Artful Dodger
Rave On
Criminally neglected. If Pop Todd had ever heard of 'em he'd be pimping them a couple times a day.
Here's their entry from Wikipedia:
Originally called Brat, Artful Dodger was formed in 1973 in Fairfax, Virginia, out of the remains of two local bands, Homestead and Badge. Creatively, the key members were Gary Herrewig (guitar) and Billy Paliselli (vocals), who wrote most of the songs as a team, and Gary Cox (guitar and vocals), who also wrote songs (usually by himself). Steve Cooper (bass) and Steve Brigida (drums) formed the rhythm section. Brigida was an ideal foil for the band's songs, combining the steady timekeeping of Charlie Watts with the flash of Keith Moon. The group's first release was a self-produced single, "Not Quite Right", which never made it to an LP, with "Long Time Away" as the B-side. Long Time Away was re-recorded for their first album with an increased tempo and more pop feeling. Armed with this impressive 45, Brat went to the Big Apple and, with help from New York Dolls' management, signed to Columbia Records. After being forced to choose a new name (another Brat had prior claim), Artful Dodger released their self-titled debut in 1975.
Produced with a refreshing lack of clutter by Jack Douglas (Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Miles Davis), Artful Dodger was a near-masterpiece that combined the best aspects of hard rock and Beatles-derived pop. "Wayside" (thanks to its inclusion on some latter-day compilations), has become the acknowledged classic, but the rest of the album, particularly the explosive "Think Think" and Cox's ballad, "Silver & Gold," is outstanding. Reportedly, the label's choice of the latter song as the album's lead single (not to mention a stunning lack of sales) was the beginning of a rift between Cox and the rest of the band. This didn't seem to make much of a difference, however, on the next album, Honor Among Thieves, which expanded upon the band's mastery of classic pop with a harder edge and more accomplished performances. Co-produced by Douglas and Eddie Leonetti, the album featured the power ballad Scream and straight ahead rocker Keep Me Happy as singles.
Once again, however, the record failed to sell. The press was supportive and the band toured relentlessly, but to no avail. They even did a stint during the summer of 1976 opening for Kiss. Jack Douglas was an associate of Bob Ezrin, Kiss' producer, and one imagines that this connection got Artful Dodger the gig. But it's hard to imagine a more incongruous pairing - Jimi Hendrix opening for The Monkees (really happened, 1967) comes to mind - and it probably did the band as much harm as good. By the release of Babes On Broadway (1977), the strain of the band's experiences in the star-making machinery (including writing and recording three albums in three years) began to show. Produced exclusively by Eddie Leonetti, critical accolades on Babes On Broadway were fewer, with Can't Stop Pretending standing out as the pick-to-click. It didn't, of course (click, that is), and Artful Dodger found themselves back on the street sans management, record deal, and founding member Gary Cox.
Happily, the band regrouped with piano/guitar whiz Peter Bonta (previously with The Nighthawks and Rosslyn Mountain Boys) filling in for guitarist Cox, and they signed to Ariola Records in 1980. The intervening three years had been eventful ones for rock music - punk happened, and power pop coalesced into an identifiable, coherent sound. On their first and only Ariola release (and their last overall), Artful Dodger is perhaps guilty of a self-conscious attempt to jump on the very bandwagon they helped create. The redeeming factor is, they succeeded magnificently.
Artful Dodger's Rave On is an unqualified (if unheralded) power pop classic, contrasting starkly with Babes On Broadway in that highlights are difficult to pick among a record so consistently fine. Certainly, however, She's Just My Baby warrants mention as an absolutely perfect pop single; Rave On, in fact, stands toe-to-toe with albums as great (and famous) as The Raspberries' Fresh and Badfinger's Straight Up. Artful Dodger plays as if they had something to prove (they didn't) and as if their life depended on it (it did), and their energy fairly leaps from the grooves. Everything, including continued praises from the critics, seemed to point towards success at long last, but it was not to be. In a marketplace cluttered with skinny-tied popsters (and poseurs), Artful Dodger had become just one more band for the industry to toss against the wall of public taste, hoping they'd stick. While The Knack were selling millions, Artful Dodger were disintegrating after a final 1980s tour.
Billy Paliselli, whose raspy, impassioned vocals and pretty boy looks were key to the band's appeal, left to spend more time with his family; in 1982, a dispirited Artful Dodger broke up. In 1991, they played two reunion shows in Cleveland (where they still get airplay), but the reunion didn't take. Sony briefly issued Honor Among Thieves on CD in the early 90's, and the first two LPs were both reissued by Pendulum on CD in 1997. Currently none of the band's albums are in print.
Recently, due in large part to a resurgence of fan interest on the Internet, Artful Dodger reunited to kick off a year-long series of "flashback" concerts to celebrate The Agora's (Cleveland, Ohio) 40th anniversary. This reunion show occurred on New Year's Eve (December 31, 2005). The band returned to The Agora for a show on April 1, 2006. The band is currently together and rumored to be considering potential future gigs.
