Search - Jules & Polar Bears :: Bad for Business

Die Hard Fans Will Never Forget

S. Boul | Jamestown, NC United States | 07/25/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One of the greatest disappointments in my many years of music fandom was the break-up of this band. Just now I was trying to find an adjective that adequately embodies the power of this music but I am at a complete loss. Columbia Records' lack of faith is what broke them up. They refused to release this LP/CD. What a loss to all of us!



Jules' work with the Polar Bears was like the best of beat poetry set to really catchy pop tunes. The eccentricities only added to the allure. Seldom does one encounter such clever twists of a phrase or such vivid depictions of human emotions. You can really "feel" it.



The only things missing from this CD are some great live cuts like You Can't Stop It. In Love with the Ballet and Only a Motion were a bit richer in their live forms than they are here but they still shine.



It has been nearly a quarter of a century (OMG!) since the demise of the Polar Bears and I still haven't gotten over it. (Few things are worse than showing up at the Starwood in Hollywood looking forward to a Jules & the Polar Bears gig only to find they've bailed and been replaced by the Circle Jerks and their posturing mobs.)



The recorded works were incredible and the high energy live performances were out of this world! I recommend that anyone who has any interest at all in thought provoking, entertaining, inspired music go out and scare up every recorded work of the Polar Bears - even if you have to resort to vinyl!"

"It's A Shame", indeed.

tonyscam | Fort Worth, Texas United States | 09/20/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Oh, what could have been! The two previous J&tPB albums are staggeringly good, five-star-plus . . . and this album clearly HAD the potential to get that good. You can hear it in every track -- great melodies, a snatch of lyrical brilliance, sweet vocal tones, juicy guitar -- but there's a lack of direction which ultimately frustrates the listener. A lack of discipline, as well. The aggressive intros of "Ballet" and "Over And Over" go on far too long -- the point is made; I WAS interested five seconds ago. Some songs seem to disappear, or end abruptly. As another reviewer noted, the arrangements are highly cluttered -- it's as if they knew this was their last album, and wanted to fit a career's worth of ideas on it.Finally -- as blasphemous as it feels to say so -- Jules errs in his songwriting more than once. The band's failing career must have influenced the dreary "All Day Moods" and "When the World Looks Old". Unfortunately, there's no great insight to these songs; they merely pass the depression from artist to listener. Meanwhile, "Why Fight" is tonally obnoxious and lyrically vapid. The titles of the last two songs exemplify the redundancy and confusion in this album.On the other hand, perfection is reached with "Only A Motion". Flute-like harmonies, a soulful lead, a slow and jazzy guitar solo, heart-rendering lyrics, and THE MOST GORGEOUS tom-tom fills since the early Cars albums! Also, "Problems" and "Waiting" feature infectious, unforgettable melodies, and the heavy-rock riffs of "Shame" and "Over and Over" will appeal to many. A fair enough return on your investment -- but "fair enough" was never the aspiration, now, was it?While there's no problem with sound quality, what is sorely lacking here is a sympathetic producer, a guiding hand who could have influenced Jules and company to refine their ideas further. According to the liner notes, the band wanted the album this way. Artists shouldn't necessarily get everything they want."

It's so refreshing to find Jules & PB on CD.

S. Boul | 02/11/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Jules Shear is a genius. His distinctive vocals backed by the strong rock beat of the Polar Bears make this CD very enjoyable. Although not nearly as refined and sharp as "Phonetics", my personal favorite but unavailable on CD, this set brings back that rare J & PB sound unparalleled in the industry."