The trio hit their stride with second album Solid State Survivor, a brisk and confident set of synth-disco-pop that continues along the line drawn five years before by Kraftwerk. Fun-loving and breezy where Kraftwerk had been ponderous and statuesque, the album sets out YMO's template for electronic pop with less minimalism and a more varying use of synthesizer lines. The English lyrics, written by Chris Mosdell but sung by YMO themselves, make for hilarious listening especially on a cover of the Beatles' "Day Tripper." ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
Solid State Survivor was the second album of Yellow Magic Orchestra. It contains one of their best-known songs, "Rydeen". "Behind the Mask" became known to a wider audience due to a cover by Eric Clapton. It was also covered by Greg Phillinganes beforehand (he later joined Clapton's backing band), which was sampled by satirical rap group Goldie Lookin' Chain on their track "Your Mother's Got a Penis".
Solid State Survivor was never released in the United States, but several songs from this album were compiled for release in the States as the US pressing of ×∞Multiplies. It is only one of a handful of YMO albums in which the track titles do not have a Japanese equivalent.
This was YMO's most successful album in Japan. It was the best selling album in the Oricon LP Chart for 1980, beating Chiharu Matsuyama's Kishōtenketsu (起承転結?) - Godiego's Magic Monkey (西遊記,Saiyūki?) was best seller for 1979. In 1980 the album won a Best Album Award (ベスト・アルバム賞,Besuto Arubamu Shō?) in the 22nd Japan Record Awards[1].
"Firecracker" ·"Tong Poo" ·"Technopolis" ·"La femme chinoise" ·"Rydeen" ·"Behind the Mask" ·"Nice Age" ·"Tighten Up" ·"Cue" ·"Mass" ·"Taisō" ·"Pure Jam" ·"Kimi ni, mune kyun." ·"Kageki na shukujo" ·"You've Got to Help Yourself" ·"Every Time I Look Around (I Hear THE MADMEN Call)" ·"Pocketful of Rainbows" ·"Be a Superman"
