The Dentists (****)

The Dentists
Dressed (Homestead, 1992)

Thanks go to Michael Yockel for turning me on to his great jingly-jangly Britpop group. I had burned Michael a copy of a CD by Martin Newell (of Cleaners From Venus fame) and he said if I liked that melodic pop sound, I'd love The Dentists. He was right. This 22-track "best of" complilation is virtually flawless as it presents their trademark "Anglo Jangle Pop" sound that borders on the Twee. It includes their debut single from 1985, "Strawberries Are Growing In My Garden (And It's Wintertime)," which has appeared on Rhino's Children of Nuggets compilation, and my personal fave, "I Had An Excellent Dream." Their first album was called Some People are on the Pitch They Think It's All Over It Is Now, which refers to a sports announcer's commentary after England won the 1966 World Cup.

According to Wikipedia, The Dentists were an indie/pop band from the Medway towns in England who were active from 1984 to 1995. The band's permanent members were Mick Murphy (lead vocals), Bob Collins (guitar) and Mark Matthews (bass). The band also had three different drummers: Ian Smith (1984-1986), Alun Jones (1986-1991) and Rob Grigg (1991-1995). All members participated in writing songs.

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