The Dooleys — Full House /Secrets
The band were a mix of male & female singers, and they offered a fairly English sounding & variety show based mixture of: cheesy pop, disco, 70’s pop ballads, and a few darts into other pop related genres such as country, pop reggae, lite gospel & early synth pop.
The band had seven hit singles between 1977 & 1981; and these were mainly in the Uk & Irish charts (but they also had a some success in other countries too). And these took in :"Wanted", "Love of My Life", "The Chosen Few”, "A Rose Has to Die”, "Think I'm Gonna Fall in Love with You", "Love Patrol" & "Body Language"(both of which are featured here).
This reissue is a double disc affair, with each disc offering up an album & a selection of bonus tracks. Plus you also get a full colour sixteen page inlay booklet that takes in a new write-up about the albums, pictures of single covers & full album credits
First up on disc one we have “Full House” which originally appeared in October 1980 on GTO records. The release was the bands 3rd full length album; though only seven of the sixteen tracks were uniquely to this release, as the others had already featured on the bands second album 1979’s “Chosen Few”. But really unless your a hard-core fan, and are very familiar with the “Chosen Few” album this repeating of old tracks is of little relevance, as most of “Full House” is a consisent & varied early 1980’s pop ride. It moves from the throbbing synth pop camp-ness meets Abba vibe of “Love Patrol”, onto the quirkily swinging country/ gospel pop of “Opreator”. Over to the string swooned & female fronted 1970’s teen pop ballad of “You Bring Out The Best In Me”, through to the cheeky pop disco Noland like throb of “I spy”, onto the truly cheesy & mock tropical percussive tinged pop reggae vibe of “The Chosen Few”.
Extra wises this first disc features seven bonus tracks, and these take in three B sides in the form of “Once Upon a Happy Ending”, “Sign of the Times”, and “Going Solo”- which are all from 1980. Then we have two tracks from 1979’s compilation album “'Best of The Dooleys'”, and these are “"Stand Up Like a Man" & "Sad Old Spanish Guitar". Lastly in the bonus tracks we have a great extended version of their throbbing & bobbing electro disco single “Body Language”.
The second disc is taken up by the bands 4th album “Secrets”, and this appeared exactly a year later in October 1981 once again on GTO records. The original album featured twelve new tracks, and it spawned three singles in the shape of “"And I Wish"(which only reached no 52 in the uk chart), "The Dancer" (which failed to chart), & "Tokyo Feeling" -which was only released on the Japanese market. By all accounts the album was some what of a flop at the time, but for me it’s mostly a great fun ride, and a memorable 'n' varied record. We go from the early1980’s disco bump ‘n’ boogie of “I’m The Dancer”, which has great layered male & female vocals, and a great sort of cheesy tap dance & deep male vocal break down. To the dramatic vocal layering, bombastic pop, & swooping synth texturing “Love Me Love Me Do”. Onto the bizarre oriental melody meets jaunting & stomping bright 80’s pop of “Tokyo Feeling”, which was clear an attempt to try & break into the Eastern market. Though it’s not all great , “One Way Loving” steals & speeds-up the piano riff from Elvis Costello’s “Oliver’s Army” to create past-it's-sell-by-date 1970’s teen pop/rock track. And “Sooner Or Later” is rather a sub-Carpenters type plodding pop ballad, which just relies on rather bland chours rise & verse dip.
Extra wise this disc takes in eight tracks in all, and these take in non-album singles like the topical pop/ reggae meets jaunting mock new Orleans jazz vibe of "Taken at the Flood”. A selection of B sides in the shape of “Face in the Crowd” & "Danger Signs”. Another non-album single in the form of "Will You or Won't You", and three tracks from the Japanese & north Korea(!) only 1980 album “Pop Fantasia”( lets hope this gets a full re-release it it’s own right, as these three tracks are great & prime Dooley matter). And bizarrely a 12 inch version of “Love Patrol” which of course original appeared on the bands previously album “Full House”.
A few dodgy & less-successful tracks a side, this is a great reissue offering up two (mostly) consistent, rewarding & memorable albums of late 70’s to early 80’s pop. Plus you also get a selection of 15 rare tracks, that are often as good as the original album tracks. I’ve always had a soft spot for well-written, slightly cheesy, but memorable 70’s/ 80’s pop, and The Dooleys were certainly one of the most rewarding & dependable of this ilk .