Originally called Brat, Artful Dodger was formed in 1973 in Fairfax, Virginia, out of the remains of two local bands, Homestead and Badge. Creatively, the key members were Gary Herrewig (guitar) and Billy Paliselli (vocals), who wrote most of the songs as a team, and Gary Cox (guitar and vocals), who also wrote songs (usually by himself). Steve Cooper (bass) and Steve Brigida (drums) were an outstanding rhythm section; Brigida, in particular, was an ideal foil for the band's songs, combining the steady timekeeping of Charlie Watts with the flash of Keith Moon. The group's first release was a self-produced single, "Not Quite Right" (which never made it to LP) backed with "Long Time Away" (rerecorded later for their first album). Armed with this impressive 45, Brat relocated to the Big Apple and, with help from the New York Dolls' management, signed to CBS Records. After choosing a new name (another Brat had prior claim), Artful Dodger released their self-titled debut in 1975.

Produced with a refreshing lack of clutter by Jack Douglas, Artful Dodger was a near-masterpiece that combined the best aspects of hard rock and Beatles-derived pop. "Wayside" (thanks to its inclusion on some latter-day compilations), has become the acknowledged classic, but the rest of the album, particularly the explosive "Think Think" and Cox's ballad, "Silver & Gold," is outstanding. Reportedly, the label's choice of the latter song as the album's lead single (not to mention a stunning lack of sales) was the beginning of a rift between Cox and the rest of the band. This didn't seem to make much of a difference, however, on the next album, Honor Among Thieves, which expanded upon the band's mastery of classic pop with a harder edge and more accomplished performances. Coproduced by Douglas and Eddie Leonetti, it lacked a stunner on the level of "Wayside" (though "Scream" comes close); if anything, though, Honor Among Thieves was better than its predecessor.

Once again, however, the record failed to sell. The press was supportive and the band toured relentlessly, but to no avail. They even did a stint during the summer of 1976 opening for Kiss. Jack Douglas was an associate of Bob Ezrin, Kiss' producer, and one imagines that this connection got Artful Dodger the gig. But, it's hard to imagine a more incongruous pairing - Jimi Hendrix opening for the Monkees (really happened, 1967) comes to mind - and it probably did the band as much harm as good. By the release of Babes On Broadway (1977), the strain of the band's experiences in the star-making machinery (including writing and recording three albums in three years) began to show. Produced exclusively by Eddie Leonetti, highlights on Babes On Broadway are fewer and farther between, with "Can't Stop Pretending" standing out as the pick-to-click. It didn't click, of course, and Artful Dodger found themselves back on the street sans management, record deal, and founding member Gary Cox.

Happily, the band regrouped with piano/guitar whiz Peter Bonta stepping in for guitarist Cox, and they signed to Ariola Records in 1980. The intervening three years had been eventful ones for rock music - punk happened, and power pop coalesced into an identifiable, coherent sound. On their first and only Ariola release (and their last overall), Artful Dodger is perhaps guilty of a self-conscious attempt to jump on the very bandwagon they helped create. The redeeming factor is, they succeeded magnificently.

Rave On is an unqualified (if unheralded) power pop classic, contrasting starkly with Babes On Broadway in that highlights are difficult to isolate among a record so consistently fine. Certainly, however, "She's Just My Baby" warrants mention as an absolutely perfect pop single; Rave On, in fact, stands toe-to-toe with albums as great (and famous) as the Raspberries' Fresh and Badfinger's Straight Up. Artful Dodger plays as if they had something to prove (they didn't) and as if their life depended on it (it did), and their energy fairly leaps from the grooves.

Everything, including continued praise from the critics, seemed to point towards success at long last, but it was not to be. In a marketplace cluttered with skinny-tied popsters (and posers), Artful Dodger had become just one more band for the industry to toss against the wall of public taste, hoping they'd stick. While the Knack were selling millions, Artful Dodger were disintegrating after a final tour (see photos from that tour courtesy of reader Ray Nimrichter).

Billy Paliselli, whose raspy, impassioned vocals and pretty boy looks were key to the band's appeal, left to spend more time with his family; in 1982, a dispirited Artful Dodger broke up. In the early 90's, they played some reunion shows in Cleveland (where they still get airplay), but the reunion didn't take, and not much has come of the band since.

On CD, collecting Artful Dodger proved a frustrating exercise for many years. Sony briefly issued Honor Among Thieves on CD in the early 90's, and, supposedly, both Artful Dodger and Honor Among Thieves were reissued on CD by indie Pendulum records in 1997 - but I never saw them, and I worked in the record industry for over a decade! In 2008, the little American Beat label reissued Honor Among Thieves again, raising hopes that Artful Dodger's other albums might be in the works.

It was not to be. Then nearly a decade later, another indie, Real Gone Music, reissued Artful Dodger's first three albums as one package called The Complete Columbia Recordings (2017), including a couple of rare single mixes and detailed liner notes. It was truly a godsend, even if the group's masterpiece, Rave On, was not included - a strange omission, considering that the Columbia and Ariola masters were, by then, both owned by the same corporate behemoth, Sony. Regardless, I cannot recommend too highly hunting down these wonderful albums - on vinyl or CD - whatever it takes.

Consumer's Note: Artful Dodger is not to be confused with the identically named U.K. garage-house artist, circa 2000. Many websites - including Amazon - do exactly that, attributing the works of one to the other. The albums listed below are the only ones Artful Dodger - the power pop band - ever released. [top of page]