The Dodgers – 'Love on the Rebound'

 

The Dodgers – 'Love on the Rebound'

by Pete Clemons

The Dodgers formed during 1976 and were made up of Bob Jackson: Keyboard, guitar and vocals,

John Wilson: Guitar and vocals, Tom Evans: Bass and vocals and Dave Powell: Drums.

After a couple of singles for Island Records Dave Powell left to be replaced by Bob's friend from Coventry Paul Hooper.

1977 saw The Dodgers then leave Island Records and sign up to Polygram Records. Tom Evans was also replaced by Roger Lomas.

It was 1978 and the UK was still in the grip of the punk rock and new wave movement. The Dodgers then recorded and released their only album titled 'Love on the Rebound' which was released on the Polydor label. And this was how it was received:

Stunning and shocking is how the record company describes this album, which is in fact about as stunning as a day at Bognor and equally shocking.

From there name, one might assume The Dodgers to be the latest power pop outfit, but they're actually very middle of the road, practically radio 2 standard.

Although 'Love On The Rebound', a crass title for a start, is well produced the material is completely limp, with excess vocal harmonies and dreadful lyrics. 'Doesn't matter if the sun don't shine, you know I'll see you through. Doesn't matter if it's rain or fine, loving's all I want to do' – yeuch !!!.

Thirteen songs with more than a hint of commercialism appear and also a 'thrilling' instrumental at the end of the album. Inevitably titled 'Das Ende'. All so unoriginal, so uninspiring – In a word, boring.

The review summed up how things were back then, more of a personnel opinion. But Roger Lomas remembers the album very differently to that reviewer. 'It was packed with some really strong songs' he says. 'I personally felt though that producer Pat Moran, at Rockfield Studios, took the passion out of the album. Every mistake he kept stopping the tape and getting us to redo that part again. It got to the point where your concentration was more on your playing than adding feeling into it the music'.

Roger had not long began recording artists for himself and, as much as he admired Pat, felt that Pat handled things completely differently to the way he would have done. Roger is keen on hearing the bass and drums but Pat, particularly with the drums, tried to dampen them down too much.

Amongst their many live dates 1978 also saw The Dodgers tour as guests to Renaissance, in the process, playing some decent sized theatres. The same year also saw them perform as special guests of The Kinks at London's Hammersmith Odeon.

For The Dodgers it was possibly a case was right band wrong time. Some might be familiar with John Wilson's sister, Mari Wilson, who had chart success herself with 'Just What I Always Wanted' and recorded a stunning version of 'Cry Me a River'. Mari was particularly eyecatching as she sported, and revived, the beehive hair style.

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Additional material from the A to Z of Coventry bands.

The Dodgers c1976 - 78
Sources include Rex Brough / Hobo Magazine / Bob Jackson.
The Dodgers Library on the Badfinger site
http://badfinge.ipower.com/SoloBadfinger/Dodgers/DodgersLibrary.html


First line up John Wilson - guitar, bass, vocal Dave Powell drums / PCS Bob Jackson Vocals, keyboards, guitar Tom Evans Vocals / bass
Dave Powell left after the second single - replaced by Terry Williams and then Paul Hooper (Ex Indian Summer) on drums.
Tom Evans ( Ex Badfinger) was replaced by Roger Lomas (Ex Sorrows / The Eggy - later Two Tone Producer)
Final Line Up
John Wilson - guitar, bass, vocals
Bob Jackson, vocal, keyboards
Roger Lomas, bass, guitars, vocals
Paul Hooper, drums, percussion.


Singles Don't Let me Be Wrong (by John Wilson) b/w Get to You (Bob Jackson / Tom Evans) Island. 1976

Just want to Love You (John Wilson) b/w Don't know what you're doing (Bob Jackson) Island

Down (John Wilson) b/w Don't know what you're doing (Bob Jackson) Island

Love on the Rebound (John Wilson) b/w Come out Fighting (Bob Jackson / Paul Hooper) Polydor 1978

Anytime Bob Jackson / John Wilson) b/w Little Darlin' (Roger Lomas) Polydor 1978

Love on the Rebound

Don't let me be wrong

Just want to love you.

Rex Brough explains -
"This band were a post Badfinger venture for Tom Evans. Roger Lomas had played in the

Eggy and the Zips, and Bob Jackson and Paul Hooper, formerly with Indian Summer. who recorded albums and singles between 1977-79. Lomas went on to be a full-time record producer, initially working at Horizon Studios, Coventry run by Barry Thomas (which was demolished). Coventry bands that came under his spell include the Specials, the Selecter and the Reluctant Stereotypes, some members of whom became 80's bouffant hit-band, King."

After Indian Summer split up in 1971, after the release of their RCA Neon album named after the group, Coventry keyboard player and vocalist Bob Jackson (Wikipedia) went on to play with John Entwhistles band Ro Ro and then join Alan Ross in the band Ross - recording on the RSO label and then played in Pete Brown's Piblokto. By 1974 Bob had replaced Peter Ham in Badfinger (and was retained after Peter Ham withdrew his resignation). Badfinger disbanded following Ham's suicide in 1975. Jackson remained in contact with Badfinger's bassist Tom Evans, and the two joined "The Dodgers" in 1976. The Dodgers released a handful of singles and one album by 1977, the year Jackson was released by the band due to management disagreements.

It started as a demo session for John Wilson and Dave Powell but then Tom Evans and Bob Jackson harmonized very good with the other two musicians, so that they decided to form a band together. Dave Powell made the proposal to call the band the DODGERS. They selected two songs out of their sessions for the first single, which was released in March 1976. Another two songs were released in June as the second single of the DODGERS. Shortly after the release of the second single Dave Powell left the group.

Bob Jackson called his old friend Paul Hooper to join the DODGERS but as he was not immediately available, Terry Williams joined the group for some commitments in July. Now it was almost completely a Coventry band with the exception of John Wilson.

After a wrangle with the management over their behaviour - Bob Jackson was also fired and then Joined the Searchers as a guest musician - recording and touring with them. Currently Bob is with the reformed Fortunes. 

There was a radio interview on line by Steve Jones recorded in 1976 but the link doesn't work any more - It may turn up elsewhere if you want to search for it.