Oh my god. This wonderful quartet has been around since 1992 and I had absolutely no idea of their brilliance until now.
Sure, I may have heard them in passing on Hey Hey Hey, but I was too busy ogling SPEED or Puffy to really pay them any heed, until now. And I'm glad I did, because they totally have a mouth full of pop-rocks and soda going on, so much so that I bought 6 out of 7 of their albums in one week's time.
First of all, let me make it clear that Yuki is a total babe, an amazingly avant-guarde front woman who looks and sounds great. The rest of the band started out a bit too much the Glamour Punks with the Robert Smith hair and top hats, but even from the [J.A.M.] days it was clear something special was going on.
[Orange Sunshine], their second and perhaps most satisfying pop album, is a sheer bolt from the blue, with sing-along-songs like [Radio] that get me bouncing every single time. Later albums like [The Power Source] brought in more distortion and experimentation to the mix, so that presently JAM offer the best of both worlds - high energy j-pop and j-rock that hurdles all language barriers.
Overall, I think I'm most partial to [Miracle Diving] and [Pop Life], two of most outstanding albums I've ever heard in any language. [Miracle Diving] starts out bubbling with [Miracle Night Diving], by far my favorite Judy and Mary song, and continues on with [Over Drive] and [Kyoto], both strong singles in their own right that never fail to get me going. The rest of the album is expertly sequenced - the beginning, middle and end all pack a punch - and provides just the sort of guitar-heavy pop-happy soundtrack you'd want both on the road to Las Vegas (where the album art is set), and the road every day to work.
[Pop Life] is more subtle and layered, with strangely effective Sonic Youthy flourishes amping up the guitar of the lead track [Music Fighter] to a point where it starts to levitate you head over heels, all the better to windmill on the floor in appreciation. [Ero Toridori No Sekai], the next track, then shifts in a beautiful beaucolic space with piano layering Takuya's guitar brilliance. Then [Sanpo Michi] rolls in with organ and harmonica added to the mix, and it's a real task not to sing along out loud, whether at home or on the bus. [Bathroom] comes next, and is without question the best song ever that mentions shampoo and milk showers (although it doesn't matter what Yuki is saying, as long as it comes out so well).
[Ranch In Savanna] continues the mid-tempo trend of radio-friendly yet suprisingly accomplished get-up-and-go songs, and is the perfect lead into the latter half of the album, which starts with a rocky catchy shout out to [Jesus! Jesus!] and hides a Yuki vocal apex in the middle to be born again for. [Suteki Na Uta] is just that (the title translates to a "great song") and [Natural Beauty '98] follows up with just the perfect blues-punk-rock pitch, and another fantastic sing along chorus. [Tegami O Kaku Yo] is a beautifuly sung and presented Yuki love ballad, and offers a great lead-in to [Goodbye] and [Lover Soul] which end the album the right way - with you wanting more, more, more. In fact, the last track is so great that it puts other entire albums to shame - [Pop Life] is just that kind of album, and Judy and Mary that kind of band. You know, the kind you immediately fall in love with, and want to subsequently share with the world.
Trust me, if you're at all interested in popular Japanese music - or music in general for that case - you should definitely check out this band, the best of album [Fresh] being as good a start as any. Or, if you want to do yourself an expensive favor, splurge on the three CD live set, [44982 Vs. 1650] which contains basically every great Judy and Mary song, performed energetically and with packaging suitable for worship.
judy and mary
Yuki Isoya: Vocals
Takuya Asanuma: Guitar
Yoshihito Onda: Piano, Keyboards
Kohta Igarashi: Drums, Percussion
[PRISMIC] and [COMMUNE] are two amazing albums - sorry that I haven't discussed them here earlier. Check out YUKIweb.net to find out about them, along with associated singles and Yuki books. Also, please visit my new Yuki shrine to find out all about her new projects.
Yes, after JAM, Yuki is still performing, now with a super female quintet called Mean Machine. I haven't heard what Yuki (drums), Ayumi (vocals), Chiwaki (guitar), Yukarie (bass) and Chara (drums) are up to musically, but I'm sure it's great! Check out my new Mean Machine page now!
[BE AMBITIOUS/It's A Gaudy It's Gross]
Yes! Hear the early JAM tracks you're clamboring for, now thanks to EPIC. I already have a [BE AMBITIOUS] rerelease (see the discography below), but the other part sounds neato. Anyway, check out After JAM for all your post JAM info.
[The Great Escape - Complete Best]
ESCD-2230, 2231, 3990 yen
Two Discs, 30 all-time-favorite JAM songs. I voted for my three
favorite songs; and they all made it on this! The world is great, and Judy and Mary shall be missed!
[WARP]
ESCD-2222, 3,059 yen
Track Listing of [WARP]
01) Rainbow Devils Land
02) WARP
03) Brand New Wave Upper Ground
04) Kamereon Rumie
05) PEACE
06) LOLLIPOP
07) Atashi O Mitsuke
08) Motto
09) Lucky Pool
10) Sugar Cane Train
11) Girlfriend
12) Hitotsu Dake Ver. Warp
This record is so amazing! [WARP] is both ultra-rocky and super-sweet, and easily holds its own
among the last three albums - it might be my favorite JAM release
ever, which is saying a lot. Right now [Rainbow Devils Land],
[Kamereon Rumie] and [Atashi O Mitsuke] are my favorites - of
course I also enjoy the stellar singles [Motto/Girlfriend] and
[Brand New Wave Upper Ground]. Unfortunately, this is the last
JAM studio album ever, but fortunately there is a fan-picked best-of
album, released on 5.23.2001. You. Must. Buy. This.
JM = Junk Magnet has this
1st EP:
[Be Ambitious] JM
Chainsaw BXCR-1
12.16.2000
(Re-Release from 1994)
Early Music:
[BE AMBITIOUS/It's A Gaudy It's Gross]
ESCB 2262, 2263
9.22.2001
(Re-Release from 1992, 94)
1st Album:
[J.A.M.] JM
ESCB-1466
1.21.1994
2nd Album:
[Orange Sunshine] JM
ESCB-1555
12.1.1994
3rd Album:
[Miracle Diving] JM
ESCB-1707
12.4.1995
Single
[DOKI DOKI]
ESDB-3630
10.21.1995
Single
[Sobakasu]
ESDB-3655
2.19.1996
Single
[Classic]
ESDB-3730
10.28.1996
Single
[Kujira 12go]
ESDB-3747
2.21.1997
4th Album:
[The Power Source] JM
ESCB-1805
3.26.1997
Single
[Lovely Babe]
ESDB-3760
5.21.1997
Single
[LOVER SOUL]
ESDB-3800
10.15.1997
Single
[Sanpomichi]
ESDB-3820
2.11.1998
Single
[Music Fighter]
ESDB-3830
4.01.1998
5th Album:
[Pop Life] JM
ESCB-1890
6.24.1998
Single
[IRO TORIDORINO SEKAI]
ESDB-3859
9.09.1998
Single
[Tegamio Kakuyo]
ESDB-3881
11.11.1998
6th Album (Live, 3 CDs):
[44982 Vs. 1650] JM
ESCB-1967
3.31.1999
Maxi-Single
[Brand New Wave Upper Ground]
ESCB-2102
2.23.2000
7th Album:
[Fresh] JM
ESCB-2110
3.23.2000
Maxi-Single
[Hitotsu-dake]
ESCB-2133
7.05.2000
Single:
[motto] JM
ESCD-2183
11.22.2000
Single
[Lucky Pool]
ESCB-2198
1.24.2001
8th Album:
[WARP] JM
ESCD-2222
2.7.2001
Last Single
[Peace - Strings Version]
ESCD-2218, 2219
3.9.2001
9th and Last Album:
[The Great Escape] JM
ESCD-2230, 2231
5.23.2001
VHS
[MIRACLE NIGHT DIVING TOUR 1996]
ESVU-451
12.09.1996
VHS
[THE POWER STADIUM DESTROY '97"]
ESVU-490
12.01.1997
VHS
[Music Fighter]
ESVU-493
4.01.1998
DVD
[motto]
ESBB-2046
12.06.2000
DVD
[motto]
ESVU-542
12.06.2000
DVD
[JUDY AND MARY ALL CLIPS -JAM COMPLETE VIDEO COLLECTION]
ESBB-2048
2.21.2001
VHS
[JUDY AND MARY ALL CLIPS -JAM COMPLETE VIDEO COLLECTION]
ESVU-544
2.21.2001
DVD
[WARP Tour Final]
ESBB-2054,2055
5.9.2001
VHS
[WARP Tour Final]
ESVU-548
5.9.2001
judy and mary
6.1.2006
Sony Page [J]
Info, Discography
After JAM [J]
Epic Japan Page
Tomobiki [E]
Excellent Info
JAM-NET [J]
Detailed and Timely
Judy and Mary Fan Site [J]
Great Site
Naoki's JAM page [J]
Fan Site
Judy and Mary Waiwai Cafe [J]
Good Resource
Miracle Pop Life [J]
Good Resource
DC JAM [J]
Great Site
JAM Tofu K [J]
Fan Site
JAMWEB [J]
Good Site
JAM JAM [J]
Yuki, JAM Pictures
NiNa - Yuki Project
Sony Page [J]
Info, Discography
NiNa Net [J]
Great Site
NiNa Mania [J]
Fan Site
Mean Machine - Yuki Project
Mean Machine [J]
Great Home Page
Yuki - Solo
Yuki Web [J]
Yuki Home Page
weblog:
[junk.log]
[complete index]
search:
message board:
[jm:messages]
newsletter:
junk magnet
po box 11501
berkeley, ca
94712-2501
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