Judy And Mary

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Judy and Mary used to be an underground rock band. They got picked up by Sony a few years ago. Group name can be (and often is) made into an acronym, JAM. Lead singer Yuki writes the lyrics and the other band members each write some music. Music and lyrics tends to be upbeat and guitar work is fast. Yuki has a sweet but forceful singing voice. A friend of mine say that Yuki sounds too cute for the band to be taken seriously. But I think that it's just another Japanese thing, along with anime, that Americans will have to get used to.

Their hit single Over Drive was out in mid 1995, but I ignored it completely until January. Basically I woke up one day wanting to listen to something new. Over Drive popped into mind and I plopped down $35 (They're bleeding me dry!) for their CD album.

If you've ever watched some of their live performances on TV, Yuki is a dynamo full of energy (though somewhat on the psycho side). Takuya gets pretty wild sometimes too. Onda (bass) and Igarashi (drums) are a little closer to the ground.

For those who like Miracle Diving, Orange Sunshine is even better. Pretty good guitar work here. I like their style.

The Power Source contains some of my favorite songs such as Kujira #12 and Classic. Both are pretty good. Classic has same feel to it as Over Drive. Kujira #12 has Yuki hitting those cho-high-notes. - Bo

This is one of them bands that - for your own sake - you should listen to, but never watch. I don't know why I like J&M, because Yuki's got this really weird voice. Other than that, the music overall is really...full. It sounds really busy, but everything that needs to be there is there, nothing more. - Jeff

6/6/1998: I didn't understand Music Fighter at first. But I'm starting to get it after seeing their live performances. 散歩道 is also starting to grow on me. - Bo

11/1/1998: I got Pop Life. It seems Judy and Mary just keep putting out better and better stuff. There're too many good songs here to list. I hope they can keep this up. - Bo


Album collection

ORANGE SUNSHINE

  1. POPSTAR
  2. どうしよう
  3. Hello! Orange Sunshine
  4. RADIO
  5. Cheese -PIZZA-
  6. 小さな頃から
  7. HYPER 90'S CHOCOLATE BOYFRIEND
  8. キケンな２人
  9. クリスマス
  10. 自転車
  11. ダイナマイト
Hello! Orange Sunshine: For those who don't know. Orange Sunshine is name of a drug. The kind that makes you hellucinate. I wonder if they know that.
RADIO: I like Yuki's singing rhythm in the song. The chorus really lifts you too.
Cheese -PIZZA-: This is another wacky little ditty that Takuya seems to be so good at. The guitar twang really stuck with me.
自転車: This piece is truely electrifying. The pace is fast and furious. When Yuki yells YAH! YAH! YAH! near the end I just want to jump up and down.

MIRACLE DIVING

  1. Miracle Night Diving
  2. Over Drive
  3. KYOTO
  4. Little Miss Highway
  5. あなたは生きている
  6. ドキドキ
  7. ステレオ全開
  8. Oh! Can Not Angel
  9. プラチナ
  10. アネモネの恋
  11. 帰れない２人
Over Drive: This is what hooked me on JAM. Although it's no longer my favorite JAM track it is still very good. I love how the guitar notes are "sprinkled" throughout the measures.
ドキドキ: Rhythmical, melodic, and CUTE!
ステレオ全開: This one is worth listening to if only to hear Yuki sing something like 5 measures in one single breath.
アネモネの恋: If there's a song representing JAM's melodic rock, this is it.

THE POWER SOURCE

  1. BIRTHDAY SONG
  2. ラブリーベイべー
  3. そばかす
  4. KISSの温度
  5. Happy-
  6. Pinky loves him
  7. くじら12号
  8. クラシック
  9. 風に吹かれて
  10. The Great Escape
くじら12号: A fast-paced song with wacky melody. I'm still wondering what the lyrics mean.

POP LIFE

  1. デュビドュバティスコ フュ．チャリング ウィズ サー．サイコ．セクシー
  2. ミュージックファイター
  3. イロトリドリノセカイ
  4. 散歩道
  5. BATHROOM
  6. ランチ イン サバンナ
  7. ジーザス！ジーザス！
  8. ステキなうた
  9. ナチュラル ビュウティ'98
  10. 手紙をかくよ
  11. グッバイ
  12. LOVER SOUL

Video collection

手紙をかくよ

  1. 手紙をかくよ
  2. 帰れない二人

ミュージック　ファイター

  1. ミュージック　ファイター
  2. クラシック