My introduction to the band, Doctor And The Medics, began when I got turned on to the British series, "Bring Back", starring Justin Lee Collins. The shows were one-off broadcasts, in which Collins would trek out across the globe to bring back stars of his favorite television shows, movies and musicians. The series as a whole is fantastic, and shows our host tracking down the stars of The A-Team, Dallas, Star Wars, Fame, Star Trek, and a handful more. Sadly, the show didn't last beyond eight episodes, with the last, "Bring Back The Goonies" being cancelled before production could begin.
In June of 2006, during the shows original run, there was one episode entitled, Bring Back The One Hit Wonders. It was here where Doctor And The Medics would hit my radar. They were a motley group of mates led by Clive Jackson, who served to, in his own words, "Entertain the great unwashed."
Forming in 1981, Doc and his Medics played mostly to the underground scene, mixing a style of neo-psychedelia, glam rock, new wave and pop rock. The band was signed to IRS records in 1985, and released their first EP, Happy But Twisted. The album was led by a cover of Hawkwind's Silver Machine, which reached number two on the indie charts.
Though lineup changes began early within the group, but ultimately landed on the classic lineup of The Doctor (vocals), Steve McGuire (guitar), Richard Searle (bass), Steve "Vom" Ritchie (drums), Wendi Anadin (vocals), and Colette Anadin (vocals). The end result of their efforts was their first full length album, 1986's Laughing At The Pieces.
In line with their previous EP, this new album was led by yet another cover, Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky. The single reached the number one spot on the UK charts, much to the outrage of the group's core fan base. The band followed this up with their 1987 album, I Keep Thinking It's Tuesday. Mildly successful, but not to the degree of their previous efforts. They would also release another EP this same year, Two Pieces of Cloth Carefully Stitched Together.
Though they would disappear for several years, Doctor And The Medics would return in 1992 for their third studio album, The Adventures of Boadacea and the Beetle, and then again in 1996 for Instant Heaven. However, shortly thereafter, the group would disband.
In 2003, the group would reunite to hit the tour scene. This would lead to a new EP in 2006, Timewarped. Many would stay on for the current iteration of the band which features, The Doctor (vocals), Adrian Hill (drums), Dan Angelow (guitar), Jon Randle (bass), Melissa Weekes (vocals), Matthew Angelow (guitar/performance artist), and Maria Verhelst-Hopkins (vocals/performance artist). No albums have been released since their 2006 entry.
Firing up their album, Laughing At The Pieces, I was greeted to a unique sound. Though it has an 80's vibe to it, there's also a hint of 60's psychedelic rock, and these two styles surprising work well together. Though the overall album is by no means a masterpiece, it is unique, and that in and of itself makes it rather enjoyable to hear.
Of the twelve tracks, I thoroughly enjoyed their renditions of Spirit In The Sky, and Waterloo (ABBA). The latter being a rather good cover. I also really enjoyed Moon Song, and think it may very well have been my favorite of the bunch.
I also know that three out of twelve isn't a very high percentage, and won't profess to say that this album is perfect by any means. Rather, as I said, it's unique, and there in lies its charm. Enough so that I actually tracked down their follow up album, I Keep Thinking It's Tuesday. As I've said many times before, that's always part of the goal in these Retro Spin posts. To find something that makes me want to hear more.
Whether or not that will pay off is yet to be seen, but stick around for that. I'm sure you'll see that post in the future from me. But it won't be any time soon.
In the interim, I highly recommend the television series noted at the start of this post. Fans of the 80's will definitely enjoy seeing their favorite casts and musicians reunited, as well as the interviews conducted individually with them. Though not official, you can find all the episodes on Youtube. Check them out!
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