Doll By Doll was formed in 1978 and has been described as “one of the first British bands to challenge the punk-rock dogma”. At odds not only with the punk movement but with all prevalent musical fashions of their day, the band’s first two albums, ‘Remember’ and ‘Gypsy Blood’ were released on cutting-edge indie label Automatic Records (not to be confused with the 1990s dance imprint). The third, self-titled album, however, came from the uncompromisingly commercial Magnet stable, better known for fabricating hits for Darts, Guys ‘n’ Dolls and Bad Manners. Perhaps the band hoped Magnet would succeed where Automatic had failed, garnering airplays and sales they’d previously failed to achieve. But Doll By Doll survived only until 1982, when Magnet released their final album, ‘Grand Passion’ (a subsequent record, rumoured to have been called ‘A Last Flick Of The Golden Wrench’, was never released). Against virtually insurmountable odds, lead singer Jackie Leven has since built an accomplished solo career, but this album was deleted and never released on CD — until now, with the help of some MCA Records’ promotional vinyl and the digital re-mastering services of Vinyl Revolution in the US. More…