One record at a time: 472. Yello - Claro Que Si

"Claro Que Si" was released in 1981 and heralds the dawning of the Fairlight era for Yello. Having persuaded Dieter Meier's father to take out a loan so they could buy new studio equipment, Boris Blank fired up his new 'computer musical instrument' and went about creating an album to recoup the cost.

For this record Yello drew on the talents of drummer Beat Ash and guitarist Chico Hablas in collaborations that would endure longer than the band's original line up. Ash's contribution can be heard immediately as the opening track "Daily Disco" is largely driven by his metronomic drumming whilst Boris throws in occasional bass and top lines. Dieter's characteristic vocals are obscured with a vocoder on the second track "No More Roger" but the backing track continues to sound bendy and analogue. I can tell the Fairlight is there, but the sounds are manipulated and bathed in effects that eliminate any of the machine's characteristic grittiness. It also helps that Boris created his own sound library rather than relying on recognisable factory samples.

One of the standout tracks is the single "She's Got A Gun" whose visions from a French black and white movie of the 50s are fascinating. I can't say the same for "Ballet Mechanique" which just leaves me cold and the Arab vocals of "Quad el Habib" (credited to Zine el Abidine) aren't really my cup of tea. "The Lorry" sees Boris sampling Dieter's vocals in a sign of things to come, but the tortuous guitar solo and acoustic drums do let the side down quite a bit. The album signs off with the playful "Pinball Cha Cha" but the album version is different to the more familiar "12'' Mix" that would go on to be released as a single and included on some compilation albums. Whilst this is another patchy effort, it still proves to be entertaining - even if it's not the first Yello album I would reach for. 2.5/5