![]() 'I must have a full suit of mourning, Fagin, and a hatband, to wisit him in, afore he sets out upon his travels. They've found the gentleman as owns the box two or three more's a coming to 'dentify him and the Artful's booked for a passage out,' replied Master Bates. The absurdity of the master pickpocket being caught over something so small is remarked upon in the book. Ultimately the Dodger is caught with a stolen silver snuff box and presumably sent to a penal colony in Australia (only alluded to in the novel). He was, altogether, as roistering and swaggering a young gentleman as ever stood four feet six, or something less, in the bluchers'. He had turned the cuffs back, half-way up his arm, to get his hands out of the sleeves: apparently with the ultimate view of thrusting them into the pockets of his corduroy trousers for there he kept them. He wore a man's coat, which reached nearly to his heels. His hat was stuck on the top of his head so lightly, that it threatened to fall off every moment-and would have done so, very often, if the wearer had not had a knack of every now and then giving his head a sudden twitch, which brought it back to its old place again. He was short of his age: with rather bow-legs, and little, sharp, hazel eyes. 'He was a snub-nosed, flat-browed, common-faced boy enough and as dirty a juvenile as one would wish to see but he had about him all the airs and manners of a man. He is described as wearing adult clothes which are much too large for him. The Artful Dodger is characterized as a child who acts like an adult. In the novel, he becomes Oliver's closest friend (although he betrays him when Oliver is mistakenly caught) and he tries to make him a pickpocket, but soon realizes that Oliver won't succeed, and feels sorry for him, saying "What a pity it is he isn't a prig!" He also has a close relationship with Charley Bates. He is the leader of the gang of child criminals, trained by the elderly Fagin. Dodger is a pickpocket, so called for his skill and cunning in that respect. Nevertheless, power pop fans owe it to themselves to seek out Artful Dodger, if only for "Wayside.Jack Dawkins, better known as the Artful Dodger, is a character in the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. Reproducing the back cover was OK, but the credits should also have been re-typeset on the blank inside fold. The Artful Dodger CD reissue liner notes are virtually unreadable since they simply reproduce the original LP's back cover. The relaxed rockabilly of "New York City" is a surprising but effective finale. "Waiting Place" is the most sophisticated song on the album from an arrangement standpoint and it often settles into a slow, funky groove. "Silver and Gold" manages to combine touches of blues, country, and pure pop into the power pop formula. "It's Over" and "Follow Me" slather on catchy vocals and electric and acoustic guitar parts. Crispy, melodic guitar work from Gary Herrewig and Gary Cox, integral bass parts from Steve Cooper, effective drumming from Steve Brigida and superb vocals from Billy Paliselli add up to a great lost classic. "Wayside" is brilliant and it's a travesty that it wasn't a smash hit. The fact that Artful Dodger and Honor Among Thieves were reissued on CD in 1997 by Pendulum Entertainment Group (through Sony Music) confirms that the band had a big enough cult following - particularly in Cleveland - to warrant dusting them off. The band was probably most popular in Cleveland, where some songs still received regular rock radio airplay 25 years later. Perhaps Artful Dodger was ahead of its time, considering that producer Jack Douglas wouldn't helm Cheap Trick's acclaimed debut for two more years. Unfortunately, the quintet, which originally formed in Virginia, never even cracked the Billboard album charts with its four releases. Artful Dodger's self-titled 1975 debut album is high-quality power pop.
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