SECRET AFFAIR ANTHOLOGY REVIEW (JUNE 2003)
Secret Affair
Time For Action
The Anthology
OFFICIAL SITE FOR SECRET AFFAIR NOW AT:
www.secretaffair.info
At last something good to review and Castle music have certainly done the business here. Just when you thought there was no more Secret Affair/New Hearts stuff available here is an excellent package of 41 yes 41 demos live tracks, BBC sessions, Us Mixes everything’s here an excellent addition to any lover of the 79 revival. Some of the greatest tracks are unearthed here and it’s a CD you can just put on and play again and again Mr Page is still one of the leaders in the mod world his special formula of angst and soul voice and life we’ve lived in lyrics give this CD an important place in rock/pops elite. Come on everyone can remember “Time For Action” the anthem from 79 and the song that put mod on the map. They have sat down and thought about this compilation and not just thrown the bloody obvious stuff on here they’ve dug out the demos the never heard before and even the US mixes.
CD 1
Track one the mod before its time New Hearts anthem “Just Another Teenage Dream” from October 77 this was before a glory boy had been invented great mod power – pop with the familiar Secret Affair melodies. Shame on the label not giving this band more support. Track 2 “Plain Jane” the second New Hearts single again mod / pop a very fast catchy song. Track 3 “Blood on The Knife” B side to “Just Another….” Dave Cairns give’s a great demonstration on how good he is a guitarist a song which could have easily been a A. side, haunting beginning with Cairns at his best a very mod sounding song which also reminds me of a Secret Affair song but I can’t think which one. Track 4 “ Love’s Just A Word” previously unreleased New Hearts demo a crashier/punky song played at 100 miles an hour with great bass playing. Track 5 “ Only A Fool” another unreleased New Hearts demo. From 1978 a slower beginning with acoustic and Ian Page’s brilliant voice calling out from the speakers this sees the New Hearts more and more in the direction of what Secret Affair ended up with that distinctive soul blend. “Seen That Movie Too” is Track 6 actually here as a Secret Affair demo from May 1978 a piano beginning and again this is I’m sure not what the New Hearts were about excellent vocals from Ian Page and a somewhat sad song a demo version a great song. Track 7 “ Don’t Look Down” an early Secret Affair demo a great Motown/Soul stomper with great sax solo to display once again the versatility in Secret Affair “Track 8 “Only Madmen Laugh” actually a New Hearts demo from 1978 which later appeared on the Behind Closed Door’s LP. Track 9 “ Sunday Girls” Secret Affair demo from early 1979 which is actually an early version of “One Way World” which appeared on the sublime “Glory Boys” Track 10 “Glory Boys” another demo of the album opener a great version which as a song has always lasted the pace this is a classic early recording of another Secret Affair anthem dare I say?? Track 11 “ New Dance” a classic from the Mods Mayday set soulful, youthful a song forward from it’s back in time roots Track 12 “I’m Not Free (But I’m Cheap)” a BBC session track this song is one of my all time faves by the band a song that has everything either live,studio or as here a BBC session the modern day soul at it’s time this song for me could go on and on and fill my day up nicely Track 13 “Going to a Go – Go” again from a BBC session from July 79 a slower version than the album track but again a song that has never lost its soul. Track 14 “Time For Action” the classic track that launched a 1000 mods this is a US mix not sure where the difference is but I suspect more brass on this track a song we all know and love. Track 15 “Soho Strut” the b. side to “Time…. A song which could have easily been a a side Secret Affair had many songs like this of great pedigree. Track 16 “Get Ready” another BBC session with amazing brass section one of Ian Pages all time faves I think and he loves to and he can sing this song with style. Track 17 “Let Your Heart Dance” US mix the follow up to “Time… a song I have and will always dance to many times a soul groover again not sure where the difference is here but this song is always good no matter how it’s played. Track 18 “Sorry Wrong Number” the b.side to “Let Your…. Again this could have easily been the a side. Track 19 “ One Way World” US Mix I can spot the difference here it’s more brassy and clearer after Sire the American label which put out “Glory Boys” wanted remixes of many of the Secret Affair songs we know and love in the UK. Track 20 “Trendsetters Ball” a Secret Affair demo from 1980 another unheard song great souly beat and Ian Page well on form again here. Track 21 “ Five by Five” another demo from 1980 a song which Cairns says was just forgotten for some reason a brilliant ska type song with brilliant brass a rare but nice instrumental from Secret Affair. Track 22 “Through My Eyes” demo from 1980 a Cairns song which he describes as another attempt to write a “My World” a very good song to finish disc one with. All in all CD 1 is a great history look at Secret Affair and it shows beyond the singles and albums they had an armoury of songs some they deemed not quite good enough but they all have a place on this CD a great CD.
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CD2
CD 2 again is no disappointment more general Secret Affair stuff here with some demos and session tracks starts with the dramatic “My World” a top 5 of all time for me here I love this and I would have it played on the radio everyday the lyrics are so happy and the band know what they are saying and playing here a song for the repeat button this is US mix again and commercially produced a little better in my opinion. Followed by the b side “So Cool” again with the Secret Affair songs being that good not just any song was thrown on the b. side a cool gangster type mode of a song. Track 3 the single “Sound of Confusion” a song which should have done better shame on the British public here it could have re-launched a great band back in the limelight but the music press had brain washed most by now. Track 4 “Take It Or Leave It” soul stomper again a b. side to be proud of. Track 5 “What Did You Expect” an old song which Page had written before he even joined the New Hearts we first heard it on the Behind Closed Doors album, opera type beginning before launching into a mazey drum and bass beat with a tinkling piano stepping in a song probably deserving better than an album track but hey they couldn’t release them all as singles another of my faves. Track 6 “When The Show Is Over” I am totally biased here because this is my all time favourite Secret Affair track it’s a story maybe about themselves but I look at it as a story of life I love the drumming on this I love what the lyrics tell me Page,Cairns and co at their very very best. Track 7 follow that Oh yes they do here with another of my most loved Secret Affair tunes “Streetlife Parade” this song has absolutely everything and should have been a single maybe, taken from inspiration by Ian Page as he looked over the streets in New York. It’s his dream driving in limousines and he has to wake himself. The song tells a long story of hope and dreams and how some of the dreams could come true the haunting sax from maybe a back street New York bar never ever get tired of hearing this. Next up “Do You Know” another single which oozes class and always gets me in a good mood for some reason. Track 9 “Follow The Leader” another demo never before heard great sax intro and another top song. Track 10 the single and the last one we got from the band “Lost In The Night” a great song which should have got more favourable reviews Mac the knife should have got out there and got some of the reviewers a great mod/pop song a great release to say it was sadly their last. Track 11 “Hide and Seek” demo a much different version to the album track and it sounds great here with Ian as clear as day. Track 12 “Three Wise Monkeys” another demo a great song. Track 13 is “One Day In Your Life” another of my faves funked up brass and bass with melodies that haunt us all the way through excellent lyrics a magnificent 100 miles an hour chorus. Track 14 “Dancemaster “ demo of another top Secret Affair song again one I never get tired of hearing. Track 15 “Big Beat” another demo version of a great song this again could have been a A. side. Track 16 “ I Could Be You” from a BBC session I’m sure this was destined for a single and it would have done a great job brilliant brass and Ian Page in great voice as he always was and still is. Track 17 “Somewhere In the City” another demo a song which was played a lot in America and somehow puts the band in the future this is maybe how beyond the mod movement they would have ended up sounding like. Tracks 18 and 19 recent recordings from 1996 of “Land Of Hope” and “Soul Foundation” “Land…. picks you up and tells you all about the hidden world, there is a better place out there and with this cd on what you got to lose. The album ends with “Soul Foundation” which is what Secret Affair was all about Soul a great end to a brilliant CD set.
All in all what can I say about this package if you loved the revival or just some good old Soul music this Anthology is for you. Not just a throw together of the hits and album tracks it tells a story and proves just how bloody good Secret Affair was. Maybe this package will be the Secret Affair book closed but maybe someday out there they will come together again for a last push at the business. They knew the audience they wanted to entertain and even to this day are still entertaining us a crime the music press at the time tried to kill them off but here in 2003 these songs are not old they grow and grow on you. Stand outs for me on here are “Seen That Movie Too” “Five by Five” (Demo) and the elegant “When The Show Is Over” and the story telling “Streetlife Parade” but don’t just take my word for it go and buy it and play it from start to finish and you’ll be proud to own this masterpiece.
A huge 10 out of 10 if you buy one CD this year get this!!!
S.M.Emmerson 2003 (June)
Don't forget the Official Secret Affair Site is now at:
www.secretaffair.info
stevethemod@hotmail.com
for opinions on this cd or my reviewing
Page added June 9th (2003)
Thanks to Chris Hunt
