So Far Away

by

The Chords

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20 years later and this album still stands the test of time. If you're a fan of the Jam and the Mod Renewal (remember it wasn't a revival!!!), you owe it to yourself to pick this up. Full of angst and teenage frustration at life in 80's Britain, The Chords stood head & shoulders above the likes of the Purple Hearts, Merton Parkas etc. Billy Hasset's a great singer and the playing of Chris Pope and the lads is tight. This is a real classic and sadly the all-too-shortly lived Mod scene that propelled The Chords to the big league was also their downfall.

Overall, this is really a pretty good album. It's high-energy power pop that's sure to get your adrenaline pumpin'. One high point is a guest appearance by keyboardist Mick Talbot, who would later join forces with Paul Weller as the second half of The Style Council. There is also a decent re-make of the Beatles' "She Said, She Said", which stays pretty true to the original, only a faster tempo. On the other end of the spectrum though is a ridiculous cover of Sam and Dave's "Hold On, I'm Coming", which doesn't do the original classic any justice. But that's about the only real dud track here. Upon listening to this CD though, I find that a little bit goes a long way for me. The original LP format of this record contained 12 tracks. This re-issue CD version also includes an additional 11 bonus tracks. In most circumstances this would be a good thing, but it seemed that after the first 14 songs the music began to sound a little repetitive and monotonous. "Less is More" would have been a good rule to apply in this case. I thought 23 tracks was a little overkill. Don't let this deter you, though. If you are interested in the Mod genre, this album is definitely worth exploring. Other bands worth checking are The Time U.K., Sharp, and Squire.