Artful Dodger

About

Hailing from Virginia, Artful Dodger was a tuneful working-man's band that had a brief run of success in the late '70. In classic power pop style, the group combined hard-driving electric guitars with catchy arrangements and harmonie. But where the Raspberries emphasized balladry and romanticism, and Big Star had both that plus lyricism, Artful Dodger put its stock in straight-ahead guitar energy and high-end vocalizing. Lead singer Bill Paliselli provided the latter, with Gary Herrewig and Gary Cox sharing guitar dutie. This energy carried over on stage as well as in the studio, and the band had a rather fervent cult following among those who like their rock tough, yet melodic, especially in working-class cities like Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Although Artful Dodger never managed to push through to a mainstream audience, anyone with a taste for '70s power pop should not be without at least one of their record. Artful Dodger's self-titled 1975 debut album is high-quality power pop. Unfortunately, the quintet, which originally formed in Virginia, never even cracked the Billboard album charts with its four release. Perhaps Artful Dodger was ahead of its time, considering that producer Jack Douglas wouldn't helm Cheap Trick's acclaimed debut for two more year. The band was probably most popular in Cleveland, where some songs still received regular rock radio airplay 25 years later. The fact that Artful Dodger and Honor Among Thieves were reissued on CD in 1997 by Pendulum Entertainment Group (through Sony Music) confirms that the band had a big enough cult following -- particularly in Cleveland -- to warrant dusting them off. "Wayside" is brilliant and it's a travesty that it wasn't a smash hit. Crispy, melodic guitar work from Gary Herrewig and Gary Cox, integral bass parts from Steve Cooper, effective drumming from Steve Brigida and superb vocals from Billy Paliselli add up to a great lost classic. "It's Over" and "Follow Me" slather on catchy vocals and electric and acoustic guitar part. "Silver and Gold" manages to combine touches of blue, country, and pure pop into the power pop formula. "Waiting Place" is the most sophisticated song on the album from an arrangement standpoint and it often settles into a slow, funky groove. The relaxed rockabilly of "New York City" is a surprising but effective finale. The Artful Dodger CD reissue liner notes are virtually unreadable since they simply reproduce the original LP's back cover. The white lettering is faint and blurry. Reproducing the back cover was OK, but the credits should also have been re-typeset on the blank inside fold. Neverthele, power pop fans owe it to themselves to seek out Artful Dodger, if only for "Wayside." .

via Last.fm

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