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Plastics

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I am delighted to see this music available on CD. This is a lost masterpiece of New Wave--a quirky Japanese band in love with their primitive Roland drum machine, performing hilariously bent pop songs in marginal English that veers from the amazingly ridiculous to occasionally sublime. The record was produced by the same production team that did the first two B-52's albums, and it sounds very slick like those albums, but the Plastics' songs make "Rock Lobster" sound like "Free Bird." Check out the naively obscene lyrics (I don't think they were aware how nasty they were being in English) on the HILARIOUS James Brown parody "Cards"--TOTALLY NUTS! I remember playing a tape of the first side of this record at a party back in the day, and the house (actually a VERY crowded apartment) just ROCKED. If you're looking for some unheard music for a "New Wave" party, then look no further. GET PLASTICIZED!

This CD represents parts of two Japanese releases by the Plastics. It's interesting that all previous reviewers mention the B-52s, as the Plastics toured with them. In fact, they were the hit of the show when I saw them in 1980. Boundless energy and the surprise of hearing the group for the first time made it a night not to forget. Unfortunately, neither of the two CDs (Origato Plastico is the other) listed include "Last Train to Clarksville", the Monkees remake, which for me was a highlight of the Plastics first Japanese release. There are several other tracks from the first record that aren't on CD here. It's all good stuff. Just wish it had all the stuff.