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Possibly the most difficult to describe of any vaguely conventional rockband of the late 70s / early 80s, Doll By Doll were clearly informed by punk, but flitted with power pop, heavy rock, ethereal balladry, and much more. Reviews reference a crazy collection of disparate acts: Chuck Berry, Thin Lizzy, the Cocteau Twins, Van Morrison, the Clash, Fairport Convention, Quicksilver Messenger Service . . ! I've seen their records for years - sometimes alongside records from the fringe edge of postpunk, sometimes tucked behind a stack of Van Halen ones. They toured with Hawkwind and Devo in the same year, released four albums of varying quality and unlike many bands of the era interested in politics and social messages, leader Jackie Leven's lyrics dealt largely with mental health issues. For the most part, their catalog hasn't been on CD until now.
Rhino UK has issued all four albums, with great liner notes from journalists and Leven himself. Three of the four CD reissues, "Remember," "Gypsy Blood" and "Doll By Doll" contain a bonus track and are selling at Amazon for $3.66 - $3.67 each. Their fourth album, "Grand Passion," is really a solo effort by Jackie Leven, and it's selling for $4.97. Although it lacks a bonus track and is generally regarded as the weakest effort under the Doll By Doll name, it's still got some fine moments.
These are 2007 reissues - I've got no idea why they're selling for almost nothing, but here's your chance to pick 'em up for cheap. I suspect they truly are a forgotten band and they're simply not selling (their list prices are, according to Amazon, $15.98 to $18.98.)
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