Hey, we were just talking about explosive mod-punk band who were lost in the shadow of The Jam (and The Who) - see HERE - which has to be our cue to finally discuss The Chords.
This out-of-print album, No One Is Listening Anymore, was recorded at The Rainbow in 1980 but not released until 1986, when the title had become unjustly accurate. The Chords had indeed stopped playing due to a lack of listening, which was a shame. The much-maligned Mod Revival did incite a lot of sound-alike bands (and we here at MRML love almost everyone of them) but The Chords were not mere trend-chasers. Like the members of The Jam they attempted to squeeze the sounds of London '66 though the filter of London '77. While The Chords could not match Paul Weller song-for song (who could?), they could craft supple, melodic songs like "Maybe Tomorrow", "The British Way of Life" and "Tumbling Down" and then play the hell out of them (just check out Buddy Ascot's lunatic drumming!)
While the band was drastically undervalued, critically and commercially, in its time, time has been a bit fairer. The band now have at least two compilations in print and are still playing live. Of course, it's still a damn shame that they never got to make a second album...
Tracklist
1 Something's Missing
2 Happy Families
3 It's No Use
4 Now It's Gone
5 I'm Not Sure
6 The British Way Of Life
7 So Far Away
8 I'll Keep Holding On
9 Tumbling Down
10 Maybe Tomorrow
11 Breaks My Heart / This Is What They Want
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| foreshadowing? |
Did The Chords get a raw deal?
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