The Fabulous Poodles

The jokers in the post-pub rock pack, London's Fabulous Poodles lined up within the same bag of flamboyant pop as created Deaf School and the Kursaal Flyers, lighthearted enough to guarantee a great night out, but just a shade too esoteric to meet a major audience head-on. Formed as the Poodles in 1974, the band lined up as Tony DeMeur (vocals, guitar), Jon Bentley (bass), Bob Suffolk (keyboards), Bobby Valentino (violin, mandolin), and Gordon Coxon (drums), and the following year the band released a one-off single on the Private Stock label, "Chicago Boxcar." It sold poorly, and within the year Coxon, Bentley, and Suffolk had departed, to be replaced by a new rhythm section of Richie Robertson and Bryn Burrows.

The four-piece now underwent a name change to the Fabulous Poodles and, buoyed by considerable success on the London pub and club circuit, signed to Pye early in 1977. With the Who's John Entwistle producing, the band released its debut album, The Fabulous Poodles, that fall, accompanied by the single "When the Summer's Through." Two further albums, Unsuitable and Think Pink, followed over the next couple of years, as the band streamlined its sound toward a catchy new wave angle. They also garnered considerable support in the United States, but never quite mustered the strength to make the breakthrough they deserved. The band broke up in late 1979.