Excellent Album by a highly underrated band! - First off, let me say that this is a truly remarkable album done by a highly underrated band of talented musicians. That said, I must say that applying the LIMITED EDITION label to the 1997 Pendulum (SONY Music) re-issue is incorrect! Also, this collector s item label was very recently applied maybe in an attempt to drive the price up. According to Amazon.com s own definition, a limited edition release includes bonus tracks, video, additional liner notes, etc. This re-issue has none of that - it s purely an AAD reissue of the band s debut album from Columbia Records. The only addition from the original LP s front/back cover art is that the disc s label has a black and white photo of the front cover s art work. The back cover s credits on the CD Insert are blurred and unreadable. No additional or new liner notes are included. The reissue is not digitally remastered, but the recording quality is still very good, save for an initial pop out during the opening of Wayside. At the time of writing, the selling price is outrageously high ((...)). I have a major problem with that - and hence this review may be removed. The artist that recorded this album will never see a penny of that (...). That s just plain wrong! These days, there are numerous reissue labels hunting high and low for albums to reissue. I suggest that if you re interested in getting this album that you instead send a email to a reissue label and let them know that this band s catalog ought to be reissued. That way, the original artist gets some money in the process. By the way, there is finally a fan site for the band, I don t believe we re allowed to post the address here, but a search engine will probably get you there! Keep-A-Rockin !
Great stuff! - My band used to play Think Think and everyone always thought we wrote it because they has never heard it before. Sure miss those days!
Back to my teens......... - I was SO excited when someone said they had a new Artful Dodger CD only to find out it was BY FAR not MY Artful Dodger. The one I used to listen to every morning to, on the way to school way back in the 70 s. What this did was encourage me to hunt down an album or two from the REAL group. Thank god for Amazon. Some day, I would love to hear something new from them. The last i saw was at the Agora!
One Of The Best Power-Pop Albums Ever Made! - The opening track, Wayside, sounds initially like a Symphony Orchestra warming up then quickly kicks into hard rocker and finishes with the Orchestra warm-up sound. This song received quite a bit of air-play in its time(and still is requested on local Classic Rock stations)and was featured on a Power Pop Compilation CD. It s Over is a powerful rock ballad with a great opening Bass line. Silver And Gold is a well written slow ballad by Gary Cox. Follow Me, Think Think, It s Alright, and Waiting Place are all strong rockers. Long Time Away is straight forward pop with great piano work and New York City is a novelty which demostrates the bands diversity. What made this group sound distinct was the use of the 12 string guitar coupled with electric guitar work reminiscent of 70 s Aerosmith (In fact, Steven Tyler sang backup vocals on Alright from their Babes On Broadway LP). The lead singer Billy has a very distinctive rasp to his voice (some people compare it to early Rod Stewart). Steve Brigida (drums - a true wizard on the 5 piece) and Steve Cooper (Bass) provided tight rhythm on all the tracks. More of their rhythm work can be found on the Jeff Smith CD s A Little Romance and The Human Wilderness. All four of Artful Dodger s LP s were great (earning at lest 4 stars in the Rolling Stone Record Guide - except Babes yielded 3 stars for belieing on formula - which I strongly disagree). Video and live recording was done for their 80 s Rave On tour - hopefully that will surface some day! Compared to what the record companies offer today, you ll do much by better tracking down this CD or any of the band s vinyl LP s!
The Best Debut Album of All Time - If you have never heard the music on this cd/album, you must do everything in your power to do so. To quote the Cleveland Plain Dealer s opinion of the album, it is unknown masterpiece. Nothing else really needs to be said. If you are able to find a copy of this cd and want to hear more Artful Dodger, look for these titles: Honor Among Thieves, Babes On Broadway and Rave On. Thanks Artful Dodger for making 4 of the best records of all time!!