Illustrated History

Puffy Amiyumi | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 21, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Bar/None Records
• ASIN: B0000658M0
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,431 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #12 in Music > Indie Music > World Music > Far East & Asia

Track Listings

1. Love So Pure

2. True Asia/Asia No Junshin

3. That's The Way It Is/Kore ga Watashi no Ikirumichi

4. Electric Beach Fever/Nagisa ni Matsuwaru Et Cetera

5. Wild Girls On Circuit/Circuit No Musume

6. Sign Of Love/Ar no Shirushi-Captain Funk's Puffy de Samba Mix

7. Puffy De Rumba

8. Talalan

9. Sunday Girls/Nichiyohbi no Musume

10. Friends/Tomodachi

11. Mother

12. Neholina

13. Brand New Days/Atarashii Hibi

14. Stray Cats Fever

15. Puffy's Rule

16. Jet Police/Jet Keisatsu

17. Boogie Woogie No. 5 (Bonus Video)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good-natured Japanese pop was never this good, June 15, 2003

By 

Daniel J. Hamlow (Narita, Japan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Illustrated History (Audio CD)

To say that Puffy AmiYumi (Onuki Ami and Yoshimura Yumi) is the musical equivalent of Frosted Flakes or Cap'n Crunch isn't too far off the mark, but they're irresistibly fun. Why? Because they shamelessly cannibalize their influences. One moment, they're doing Studio 54 disco, the next they do something the Clash, the Beatles, Motown groups, or The Who would do. They have filled in the vacuum left by Shonen Knife, no doubt about it. And sometimes, songs like "Puffy's Rule", which sounds like SK at their best, attest to that. Here are the highlights:

The rock-pop Shonen Knife meets the Beatles crunch of "Love So Pure," the English-language version of "Sumireh" opens The Illustrated History.

The next single is an English version of their first big hit "Asia no junshin", titled "Pure Asia" which sounds like something ELO would do on their Time album except quicker and more fun, replete with computerized beeps and sounds.

"That's The Way It Is" is a bit of 60's pop nostalgia kind of like the Shangri-Las girl-pop in one part as well as incorporating a Who guitar riff in parts.

Turn on the mirrorball, lights, and put on the platform shoes! It's 70's disco time with "Electric Beach Fever", and this one is my favourite song here. I may have to get their Jet CD because of this one.

The Shonen Knife-ish "Wild Girls On Circuit", has a racing car theme with the buzzing zooms at the beginning. The phrase "warrateh, dammateh" in one part, means "laugh, shut up!" in Japanese.

The sole representative from their PRMX album, "Sign Of Love", begins with George-of-the-Jungle drums, followed by looped vocals, jungle techno, whistles, and ends up as a kitchen sink mix of sound, a party on the go.

"Puffy De Rumba" is a leisure number that does have a rhumba rhythm but also has similarities to Japanese pop ballads of the 1970's.

"Talalan" has a bouncy, skipping-down-the-street, kicking through the autumn leaves hand-in-hand rhythm.

"Friends" has a beat and instrumentation similar to "You Can't Hurry Love," and the comparisons are apt while "Mother" leans close to the Byrds' "Chestnut Mare" without the Rickenbacker but with the beat.

The Go-Go's-like "Brand New Days" is one of the most upbeat songs on this track, complete with a 60's-like organ.

The vast majority of material is taken from their two best-sellers, Jet (1998) and Fever Fever (1999). Included in the booklet is a graphic timeline of their releases, plus a brief history of Ami and Yumi. The sole difference between this compilation and their The Very Best Of seems to be the inclusion of two singles from Spike (2000) and remixes and unreleased material.

Despite the fact that all but two of the songs are in Japanese, the music's fun and catchy and this collection is Puffy 101 for beginners. People who know Japanese will find this more enjoyable. And for a smidgin of FYI, that's Yumi on the left, Ami on the right. Question: don't they deserve their own movie, with this CD as a soundtrack?

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much to be enjoyed from this American release, January 1, 2004

By 

Avery Morrow "Namu Tokoyokuni Omuya Amematsur... (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Illustrated History (Audio CD)

I bought this CD on a whim, since someone who shared some of my interests also liked Puffy. I think it's a pretty good purchase. Puffy AmiYumi's upbeat, retro melodies, combined with the J-pop taste of the duo doing the lyrics, make for an excellent introduction to the band, and to Japanese music. The songs are admittedly a little different from standard J-pop, reflecting heavily back to American music of the 1960's. But all the songs have a bit of Puffy twist, whether it be from the foreign lyrics or Ami and Yumi's sweet vocals.

Another big contribution to why I rated this 5 stars is the quality you get for your investment. You get to hear some of Puffy's best music on this compilation, as well as an extra music video if you should load it into your computer. And in case you're worried about the parasitic American music industry, this CD is brought to you by Bar None Records, which is not a member of the RIAA. The sum of all this is that this CD is basically a must-buy for anyone interested in Puffy AmiYumi.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant surprise!, August 27, 2002

By 

Jeremy Gable (Anaheim, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Illustrated History (Audio CD)

I have never been of fan of what I call the Manufactured Musician. The singer and/or group, created by a producer/manager, designed for the sole purpose of selling millions of copies of an album, throwing dignity and artistic merit out the window in the process.

The only one of these that I have had any pleasure in listening to is the Jackson 5. Though they were led by the hand through all of their ventures, they had original songs, they did not pretend to be anything more than what they were, and they were fun.

For a while, I thought that no Manufactured Musician had what it took to match the smile I got on my face from listening to the Jackson 5. Imagine my surprise when I discovered this album, a greatest-hits compilation from the hottest thing in Japan since Tamagotchi.

Puffy AmiYumi (the last part was added in their crossover to the U.S. due to that other former "Puffy" who was popular here) has all the formula for ridicule. Two beautiful young women. They don't play instruments. They don't dance. They don't write their own songs. They don't often sing in harmony. Judging by the music video included in the CD, their greatest assets are their voices, and their blank "Huh?" stares that they do so well.

Yet, with all of that, why am I playing these songs over and over again? The secret behind Puffy's success both with critics and audiences is the fact that they surround themselves with some true talent. The songs are original and fun. No genre is skipped with this duo. Rock, pop, punk, oldies, techno, country, R&B, disco, 80's buttrock, it's all here. In their five-year span, they have had a wonderful variety of songs written for them, and have been aided by a perfectly capable band.

Much credit has to be given to the two women of Puffy, however. A collection of songs with that broad of a range could not be pulled off if the vocals were weak. Puffy rises up to the challenge, though, and varies their vocals to match each genre. They sound slick and glossed for the disco-homage "Electric Beach Party", bright and bubbly for the 50's rock sound of "Girls on Circuit", and hard-edge, reaching for notes they can't hit on the punk-rock "Jet Police". For the most part, the lyrics are in Japanese, and judging from the two English tracks, we aren't missing much. But with songs this fun, comprehensible lyrics would only get in the way.

When it comes down to it, Puffy is still a case of Manufactured Musicians. There are more original bands out there, sure. But Puffy is like a great action film. They're not out to make great art. But if all they're giving us is slick entertainment, then by god, this is the way to do it.