Got No Breeding

Upon its 1978 release, the brilliance of the songs on Jules & The Polar Bears’ debut flew under the radar and above the heads of new wave and power pop fans. But over the years, Got No Breeding has achieved cult status–and not just because Jules Shear went on to pen “All Through the Night” for Cyndi Lauper and “If She Knew What She Wants” for The Bangles. Sure, it might’ve helped Shear's cult cred when Ian Matthews released Walking a Changing Line: The Songs of Jules Shear in 1988. But the simple fact remains that this album boasts well-crafted guitar-pop tunes. “You Just Don't Wanna Know” opens sounding like Jackson Browne singing for Cheap Trick. “Lovers by Piano” works in rock ‘n’ roll piano reminiscent of Runt-era Todd Rundgren. The title track is another standout, with Shear’s rapid-fire vocal phrasing taking center stage over a rollicking boogie-woogie groove filtered through that late-'70s/early-'80s skinny-necktie sound. “Driftwood from Disaster” packs a one-two punch loaded with barbed hooks in the melody.