The Rubettes--the sequined dumpster demi-gods of glam pop.

Originally Published on RateYourMusic.com

(September 21, 2013)

                   Sugar Baby Love/You Could Have Told Me (45) 4 of 5

 The Rubettes emerged from the studio assemblage of Polydor's Wayne Bickerton and Tony Waddington as the featherweight end of the glam rock spectrum, more or less, began to lapse into half-hearted revivals of fifties doo-wop trappings. Outfitted in the standard mid-seventies bubblegum attire of solid leisure suits, popped collars, and cloth caps, the Rubettes took Europe by storm with a surge of hit singles, spear-headed by 'Sugar Baby Love.'

 The absence of any meaningful lyrical substance, along with lead vocalist, Paul Da Vinci's garish falsetto will gorge the sweet tooth of many a Chinn-Chapman customer. Perhaps, closer in style to Mud than Sweet, the Rubettes hatched a pure gem that gushes with delectable, artificially-sweetened pop, that had more than a hand in molding the sound and style of the Ramones punk rock junk shop methodology.

 The B-side 'You Could Have Told Me', is akin to slow, lukewarm molasses and pales in comparison to the former. Needless to say, the three minutes of glitter-spangled, orchestral fluff from the side A is required listening for all students of seventies trash culture. If your taste lies at the crossroads of Toho-tastic Bolan bumps and Abba-esque dancing queens, don't pass on this!