In this age of everything ever created being available at one's fingertips, it's still a treat when a beloved record gets a deluxe reissue, even more so when the band's collected works are almost impossible to find and/or afford. So, hurray for Dolly Mixture and Everything And More. (OK, it is neither "everything" or "more" but it's more than has ever been available apart from crappy multi-generation tape dubs or internetted vinyl MP3 captures.)
In 1979, it wasn't terribly unusual for three girls to form a band, but it was uncommon to channel punk energy through a 60's pop style. Imagine a DIY Shangri-Las with more sass and (only slightly) less polish. And so, Dolly Mixture almost immediately floated between the tones of the time and pop classicism. That probably contributed to enthusiastic but small crowds at gigs - and to the absolutely miserable efforts of getting records out.
The band never put out a proper album and only managed four 45s (on three labels!) over five years. Perversely, they can boast a UK #1 single as the more-than-just-backing singers on Captain Sensible's wacko cover of "Happy Talk" (from South Pacific! - and try telling me they don't look absolutely adorable with him on Top Of The Pops) - as well as another big hit on the Captain's follow-up, "Wot." (As big aficionados of weird 80's pop, that meant I was a big fan of the Dollies long before I honestly knew anything about their own great work.)
Maybe those up-and-mostly-downs took the pure pop rush of How Come You're Such A Hit With The Boys, Jane? into increasing wistfulness as heard on Shonay Shonay but it might have simply been the maturation of the band from crushes to heartache too. Treasures like Everything And More simply reinforce Dolly Mixture's place in the pop echelon.
As the band began to wind down, they took matters into their own hands and released Demonstration Tapes, a compilation of almost everything they'd recorded to date. This long MIA record makes up the first disc of the reissue and packs in 27 fantastic pop songs. The rest of the package includes the major label singles, a handful of pre-break-up songs, and live tracks. Disc One alone makes for essential listening but the icing on the cake is the amazing Been Teen, a much bootlegged gem that finally saw the digital light of day. And if you take a gander at this crummy video footage, you'll realize just what a holy grail that a clean copy of Been Teen is! The hefty booklet relates the bittersweet tale of this unjustly overlooked band. Go and get this, pop kids!
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