Quick

Earle Mankey worked with Sparks and the Dickies, and the type of understanding necessary to translate sounds from those experimental groups is a plus on Mondo Deco, from the original Quick. As with the other major Kim Fowley and Mankey discovery, the Runaways, this band was released on Mercury in 1976, and it is one of the best examples of fun new wave to escape unscathed from all the hype. Unfortunately, it failed to sell in big numbers, but the album is terrific, a real underground gem. Guitarist Steven Hufsteter writes impressive and energetic pop; "Hillary" and "No No Girl" are two excellent examples. The Runaways should have cut "Anybody" -- it could have been their breakout hit. With its tight bassline and perfect hollow underground rock drums, Mondo Deco has lots of treats hidden among its ten tunes. Vocalist Danny Wilde sounds like a hybrid of Nick Gilder and the Sweet, and this music should have been all over the radio. Where the New York Dolls and the Runaways had limitations inherent in their concepts (notice how quickly Joan Jett rose up the charts once she figured that out), the Quick have all the elements that should have opened doors denied to the comical blitz of the Dickies and the quirky insanity of Sparks. What Mankey did to the Pop on Arista was unforgivable -- he mutated them beyond recognition, homogenizing the best elements of what didn't need modification. The Quick, on the other hand, strike that balance missing from other bands, something that would deny the Dickies, for example, airplay on Top 40. The cover of the Four Seasons' "Rag Doll" is fun, but it is their rendition of the Beatles' "It Won't Be Long," which leads off the album, that should have been a number one smash. The cover photo of the five bandmembers eating ice cream cones is a bit too contrived, but the back-cover image of a youthful underground Raspberries works. This is Eric Carmen if he played alternative rock -- and it is one of Fowley's best moments next to his work with the Modern Lovers. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide