One record at a time: 478. Yello - Baby

I purchased the compact disc of "Baby" on December 28th, 1992, for the princely sum of £13.49—a price that, adjusted for inflation, would be about £30 today. No wonder I kept the receipt tucked inside the case! Back when music was an expensive commodity, you were forced to keep listening to your purchase and not simply discard it. Repeated listening sometimes resulted in a love affair and, for me, this album is a case in pont. This phenomenon is somewhat lost in the modern world where music is peddled by "The streaming services of Lucifer™" at little or no cost. Anyway, I will move on before I get into a rant.

Today, my collection has grown to include two vinyl copies of "Baby". One is an original Spanish pressing, and the other is a 2021 reissue. Before the reissue this abum quite scarce on vinyl, so I was pleased to discover an original pressing on eBay back in 2018. Both records sound fantastic, but the original just edges out the reissue in terms of sonic fidelity.

The album opens with "Homage to the Mountain" a brief yet epic introduction whic is quickly followed by the sampled phonemes of "Rubberbandman". Adopting the persona of the titular character, Dieter delivers a raspy vocal performance while Boris explores his Fairlight sample library. The wonderful vocals of Billy Mackenzie once again grace a Yello record, providing a beautiful contrast to the band’s signature sonic mayhem.

Boris’s favourite baritone saxophone samples make a return in the single "Jungle Bill". While the track borrows elements from the previous album "Flag", the drum sounds here are much more in line with contemporary dance and electronic music giving the song a fresh and modern edge.

One of my favourite songs on this album is "Ocean Club", which is a prime example of Yello’s mastery of narrative-driven tracks. As Lou Norman prepares for a clandestine meeting at the Lower Manhattan Ocean Club, Boris's big band craft a lush soundtrack that is so evocative you can almost picture Mandy Cooper, Lou’s mysterious contact, gliding into the room. Oh boy...

The tracklisting on my original compact disc referred to the next track as "Who's Groove" so I was a little confused when I saw it credited it correctly on other copies as "Who's Gone?". The chorus is particularly infectious here and I like the track very much. "Drive/Driven" is another brilliant song that demonstrates Yello's ability to create lush and atmospheric tracks alongside their more rhythm driven efforts.

Dieter takes a back seat for "Capri Calling" and Billy Mackenzie's captivating vocal is given centre stage on what is a great track. Whilst "Blender" has more than a whiff of "The Race" about it, things go in a very different direction as salesman Random Tox tells us how popular he is with the ladies. We'd probably better skim over the part where he divulges he is the slave of a sixteen year old. Different times.  

This album refuses to go gently into that good night and the last track, "Sweet Thunder" finishes proceedings with an almighty flourish. This instrumental is a grandiose, spine tingling masterpiece that I could listen to over and over again. If anyone ever needed evidence that Boris Blank is a musical genius then they can find it in this jewel.

For some reason this album doesn't get as much love as its predecessor and I find that strange. For me, "Baby" is head and shoulders above anything Yello had made up to this point and it remains one of my favourites. 5/5