Bad for Business  (Audio CD) 
by Jules and the Polar Bears

A lack of discipline, as well. The aggressive intros of "Ballet" and "Over And Over" go on far too long -- the point is made; I WAS interested five seconds ago. Some songs seem to disappear, or end abruptly. As another reviewer noted, the arrangements are highly cluttered -- it's as if they knew this was their last album, and wanted to fit a career's worth of ideas on it.

Finally -- as blasphemous as it feels to say so -- Jules errs in his songwriting more than once. The band's failing career must have influenced the dreary "All Day Moods" and "When the World Looks Old". Unfortunately, there's no great insight to these songs; they merely pass the depression from artist to listener. Meanwhile, "Why Fight" is tonally obnoxious and lyrically vapid. The titles of the last two songs exemplify the redundancy and confusion in this album.

On the other hand, perfection is reached with "Only A Motion". Flute-like harmonies, a soulful lead, a slow and jazzy guitar solo, heart-rendering lyrics, and THE MOST GORGEOUS tom-tom fills since the early Cars albums! Also, "Problems" and "Waiting" feature infectious, unforgettable melodies, and the heavy-rock riffs of "Shame" and "Over and Over" will appeal to many. A fair enough return on your investment -- but "fair enough" was never the aspiration, now, was it?

While there's no problem with sound quality, what is sorely lacking here is a sympathetic producer, a guiding hand who could have influenced Jules and company to refine their ideas further. According to the liner notes, the band wanted the album this way. Artists shouldn't necessarily get everything they want.

Johhny -Come-Lately  Feb 24, 2002
I'm a very late arrival as a Jules Shear fan. I first heard him singing on MTV live on a beachfront. I dont remember anything about the song, other than it was really good. Having heard Jules
as a solo artist BEFORE ever hearing J&PB, I found myself really let down with this stuff. Jules seems to not have any idea what he wants to do with this band (at least at this point in time when this music was recorded). Grabbing snatches of what seems to be a dozen influences, J&PB sing and play as if silences were
anathema, and play a never ending torrent of mediocre instrumental fills and needless vocal refrains that come up quite short of being astute or witty. In other words I give a word of warning to those who love Shear's solo work: DONT ASSUME
YOU WILL LIKE JULES AND THE POLAR BEARS! (You may, of course, but
only if you are prepared to travel in a distant musical environment from the one he has been in for over a decade). I think its great any time anyone can like ANY music, and I'm sure the fans of this music enjoy it every bit as well as they say. Just a word of warning, however, for those who may think they are
getting more of what they have been hearing lately.

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:

It's so refreshing to find Jules & PB on CD.  Feb 11, 1999
Jules Shear is a genius. His distinctive vocals backed by the strong rock beat of the Polar Bears make this CD very enjoyable. Although not nearly as refined and sharp as "Phonetics", my personal favorite but unavailable on CD, this set brings back that rare J & PB sound unparalleled in the industry.