Oh, man. Shonen Knife. I've been listening to them since '90, and saw them a few times in the 90s-- they did the second stage at Lollapalooza one year (the Breeders/Beastie Boys/Smashing Pumpkins year).

Their first three albums (Shonen Knife, Pretty Little Baka Guy, and 712) were all before they got "big" here in the USA. Those are really pretty lo-fi in places and they sound like they're learning their instruments on some songs, but they're really charming. I probably like the first (Shonen Knife) best.

Let's Knife was their first real US release and is much more polished, with English versions and remakes of songs from the first three albums. They had a few other albums after that which were more-or-less polished. They also appeared on a lot of compliation CDs doing cover songs. I lost track of them by the late 90s...

Finally, they were sort-of proteges of Redd Kross, who themselves had a couple of hits in the early 90s. And Redd Kross immortalized Shonen Knife in the song "Shonen Knife".
Andy | 11.18.07 - 3:09 pm | #

Try starting with "Let's Knife", "Brand New Knife" or "Happy Hour" (which includes the fantastic 'Banana Chips').
James Morrison | Homepage | 11.18.07 - 6:40 pm | #

pretty much the same as everyone else, start with lets knife, and if the cutesyness doesn't kill you go on from there
A.J | 11.22.07 - 6:39 pm | #

Thanks for all of your insightful suggestions. I think I'll go with 'Let's Knife' first, and see where it takes me from there...
Zeon | 11.25.07 - 5:48 am | #

Genki Shock, not mentioned above, will rock your socks off. If you ever get a chance to see these Osaka women live, don't miss it. They are an amazing shot of happiness. Cobain used to say that they made him cry every time he saw them.
rico | 12.07.07 - 10:59 pm | #

712 and Pretty Little Baka Guy are my favorites. You should check them out.
Anonymous | 01.21.08 - 5:14 pm | #