The Dentists

: "This band is unrelated to the short-lived Nazi punk band of the same name. See Nazi punk for information on the latter."The Dentists were an indie/pop band from the Medway towns in England who were active from 1984 to 1995. The band's permanent members were Mick Murphy (lead vocals), Bob Collins (guitar) and Mark Matthews (bass). The band also had three different drummers: Ian Smith (1984-1986), Alun Jones (1986-1991) and Rob Grigg (1991-1995). All members participated in writing songs.

History

The band's members met at school in the early 1980s and began playing gigs in the area around Strood and Rochester. Their first single, 'Strawberries are Growing in My Garden (and It's Wintertime),' was quickly followed by the album "Some People are on the Pitch They Think It's All Over It Is Now" (a reference to Kenneth Wolstenholme's famous commentary at the end of the 1966 World Cup). The record was produced by Allan Crockford of fellow Medway band The Prisoners and featured the standout track 'I Had An Excellent Dream', subsequently released as a single, reaching #7 in the UK Indie Charts.

In 1986 the band toured Europe and were consequently signed by the Belgian label Antler Records, which released a series of singles and EPs over the next five years.

A 1986 reissue of 'Strawberries ...' received radio play from John Peel and Andy Kershaw and was named 'runner-up Single of the Week' by "Smash Hits" magazine; it reached the Top 40 indie charts. The following year, the band recorded a radio session for Janice Long.

During the late 1980s the Dentists were the main attraction in the "Medway Bands' Cooperative" (their closest rivals being The Claim). The cooperative was chiefly run by Andy Webber of The Hyacinth Girls and would organise both small gigs and multi-act showcases (including the "Blabber Club" at Churchill's in Chatham), featuring up-and-coming bands such as The Drunken Popes, The Strookas and Power In Motion. In June 1987 The Dentists headlined a show at the George Hotel in Chatham which featured all 23 acts.

In 1991, the band's second album, "Heads and How to Read Them", was released on Antler. It attracted an underground following in the United States, and two American fans arranged for the band to play the 1991 College Music Journal festival. Shortly afterward, the Dentists were signed by the American label Homestead Records, which released the compilation "Dressed" (1992) and the album "Powdered Lobster Fiasco" (1993).

In 1992, the Dentists released three seven-inch singles -- 'See No Evil,' 'Hear No Evil' and 'Speak No Evil' -- simultaneously on three different record labels. Each single consisted of two songs by the band and an eponymous poem by John Hegley, read by the poet.

"Powdered Lobster Fiasco" finally attracted the attention of a major label, and the band signed to Eastwest Records in 1994. Their first album for Eastwest, "Behind the Door I Keep the Universe", was followed by a six-week tour of the U.S. supporting Shonen Knife. However, after a second album, "Deep Six", failed to sell, Eastwest dropped the band. Collins left the band shortly afterward, and the other members went on to form a new band, Coax.

"Some People are on the Pitch They Think It's All Over It Is Now" was re-released on CD in 2005 by Rev-Ola Records, a subsidiary of Cherry Red.

Lida Husik covered 'Strawberries are Growing in My Garden (and It's Wintertime)' on her 1995 album "Joyride."

Discography

Albums

* "Some People are on the Pitch They Think It's All Over It Is Now" (Spruck Records, 1985; re-released on Rev-Ola Records, 2005)
* "Heads and How to Read Them" (Integrity Records, 1991)
*"Powdered Lobster Fiasco" (Homestead Records, 1993)
*"Behind the Door I Keep the Universe" (Eastwest Records, 1994)
*"Deep Six" (Eastwest Records, 1995)

ingles and EPs

* 'Strawberries are Growing in My Garden (And It's Wintertime)' (single, Spruck Records, 1985)
* "You and Your Bloody Oranges" (EP) (Spruck Records, 1985)
* "Down and Out in Paris and Chatham" (EP) (Tambourine Records, 1986)
* "Writhing on the Shagpile" (EP) (Tambourine Records, 1987)
* "The Fun Has Arrived" (EP) (Antler Records, 1988)
* 'Beautiful Day' (single) (Antler Records, 1991)
* 'House the Size of Mars' (single) (Antler Records, 1991)
* 'See No Evil' (single) (Homestead Records, 1992)
* 'Hear No Evil' (single) (Independent Project, 1992)
* 'Speak No Evil' (single) (Bus Stop Label, 1992)
* "Bigbangredshiftblackholes" (boxed set of three seven-inch singles) (Eastwest Records, 1993)

Compilations

* "Beer Bottle and Bannister Symphonies: A Collection of Some of the Finer Moments of Dentistry" (Antler Records, 1988)
* "Naked" (Independent Project Records, 1991
* "Dressed" (Homestead Records, 1992)

External links

* [http://www.thedentistsweb.com/ Official site] , maintained by former guitarist Bob Collins.
* [http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/dentists/artist.jhtml VH1.com profile] including the promo video for 'Gas'
* [http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=dentists TrouserPress biography]
* [http://music.msn.com/artist/default.aspx?artist=130865 MSN Music entry]
* [http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indiehits/d.htm Indie chart entries] From Cherry Red's book "Indie Hits 1980-89"
*allmusic|id=11:g9fexqq5ldde