Music / Service

"See how the world goes 'round."

Service, released in 1983 through Alfa Records in Japan and Pick Up Records in Europe, is the seventh album by Japanese Synth-Pop supergroup Yellow Magic Orchestra. Coming out just over half a year after Naughty Boys, the album was produced largely to fulfil the band's contract with Alfa Records, being the last studio album the label required before allowing the band to dissolve. Fitting this, much of the record is filled out by interspersing the band's songs with sketches by comedy troupe Super Eccentric Theater in the vein of ×∞Multiplies three years prior. Musically, meanwhile, the YMO songs on the album dive further into the City Pop approach on Naughty Boys, ramping up the adult contemporary elements and featuring a smoother sound.

Like the band's other albums, Service was a considerable commercial success for the band, peaking at No. 5 on the Oricon LP charts. However, having finally fulfilled their contract, YMO were in no rush to produce a follow-up. What's more, Ryuichi Sakamoto had gained newfound recognition in the west for his starring role in and composition work for the Anglo-Japanese war film Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, finally granting him the renewed international success that had evaded YMO since the turn of the decade. Thus, after the album's supporting tour in 1984, the group immediately dissolved, with the band members returning to their solo careers. At the same time, however, YMO were hesitant to call their split a breakup, instead using the Japanese term "spreading out" and implying that they were simply taking another hiatus. Sure enough, they would later regroup a decade later for the reunion album Technodon; for all intents and purposes though, this ten-year period is widely considered a de-facto breakup.

Service was supported by two singles: "You've Got to Help Yourself" (a vocal reworking of a track from Naughty Boys Instrumental) and a European-exclusive release of "The Madmen". The non-album single "Kageki Na Shukujo", recorded during the same sessions as Service, would also be released during the album's promotional cycle.

Tracklist:

Side One

1. "Limbo" (3:21)
2. "S.E.T." (4:21)
3. "The Madmen" (4:40)
4. "S.E.T." (1:23)
5. "Chinese Whispers" (4:27)
6. "S.E.T." (4:16)
7. "You've Got To Help Yourself" (4:45)

Side Two

1. "S.E.T.+YMO" (5:53)
2. "Shadows on the Ground" (4:20)
3. "S.E.T." (3:25)
4. "See-Through" (3:36)
5. "S.E.T." (4:09)
6. "Perspective" (5:12)
7. "S.E.T." (0:46)

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Your tropes are turning me to ice:

• Alternate Album Cover: The Japanese cassette release removes the large black circle as well as the text denoting the band name and album title (which is instead listed in a generic label below the illustration), leaving behind the unedited painting of a head in profile.
• Anaphora: The verses in "Perspective" feature the phrase "every day" at the start of each line.
• Break Up Song: "Chinese Whispers" is narrated by a man contemplating a failed relationship.
• Colour-Coded for Your Convenience: The Japanese LP release includes a black-on-red pattern of circles on side A and a yellow-on-blue pattern of ovals on side B.
• Despair Event Horizon: "Shadows on the Ground":
  November, my whole world was cold and grey
  Do you remember, how you turned the clock to May
  From that day, you took my heart and pulled the strings
  I'm suspended in time and space and wandering''
• Form-Fitting Wardrobe: "See-Through"
  You're so see-through in your very tight dresses
• Limited Lyrics Song: "See-Through":
  You try to fool me and lose me in your excesses
  You're so see-through in your very tight dresses
  As you drown in your glass of Cointreau
  And I drop off to sleep in the gloom
  We're still running round in circles
  As the smoke from your cigarette spirals
  You're so clever at hiding your guilt
• Longest Song Goes Last: Inverted; the closing "S.E.T." skit is actually the shortest track on the album.
• Miniscule Rocking: The second and final "S.E.T." skits both considerably fall under the two-minute mark, with the latter not even cracking one minute.
• New Sound Album: Service ramps up the adult contemporary elements from Naughty Boys, sounding much smoother as a result.
• Nightmare Sequence:
  This whole thing is so bizarre
  Maybe it's all a dream
• One-Word Title: "Limbo", "See-Through" and "Perspective".
• Platonic Cave: "Shadows on the Ground":
  Outside the sun is shining
  There's not a cloud in sight
  Inside, the season's changing
  Your words are turning me to ice
• Rearrange the Song: "You've Got to Help Yourself" is a reworking of a track from Naughty Boys Instrumental, changing the instrumental piece into a vocal pop song.
• Re-Cut: The European release of the album cuts out the S.E.T. skits, shortening the album down to just over half an hour.
• Relationship Reboot: Played with a movie analogy on "Chinese Whispers":
  Let's rewrite the script again
  Cut to another scene
• Sampling: The second S.E.T. skit plays the song "Time Limit" by Japanese Jazz Fusion band Casiopea.
• Shout-Out:
  • "The Madmen" is named after and based on the Daijiro Morohoshi manga Mud Men.
  • The Japanese title for "You've Got Help Yourself" is "Ishin Denshin" ("以心電信"), a Japanese proverb about how you should help yourself before helping others.
• Spoken Word in Music: The S.E.T. skits.

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