THE FABULOUS POODLES
''MIRROR STARS (THE BEST OF)''
2012
69:54
1 Mirror Star 04:24
2 Toy Town People 02:05
3 Work Shy 03:26
4 Mr. Mike 03:39
5 Cherchez la femme 03:36
6 Bionic Man 04:27
7 You Wouldn't Listen 03:04
8 Stomping On the Cat 03:00
9 Bike Blood 03:51
10 Rosie Pink 02:44
11 Rumbaba Boogie 03:49
12 B Movies 03:14
13 Pinball Pinup 03:49
14 Talkin' Trash 03:05
15 When the Summer's Thru 02:37
16 Anna Rexia 02:56
17 Suicide Bridge 03:37
18 Man With Money 02:31
19 Chicago Boxcar (Boston Back) 03:48
20 Vampire Rock 03:37
21 Pink City Twist 02:23
Ronnie Golden aka Tony De Meur - Lead Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
Richie Robertson - Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Bobby Valentino (UK) - Violin, Mandolin, Guitar, Backing Vocals
Bryn Burrows - Drum, Percussion
REVIEW
By J. Poet / AMG
In 1978 it looked like the Fabulous Poodles were going to make it big in America. Their first American LP, Mirror Stars, had just been released to fairly good reviews and they landed opening spots on tours with Tom Petty and the Ramones. The album was actually a compilation of their two British efforts, The Fabulous Poodles, produced by John Entwistle and released on Pye in 1977, and Unsuitable from 1978. Lead singer Tony DeMeur wore severe horn rim glasses leading to inevitable comparisons to Elvis Costello. DeMeur was a wise-ass songwriter, but he didn't write the band's snarky lyrics — that job was taken by non-performing member John Parsons. All DeMeur really had in common with Costello was his eyewear. On its release, Mirror Stars outsold the first albums by the Clash and the Jam, but bad management and band strife broke up the Fab Poos in 1980. The song "Mirror Star" opens the record with a Stones/Kinks rocker that gives listeners a glimpse of a would-be star playing air guitar in front of the mirror in his bedroom. It briefly became a geek-rock anthem with its dubbed-in applause and big clanging guitar. "Work Shy" is an energetic three-chord workout that describes the hazards of playing all night and trying to make it to your day job in the morning. DeMeur's vocals are strong and, while he has an edge, his delivery tends to be arch and playful. "Chicago Boxcar" has hints of Mott the Hoople's "All the Way to Memphis" in its piano line and DeMeur's Hunter-esque vocal, while the playfully sexuality of "Oh Cheryl" is pure pop fodder with its faux Latin beat and Brill Building teenage feel. "Toytown People" combines Gypsy and ska beats; "Mr. Mike" blends doo wop and British music hall influences; and "Roll Your Own" is the obligatory drug tune, a blues shuffle with a pop edge that instructs listeners in the fine art of joint rolling. DeMeur accents the tune with some credible blues harp. The album closes with three Kinks-like portraits of working-class British life. "B Movies" celebrates hours spent in the dark dreaming of better times to come, "Tit Photographer Blues" is the story of a half-assed porn photographer who can't ever score with his models, and "Cherchez la Femme" lays out the story of a clueless bloke who never gets anywhere with the opposite sex. The playing throughout is solid, but the band never really transcends its influences. Mirror Stars was reissued in 2009 as a two-fer with Think Pink by American Beat, a division of Collectors' Choice.
BIOGRAPHY
by Dave Thompson / AMG
The jokers in the post-pub rock pack, London's Fabulous Poodles lined up within the same bag of flamboyant pop as created Deaf School and the Kursaal Flyers, lighthearted enough to guarantee a great night out, but just a shade too esoteric to meet a major audience head-on. Formed as the Poodles in 1974, the band lined up as Tony DeMeur (vocals, guitar), Jon Bentley (bass), Bob Suffolk (keyboards), Bobby Valentino (violin, mandolin), and Gordon Coxon (drums), and the following year the band released a one-off single on the Private Stock label, "Chicago Boxcar." It sold poorly, and within the year Coxon, Bentley, and Suffolk had departed, to be replaced by a new rhythm section of Richie Robertson and Bryn Burrows.
The four-piece now underwent a name change to the Fabulous Poodles and, buoyed by considerable success on the London pub and club circuit, signed to Pye early in 1977. With the Who's John Entwistle producing, the band released its debut album, The Fabulous Poodles, that fall, accompanied by the single "When the Summer's Through." Two further albums, Unsuitable and Think Pink, followed over the next couple of years, as the band streamlined its sound toward a catchy new wave angle. They also garnered considerable support in the United States, but never quite mustered the strength to make the breakthrough they deserved. The band broke up in late 1979.
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2 Toy Town People 02:05
3 Work Shy 03:26
4 Mr. Mike 03:39
5 Cherchez la femme 03:36
6 Bionic Man 04:27
7 You Wouldn't Listen 03:04
8 Stomping On the Cat 03:00
9 Bike Blood 03:51
10 Rosie Pink 02:44
11 Rumbaba Boogie 03:49
12 B Movies 03:14
13 Pinball Pinup 03:49
14 Talkin' Trash 03:05
15 When the Summer's Thru 02:37
16 Anna Rexia 02:56
17 Suicide Bridge 03:37
18 Man With Money 02:31
19 Chicago Boxcar (Boston Back) 03:48
20 Vampire Rock 03:37
21 Pink City Twist 02:23
Ronnie Golden aka Tony De Meur - Lead Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
Richie Robertson - Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Bobby Valentino (UK) - Violin, Mandolin, Guitar, Backing Vocals
Bryn Burrows - Drum, Percussion
REVIEW
By J. Poet / AMG
In 1978 it looked like the Fabulous Poodles were going to make it big in America. Their first American LP, Mirror Stars, had just been released to fairly good reviews and they landed opening spots on tours with Tom Petty and the Ramones. The album was actually a compilation of their two British efforts, The Fabulous Poodles, produced by John Entwistle and released on Pye in 1977, and Unsuitable from 1978. Lead singer Tony DeMeur wore severe horn rim glasses leading to inevitable comparisons to Elvis Costello. DeMeur was a wise-ass songwriter, but he didn't write the band's snarky lyrics — that job was taken by non-performing member John Parsons. All DeMeur really had in common with Costello was his eyewear. On its release, Mirror Stars outsold the first albums by the Clash and the Jam, but bad management and band strife broke up the Fab Poos in 1980. The song "Mirror Star" opens the record with a Stones/Kinks rocker that gives listeners a glimpse of a would-be star playing air guitar in front of the mirror in his bedroom. It briefly became a geek-rock anthem with its dubbed-in applause and big clanging guitar. "Work Shy" is an energetic three-chord workout that describes the hazards of playing all night and trying to make it to your day job in the morning. DeMeur's vocals are strong and, while he has an edge, his delivery tends to be arch and playful. "Chicago Boxcar" has hints of Mott the Hoople's "All the Way to Memphis" in its piano line and DeMeur's Hunter-esque vocal, while the playfully sexuality of "Oh Cheryl" is pure pop fodder with its faux Latin beat and Brill Building teenage feel. "Toytown People" combines Gypsy and ska beats; "Mr. Mike" blends doo wop and British music hall influences; and "Roll Your Own" is the obligatory drug tune, a blues shuffle with a pop edge that instructs listeners in the fine art of joint rolling. DeMeur accents the tune with some credible blues harp. The album closes with three Kinks-like portraits of working-class British life. "B Movies" celebrates hours spent in the dark dreaming of better times to come, "Tit Photographer Blues" is the story of a half-assed porn photographer who can't ever score with his models, and "Cherchez la Femme" lays out the story of a clueless bloke who never gets anywhere with the opposite sex. The playing throughout is solid, but the band never really transcends its influences. Mirror Stars was reissued in 2009 as a two-fer with Think Pink by American Beat, a division of Collectors' Choice.
BIOGRAPHY
by Dave Thompson / AMG
The jokers in the post-pub rock pack, London's Fabulous Poodles lined up within the same bag of flamboyant pop as created Deaf School and the Kursaal Flyers, lighthearted enough to guarantee a great night out, but just a shade too esoteric to meet a major audience head-on. Formed as the Poodles in 1974, the band lined up as Tony DeMeur (vocals, guitar), Jon Bentley (bass), Bob Suffolk (keyboards), Bobby Valentino (violin, mandolin), and Gordon Coxon (drums), and the following year the band released a one-off single on the Private Stock label, "Chicago Boxcar." It sold poorly, and within the year Coxon, Bentley, and Suffolk had departed, to be replaced by a new rhythm section of Richie Robertson and Bryn Burrows.
The four-piece now underwent a name change to the Fabulous Poodles and, buoyed by considerable success on the London pub and club circuit, signed to Pye early in 1977. With the Who's John Entwistle producing, the band released its debut album, The Fabulous Poodles, that fall, accompanied by the single "When the Summer's Through." Two further albums, Unsuitable and Think Pink, followed over the next couple of years, as the band streamlined its sound toward a catchy new wave angle. They also garnered considerable support in the United States, but never quite mustered the strength to make the breakthrough they deserved. The band broke up in late 1979.
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