Luxury (Fantastic Plastic Machine album)

Luxury is the second studio album by Japanese musician Fantastic Plastic Machine. It was released on September 10, 1998 by Readymade Records.[2] The album was released in Germany on March 29, 1999 by Bungalow Records[3] and in the United States on April 27, 1999 by Emperor Norton Records.[4]

Luxury
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 10, 1998 (1998-09-10)
Recorded1997–1998
Genre
Length55:32
LabelReadymade
Producer
Fantastic Plastic Machine chronology
Summer Review EP
(1998)
Luxury
(1998)
Beautiful
(2001)

Luxury is a continuation of Fantastic Plastic Machine's previous work in Shibuya-kei, though in some tracks there are indications of a shift towards house music with 1960s northern soul and 1970s Philadelphia soul influences, a path he explored more on his next album Beautiful. Luxury features guest vocals from Lorraine Bowen, Simon Fisher Turner, and Yukari Fresh, among others.[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Pitchfork7.1/10[7]
PopMatters7.3/10[8]

Sarah Zupko of PopMatters wrote, "Luxury revels in international, otherworldly sounds and collaborations with musicians who perfectly suit Tanaka's experimental bent." She called the album "an enjoyable, eclectic effort that fans of sophisticated Euro pop are sure to adore."[8] In 2020, Tokyo Weekender writer Ed Cunningham described Luxury as "more refined" than Fantastic Plastic Machine's self-titled debut, but nonetheless still an "inventive" work.[1]

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Theme of Luxury" 1:05
2."There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart) (Mix for Mirror Ball)"
  • Lennox
  • Stewart
9:17
3."Honolulu, Calcutta"TanakaTanaka5:34
4."Electric Lady Land" (English version)Momoko Suzuki
  • Tanaka
  • Masaki Tsurugi
4:18
5."He Became a Beatnik" Tanaka1:14
6."Bossa for Jackie (Dedicated to Mrs. Kennedy)"Simon Fisher Turner
  • Tanaka
  • Tsurugi
  • Turner
3:38
7."You Must Learn All Night Long"TanakaTanaka6:20
8."Lotto"Andreas Dorau
  • Tanaka
  • Tsurugi
5:25
9."Satellite Beats" Tanaka1:06
10."I've Forgotten My Fagotto" 
  • Tanaka
  • Tsurugi
2:54
11."The Girl Next Door" (titled "The Girl Next Green Door" on German and US editions) Tanaka5:13
12."MPF (Mezzo Pianoforte)" 
  • Tanaka
  • Tsurugi
3:19
13."Mr. Fantasy's Love"Tanaka
  • Tanaka
  • Tsurugi
6:09
Total length:55:32
German edition bonus track
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
2."There Must Be an Angel" (radio edit)
  • Lennox
  • Stewart
  • Lennox
  • Stewart
3:58
Total length:59:30

On the German edition, the radio edit of "There Must Be an Angel" appears as track 2, while the "Mix for Mirror Ball" version appears as track 14.

US edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
14."Electric Lady Land" (Japanese version)Tanaka
  • Tanaka
  • Tsurugi
4:21
15."Bossa for Jackie" (Summer Review EP version) 
  • Tanaka
  • Tsurugi
3:43
Total length:63:36

References

  1. Cunningham, Ed (March 31, 2020). "A Complete Guide to Shibuya-kei: Tokyo's '90s Music Revival". Tokyo Weekender. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  2. "LUXURY | Fantastic Plastic Machine" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  3. "LUXURY". fpmnet.com. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  4. Shih, Andy (March 27, 1999). "Tomoyuki Tanaka Revels In Plastic 'Luxury'". Billboard. Vol. 111 no. 13. p. 46. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  5. Luxury (liner notes). Fantastic Plastic Machine. Readymade Records. 1998. COCP-30018.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. Huey, Steve. "Luxury – Fantastic Plastic Machine". AllMusic. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  7. Schreiber, Ryan (April 20, 1999). "Fantastic Plastic Machine: Luxury". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 26, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  8. Zupko, Sarah. "Fantastic Plastic Machine, Luxury". PopMatters. Archived from the original on February 8, 2001. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
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