Jules And The Polar Bears

After the demise of <a href="spotify:artist:6S2NIwK1AryggExTQ4CyBu">the Funky Kings</a>, singer/songwriter <a href="spotify:artist:1NEZJBSrARPOusiStgoIQ9">Jules Shear</a> formed his own band consisting of <a href="spotify:artist:1PNOAWuRRAfd7MTaFzE5Ae">Stephen Hague</a> (keyboards and, later, a noted producer), Richard Bredice (guitar), <a href="spotify:artist:4sQ7XS59ZQebv14J404ZSn">David White</a> (bass), and David Beebe (drums). They were signed to Columbia Records in 1978 solely on the basis of <a href="spotify:artist:1NEZJBSrARPOusiStgoIQ9">Shear</a>'s demos -- at the time, the band had never played live together. They recorded their first LP, Got No Breeding, in 1978, which quickly found critical acclaim, drawing favorable comparisons to <a href="spotify:artist:5lkiCO9UQ8B23dZ1o0UV4m">Jackson Browne</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1SQRv42e4PjEYfPhS0Tk9E">the Kinks</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:74ASZWbe4lXaubB36ztrGX">Bob Dylan</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3eqjTLE0HfPfh78zjh6TqT">Bruce Springsteen</a>. Unfortunately, it failed to sell when Columbia tried to lump the band in with its new wave promotion. 1979's Fenetiks, another fine effort, went virtually unnoticed as well. A third LP, Bad for Business, was recorded, but Columbia decided to pass on it and the band folded. <a href="spotify:artist:1NEZJBSrARPOusiStgoIQ9">Shear</a> moved on to a distinguished, though commercially unsuccessful, solo career, and <a href="spotify:artist:1PNOAWuRRAfd7MTaFzE5Ae">Hague</a> focused on production. The albums, especially Got No Breeding, remain cult favorites. Bad for Business was finally released in late 1996 by Columbia/Legacy. ~ Chris Woodstra, Rovi