MOG

(Twelfth in a series)

Since 2001, Jules Shears' career seems to be in a low gear. When each of the last 4 solo CDs were issued, Jules made perhaps a half-dozen appearances in small venues (luckily enough, usually including Philly), most of them close to his home in Woodstock.

He once made the comment that he would like to have a record deal that would enable him to release a new CD once a year, as that would keep up with his songwriting output. Contradicting this statement is his 2002 release "Saying Hello To The Folks"

This was an album of cover songs, the only one he's ever done. In it, he covers mostly songs from the 1950s and 1960s, originally done by artists like Roger Miller, The Dave Clark Five, Procol Harum, Todd Rundgren and others. I enjoy it, there are some nice versions on it, but it seems like a waste of his songwriting talents. My favorite off of the album can be found in the Comments section. It's a song written by Brian Wilson (songwriting giant behind the Beach Boys) and originally recorded by Glen Campbell in a Wilson-produced single called "Guess I'm Dumb". This gem was hard to come by until a compilation of his non-Beach Boys studio work came out a few years ago:

Anyway, from the cover shot to the covers, the album seems very casual and, for fans waiting for more original material, a disappointment.

Jules returned to his own songs on his latest release, "Dreams Don't Count", which was released in 2006:

This album has an unusual origin in that it was released by a label composed of students and faculty of Drexel University, here in Philadelphia. On their website at http://www.drexel.edu/maddragonrecords/ you can get more of the story of the label, which apparently began in 2003, although 2007 activity seems to be rather slim. Jules was the biggest star that they signed, which gives you an idea as to their size and clout within the industry. Still, any label that issues his CDs deserves kudos.

The album itself is very low-key, acoustic with Jules' guitar, some strings and harmonies and not much else. There are no rockers on it, and it takes a languid reflective trip through his psyche. Here's the title track and one of my favorites:

Another track, "You Anymore" can be found within Comments.

So, what's new? A friend spoke to Jules recently who said a reunion of Jules and The Polar Bears may be in the offing. He was contacted by the old band members, has written Polar-Bearish songs and is a little frustrated regarding how long it is taking to come together. I, for one, would love to see it. Having a full band behind him again would add some energy to what has become pretty low-key output over the last decade. And there would also be a chance to see him perform live with a band, something he hasn't done for a long, long time and something I have never seen.

So, class, that takes us up to the current day. I hope you've been taking notes, as there may be a "pop" quiz. But, I have one more installment to do, which will cover three of my favorite Jules Shear songs that he gave away and never recorded himself.

Until then...