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." Below is the blurb from Shake Some Action:
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.
I totally concur. A slightly lower bitrate version of Tell America, as well as a clutch of other Fools Face albums may still be available here.
01. American Guilt
02. Maiden U.S.A.
03. Whatever
04. Land of the Hunted
05. Stand Up
06. Behind Bars
07. Telephone Time
08. L5
09. (Gotta Get) A Letter To You
10. Won't Make it Hard
11. Valentine
12. Bop Man
13. Nothing to Say
14. The Truth
12 comments:
Thanks for posting this. The more Fools Face that's available the better!
Wow! I had forgotten all about this band, but seeing their name again stirred a memory; it took a few minutes to remember that I used to hear "Public Places" on the radio (probably WHFS). I love that song. I've grabbed it from the site you linked to. THANK YOU!!!
Hello, any chance to listen to this by reupload ? Thank you.
Great great blog.
Thanks a ton!
I saw them in college in Carbondale, IL. I believe that I STILL own "Tell America" on vinyl! :-)
Can you re-up this?
Thanks.
request for a re-up of this! Thank you.
Please...
Re-Up.
Nevermind... Found it !!
The link is dead. Can you please re-upload this? Thanks so much in advance!!
Interesting(w/ the overlook comment). I'll have to ask John(Borack) about this one, it's my personal favorite FF album and would be in my personal own Top 200, like Top 100. Me? Well, I was the publisher and mid-wifed the SSA books, both volumes I think are the absolute best, most important printed works for any even moderately passionate power pop fan.
That said, Borack including the reunion album, "Fools Face" is a savvy, smart inclusion because it was somewhat overlooked at the time - and is a flat-out winner of an album.
Well, I *think* it still is. I was cajoled into selling my personal copy of this one over 15 years ago(like a dummy), thinking I'd find another copy again(after all, my distribution company sold oodles of them when it came out).
Bad thinking. I've been looking for it ever since. BUT, I stand by Borack's inclusion of it in a Top 200, even though I've not heard it in 15 years. ;-P
Hopefully, someone will connect with you and it will end up on this very, very vital and awesome work you do here.
Thankfully, digital versions of the original LP exist out there in the vastness of the 'interwebs' !!
I am so glad I was able to hunt one down a couple of months ago.
So cool to listen to this KY-102 Homegrown album entrant !!
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