Haruomi Hosono -- Body Snatchers

 

Had a good talk with Rocket Brown of Come Along Radio and Sanok on the Discord City Pop server earlier today and we got onto the topic of the members of Yellow Magic Orchestra along with their own solo projects. I asked them what they would recommend as a good Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）album, and the December 1984 "S・F・X" was put out there. One track that was specifically mentioned was the first one, "Body Snatchers".

Now, when I hear the expression body snatchers, I can only think of the famous 1956 sci-fi movie starring Kevin McCarthy, the 1978 remake with Donald Sutherland and Leonard Nimoy, and then that horrible (rather than horrifying) remake in 1993 with Meg Tilly that some of us saw in the theatre; did want my money back after that one.

However, I gather that true to the album title, Hosono had wanted to go for a similar theme with the track titles starting with the first song "Body Snatchers". The musician, though, also imbued the story of "Body Snatchers" with a similar plot thanks to Peter Barakan's translated lyrics of a woman who has beauty and perhaps the ability to take you over body and soul. Shades of Hall & Oates' "Maneater".

As is the case with the other 5 tracks on "S・F・X", Hosono took care of the composition, and "Body Snatchers" seems to be a tour de force love letter to the 1980s 12" dance remix single with all of the bells, whistles, stutters and scratches that a DJ/remix artist could muster up from his/her bag of tricks. I can also hear some influences from Herbie Hancock's "Rockit" and perhaps even some New Order. There were some special guests providing their voices along with the main one by Hosono. Barakan supposedly contributed his voice along with those of Makoto Kubota（久保田麻琴）, Sandii, and photographer Curtis Knapp. 

The album peaked at No. 35 on Oricon, and "S・F・X" was Hosono's first post-YMO album. "Body Snatchers" at least, despite all of the electronics and synths involved, doesn't really sound like a YMO piece.