Oh man. I LOVED the Plastics. They were one of the bands that created the
mold that all other Jap pop bands followed. Slurred, terrible
incomprehensible English lyrics describing the most banal things: "I went to
the shopping mall / And bought a Cheeseburger / I ate it all / Also I had
fries / Big American Cheeseburger / Cheeseburger cheeseburger cheeseburger!"
and generally give the impression that they're imbeciles.
And yet on the third or fourth listen you realize that it is the most subtle
parody imaginable. They think Western culture is pretty stupid and they
mock it by feverishly embracing it. No matter how many times this schtick
is employed I fall for it, I think it's hilarious. And the Plastics also
had a tall long-legged gorgeous front-woman with a yard of jet black hair to
boot.
I'd read that a couple of the original members went on to make solo records
but I've never heard any of them. I hope the solo records are all as zany
as the originals.
Here's a story for you: The Plastics once opened for DEVO in Japan. They wore
"fat suits" and went around yelling "we are DEVO!" "we are DEVO!"
Apparently the Kanji for fat is spelled the same as DEVO, or something like
that. Anyway, it's a pun in Japanese.
If anybody has this record, I will gladly buy it (or a tape of it) off you.
I managed to find 4 different Plastics CDs, mostly through CD Banzai and CD
Now. That was some time ago so good luck.
Here's what I found:
"Welcome Plastics" 1979
"Origato Plastico" 1980
"Welcome Back" 1980? (which is identical in content to the 1981 Island
Records LP release entitled simply "Plastics") and
"All Across the U. S. A. 80 Live" 1980? (apparently there's also a version
of this CD sold as a set with a promo video)
Man, I love this group!
Sam DiSuarre
www.geocities.com/soho/cafe/5383
Caricatures from my stiff 'n' awkward brain.
On 18 Jul 1999 05:44:32 GMT, clck...@aol.communist (ClckwrkO) spewed:
Sorry, I somehow missed that episode of SCTV (godammit!)
Hum a few bars and I'll see if I can come up with it.
Sounds like the female voice sings "dancing by myself" sometimes, and
the male vocals include something like "everybody knows!". Squeaky
synth solo in the middle. That's the only song by them that I know, so
I have NO idea if that helps.
BTW, anyone heard of the Fantastic Plastic Band from Japan? Better
than Pizzicato Five, just my opinion.
Sam DiSuarre
www.geocities.com/soho/cafe/5383
Caricatures from my stiff 'n' awkward brain.
"You
Can dress in pink and blue just like a child."
--Joe Jackson
On 19 Jul 1999 04:39:54 GMT, clck...@aol.communist (ClckwrkO) spewed:
>BTW, anyone heard of the Fantastic Plastic Band from Japan? Better
>than Pizzicato Five, just my opinion.
That's Fantastic Plastic Machine, they didn't do much for me, I like Pizz 5
more, both have new albums out that I haven't heard yet though...
Ooh-Ooh...
Everybody Knows...
Ooh-Ooh...
Top top top top top top secret...
Walking in the rain,
walking in the ????
Plans for everyone...
etc...
Was it "top secret man" from the 1st album?
-Steve
Sam DiSuarre
www.geocities.com/soho/cafe/5383
Caricatures from my stiff 'n' awkward brain.
"Go away, little girl."
--Donny Osmond, "Go Away Little Girl"
On 20 Jul 1999 05:14:49 GMT, clck...@aol.communist (ClckwrkO) spewed:
see http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/8539/devochat.html
-Steve
Question: What bands are you guys into currently...besides yourselves of
course?
DEVOlive96: We want to know what he does with that pen... Let's see,
SPONGE, Psychotica, everybody on AMerican Records. There are a lot of
great bands finally! This is a good time.
Mark: They all kind of suck, I just listen to old Plastics albums.
I believe part of them reformed the band "Melon". I have all the
Plastics CDs (had to go to Japan to find them), but have never been
able to locate a Melon CD.
--
Forte International, P.O. Box 1412, Ridgecrest, CA 93556-1412
Ronald Cole <ron...@forte-intl.com> Phone: (760) 499-9142
President, CEO Fax: (760) 499-9152
My PGP fingerprint: 15 6E C7 91 5F AF 17 C4 24 93 CB 6B EB 38 B5 E5
"Top Secret Man" from the first album. Lyrics are on my web site:
<http://home.earthlink.net/~ronaldjcole/plastics/>
>I believe part of them reformed the band "Melon". I have all the
>Plastics CDs (had to go to Japan to find them), but have never been
>able to locate a Melon CD.
Whoops, ignore that last post.
Melon wasn't as good as the Plastic's so I wouldn't fret, as I remember they
did a sorta mock rap thing that was just too goofy even for the time (the
mid 80's).
The song they performed was "Top Secret Man" (if I remember correctly).
Before this I only had the one American release from Island on vinyl called
simply "The Plastics." I'd read in (I think) an Ira Robbins review that it
was watered down for puny Merkins. "Origato" does indeed seem to have a lot
of the same tracks but with much stranger arrangements. Maybe I'll get to
like them this way but years of listening to the poppier arrangements has
made me inordinately fond of them.
On 21 Jul 1999 13:58:47 -0700, ron...@forte-intl.com spewed:
Oh all right, if you insist.
It's not exactly the last word on music the way that, say, the IMDB is the
last word on movies, but this site will often have answers:
I went there and looked up "Plastics" and got all of their albums as well as
ones by Hajime Tachibana. An excerpt that answers part of your question:
> With Yukihiro Takahashi producing and supplying occasional
> drums, the synth-oriented Mr. Techie & Miss Kipple just
> doesn't make it. The menu: a James Brown tribute that goes
> on too long, oddball instrumentals (including one Tachibana
> wrote with Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh) that are interesting
> at best and irritating at worst, a stiff Plastics rehash and
> a poker-faced hymn professing "No Disappointment in Jesus"
> (delivered in a low and slurry half-speed voice). Weird yet
> uninvolving.
I also happen to have this same review in the softcover fourth edition of
the "Trouser Press Record Guide" but by going to the web site I didn't have
to type it in.
"Johnny Favorite (it means \"The Little Girl Sells New Pens\")"
<al...@snakebite.com> wrote:
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