The Fantastic Plastic Machine (album)

The Fantastic Plastic Machine is the debut studio album by Japanese musician Fantastic Plastic Machine. It was released on October 10, 1997, by Readymade Records.^[2] The album was subsequently released in Germany on April 24, 1998, by Bungalow Records^[3] and in the United States on September 15, 1998, by Emperor Norton Records.^[4]

The album draws influence and inspiration from music styles—including baroque pop, bossa nova, beat, and Europop, as well as dance music roots.^[5] The album cover art was illustrated by French-Armenian cartoonist and illustrator Edmond Kiraz.^[6]

Steve Huey of AllMusic described The Fantastic Plastic Machine as "a delightful, infectious album that's not only hooky as all get-out, but also rewards repeated listening", deeming it "one of the best albums to come out of the Japanese club-pop movement".^[5]

In 2007, Rolling Stone Japan placed The Fantastic Plastic Machine at number 67 on its list of the "100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time".^[7] In 2011, the album was included in LA Weekly's "beginner's guide" to Shibuya-kei music.^[8] Tokyo Weekender writer Ed Cunningham later cited it as a "groundbreaking" Shibuya-kei release, noting: "Some post-Shibuya-kei artists would follow in the footsteps of the guitar-driven indie pop of Flipper's Guitar, but many more significant acts, in genres such as picopop and electropop, would expand upon the electronica initiated by [Fantastic Plastic Machine]."^[9]

The German LP edition (total length: 45:25) follows the track order of the original Japanese edition, but substitutes "Fantastic Plastic World" with "Fantastic Plastic World (Voice 'n' Baroque)" and omits "Allen Ginsberg".

• The Fantastic Plastic Machine at Discogs (list of releases)