Doug and the Slugs are a Canadian pop music group formed in 1977 in Vancouver, founded by Toronto-born Doug Bennett.
One of only three albums by Vancouver, British Columbia's Doug and the Slugs to manage a U.S. release, 1980s “Cognac and Bologna” is a textbook example of new wave bandwagon jumping, but it's not bad for all that. The Slugs were a fairly standard R&B-influenced pop/rock bar band in the tradition of, say, Huey Lewis and the News, but a little image tweaking and some relatively hip graphics made the group seem like they were a little more daring than they really were. As one can tell from the band name and album title, Doug and the Slugs were wacky. One might even go so far as to say they were zany. This album's minor hit, "Too Bad" (which was used almost two decades later as the theme of fellow Canuck Norm McDonald's short-lived sitcom), is both of the two, right up until the oddly out-of-character violence of the last verse (which was edited out of the single). The rest of the album continues along those lines, mixing the silly and serious to a jumpy brand of rock & roll that has echoes of Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello, and Graham Parker, although, of course, not as good as any of them. Still, the best songs, particularly "If I Fall" and "Just Another Case," have their own charms, and Doug Bennett's a pretty good singer, even though The Slugs' backing sounds fairly anonymous throughout.
One of only three albums by Vancouver, British Columbia's Doug and the Slugs to manage a U.S. release, 1980s “Cognac and Bologna” is a textbook example of new wave bandwagon jumping, but it's not bad for all that. The Slugs were a fairly standard R&B-influenced pop/rock bar band in the tradition of, say, Huey Lewis and the News, but a little image tweaking and some relatively hip graphics made the group seem like they were a little more daring than they really were. As one can tell from the band name and album title, Doug and the Slugs were wacky. One might even go so far as to say they were zany. This album's minor hit, "Too Bad" (which was used almost two decades later as the theme of fellow Canuck Norm McDonald's short-lived sitcom), is both of the two, right up until the oddly out-of-character violence of the last verse (which was edited out of the single). The rest of the album continues along those lines, mixing the silly and serious to a jumpy brand of rock & roll that has echoes of Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello, and Graham Parker, although, of course, not as good as any of them. Still, the best songs, particularly "If I Fall" and "Just Another Case," have their own charms, and Doug Bennett's a pretty good singer, even though The Slugs' backing sounds fairly anonymous throughout.
Track listing
01. To Be Laughing - 3:13
02. Just Another Case - 2:49
03. Soldier Of Fortune - 4:34
04. Too Bad - 3:39
05. Advice To A Friend - 3:26
06. Stay With Me - 3:00
07. Chinatown Calculation - 3:42
08. Thunder Makes The Noise - 3:34
09. Drifting Away - 3:59
10. If I Fail - 3:34
11. Tropical Rainstorm - 6:24
Credits
Bass – Steve Bosley
Drums – John "Wally" Watson
Guitar – John Burton, Richard Baker
Keyboards – Simon Kendall
Lead Vocals, Guitar – Doug Bennett
Producer – Doug And The Slugs
Written-By – Doug Bennett
Notes
Genre: Pop, Rock
Length: 41:45
Label: RCA Victor
© 1981
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