Fools Face ?Tell America SEALED LP private 1981 POWER POP CLASSIC the risk KBD
$
88
$ 88
Sold For
Oct 5, 2012
Sold Date
Sep 28, 2012
Start Date
$ 20
Start price
11
Number Of Bids
USA
Country Of Seller
eBay
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Description
Fools Face ?– Tell America LP [NEW AND SEALED] (Talk Records D2036)
Very rare 1981 LP from Power Pop band Fools Face. This copy is NEW AND FACTORY SEALED.From Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide by John M. Borack:
Fools Face, a stunning quintet based in Springfield, MO, was the most criminally-overlooked pop band to emerge in the '80s. They debuted in the late '70s with a single ("I Could Tell") and a so-so album (1979's Here to Observe), but hit the '80s running with 1981's Tell America, one of the finest albums that (seemingly) no one ever heard. Tell America includes the best break-up song ever, "Nothing to Say," which encompasses casual heartache (or heartlessness?) and a matter-of-fact recognition of the need to just move on.
This LP was issued on 1-1-81 and is so long out of print it's crazy rare.
Tracks are:
1. American Guilt 3:12
2. Maiden U.S.A 2:18
3. Whatever 3:04
4. Land Of The Hunted 3:18
5. Stand Up 2:44
6. Behind Bars 1:58
7. Telephone Time 3:23
1. L5 3:47
2. (Gotta Get) A Letter To You 3:00
3. Won't Make It Hard For You 3:04
4. Valentine 3:17
5. Bop Man 2:08
6. Nothing To Say 1:57
7. The Truth 2:00
Willfully Obscure says of Fools Face:
This little rekid got an honorable mention of sorts in the insta-classic, Not Lame-curated Shake Some Action book (2007) but didn't manage to eke it's way onto the Top 200 best power pop LP list included within (a 2002 reunion album did however make the grade at # 103). Perhaps it was the slight AOR bent Fools Face took on Tell America, their long out of print (and from what I can tell, exceedingly expensive) sophomore effort, that disqualified it. I don't have a physical copy myself, but was able to pin down a reasonably digital facsimile online. A quick listen to pretty much any cut here will likely compel you to conjure up such likenesses as Cheap Trick, Shoes, and perhaps even Eric Carmen. For a quick taste, head over to Little Hits and d/l the sublime and easily a perfect 10 "Won't Make It Hard For You."
Trouser Press says of Fools Face:
In its original skinny-tie incarnation, this raucous fivesome from Springfield, Missouri combined the rough-and-tumble appeal of an ace bar band with diverse pop songwriting talent. Everyone except drummer Tommy Dwyer wrote and sang, displaying the diverse influence of the Stones, Beatles, soft pop, Little Richard, Led Zeppelin and Bowie.
Here to Observe is an irrepressible low-budget debut that demonstrates how a band can get and hold a listener's attention (by expending nonstop energy). The even-better Tell America finds Fools Face overdue (and anxious) for major-label exposure, with enthusiasm now matched by sophisticated melodies, rich harmonies and razor-sharp musicianship. Highlights include keyboardist Dale McCoy's "American Guilt" and guitarist Jimmy Frink's "L5," a science-fiction fantasy.
Public Places is more of the same: a slick and sophisticated major-league-quality album of flawless high-voltage melodic rock still on the band's own label. But still no takers from the big leagues.
Recorded as a quartet (without guitarist Brian Coffman, off to join Single Bullet Theory), the so-called Red Tape is an untitled cassette-only album offered to fans, containing eight excellent new songs with a more aggressive rock sound underneath the same attractive pop melodicism.
Fools Face relocated to Los Angeles in late 1984 and later disbanded. Half the band eventually returned to the Midwest; the others stayed in California. Bassist Jim Wirt opened a recording studio and became a successful engineer and producer, working with Fiona Apple, the Plimsouls, Incubus and others.
Adding a delightful coda to the story, the original fivesome — looking solidly adult but none the worse for nearly two decades' wear in the upbeat insert photo — regrouped to write and record (in LA and MO) the self-titled album, which they issued in a limited edition at the start of 2002. Neither trendy nor nostalgic, Fools Face proffers 16 songs of beautifully sung and loudly played rock melodicism that glows with the evident pleasure of making music for all the right reasons.
From Pop Sike:
If the Beatles had survived into the 80’s with their dignity intact, they might’ve sounded like this. “American Guilt” even quotes the Fab Four: “When push comes to shove, all we need is love.” But all hippie sentimentality is confined solely to the lyrics – the music is pure unadulterated guitar pop, the purity of which you could ONLY find in the smack-dab middle of America – Springfield Missouri – where the disco electro nightclub and new romantic import scene hasn’t infiltrated. “Maiden USA” is not only a great title, but a stone-cold power pop new wave GEM, with a monster guitar riff that any of those fancy major label bands would’ve killed for. “Behind Bars” is a bouncy new wave dance tune at breakneck speed with paranoid nerd rock vocals that sound a lot like Devo (who were middle America too) and the herky jerky skittish rhythms of XTC (who were middle UK I guess). “Valentine” is a solid slice of Knack-alike pop, but with a much more paranoid and ominous undercurrent than anything the happy-go-lucky “My Sharona” boys could ever muster. And “L5” is perhaps the single GREATEST lost power pop hit of the 80’s, a breathtaking catchy slice of pounding power pop about space colonization that should have been a standout track on one of those Just Can’t Get Enough CDs. It wasn’t, of course, and despite this being one of the best pop albums of the decade, so few people have heard it today, and it ain’t even out on CD, those bastids. Tell America is not just a title, it’s a request. And with pop music in a more sorry state than ever today, it’s your civic duty. So go on, Tell America how great Fools Face was. Better late than never.
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Buyer pays shipping:
Media Mail To USA : $4.00
Priority Mail To The USA: $8.00 Air Mail To Canada : $7.50
Europe/Asia/UK/Australia/NZ: $13.25
I will ship internationally & I will provide proof of mailing but I cannot guarantee delivery overseas (Italy has been a problem for many sellers) unless the buyer elects to use international priority mailing (ask for details...coverage is limited). It is essential that you provide a clear and accurate address for mailing of a package. Domestic packages to the USA are sent with delivery tracking.
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Western Europe: $23.00
Asia : $22.00
Australia: $21.00
New Zealand: $19.50
On Sep-28-12 at 00:38:42 PDT, seller added the following information:
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