The 1981 Listening Post - The Moondogs - That's What Friends Are For

 Reviewed by Tom Mott / LISTENING POST DISCOVERY

Released: 1981 The Moondogs That's What Friends Are For Genre: Power Pop Rock Rating: 4.1 out of 5 Highlights: Who's Gonna Tell Mary* Dream Girl Zulu The Moondogs hail from Derry, Northern Ireland, and if the 2.5 hr compilation "Shellshock Rock: Alternative Blasts from Northern Ireland 1977-1984" is any indication, they were knee-deep in an incredibly vibrant, energetic music scene. They opened for the Undertones (and may have blown them off the stage), and appear to have had a 6-episode series on Granada Television. They rarely break into the sublime stratosphere of The Vapors or Hoodoo Gurus. Like hundreds of surf bands, garage bands, or British R&B bands, they stay in their lane, but when the lane is fun, catchy, and energetic, who's complaining? *Who's Gonna Tell Mary single-handedly bumps this album from a "bubbling under" 3.9 to a "check them out!" 4.1. If you dig the Krayolas, give it a listen.