A band whose talent and potential far outstripped their commercial success, the Mumps were a smart and witty pop band who, while they had a large and loyal following in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, never landed the record deal that would have taken them to mainstream success. Featuring Lance Loud, one of TV's first reality stars and a gay culture icon, on lead vocals, the Mumps found an audience in the punk and new wave community, but their music was conspicuously artier and more refined than most of their peers. It was the group's cleverness and melodic smarts (a...