REVIEWS of CD:
Grace Of God
Chris Pope first composed
his perceptive, razor sharp vignettes on the British way of life in the late
‘70s as the guitarist with Deptford Mod-Punk four-piece The Chords. When their singer Billy
Hassett quit in ’81, Pope formed Agent Orange, then moved to New York to peddle
his craft with Gatecrash Heaven ( who bizarrely, were managed by Diana Ross’s
husband) before returning home and reuniting with Chords’ drummer Buddy Ascott
as Pope. This, their 10-track, Pat Collier-produced debut reveals their
protagonist hasn’t mellowed a bit with age. His songs still bristle with
frustration and vitriol ( Friends Like That) and cloaked in Who-like anthemic
rock guitars and flamboyant Moon-like rolls ( Don’t You Ever let It Get You
Down) they still provide a voice for those who never received all they truly
deserved.
Long delayed second album from
The Chords' songwriter . With the ransacking of the late
'70's continuing apace, it can only be minutes before a bunch of young scruffs emerge
clutching a copy of Mod revivalists The Chords' debut album So Far Away, heralding
it as their own personal Pet Sounds. . "Former Chords beef up their Mod revivalist roots with surly Godfathers-alike-snottiness, urban Britrock laddidnness and a la mode Doherty slovenliness"
A
quarter of a century ago, Chris Pope was the driving force behind the Mod
revivalists The Chords, one of the bands trailing in the wake of The Jam's
success. Aided and abetted by the former Chords drummer Brett "Buddy"
Ascott, Pope has finally returned to the fray with this collection of smart, cynical
songs, recorded virtually solo. He's clearly still frustrated by unfulfilled
musical ambitions, a desire that appears to have swollen into an obsession
during the intervening 25 years. Rather too many of these 10 songs scratch away
at this particular itch, whether it be musing upon the persistence of ambition
in "A World Between Us", striving not to let his past failures hold
him back in "The Last Thing I Ever Do", castigating nay-sayers and
back-stabbers in "Friends Like That", or anticipating belated acclaim
in "Getting It". Why his career prospects should be of interest to
others is never fully explained. But when Pope broadens his focus to include
grumpy-old-man tirades about the state of things in songs such as "Don't
You Ever Let it Get You Down" and "Another Day in England", he
is much more agreeable. The opener, "Brave New World", an anthemic
critique of Western imperialism, is particularly effective. 4
Star **** MOJO Feb 06
By Lois Wilson
4
Star **** UNCUT MAR 06
By Paul Moody
Now, 25 years on,the band's songwriter Chris Pope
has produced a follow-up. Brimming with power-pop riffs and Combat Rock-period Clash-isms,
Grace of God is as savage as Townshend with toothache, building to a vein-busting finale with
"The last Thing I Ever Do". ACE...
7
Star **** CLASSIC ROCK
Album:
Pope
3
Star *** INDEPENDENT Feb 06
By Andy Gill
Published: 06 January 2006
POPE GRACE OF GOD
By Sargie Scootering Nov 05
No questions, So Far Away
The Chords seminal ( and only) album would figure in many older scooterists
all-time top 20 albums. Especially those with a taste for power pop and punk
style tunes. So Far Away is a true classic. Former members of The
Chords, Chris Pope and Buddy Ascott are collaborating together, again, with
brand-new-outfit, simply monikered Pope. Set for full release early
in the new year, we’ve got pretty much the world exclusive on Pope’s debut
album. As an overall item, Grace Of God is a high quality album,with every one
of the 10 tracks a potential British guitar pop classic of the near future.
Mind nothing less would be expected from the talented songsmithery of Chris
Pope. Opening song Brave New World ebbs and builds in typical ‘song,
chorus,song,chorus ‘ format, while Friends Like That has a
hint of The Small Faces meet
Supergrass about it, while Steve Harley muscles in on the act, a
potential single. Third up comes the powerful yet commercially inclined A
World Between Us with just a touch
of Glam rock bubbling under the surface. Don’t You Ever Let It Get You Down
is one of the outstanding numbers on this high quality album, power pop
meets The Faces. At
the halfway point sits Getting It, dark and brooding, this track is a
real grower, the more times you hear it, the more it embeds itself in your
subconscious. Into the gentler areas initially, before exploding into a massive
chorus is the impassioned Another Day In England, there’s huge,huge sound driving the full on Any Fool
Knows, another potential single I reckon. Power chords abound on the
introduction of the classy Always Quit While You’re Still Ahead, an anthem in
the making. Penultimate track The Last Thing I Ever Do commences with cascading
guitar chords, then the rhythm section fades in with real power and intent. Finally There But For The
Grace Of God brings this excellent
debut to a stunning conclusion as the song
builds to an electrically charged climax. Don’t expect The Chords revisited,
it’s 25 years since So Far Away was released, that was then, and this is now.
Chris Pope is (still) a genius songwriter and lyricist, Grace of God is an
excellent album, full of fractured British guitar driven killer tracks. A modern masterpiece of great guitar music.