Feb 14

Secret Affair. Glory Boys.

They were the most successful of the bands who surfaced in The Jam’s rocket-fuelled jet stream, and the most interesting.

Secret Affair married 60s soul rhythms with new wave energy and smashed into the charts with their urgent, infectious 1979 debut single Time For Action.

They envisioned a new breed of teenagers, emerging from the Soho shadows, cynical, working class and smartly dressed – the Glory Boys. The title track builds from random West End street sounds and gentle guitar-picking into a punchy anthem as Ian Page sings ‘I’m just another glory boy, so scared of getting old.’

Page’s strong voice, reminiscent of minor 60s star Jess Roden, complimented Dave Cairns’s gift for songwriting; his powerful biting guitar worked effectively with Ian’s often bitter lyrics.

On Time For Action, Page mischievously declares ‘We hate the punk elite’, but he meant the way punk had been absorbed into the record industry not its spirit.

‘Time for a little more style,’ he explains on Let Your Heart Dance, summing up the mood of 1979.

On the irrepressibly catchy Days Of Change, Page insists, ‘But these days of change they still remain, and the need for change will find a new way.’ It’s a message that’s still relevant today.

At the tail end of 1979, that ‘new way’ turned out to be 2-Tone, followed swiftly by the New Romantics and the young Mods was elbowed aside. But bands like Secret Affair, the Chords and the Purple Heart had real merit and exerted a sizeable influence on BritPop.

Now released for the first time with a gatefold sleeve and two extra tracks – the B-sides from their first singles – this 45^th anniversary edition of their 1980 debut albun is a driving reminder of how good they were. Musical proof that new mod was more than just punks in parkas.

Kim Wilde. Closer.

In Kim’s parallel universe, the 80s never ended. Stand-out tracks include Midnight Train and Trail Of Destruction which captures a Flashdance vibe. Scorpio skates close to her 1981 mega-hit Kids In America, minus the huge hook chorus, and Midge Ure joins her on the sweeping pomp of Sorrow Replaced. A perfect fan-pleasing album.

Candi Staton. Back To My Roots.

Young Hearts Run Free star Candi, 85 soon, is back but now the love of God is her prime inspiration. These 12 gospel-flavoured tracks – Staton-penned originals and covers – include the Stones’ Shine A Light with choral backing. Songs range from bluesy opener, I Missed The Target to Thomas Dorsey’s spiritual Peace In The Valley, first popularized by Elvis. 

Rizzle Kicks. Competition Is For Losers.

The Brighton hip hop duo’s first album for 12 years shows off their strengths on trippy tracks like Javelin and the funkier, shimmering New Sport which switches between Harley’s polished vocals and Jordan Stephens’s rapped lyrics. The upbeat Gumdrops recalls ‘kickin’ footys at the wall’ and ‘nickin’ doughnuts’. Irrepressible rascals.