Hosono Haruomi


picture of young Haruomi Hosono holding a revolver and sitting on the bed picture of older Haruomi Hosono wearing a beret and sitting on the couch picture of Haruomi Hosono in his 50s playing a bass during a concert picture of young Haruomi Hosono in a hawaii shirt picture of middle age Haruomi Hosono playing a piaco while smoking a cigarette

Haruomi Hosono, now 72 years of age, released his newest album "Hochono House" in 2019 last year, but there is still more to come

In this text I will introduce some of the most renowned solo albums from Haruomi Hosono. He has been one of people I respect most, not only for the music he creates, but also for the music that he introduces as well as his intriguing personality. Below are my top 5 favorite solo albums from him. Many might know Hosono from YMO (the project which he himself brought to life) or Happy End, but only solo albums will be mentioned in this article.


hosono house art panel Hosono House (1973)

Besides Hosono, this album also features performances by the group "Caramel Mama" (featuring Hosono's fellow Happy End member Shigeru Suzuki). Hosono wanted to emulate The Band's Music from Big Pink and James Taylor's One Man Dog. With this album, recording equipment technology had evolved enough for domestic recordings of good quality to be feasible, and going to the center of the city to reach a recording studio was somewhat inconvenient. The album was recorded for five hours every afternoon in a 144 square foot large bedroom in Hosono's residence in Sayama, Japan (with a 16-track mixing console in his living room). The instruments were recorded unprocessed from the amplifiers in a small room, leading to the album's unique sound. Hosono continued to develop the tropical style of Hosono House in his following works, Tropical Dandy and Bon Voyage co..

TRACKLIST
No. Title Length
1. "Rock-a-Bye My Baby" (ろっか・ばい・まい・べいびい Rokka Bai Mai Beibī) 3:15
2. "Boku wa Chotto" (僕は一寸) 3:52
3. "Choo Choo Gatagoto" (CHOO CHOO ガタゴト) 3:25
4. "Owari no Kisetsu" (終わりの季節) 3:12
5. "Fuyu Koe" (冬越え) 3:15
6. "Party" (パーティー Pātī) 2:02
7. "Party" (パーティー Pātī) 2:28
8. "Jūsho Futei Mushoku Teishūnyū" (住所不定無職低収入) 2:35
9. "Koi wa Momoiro" (恋は桃色) 2:47
10. "Rose and Beast" (薔薇と野獣 Bara to Yajū) 4:24
11. "Aiaigasa" (相合傘) 0:18
tropical dandy art panel Tropical Dandy (1975, as Haruomi "Hosono")

Tropical Dandy is Haruomi Hosono's second solo album. This album continues the tropical style of Hosono House (which would continue later on with Bon Voyage co. and Paraiso) and also features performances from "Caramel Mama" (who had, by this point, changed their name to "Tin Pan Alley"). This album was re-issued as part of a box set with bonus tracks taken from Tin Pan Alley albums by Crown decades later.

TRACKLIST
No. Title Length
1. "Chattanooga Choo Choo" 2:49
2. "Hurricane Dorothy" 5:46
3. "Silk Road" (絹街道 Kinukaidō) 3:32
4. "Silk Road" (絹街道 Kinukaidō) 4:55
5. "Peking Duck" (北京DUCK Pekin Duck) 2:36
6. "Drifting Chronicle" (漂流記 Hyōryūki) 3:08
7. "Honey Moon" 2:37
8. "Three o'Clock Lullaby" (三時の子守唄 Sanji no Komori Uta) 2:31
9. "Three o'Clock Lullaby" (三時の子守唄 Sanji no Komori Uta) (instrumental) 2:26
10. "Drifting Chronicle" (漂流記 Hyōryūki) (instrumental) 4:02
bon voyage art panel Bon Voyage co. (泰安洋行, Taian Yōkō)(1976, as Harry "The Crown" Hosono)

Bon Voyage co. (泰安洋行, Taian Yōkō) is Haruomi Hosono's third solo album. This album continues the tropical style of Hosono House and Tropical Dandy (which would continue later on with Paraiso) while showing influence from the music of New Orleans and also features performances from Tin Pan Alley and Happy End (excluding Takashi Matsumoto). The album's Japanese title was influenced by a Nagasaki convenience store of the same name that Hosono met while on Tin Pan Alley's "First & Last Concert Tour". This album was re-issued as part of a box set with the single version of the Tropical Dandy song "Peking Duck" (which was coupled with a song from this album) and an interview Hosono gave on a Tokyo Broadcasting System radio show.

TRACKLIST
No. Title Length
1. "Butterfly-San" (蝶々-San Chōchō-San) 3:15
2. "Hong Kong Blues" (香港Blues Hon Kon Blues) 3:09
3. "“Sayonara”, the Japanese Farewell Song" 4:31
4. "Roochoo Gumbo" 3:01
5. "Bon Voyage co." (泰安洋行 Taian Yōkō) 2:36
6. "Tōkyō Shyness Boy" (東京Shyness Boy) 2:19
7. "Black Peanuts" 2:28
8. "Chow Chow Dog" 4:46
9. "Pom Pom Vapor" (Pom Pom蒸気 Pom Pom Jōki) 1:56
10. "Exotica Lullaby" 3:49
paraiso art panel Paraiso (はらいそ, Haraiso) (1978, by "Harry Hosono and The Yellow Magic Band")

Paraiso (はらいそ, Haraiso) is Haruomi Hosono's fourth solo album and Yellow Magic Band (later on Yellow Magic Orchestra)'s 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 band mate 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).

TRACKLIST
No. Title Length
1. "Tokio Rush" 3:31
2. "Shimendōka" (四面道歌) 4:44
3. "Japanese Rhumba" 3:34
4. "Asatoya Yunta" (安里屋ユンタ) 2:15
5. "Fujiyama Mama" 2:50
6. "Femme Fatale" (妖婦 Yōfu) 5:00
7. "Shambhala Signal" (シャンバラ通信 Shanbara Tsūshin) 3:36
8. "Worry Beads" 2:35
9. "Paraiso" (はらいそ Haraiso) 4:35
philharmony art panel Philharmony (1982)

Following Yellow Magic Orchestra's first wave of success, Hosono took a break from the group and, with help from Alfa Records head Kunihiko Murai, established Yen Records in 1982. The label's inaugural release was Philharmony, a masterwork recorded almost entirely by Hosono himself at his brand new LDK Studio. With unlimited studio time and freedom to explore, Hosono let himself loose with an array of synthesizers and the latest gadgets, from the Prophet 5 to the E-mu Emulator - all listed as "guest performers" in the album credits. Inspired by the possibilities opened up by these music-making tools, Hosono found new ways to approach his songwriting, resulting in a set of songs that showcase his ability to constantly and consistently innovate and create new standards. With ambient synthscapes like "Luminescent/Hotaru" and the abstract sample-based expressionism of "Birthday Party" sitting perfectly in tune alongside pop favorites like "Sports Men" and "L.D.K.", Philharmony is one of the most well-loved of Hosono's albums, and a favorite of the artist himself.

TRACKLIST
No. Title Length
1. "Picnic" 1:58
2. " Funiculi Funicula" 4:36
3. " Luminescent/Hotaru" 4:26
4. " Platonic" 4:25
5. " In Limbo" 2:31
6. " Living-Dining-Kitchen" 3:51
7. " Birthday Party" 3:54
8. " Sports Men" 4:06
9. " Philharmony" 3:30
10. " Air-Condition" 4:27