The Fools are a

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

rock band best known for the party atmosphere of their live performances and tongue-in-cheek original songs, covers and

parodies A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

History

Hailing from

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

, the band was previously named "The Rhythm A's", where future

Nervous Eaters The Nervous Eaters, one of Boston's first punk/ new wave bands forming in 1973, debuted in early 1977 with Steve Cataldo on vocals and guitar, Robb Skeen on bass, and Jeff Wilkinson on drums. They had used the name some years earlier, but had not p ...

' Steve Cataldo, Robb Skeen, and Jeff Wilkinson were joined by singer Mike Girard and guitarist Rich Bartlett. By 1976, Girard and Bartlett teamed up with Stacey Pedrick (guitar), Doug Forman (bass), and Chris Pedrick (drums), becoming The Fools. In 1979, the band released "Psycho Chicken", a parody of

The Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...

' "

Psycho Killer "Psycho Killer" is a song by the American band Talking Heads, released on their 1977 debut album '' Talking Heads: 77.'' The group first performed it as the Artistics in 1974. The band also recorded an acoustic version of the song featuring A ...

", and it was an immediate hit on

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

radio stations. ''Sold Out'' review,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Accessed on line December 6, 2007. The group followed it up with "It's a Night for Beautiful Girls," which peaked at #67 on the Billboard charts.

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

signed the band and sent them on a U.S. tour with

The Knack The Knack was an American rock band based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with its first single, "My Sharona", an international number-one hit in 1979. History Founding (1977–1978) Singer Doug Fieger was a native of Oak Park, Michigan, a no ...

.Great shows far and near
''Sentinel & Enterprise'' (Fitchburg, Massachusetts), July 24, 2003. Shortly after, they recorded their debut album, ''Sold Out''. In 1981, the band released their second album ''Heavy Mental'', which featured a cover of

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

's " Running Scared" that reached #50 on the Billboard Hot 100. That year, The Fools were the opening band for

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

on their ''Fair Warning'' tour. Shortly before being dropped by

, Chris Pedrick departed and was replaced by drummer Leo Black. Shortly after, Forman decided to leave, his void filled by bassist Joe Holaday. In 1985, The Fools released ''World Dance Party'' on the independent label PVC. Four of the album's songs - "World Dance Party", "Life Sucks...Then You Die", "She Makes Me Feel Big", and a remake of

Manfred Mann Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two differen ...

's "

Doo Wah Diddy "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" is a song written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich and originally recorded in 1963, as "Do-Wah-Diddy", by the American vocal group the Exciters. ''Cash Box'' described the Exciters' version as "a sparkling rocker that bubble ...

" - received considerable radio airplay throughout New England and the video for "Doo Wah Diddy" was shown extensively on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

. In 2003, after seven years of part-time duty, the band returned to a full schedule. Bassist Lou Spagnola had replaced Joe Holaday, who by then was working with the

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

tribute band Beatlejuice. Holaday does, however, continue to make occasional appearances with the band. In 2010, Mike Girard's book ''Psycho Chicken & Other Foolish Tales'' published by Sons of Liberty Publishers hit the stores, which outlined the sometimes hilarious history of the band. The band continues to tour today. In February 2012, Lou Spagnola left the band and was then replaced by Bassist Eric Adamson.

Discography

;Albums * ''Sold Out'',

EMI America EMI America Records was started in 1978 by EMI as a second US label next to Capitol Records. It absorbed Liberty Records in 1984. In the late 1980s, EMI America was consolidated with Manhattan Records to form EMI Manhattan Records, which later ...

, 1980 * ''First Annual Official Unofficial April Fools Day Live Bootleg'' (

Live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of albums ...

), EMI America, 1980 * ''Heavy Mental'', EMI America, 1981 * ''Out Of My Head'', Invasion Records, 1983 * ''World Dance Party'', PVC, 1985 * ''Wake Up It's Alive'' (Live), PVC, 1988 * ''Rated XXX'', Ouch Records, 1990 * ''World Dance Party Too'' (

Reissue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or Single (music), single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New aud ...

), Ouch Records, 1990 * ''Show 'Em You're Nuts'', Ouch Records, 1991 * ''Christmas Toons'', Ouch Records, 1992 * ''Wake Up It's Alive Again'' (Live/Reissue), Ouch Records, 1993 * ''Y2K'' ( EP), Ouch Records, 1999 * ''Coors Light Six Pack'' (Live), Ouch Records, 2000 * ''World Dance Party 2003'' (Re-reissue), Ouch Records, 2003 * ''The F in Beach Album'' (Live), Ouch Records, 2003 * ''10'', Ouch Records, 2007 * ''Lost And Found'', Discark (digital download), 2017 ;Video * ''World Dance Party'', Ouch Records, 2010 (filmed in 1985) ;Singles

References

External links

Official web site
*

The Fools The Fools are a Massachusetts rock band best known for the party atmosphere of their live performances and tongue-in-cheek original songs, cover version, covers and Parody#Music, parodies. History Hailing from Ipswich, Massachusetts, Ipswich ...

.
The Fools
at Lost bands Of The New Wave Era. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fools, The Musical groups established in 1975 Rock music groups from Massachusetts 1975 establishments in the United States