One record at a time: 487. Yello - Yell40 Years

When I reviewed the second Yello compilation "Essential" a few weeks ago, I finished by saying that there was a better compendium of the band's work to come, and here it is. "Yell40 Years" was released in 2021 and pressed onto two flawless chunks of vinyl by Optimal in Germany. Whilst most of the band's well known works are here, this isn't a simple "Greatest Hits". Some might say the track selection is a little eccentric, but Yello have always taken delight in throwing us a curve ball. 

We start naturally enough with the band's first single "Limbo" and follow up with their first big hit "Bostich (Ne'st-ce Pas?)". I particularly like the deep bass on the latter track, but the cut of the records is so sympathetic it simultaneously manages to preserve the definition in the distinctive percussion breaks. 

Whilst the first disc continues to move in a broadly chronological order, everything abruptly resets in the transition to the second disc. For some reason we we move from a live version of "The Race" recorded in 2017 to "Desire" — a song that was released over thirty years earlier. The second disc then plays a rather eclectic selection of tracks that concentrate far too heavily on the band's post millennium output for my taste. Also thrown into the mix are a bonus track from the box set of their last studio album "Point" and a couple of songs that were previously exclusive to other compilations. 

Whilst I'm not mad about the off kilter approach to the second half of the album, "Yello40 Years" still holds my interest. I just think it is a shame that fantastic tracks such as "Dr Van Steiner", "Call It Love" or even "Planet Dada" are excluded at the expense of limper efforts such as "Starlight Scene" or "Meet My Angel".

The sound of these discs is pretty immense and there's no better way for the uninitiated to experience Yello. Think of "Yell40 Years" as a dégustation menu: small, hand crafted selections from Switzerland's finest sonic chefs. Not every course will be an exact match for your palette, but you will experience wonderful sensations and be pleasingly replete by the end. 4/5