Fingerprintz - Bulletproof Heart (The Best Of) - Rubellan Remasters
During the late '70s and early '80s, Virgin Records' roster was full to bursting with spiky guitar groups and anthemic synth-pop outfits hellbent on knocking out that illusive hit or six. One such band was Fingerprintz, an itchy new-wave quintet comprised of a trio of Scots and a pair of Englishmen.
Formed in 1978 in London and eventually fronted by guitarist and songwriter Jimmie O'Neill, Fingerprintz's output was all too brief with just three albums and seven singles, none of which were hits, save for some brief dalliances with US and European listings. Paul Morley hated one of their albums - this was a kiss of death at the time - and radio-play was modest. Vocally aligned to Squeeze and musically akin to The Skids, they didn't really belong anywhere specific but promised (and delivered) much before morphing into the rather more successful Silencers.
All of which may go a little way to explain why Fingerprintz material has barely had a sniff in the digital age. A few tracks were selected for a couple of 40th anniversary CD compilations on Virgin some years ago but since then, zilch. Until now, that is. Boutique (but deadly serious) label Rubellan Remasters has gathered up 22 key moments of the band's catalogue for a rammed-to-the-rafters chronologically-arranged best of.
Named after the band's biggest chance of a hit, Bulletproof Heart starts at humble beginnings with Dancing With Myself. As a statement of intent from a fledgling group, it was a game effort - a sort of football terrace chant that went in search of a chorus, didn't really find one but did fall victim to Virgin's edgy marketing gimmickry with green vinyl and a dud pound note inserted. Better were the next singles Who's Your Friend and Tough Luck, the latter a taster for their interesting debut-album The Very Dab. That long-player was betwixt and between in mood stakes - the melodic and slightly punky Close Circuit Connection and Mr Smith sat alongside more leftfield tracks like Fingerprince, Wet Job and the skanking Beam Me Up Scotty.
Second album Distinguishing Marks smoothed out the rough edges of yore and came smartly dressed in a Peter Saville sleeve, replete with two impressive catchy singles in Bulletproof Heart and Houdini Love plus enough natty studio recordings to make it a decent contender - the breezy Yes Eyes is excellent, for example. Despite veering further into XTC and Skids territory with intelligent lyrics and quirky arrangements and getting a release in several markets, DM slumped.
Sadly so did their better third and final album. A slightly darker and more rhythmic collection, Beat Noir came assembled with varying tracklistings depending on the issuing country. None of the pressings cemented Fingerprintz as a viable prospect which is a huge shame - Beat Noir has some seriously pin-sharp songs on it. The key single was Shadowed, a dark urbane thriller that was superior to the somewhat disposable knees-up Bohemian Dance (previous single). Shadowed sported an epic b-side in Madame X (thankfully included here) and sounded like a surefire hit to these ears. But then so did a few other tracks from this period, including the club-friendly Beat Escape and Get Civilised.
For the collector, there's nothing unreleased on this welcome compilation and there are a few omissions (OK, favourites of mine) - Wet Job, Catwalk and Sean's New Shoes - but there's plenty of Fingerprintz to leave a big impression.
8/10