The Mydolls were a Houston band that played shows, did a few tours, and put out some records between 1978 and 1986. On the face of it, they’re an unlikely candidate for a career retrospective, lacking a ‘regional hit’ and not even putting out a full length record – which is perhaps why A World of Her Own, as both a time capsule and a free-standing collection of music is so remarkable. By all rights, it shouldn’t exist at all. Yet here it is, lovingly released by Glendale, California-based Grand Theft Audio; 56 released, demo and live tracks from a band that most of us have never heard of, but maybe should have.
Like many folks, we tend to divide listen-able music from this era into two camps using the Urgh! dichotomy – everything is either punk or New Wave. Somehow, we got it into our heads that the Mydolls (note the pun) had pitched their Coleman tent in the camp spot of the former. Yet, while they might not be sleeping on that side of the recycled rail tie, they surely stopped over to roast a smores on the side of the fire where safety pins were more plentiful. In other words, Mydolls aren’t the lilly-livered , skinny tied denizens of New Wave pop that Jello Biafra railed against in the Dead Kennedys’ Urgh! outing. Stylistically, you could say they’re among the first of the post-punk bands, tapping into many of the same underground currents as contemporaries like The B-52s (“Nova Grows Up”), Joy Division (“Parallel”) and Wire (“The/rapist”).
We think it’d be wrong to call them derivative of any of these bands (remember the time frame, after all – it’s not like they had access to these bands’ pre-released recordings on MySpace or something), more like swept up in the same era, which is why you can hear the same fashion, books and responses to politics that gave rise to outfits like Gang of Four and Au Pairs (“Imposter”) or U2 and The Chamelions (“As Strange as Mine”). You get the idea. The songs are frequently political, and if the husky, forceful (though at times gentle) and occasionally vibrato-tinged vocals aren’t enough to remind you that you’re listening to a band fronted by three women, the lyrics will.
Clocking in at almost 2 ½ hours, it’s not really the sort of record that one tackles in a single sitting, but we’re glad this is all here. Considering that only 12 of the 56 tracks ever saw the black of vinyl, the inclusion of so many demos and live tracks is anything but superfluous (indeed – there are only a very few instances of multiple versions of any one song – this truly is the result of some dedicated archival work). A World of Her Own is presented in a curated order, with recordings grouped together by release or show or session, and not chronologically. It makes it a solid listen throughout and avoids the second disc curse that plague far too many completest sets.
The liner notes have an extensive, literally break-less, interview with the band with photos and flyers for venues long passed (Showbar, Midtown live). There is a distinct Houstoness throughout, and references to people and things that aren’t that unfamiliar: a practice space upstairs from Rudyards; opening up for The Hates at the Pride Parade; playing shows with the Butthole Surfers; having a track on a Sub Pop comp cassette; meeting a nice man named John Lomax.
As an artifact, it also begs some of the same questions that folks in town often muse about. Just why is it that, even here in town, few have ever heard of this band? Why is it that Wall of Voodoo is still making a living off of “Mexican Radio”, and Mydolls at most got a few free Michelobes for songs like “Underage?” How could a band clearly so talented and in their stride until the end (judging from the demos recorded at the end of their career) not even put out a full length record? Was, even then, Houston still a terrible backwater in the minds of A&R scouts and national music writers?
But on the other hand, maybe this is all the band really ever wanted. Maybe, like Galaxie 500, it was their dream only to find their own 7” in the used bin one day. Maybe the three tours and the guerrilla appearance on the John Peel radio show was enough. Whatever the case, we should most assuredly not judge the Mydolls by what they did not accomplish. Listening to these tracks, its clear that the accomplished the most important thing – making some great music that holds up almost thirty years later. To everyone playing in bands today, we wish you equal success. Recommended.