Following on from the commercial (if not critical) success of the original Rock Follies TV series and soundtrack in 1976, the girls returned for a second series the following year, with the inevitable album trailing in its wake -- and a lot of voices rose up to wonder why they'd bothered. The appeal of Rock Follies the first time around was its sheer novelty -- forget the notion of three girls forming a rock band together, the idea that such a concept could make it onto prime time TV was simply earthshattering. And there were some great songs as well. It was harder to maintain that fission for series two, and while there were some excellent moments within the story line, the guest cast (
Tim Curry was priceless) and the music, and the feeling that we'd seen and heard it all before, was impossible to shake. Still, the real-life hit single "OK" is a genuine highlight, while "The Band That Wouldn't Die" and the timely "Jubilee" are further reminders that, behind the scenes, writers Howard Shuman and
Andy Mackay were taking Rock Follies as seriously as any other musical project they were involved with. ~ Dave Thompson