Immaculate Fools

One of the best bands that never was. The British band Immaculate Fools became so popular in Spain that they eventually moved there. Formed in London, England, in 1984, the Immaculate Fools was comprised of Kevin Weatherill (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, bass), Paul Weatherill (acoustic bass, backing vocals, percussion), Brian Betts (acoustic guitar, slide guitar, percussion, mandolin), Barry Wickens (violin, dulcimer, acoustic guitar, accordion) and Nick Thomas (drums). With superbly produced (Glyn Jons) albums - incredible musicianship and compositional skills and music that grabs you and shakes you up all over - but still has the ability to let you down slowly. Although the group landed on the charts in Britain, with their song Immaculate Fools their hybrid of Celtic music, folk, and alternative rock found even more success in Spain, Holland and Germany. In 1987, their LP Dumb Poet was released in America by A&M Records and the Psychedelic Furs-esque track "Tragic Comedy" was a minor hit on college radio. The band toured with Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Simple Minds, The Stranglers, and The Rolling Stones; however, they grew tired of the English music scene in the late '80s and relocated to Spain, where they were superstars. Give them a try. Yes today's mega-bands are good - but for sheer originality and unpredictability - the "Fools" are hard to beat. In 1997, the Immaculate Fools broke up after Weatherill departed from the group. Calling himself Dirty Ray, Weatherill abandoned the Immaculate Fools' Celtic touches for gritty blues on his solo debut Primitive. Influenced by John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Tom Waits, and Nick Cave, Weatherill recorded the album with Simon Anderson (percussion) and Rainy Moor (electric organ).