One record at a time: 485. Yello - Toy

After a seven-year hiatus, Yello finally re-emerged in 2016 with the album "Toy." Having had my fill of the downtempo jazz from its predecessor, I wasn’t expecting much from this record. However, when I heard it, I was pleased to find some of the joy had returned to Yello. While there’s still a fair amount of jazzy influence woven throughout, something feels different this time.

Right from the outset, "Frautonium Intro" reassures us that things will be more electronic. As is customary on Yello albums, we launch straight into the lead single, "Limbo" where Dieter’s voice is backed by the usual brass stabs and syncopated percussion, but there’s also a driving kick drum and an analogue synth burbling away, making the song especially engaging.

The album then moves into several tracks featuring guest vocalists rather than Dieter. In fact, the majority of tracks here include a female vocalist in some capacity—a direction I’m not particularly fond of. We have to wait until the third song on the B-side before something more interesting emerges, though even "Tool of Love" features female backing vocals.

"Give You The World" stands out with its triple time signature, giving it an edge I really enjoy. "Dialectical Kid" offers enough aural candy to keep things interesting, but by this point, the wispy female vocals are starting to grate.

Further in there’s a superb instrumental, "Pacific AM" but the highlight of the second disc is undoubtedly "Blue Biscuit". This track is proof that the fun is back—Boris sounds like he’s enjoying himself again. Alongside his crooning vocal, we’re treated to trademark thunderclaps and a funky rhythm guitar that propelling the song to great success. As the record draws to a close, "Magma" delivers perfect sound design that really leaps from the speakers. "Lost In Motion" brings a contemporary pop feel while retaining Yello’s DNA, and we round things out with the analogue synth textures of "Frautonium". 3/5

One record at a time: 484. Yello - Touch Yello

I’ve always been a bit uncertain whether this album is officially titled "Touch" or "Touch Yello", but most sources seem to favour the latter, so I’ll stick with that. Over the years, I’ve collected the original CD, the later "deluxe" edition, and even splurged on the "15th Anniversary" vinyl repress in 2025. In my eagerness, I ordered the double LP directly from Universal in Germany—paying a hefty shipping fee rather than waiting for the free postage option from Amazon. Lesson learned.

Let me start by acknowledging the album’s technical excellence: the mixing and mastering are top-notch, and Boris delivers his signature production polish. However, something is missing. The songs here lack bite, humour, or joy. The overall effect is one of style over substance—everything is finely polished but lacks any character.

Yello’s fondness for swing and lounge influences is evident, especially on tracks like "Till Tomorrow", "Electric Flame" and "Vertical Vision" which feature jazz trumpeter Till Brönner. For me, these instrumentals come across as rather vapid.

Boris lends his vocals to "Tangier Blue", "Trackless Deep" and "Kiss In Blue" but they are all tame efforts. The only song that truly channels classic Yello energy is "Friday Smile" yet even here, Dieter Meier’s vocals sound somewhat disengaged.

Several tracks feature a vocalist named Heidi Happy, but unfortunately these songs don’t leave much of an impression. "Stay" stands out with a memorable melody, but it’s a rare highlight in an otherwise unremarkable collection. Boris resorts to reviving the classic single "Bostich", but this modern rendition feels out of place amid the album’s subdued jazz leanings.

The opener, "The Expert," and "Part Love" are the only tracks I find genuinely worthwhile.  Ultimately, this is a record I own for the sake of completeness, rather than genuine enjoyment. 1/5

One record at a time: 483. Yello - The Eye

In 2003 Yello released "The Eye". I originally bought the album on compact disc, but I acquired this double LP when it was released in 2021. As with all of the Yello re-pressings from the period, the sound quality here is excellent and the packaging is of a high standard.

The album opens with “Planet Dada”, where Boris and Dieter aim for avant-garde experimentation with impenetrable lyrics, yet they inadvertently deliver a masterful piece of electronic music. “Nervous” follows, evoking the classic Yello sound and a faint promise that the duo could be reconnecting with their roots on this album.

Boris’s fascination with Latin rhythms resurfaces on “Don Turbulento”, but the detached vocals of Jade Davies (aka Heidi Pfau) feel mismatched and dampen my hopes for the album. Jade’s pop-oriented vocals also feature on “Junior B” which closes out the first side, but again, they don’t quite fit the band’s signature style.

"Tiger Dust" offers us yet another example of Boris sampling various phonemes and sprinkling them over a clever dance beat— though the concept remains underdeveloped. Unfortunately, Jade Davies returns on “Distant Solution” and “Time Palace” but her vocals increasingly clash with the prevailing bossa nova beats. The side concludes with the uninspired jazz of “Hipster’s Delay”, marking a disappointing end to side B.

The second disc offers “Indigo Bay”, a percussion-driven instrumental that’s pleasant but unremarkable. After one final vocal appearance from Jade on “Unreal”, the album regains momentum with the slick instrumental “Bougainville”. At this point, Dieter’s absence becomes noticeable, raising questions about his role in the latter half of the album. The penultimate track, “Star Breath” is forgettable, but the closing remix of “Planet Dada” brings Dieter back into the spotlight, ending the album on a high note. 2/5

One record at a time: 482. Yello - Motion Picture

I was aware that Yello had released a new album in 1999, but acquiring a copy proved surprisingly difficult. Eventually, I managed to find a compact disc with an import sticker, which left me wondering: had Yello become so obscure that their albums were no longer released in the UK, or were they so popular that domestic copies had sold out? To this day, I’m still unsure—though I suspect the former is true.

Like much of Yello’s back catalogue, "Motion Picture" finally saw a vinyl release in 2021. This double album marks its debut on the format, and the discs themselves look and sound as if they were pressed at Optimal—few other plants could achieve this level of quality.

Dropping the needle on the opening track, "Get On" I immediately notice the use of acoustic drum samples, a departure from the dance-oriented sounds of the previous two albums. After listening to "Pocket Universe", which almost excluded Dieter’s vocals entirely, it’s refreshing to hear his distinctive drawl urging us to "Get down, right now." One slightly distracting element is a preset sound from the Roland JV-1080 or one of its expansion boards, but it doesn’t detract too much from the experience.

Initially, I wasn’t fond of the vocal effects on "Houdini" but they’ve grown on me over time. "Distant Mirror" a dreamy instrumental, stands out as my favourite piece on the album. Dieter returns for "Time Freeze" and "Croissant Blue" which are enjoyable, though not exceptional.

The second disc continues in a similar vein, with jazz and lounge influences replacing the dance genre that dominated their output in the first part of the decade. "Squeeze Please" is a highlight here, featuring Boris’s saxophone samples and the kind of sonic mayhem reminiscent of the band’s heyday. I also appreciate "Shake and Shiver" where a TB-303 style riff underpins jazzy drums and Dieter’s unique vocal delivery.

Upon its release, "Motion Picture" felt like a renaissance to me—whilst the jazz influences were strong, the compositions were much better than those featured on albums like "Zebra" or "Pocket Universe". 3/5

One record at a time: 481. Yello - Pocket Universe

After the disappointment of "Zebra" and the uninspired remixes on "Hands On Yello", I was nearly ready to part ways with Yello in 1997. However, the album "Pocket Universe" restored some of my faith in the band and ensured a continuation of our relationship.

At first glance, the album’s cover seemed rather amateurish, making me wonder if the band’s growing obscurity had affected their ability to invest in professional design. Yet, as soon as the music began, I realised that the production quality remained as polished as ever and unlike their previous album, which was heavily influenced by contemporary dance, "Pocket Universe" explores a slightly broader range of styles.

The album opens with the brief but atmospheric sounds of the prologue, "Solar Driftwood" in which Dieter Meier provides a cheery narration highlighting the inevitable death of the solar system. The second track, "Celsius" is an instrumental that features lots of clever ideas that are all wrapped around a driving percussion loop. Hot on its heels is the acid-tinged "More", which successfully blends a modern dance sound with Yello's signature style —something they failed to achieve satisfactorily on "Zebra". 

"On Track" continues this energetic approach, featuring pounding beats and only occasional vocals from Dieter. It feels as if Boris had discovered club culture and decided to channel that energy into the music, though this shift left little room for vocals. Dieter’s reduced presence is especially noticeable on "To The Sea," the final track on side B. While this song stands out as a highlight and was rightly chosen as a single, the vocals are performed by Stina Nordenstam. Her voice and melody are captivating, but Dieter is almost entirely absent.

I never paid much attention to the CD booklet credits, so I was surprised to learn that one of my favourite tracks, "Magnetic" was co-produced and written by Carl Cox. The track features lush chords reminiscent of Moby, but once again, Dieter’s contribution is limited to simply repeating the phrase, "Magnetic, energetic and beautiful."

"Pan Blue" races along at 150 beats per minute, only to be surpassed by the frenetic pace of "Resistor". Unfortunately, neither track holds my interest for long, as they lack development and fresh ideas. Inevitably the album concludes with an ambient soundscape that gives Dieter another chance to deliver a monologue about the magic of the universe.

Despite a somewhat disappointing ending and Dieter’s limited involvement, I still enjoy this album and am glad to own it on vinyl. "Pocket Universe" stands as a testament to Yello’s willingness to experiment, even if it meant marginalising elements of their signature sound. 3/5

One record at a time: 480. Yello - Zebra

By 1994, I had been eagerly awaiting Yello’s next album for several years. However, my anticipation quickly faded when I bought the first single, “Do It” as I found it distinctly underwhelming. The follow-up single, “How How” was released in what felt like a bewildering array of nearly identical looking CDs, each packed with uninspired dance remixes. Although I bought all of these singles (they were only 99p each, as I recall), they didn't made it into regular rotation, and none remain in my collection today.

I purchased the parent album, “Zebra,” on CD upon its release, but it never truly captured my attention. In fact, I only added the vinyl to my collection for the sake of completeness, and like the CD, it has seen little play.

In the mid nineties I was deeply immersed in dance music, but I wasn’t expecting Yello to be similarly besotted, so the rolling basslines and four-on-the-floor kick drums that open “Suite 909” came as quite a surprise. I’ve always assumed the title is a nod to the Roland TR-909 drum machine, a staple of 90s dance music, but this all felt oddly mismatched with Yello’s signature eccentricity.

While the drum programming on “How How” is outstanding, the brass samples grate on me. Boris works hard to inject energy through effects and sonic manipulation, but the result feels cold and stark. The third track, “Night Train” is the only piece I’ve revisited with genuine enthusiasm as despite the persistent kick drum and organ presets, there’s just enough of Boris’s old magic to make it compelling. “I...I’m In Love” benefits from sounding more like classic Yello but if you’ve read my blog before, you’ll know I’m not a fan of the saxophone, so you can probably guess my feelings about a track called “S.A.X.”. Side One closes with “Fat Cry,” which, aside from its title, is largely forgettable.

“Tremendous Pain” which opens Side Two, is a pleasant song, though once again it is drenched in those house organ sounds. At least Dieter delivers an engaging vocal, and long-time collaborator Chico Hablas makes a welcome appearance on guitar. The disappointing single “Do It” doubles down on the 90s dance vibe, with TR-909 hi-hats and rumbling breakbeats that clash with Dieter’s vocals rather than complement them.

“Move Dance Be Born” is as unimaginative as its title suggests, and “The Premix (How How)” is a real test of endurance. The album closes with “Poom Shanka” a laid-back instrumental featuring predictable tabla samples and the occasional sitar run. 

This album is a rare misstep by Yello and I don't find a lot to love in its incongruous mix of styles. The odd track might provide mild entertainment, but this is far from their best work. 1.5/5

One record at a time: 479. Yello - Essential

"Essential" was my introduction to the broader world of Yello, and I have vivid memories of playing the compact disc on my rather underwhelming new Sony D-33 Discman during the autumn of 1992. The original CD featured sixteen tracks, but the LP omits "Drive/Driven" and "Call It Love"—a real shame, as these are arguably two of the strongest songs on the album. The sound quality of the disc is nothing remarkable, and my copy is beginning to show its age in places.

The first two tracks, predictably, are "Oh Yeah" and "The Race". If I were following this obvious route, I would have gone a step further and included "Bostich (N'est-Ce Pas)" and "Of Course I'm Lying" at the start, front-loading the record for maximum impact. Instead, we move on to "Rubberbandman" and "Vicious Games", which, while excellent, don’t have the same level of public recognition.

The B-side features the rather lacklustre album version of "Desire" alongside the single "Goldrush". There’s also a new mix of the Shirley Bassey vehicle "The Rhythm Divine" which was released as a single to promote the album. Thankfully, "Jungle Bill" and "Pinball Cha Cha" inject some much-needed energy into the second side, though I do miss hearing "Call It Love".

It’s been a long time since I last listened to this record, and I must admit, it left me feeling a little underwhelmed. While it certainly piqued my interest in the band over thirty years ago, it doesn’t make as compelling a case as it could have. In fact, one could argue it’s not as persuasive as their earlier compilation, "1980-1985 The New Mix in One Go".

As this album was released during the rise of the compact disc, the vinyl edition is relatively uncommon. Its scarcity is further increased by the fact that it has since been superseded as a career retrospective and has not been repressed. I purchased my copy from eBay in 2020 for £22, which, according to popsike.com, was a fair price. Still, my advice would be to save your money as there are far better Yello compilations to come. 3/5