Fabulous Poodles - Think Pink (1979)

Think Pink has a lot more pizzazz than Mirror Stars, the first American release by the Fabulous Poodles, and while the Fab Poos have plenty of charm, they still don't mange to transcend their influences most of the time. The opener, "Man with Money," is a cover of an Everly Brothers tune that was a British hit, and to their credit, the Poos reinvent it as a new wave meets country rock thang with Bobby Valentino's fiddle adding a bit of classical music flair to the arrangement. "Bionic Man" is a thumping new wave dance-rock rave-up, while "Any Port in a Storm" blends neo-doo wop and '60s pop with a world-weary lyric worthy of Ray Davies. A galloping B- movie beat and the restraint to avoid using twangy guitar clichés make "Cossack Cowboy" one of the album's more unique tracks. Valentino's Gypsy fiddling adds some inventive solos. The rockabilly of "Anna Rexia" has a bit of snide social commentary in the lyric; "You Wouldn't Listen" is another Brill Building send-up, this time as it might have sounded if recorded by the Johnny Cash band fronted by Bobby Vinton; and "Pink City Twist" is a throwaway instrumental with heavy breathing and coy female vocals adding to its vaguely sleazy vibe. The set ends with "Vampire Rock," an attempt to cut an over the top tune that isn't campy enough to be a good joke or scary enough to be taken seriously, although Tony DeMeur does contribute a searing, distorted guitar solo. When Think Pink tanked, the band quietly splintered. After the Poos broke up, their manager refused to let them continue playing under their Christian names for a while. DeMeur became Ronnie Golden and worked as a standup comedian. His latest band is Ronnie & the Rex. He's also a writer for BBC Radio. Bobby Valentino co-wrote the Bluebells' number one hit "Young at Heart" in 1993, played American country music with the Hank Wangford Band, and became a well-known session player, working with Tom Petty, Alabama 3, Billy Bragg, Paul Weller, and Shania Twain. He often plays with Mark Knopfler's touring band, and his sister is composer, arranger, and conductor Anne Dudley. Richie Robinson joined Barrence Whitfield & the Savages and Bryn Burrows came full circle to join DeMeur in Ronnie & the Rex. Think Pink was reissued in 2009 as a two-fer with Mirror Stars by American Beat, a division of Collectors' Choice.