Fabulous Poodles
(American Beat)
My first introduction to new wave when I was a little kid was a poster of the cover of the Fabulous Poodles' Mirror Stars that hung in my uncle's bedroom. I would sit there and stare at those cracked images of Tony De Meur and Bobby Valentino's faces with both fear and fascination, utterly intrigued by the entire design of the cover art, now largely considered to be one of the most enigmatic jackets of the new wave era.
Finally making its long-overdue (perhaps a tad too late?) debut on compact disc, Collector's Choice affiliate American Beat Records pairs Mirror Stars up with its' US-released follow-up Think Pink (both albums were, in actuality, reconfigured domestic versions of the band's first two albums in England-1977's Fabulous Poodles and 1978's Unsuitable). And while the cover art has been shrunk down to deplete its grandeur, the long overdue task of actually getting around to listening to the music contained within yields a most enjoyable excursion into the Poods' unique combination of low-brow English humor (eg, they have a song called "Tit Photographer"), Costello-esque post-pub new wave and a mean, mean fixation on the outer perimeters of rock ‘n' roll's early days. In certain areas, the band even tends to come off like a more button-up version of Thin Lizzy, not a bad thing in the least.
Anyone boning up on their new wave education should not overlook this unsung pair of aces that serve as the first and last word of this criminally overlooked act of the era.
Standout Tracks: "Chicago Boxcar", "Tit Photographer", "Bionic Man", "Suicide Bridge", "Vampire Rock" RON HART
