Paraiso (はらいそ, Haraiso) is Haruomi Hosono's fourth solo album and Yellow Magic Band's (later Yellow Magic Orchestra) first album. This album continues the tropical style of Hosono House, Tropical Dandy and Bon Voyage co., while being influenced by the music of Hawaii and Okinawa, incorporating electronic sounds that would be later developed on Hosono's and YMO's careers. YMO, The Yellow Magic Band at this point in time, was composed of Tin Pan Alley members and studio musicians, such as Hosono's former Happy End bandmate Shigeru Suzuki and future YMO members Ryuichi Sakamoto (who would later perform an altered version of "Asatoya Yunta" in his solo career) and Yukihiro Takahashi, as well as guitarist Hirofumi Tokutake (who would later perform in Technodon and Wild Sketch Show).
Track listing
All tracks are written by Haruomi Hosono, except "Japanese Rhumba" by Gerald F. Miller (credited as 'G. Miller');[1][2] "Asatoya Yunta", a traditional Okinawan song and "Fujiyama Mama", written by Jack Hammer with lyrics translated by Seiichi Ida and additional lyrics written by Hosono
Shigeru Suzuki & Hirofumi Tokutake – Electric Guitar (Suzuki on "Shimendōka" and "Asatoya Yunta"; Tokutake on "Femme Fatale")
Tatsuo Hayashi & Yukihiro Takahashi – Drums (Hayashi on "Tokio Rush", "Shimendōka", "Japanese Rhumba", "Asatoya Yunta", "Worry Beads" and "Paraiso"; Takahashi on "Femme Fatale")
Hiroshi Satō & Ryuichi Sakamoto – Synthesizer (Yamaha Polyphonic, Yamaha CS-80, ARP Odyssey, Rhodes), Piano (both on "Tokio Rush" and "Paraiso"; Satō on "Shimendōka", "Japanese Rhumba", "Asatoya Yunta" and "Worry Beads"; Sakamoto on "Femme Fatale")
Motoya Hamaguchi & Nobu Saitō – Percussion (Hamaguchi on "Asatoya Yunta" and "Femme Fatale"; Saitō on "Tokio Rush", "Shimendōka", "Japanese Rhumba", "Worry Beads" and "Paraiso")
Masahiro Takekawa – Violin on "Worry Beads"
Teave Kamayatsu – Vocals on "Japanese Rhumba"
Taeko Ōnuki – Backing Vocals/Choir on "Tokio Rush" and "Worry Beads"
Tokyo Shyness Boys – Backing Vocals/Choir on "Tokio Rush" and "Japanese Rhumba"
Hiroshi Kamayatsu – Backing Vocals/Choir on "Japanese Rhumba"
Tomako Kawada – Backing Vocals/Choir on "Japanese Rhumba" and "Asatoya Yunta"
References
^Waseda, Minako: 'Looking Both Ways:
GI Songs and Musical Exoticism in Post-World War II in Japan' in Yearbook for Traditional Music vol. 36 (2004) pp. 144–164