“In later years, the Chords were often cursorily dismissed as little more than Jam copyists, and while there's no denying that the two groups travelled in very similar musical waters, both drawing from the British beat and Northern soul that filled their youths and sending it soaring through the prism of punk, it's there that the comparisons end. While Paul Weller coyly played footsy with both the punk and mod scenes, refusing to commit to either, there was no doubt that his soul lay with the latter, and regardless of the trio's aggressive punk-fueled delivery, his lyrics lacked punk's burning fury. Regardless of the class warfare related in "Eton Rifles," the racism reflected in "Down in the Tube Station," or the alienation of "Strange Town," no matter his country's evident flaws (and Weller etched them vividly), he still couldn't shake his love of his homeland and optimistic hope that her problems would eventually be solved. Guitarist and songwriter Chris Pope refused to see the world through the Jam's English rose-colored glasses, turning his own equally eloquent pen to scathing vignettes virtually the flip of Weller's own. In this respect, the Jam comparisons are red herrings, for if anything, Pope played the snottier, rebellious younger brother to Weller's more respectful good son.
This was apparent from the start with the Chords' debut 45, "Now It's Gone," where the group's dream of love is trampled underfoot, and driven home by its follow-up, "Maybe Tomorrow," which firmly puts the boot into the Jam's sanguine vision of Britain and turns it into a fascist horror. That single would kick off the group's sole album, So Far Away, 12 fierce tracks that defined mod's potential as punk's successor. Filled with fire and fury, the set skips from affairs of the heart to the pitiful state of the nation. Musically it's a revelation; the band's two guitarists give the group much more scope for aural assault than a trio, and with a much more aggressive rhythm section in tow, Far is as vociferous as many of its punk contemporaries. In fact, reviews threw bands like the Buzzcocks and the Undertones into the brew of the Chords' notable inspirations. For while the Chords' melodies were shaped by the '60s, their delivery was forged in punk, with even Sham 69's anthemic stomp stirred into the mix.” (From AllMusicGuide).
Velvet Crush's first and best album was mistakenly lumped in with the then- predominant shoegazer aesthetic upon its release in 1991, thanks to its British release on the shoegazer-central Creation label and the occasional washes of sparkly electric feedback and creamy-smooth harmonies that settle over some of the songs. However, this album, produced by the band and Matthew Sweet (who also added lead guitar and harmonies), is actually a straight-up piece of '90s power pop. Considerably more electric and driving than Paul Chastain and Ric Menck's '80s recordings under a variety of band names (collected on the albums Hey Wimpus! and The Ballad of Ric Menck), thanks in large part to the contributions of guitarist Jeffrey Borchardt (confusingly known as Jeffrey Underhill when leading his own concurrent band Honeybunch) and Sweet, In the Presence of Greatness sounds like Big Star's #1 Record updated for a new decade. The general air of mildly anguished wistfulness is the same, as are the jangly guitars and high harmonies, but Velvet Crush plays with a post-punk sprightliness and a less overtly British Invasion-inspired melodic sense. -
Back in Mid October I travelled back home to the UK to visit family, when I make these trips home I try to combine them with some live music and this time it was the brilliant The Len Price 3 who always put on a great show, however, I was not prepared to be equally blown away by the brilliant act opening for them and they came in the form of The Past Tense.
The Past Tense are a Mod/Power Pop band from Worcester Park in Surrey, they put on a fantastic live show, filled with an energy more suited to a band of twenty somethings, which by their own admission, they are not! This makes no difference whatsoever to the show, it is great!
After the show I met Andy (vocals) and he very kindly bestowed upon me the bands two CD singles.
After returning home I found myself playing the singles on constant repeat and wondered what else the band had planned, so I got in touch with Andy and had a chat.
The Past Tense are: Andy - Guitar/Vocals Ken - Bass/Vocals/Keys and Nuts (Warren) - Drums.
ICM: The band have known each other since school, is this the first band the three of you have played together in?
Andy: Oh no,warren (drummer) and me were in "No Control" a two piece punk band at school, Ken joined later ,in the "Hideous Mushrooms!" It was the early 80's and the threat of war was real in our eyes. Warren and I are original members of the Anarcho Punk band "Lost Cherrees" we had a real blast for 4 years releasing records and being played by John Peel on a couple of occasions, this list goes on throughout the 80's and 90's in various bands with the same core, namely Warren ,Ken and I.
ICM: So when did you get together as we know you today, The Past Tense, and why the change in musical direction from that of Anarcho Punk?
ANDY: The Past Tense was originally just Ken and I, we always had a love for all types of music and from early 2004 we found ourselves going to lots of Garage/mod gigs at The Dirty Water Club ,The Solarflares in particular,as I never saw the Prisoners in their day and they are a big influence along with Billy Childish, Armitage Shanks and The Stabilisers. We saw the Secret Affair reunion in 2002 and were totally blown away by the music and the really nice people we met .This influence along with other revival bands grew over the next 5/6 years,Squire are a big favourite along with the Purple Hearts.
We just wanted to do a bunch of songs that showed our love for garage/mod/powerpop whatever you want to call it. we had our first rehearsal /jam around Christmas 2009!
ICM: You very kindly gave me a couple of CD's when we met, how do you find the process of making and releasing music now as opposed to back in the "Lost Cherrees" days, is it easier or harder now for bands?
Andy: We are in a really great position,thanks to Warren. He has a little studio in his basement, so we rehearse and record everything there, there is no outlay for the band so it's real easy to put our stuff onto cd. Back in the early 80's The Lost Cherrees rehearsed in member, Steve's (bass) garage, much to the annoyance of the neighbours, but it was Punk rock! We were also very priviliged to know some big players in the scene, Subhumans and Confilct to name the two main bands who we associated with and Riot/Clone who gave us our first gig and put out our first 7inch EP.
ICM: You have just recorded your debut album, was this recorded in Warrens studio?
Andy: Yes, all the way, we just wouldn't be able to put it out if it wasn't for the basement!
ICM: How are you planning to release the album, CD, Vinyl, Digital and when can we expect it?
Andy: Well, originally we were just going to do it D.I.Y in the true spirit of independence, but we may have a certain, well known small independent, mod revival label interested in a short run release on CD. Nothing solid as of yet but it is very promising. We hope to have it out there by March if at all possible. Fingers crossed!
ICM: You have just had a track released on the excellent, "Keep Off the Grass" compilation of Psycahdelic type songs, can you tell me a bit more about that?
Andy: Yes, it's been released by Fruits De Mer, a brilliant collectable label who have released an amazing collection of Psychedelic type records, vinyl only releases. This one amazingly sold out in two weeks, so its rare already. Our track is a cover of The Good Feelin's - Shattered, an amazing track from the 60's which I have kept in my head for many years and by a stroke of luck I found it on an old compilation tape early this year, so I suggested the band do a cover of it and because Ken is an avid collector of the label he decided to send it to them to see if they would be interested in a release. Yes, was the answer and so its now out and we are really chuffed to bits to be on such a great compilation.
ICM; Back to your own album, the two Cds I have, The Optimist and Wolfman are slightly different in as much as Wolfman is more 60's Garage and The Optimist is a bit more Mod Revival/Power Pop, what can we expect from the album?
Andy: Exactly the same, there are six power pop/mod tracks and six garage/60"s. If you look at the cover for The Optimist there is the negative of the front cover photo on the reverse, this might be a theme for the album, the two sides of The Past Tense!
ICM: Now, I know you guys really love playing live, what have you got planned in the way of gigs to promote the album when it comes out?
Andy: We are going to look at this over Christmas, get the feelers out there a bit, we might possibly be working with "Heavy Ears Promotions" in the new year, so some mod type gigs happening there, we are going to keep in touch with the garage crowd as well, we also have a regular gig in Kingston every couple of months with the mighty "Witchdoktors;" which is always a good night, hopefully The Fallen Leaves will play the next one too.
Playing live is where it all happens for us, we do not confess to being polished musicians, but personally i try to put as much into a live performance as I can, sometimes it is bloody hard trying to sing and play guitar at the same time, but you'll always get passion and honesty at our gigs!
ICM: Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
Andy: Could I just say thanks to all the people who so far have encouraged us by giving sound advice and support, there are too many to name them all but Joel Rodgers, Dan (Fiddlers elbow) Albert, Carl, Paul Manchester, also to the excellent friends we have made from bands like Len Price 3 (top blokes), The fallen leaves ,Long Tall shorty, Pope, Steve Diggle and Mr Bridger.
Ice Cream Man Power Pop and More would like to thank Andy for taking the time to talk to us and wish himself and the band, the very best of luck with the album release, we really look forward to hearing it.
Listen to more of The Past Tense here: The Past Tense four four (You can also purchase the excellent "The Optimist" and "Wolfman" singles here!)
Probably the best collection of sixties garage music out there, this compilation features some excellent songs....some? No. They are all excellent! Enjoy, very loudly!
1. The Jades - I'm All Right
2. The Oxford Circus - 4th Street Carnival
3. The Bluethings - Twist And Shout
4. Jimmy Rabbit With Ron & Dea - Pushover
5. Wally & The Rights - Hey Now Little Girl
6. The Boys - You Deceived Me
7. The One Way Street - Joy And Sorrow
8. The Twilighters - Nothing Can Bring Me Down
9. The Outcasts - I'm In Pittsburgh (And It's Raining)
10. S.J. & The Crossroads - Get Out Of My Life Woman
11. The Iguanas - I Can Only Give You Everything
13. The Runaways - 18th Floor Girl
14. The Chevelle V - Come Back Bird
14. The Six Pents - She Lied
15. The Knight's Bridge - C.J. Smith
16. The Knight's Bridge - Make Me Some Love
Roger Joseph Manning Jr. features on Finnish artist Esa Linna's just released solo single and upcoming debut album "She's Not a Human Being" ready to listen to at: http://soundcloud.com/esalinna/shesnotahumanbeing
Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (of The Jellyfish, Moog Cookbook, TV Eyes, Imperial Drag) sings backing vocals and plays keyboards on both the debut album and debut single "She's Not a Human Being" by Esa Linna, from Finland.
"She's Not A Human Being" is a straight-forward power pop song, like a combination of The Buzzcocks and The Beatles. The single is released as digital download, and will be released in CD format next year. The song is mastered by Ty Tabor of King's X.
Ice Cream Man Power Pop and More was placed at Number 6 in this list, which really is a great honour, especially as the blog has only been going for 3 months! Please take a look at the list and visit some of the other great sites that are listed as they all have some really excellent content and are well worth a visit. I would also like to suggest a visit to Powerpop Overdose which isn't on the list but is an absolute goldmine of Power Pop and one of my inspirations for starting a blog.
Kon-Tiki is one can't-get-it-out-of-your-skull pop song after another, interspersed with bursts of tape collage and random studio noise. "Vegetable Row," for example, sounds like a hard-candy circa-'66 Dylan outtake before it ends with a few seconds' splice of a completely different song, which is rudely chopped off in time for the organ-driven "Aurora Bori Alice." Variety is the watchword on Kon-Tiki. The wildly overdriven feedback-fest "Church of Wilson" leads straight into the gently swirling keyboards and acoustic guitars of "Lily Dreams On," which immediately makes way for the classic harmony-filled jangle pop "Password." The amazing thing is that, despite the wild mood and style shifts, the album doesn't sound fragmentary in the least; the pieces all fall into place. Brad Jones' production features studio chatter, audible edits, remarkably loud clicks, and yet the overall sound is enormous, filled with amazing sonic depth. Lo-fi this ain't. Song titles like "Camp Hill Rail Operator" or "Animal Show Drinking Song" might recall Guided By Voices, and the audio-verite "Prophecy for the Golden Age" wouldn't have sounded out of place on Pavement's Westing (By Musket and Sextant), but neither band could possibly come up with a song like the instant classic "My Before and After," three minutes worth of non-stop hooks grounded with a percussive low-register piano part that makes it sound like a lost outtake from Revolver. In an album's worth of non-stop pop delights, "My Before and After" is a clear masterpiece. -AMG
