Trocadero

A revivalist band like Showaddywaddy is, almost by definition, not one that's going to show much growth or change over the course of their albums. So their third LP was in the same style that had brought them success over two prior albums and a bunch of hit mid-'70s British singles: homages to pseudo pre-Beatles rock & roll styles, including doo wop, Buddy Holly, and rockabilly, with a bit of glam thunder and a knowing nostalgic air. Was it on the level of its inspirations? Of course not, but it was reassuringly catchy for their audience, though that audience shrank for the third album, which stopped just outside the British Top 40. Nine of the 12 songs are originals, including the small hit title track, padded out by covers of Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent, and Chuck Berry. The Gary Glitter-like football chants are most prominent in "Lookin' Back"; '70s pop balladry asserts itself in "Paint Your Picture"; the Buddy Holly imitation gets slavish on "Heavenly"; and "Sweet and Innocent You," another Holly-esque ditty, is spiced with corny early-'60s type pizzicato strings. The 2002 CD reissue on 7T's adds three bonus tracks: "Teenage Love Affair" (the B-side of "Trocadero"), the number one single "Under the Moon of Love," and the single "Lucy Jane." (As the liner notes explain with refreshing frankness, "Due to a mix up with master tapes, the wrong version of "'Lucy Jane'" was featured on the Bell Singles Collection CD. 7T's records would like to apologize for this and have included the correct single version on this release as a bonus cut.")