Pretty Little Baka Guy [Original recording remastered]

Shonen Knife | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 25, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Oglio Records
• ASIN: B000784X3K
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,124 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #89 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Twee Pop

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Everybody Uka Boo to Shonen Knife, June 1, 2005

By 

Daniel J. Hamlow (Narita, Japan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pretty Little Baka Guy (Audio CD)

Shonen Knife's 712 (1991) was my introduction to the Osaka power pop trio. The next time I heard a song by them was "Devil House" from Pretty Little Baka Guy, their 1986 album, which coincidentally was released on my birthday of all days! Well, guess that's fate for ya. After a thunder and lightning sound effects, the intro guitar, typical poppified Ramones and Devo sound, kicks in. It's a sound they perfected rhythmically in "My Favourite Town Osaka" on 712. Most of the songs are in Japanese, save "Making Plans For Bison," and "Public Bath," though others have a few English lyrics.

A hard-driving fuzzy guitar gives a nod to their punk roots as "Making Plans For Bison" kicks in. Despite being ungainly, ugly, and being on the way to extinction, the girls sing that he has a right to live. "Bear Up Bison, never say die" sing the trio in the goofy chorus. This song is sung in English. The fuzz guitar reappears in the Japanese-sung "Riding On The Rocket" along with the archetypal pop-punk sound, about the fun of going into outer space, taking along a blue-eyed kitty cat who dances the mambo. For goofy lyrics, try "Uka boo uka boo, let's do the uka boo." The live version here has a garage-like but lively sound.

In 712, SK sang of just staying at home instead of going to work in "Lazybones." Here, they take that theme in the Clash-like dub reggae-pop of "Summertime Boogie," wanting to sleep in bed, play in the pool, or go to the disco. Why work when it's nice and warm? Another song in that same style is the slightly over one minute "Ah Singapore" though the lyrics are bizarre. "Kappa Ex.," a.k.a. Extract of Kappa, is equally bizarre, about how someone takes the titled drinks and becomes a kappa, complete with webbed hands and a plate on one's head. (Note: a kappa is a green Japanese water sprite whose power is found in water in the plate on its head. If one can trick the kappa into bowing, it loses its power as the water leaves the plate.) The live version is also good, sounding like Bleach-era Nirvana.

Another favourite topic in SK songs are food, something in common with Weird Al. "I Wanna Eat Chocobars" is about, well, ... let's see, umm.... Seriously, they sing of eating them twice a day, and liking nougats, nuts, and corn flakes in their chocolate bars. Note: "Daisuki, tabetai" in the refrain means, "I love them, I want to eat them." And "Itsudemo, docodemo" also in the refrain, means "Any time, anywhere." They also sing of going to "Ice Cream City" a fantasy place like "Fruit Loop Dreams" from 712. Bluesy pop, is the best way to describe this.

Public baths are another cultural thing in Japan, and they sing about how they love them set to an upbeat guitar riff reminding me somewhat of a poppified Cream's "I Feel Free."

Heavy ponderous riffs introduce "Antonio Baka Guy", which should be "Antonio Baka Gai" as they sing about a large 53 cm shell that came from Africa, "gai" or "kai" being Japanese for shell, as in seashell.

Where 712 showed SK finally solidifying their sound, Pretty Little Baka Guy was the sign of things to come, the sound in the making, kind of what Uh-Huh was to John Cougar Mellencamp before he exploded with Scarecrow. Those who got 712 should next listen to this one. Not as solid, but still worth it. Review from an ugly tall intelligent guy.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Knife Job, February 14, 2008

By 

Robert H. Knox (Brentwood, NH United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pretty Little Baka Guy (Audio CD)

Of the four early Shonen Knife albums reissued by Oglio, BAKA GUY is my favorite. Like the other three, it has a raw sound from both production and performance standpoints, which sets it apart from the Knife discs that American fans know. Moreover, the vocals are sung in both Japanese and heavily accented English, which kicks the kawaii factor up a few notches. Half of these songs showed up on LET'S KNIFE later on, but, after a few listens, you may find yourself preferring these earlier versions, especially if your taste in Rock runs along the Punk/New Wave line. My fave track has to be KAPPA EX., which was never Anglicized, probably because most Occidentals don't know what Kappa is. (If you want to know, catch THE GREAT YOKAI WAR or SPOOK WARFARE on DVD sometime) If you are a Shonen Knife fan, you should have all of these Oglio reissues. I wish the rest of Knife's Japan-only titles would be issued as well, as it's tough to justify nearly $50 for a CD, no matter how big a fan you are. (PS: I bought them all anyway!)

5.0 out of 5 stars Do you really need another copy of an early Shonen Knife release?, May 19, 2006

By 

Jason Knapp (New York, NY, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pretty Little Baka Guy (Audio CD)

Well, that all depends on how you feel about the band.

If you're already a fan of this earnest and shrewdly naive trio - the group once described as the most unpretentious guitar band of all time - then this remastered disc is well worth the price. On my sub-standard stereo, I usually miss the finer improvements digital remastering can provide. But, in this case, the first few notes of the very first track had me smiling at the obvious upgrade in sound quality.

And if you missed all the excitement when the group's early recordings first washed up on North American shores, this is a great way to sample that experience. Hard-driving rhythm guitar over pounding bass lines and percussion, paeans to choco-bars and pleas to save the ill-shaped bison from extinction: these girls were both sincere and savvy.

What's not to love about them, particularly in this much-improved recording?