (art rock), New Wave, Synthpop, World (Japanese, ska)
Length	30:16
Label	Alfa Records
Producer	Haruomi Hosono
Yellow Magic Orchestra chronology
Public Pressure (1980) ×∞Multiplies (1980) BGM (1981)
Singles from ×∞Multiplies
"Nice Age" Released: 1980 "Tighten Up" Released: 1980

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Stereo Review	"Terrific"[2]

×∞Multiplies (増殖, Zōshoku^?, lit. "multiplication") was a mini-album by Yellow Magic Orchestra released in 1980. It contains a mixture of songs and instrumentals by YMO (including a humorous reworking of Archie Bell & the Drells' "Tighten Up"), interspersed with comedy sketches. These sketches are performed by Snakeman Show in both Japanese and English, with YMO participating in some of them.

Release history

×∞Multiplies was released in several formats worldwide. The original Japanese pressing came on 10" vinyl. The United States pressing compiled tracks from both this record and from Solid State Survivor, which had not been released there, while dropping the comedy sketches. The United Kingdom released ×∞Multiplies with additional tracks culled from Yellow Magic Orchestra. All re-issues from 1999 onward reverted to the original Japanese tracklisting.

The tracks differ slightly between the Japanese and US versions: In the original release Nice Age has an abrupt ending and other tracks are crossfaded between the Snakeman Show sketches; in the US version these have clean intros and endings and Jingle 'YMO' is listed as part of the Nice Age track.

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
Japan	5 June 1980	Alfa Records	10" LP	YMO-1
United States	29 July 1980	A&M Records	LP	SP4813
Japan	5 September 1980	Alfa	LP (as above US version, with obi)	ALR-28004

Track listing

Japan version

Side one
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Jingle 'YMO'"		Yellow Magic Orchestra	0:21
2.	"Nice Age"	Chris Mosdell	Yukihiro Takahashi, Ryuichi Sakamoto	3:46
3.	"Snakeman Show"			1:56
4.	"Tighten Up (Japanese Gentlemen Stand Up Please!)"	Billy Butler	Yellow Magic Orchestra, Archie Bell	3:41
5.	"Snakeman Show"			2:05
6.	"Here We Go Again ~ Tighten Up"	Butler	Yellow Magic Orchestra, Bell	1:07

Side two
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Snakeman Show"			1:26
2.	"Citizens of Science"	Mosdell	Sakamoto	4:29
3.	"Snakeman Show"			2:08
4.	"Multiplies"		Yellow Magic Orchestra, Elmer Bernstein	2:58
5.	"Snakeman Show"			3:44
6.	"The End of Asia"		Sakamoto	1:32

US version

Some pressings included "Tighten Up" as the opening track for Side A.

Side one
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Nice Age"	Mosdell	Takahashi, Sakamoto	3:55
2.	"Behind the Mask"	Mosdell	Sakamoto[3]	3:36
3.	"Rydeen"		Takahashi	4:26
4.	"Day Tripper"	Lennon/McCartney	Yellow Magic Orchestra, Lennon/McCartney	2:40

Side two
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Technopolis"		Sakamoto	4:14
2.	"Multiplies"		Yellow Magic Orchestra, Elmer Bernstein	2:58
3.	"Citizens of Science"	Mosdell	Sakamoto	4:29
4.	"Solid State Survivor"	Mosdell	Takahashi	3:58

European version

On this pressing, the first "Snakeman Show" is actually "Jingle 'YMO'", while the second "Snakeman Show" is the "Japan is #1" skit from the Japanese pressing.

Side one
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Technopolis"		Sakamoto	4:14
2.	"Absolute Ego Dance"		Haruomi Hosono	4:37
3.	"Behind the Mask"	Mosdell	Sakamoto[3]	3:36
4.	"Computer Game 'Theme from The Circus'"		Yellow Magic Orchestra	1:48
5.	"Firecracker"		Yellow Magic Orchestra, Martin Denny	4:50
6.	"Computer Game 'Theme from The Invader'"		Yellow Magic Orchestra	0:43

Side two
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Snakeman Show"			0:21
2.	"Nice Age"	Mosdell	Takahashi, Sakamoto	3:46
3.	"Multiplies"		Yellow Magic Orchestra, Elmer Bernstein	2:58
4.	"Snakeman Show"			2:05
5.	"Citizens of Science"	Mosdell	Sakamoto	4:29
6.	"Tighten Up (Japanese Gentlemen Stand Up Please!)"	Butler	Bell	3:06

Personnel

• Ryuichi Sakamoto: keyboards, electronics, percussion, orchestration
• Yukihiro Takahashi: vocals, drums, percussion, electronics
• Haruomi Hosono: Bass, electronics, keyboards, arrangements
• Chris Mosdell: Lyrics
• Hideki Matsutake: Computer programming
• Snakeman Show: Comedy sketches
• Makoto Ayukawa: Guitar on "Day Tripper" and "Solid State Survivor"
• Sandii: Voices on "Absolute Ego Dance"
• (Uncredited) Akiko Yano: Voices on "Nice Age"

Reception

Upon release, the US version was well received by the Stereo Review, which described the recording as "Terrific" and the performance as "Techno-pop fun." The magazine stated that the "time is right" for the band's "highly technological blend of dance rhythms, heavy metal, and pop melodies" while noting that "Rydeen" in particular "sprints by at a fast clip, ticking off a sprightly tune against a continuous bass-and-drum texture," though the "more rock-style efforts" were not as well received, with the magazine stating that "YMO's electronic tricks" and "the rock sensibility just don't seem to mix."^[2] Allmusic later reviewed the Japanese version, describing the record as a "bizarre album" and scoring it 2.5 out of 5 stars.^[1]

Charts

Year	Release	Chart	Peak Position	Weeks	Total Sales
1980	10" LP	Japan Oricon LP Chart[4]	1	24	331,000
1980	Cassette	Japan Oricon CT Chart[4]	3	30	81,000
1980	12" LP	Japan Oricon LP Chart[4]	7	34	18,600
1980	LP	U.S. Billboard 200[5]	177

×∞Multiplies was the 8th best selling album of 1980 in Japan^[6] - the best selling was Solid State Survivor as sales continued from the previous year.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} X∞Multiplies at Allmusic
2. ^ ^{a b} Stereo review, Volume 46. Stereo Review. 1981. p. 114. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=y5dUAAAAMAAJ. Retrieved 4 July 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Takahashi was listed as a composer before because Sakamoto wrote song's melody in collaboration with him.
4. ^ ^{a b c} "Yellow Magic Orchestra" (in Japanese). Yamachan Land (Oricon archives). http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~yamag/album/al_ymo.html. Retrieved 2011-06-01.  (Translation)
5. ^ Xoo Multiplies at Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
6. ^ http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~yamag/album/nenkan1980_a.html