Your say : Jan 2001

I have recieved lots of mail from people about the Chords and the site, so I thought I would include some here for you. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I have recieving them. If you would like to send any comments about the group or the site follow this link to the contact page. I will add more to this page soon.

On July 1st 1981 The Chords played the Electric Stadium at the Greyhound Chadwell Health Essex,the support band was The Stripes who had just released their highly collectable single One Step Ahead (£80.00 at Detour Records)We even gave some copies of the single away that night.How do I know this stuff? I was playing drums for The Stripes and what a great night it was with The Chords doing rock standards in the sound check , hot and packed out with mods it was like stepping back in time. It was nice to see the band at the Mods Mad Day.
Paul Guidotti

What a fantastic website! I was lucky enough to have seen one The Chords all-but-brief reunion (two gigs!) in 1994 - in Gillingham, Kent. They sounded brilliant, despite Billy's voice being fucked. I had wanted to see them since my mate who was a mod had played me "So far away" way back in 1987! I have get to get the new compilation, but I will soon :o)
Pete Cole

Billy, Chris, Martin, I'd just like to say Hello and how are yer all?? I was one of the faces from Barking and Dagenham '79-80. Me, John, Dave Lawrence the Meakin Brothers Jamie O'Keefe amongst others. We all used to drink in the Barge in Barking. Remember???

Well I do and we all drunk together along with Billy's brother I was at every wellington Gig, Jam support Gig, Mods Mayday, Enfield (Infamous Billy Idol incident!)and always up the Bridge House! Anway maybe you do remember maybe you dont, just wanted to say hi and thnx for being a part of the best years of my life! Maybe Tomorrow still does it for me...

Wish you all the very best, Ray PS, please mail me if you do anything like the '99 Mayday again, be great to catch up with you all again.
Ray

: I just wanted to share some memories of the Chords. I think it must have been late '81 that me and a mate travelled from Derby to Ipswich by train to see the band. It took us bloody ages to get there and we were going to have to sleep on Ipswich station after 'cos there wasn't a train back 'till the next day.

The gig was at the Cornexchange and as we had nothing better to do we found the venue and went to the pub across the way. Big supprise when we got in there as the band were there. We got chatting and they decided that we must have been "f***in' mad" to go to all that trouble just to see them, they reckoned they weren't that good! Anyway a fantastic gig made all the more worthwhile having got to meet our hero's, and twenty years later they still rate as one of my favourite bands. Thanks for the site and the opportunity to go off on one.
Steve

Finally The Chords on CD! I have searched for Cd's or vinyl for years. (I had my Chords stuff ripped off years ago). I am from Toronto, Canada and the access to Mod related stuff here is nil. I even went to London, England 5 years ago and searched high and low for Chords related stuff, but found nothing.

Then in 1999 I was back in London and in a scootering magazine I see to my surprise and excitement, Mod's Mayday 1999!!!!!! How perfect was my timing...So my girl and I ventured to the Forum for an evening of fun and nostalgia...then...I hear that the Chords are playing as well!!! Sometimes life is good. I'm glad they are getting the attention they deserve. GOD DAMN BRILLIANT BAND.
Kirk Hipkiss

I was aware they admired each other's bands back in the day. By the way, I'm a Yank, I was born and raised in Los Angeles, only been over to the UK once in 1987.

I was turned onto the music by a friends brother, who The Chords and The Undertones were and still are friendly with. He is also still close to Paul Weller, his name is Rick Gershon. He still speaks to Damien every couple of months and was really good friends with Buddy from the Chords. I am friends with Rick Buckler to this day, also have a good friend who is close to Rick Buckler named Neil Tinning who was the official tour photographer for the Jam 1981-1982.

Neil lives in Newcastle, which is also where Jake Burns of Stiff Little Fingers now calls home. I have always said that if the Chords had been able to stay together and not self destruct they would have been a band for the Jam to contend with, but unfortunetly they split up, and went AWOL for years.

Anthony Maynall of Squire moved to California in the early 80's, but never really was able to do anything with his musical talents. We had a nice scene going here in the early 80's, always a few years behind the UK, but still a good scene. I was able to see a bunch of great bands way back when, like Madness, Bad Manners, The Jam, The Stranglers, Psychedelic Furs, Elvis Costello, Squeeze, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Alarm, U2, The Smiths as well as our local bands. It was great, because the time I saw the shows was just when a lot of these bands were very unknown here, and just getting their feet wet. Most of them were coming to the states for the very first time so it was a treat to see them raw and non commecialized.

I have been collecting a lot of Mod stuff, music as well as magazine articles from the late 70's early 80's the past 15-20 years, so I have a nice collection of NOS singles as well as magazines. We have had a nice scooter scene developing the past year, where we have a lot of people riding their bikes again, which makes for large rides for US standards, with weekly rides every Sunday, since here in Los Angeles our winter has not yet hit.

It's 75 degress outside, light breeze, but perfect scooter weather.
Neil Shafton

It all takes me back to my youth!I got a shiver when they turned up on TOTP2.Excellent page, keep it up!

I always thought that The Chords were by far the best of the 79 mod bands. In chris they had the best songwriter of that year and Including Weller, although Weller readdressed that later. They peaked in 1980 with the British way of Life and In My Street which were there best producd recordings-Although Maybe Tommorow is one of my favourite songs of all time-bar none.

The Chords had one weakness and i can remember talking to Geoff Gladding (Goffa) about it and he agreed. They didnt have a manager with say the clout of John Weller behind them. Paul Halpin although Chris's mate didnt have the nous. I never understood why Polydor let this happen after the investment behind, and Dennis Mundays opinion of the Chords is well known.

I got to be quite friendly with Chris and Buddy and in the end we used to go out saturday nights, with Buddy and Chris drinking 15 pints and me driving them back home to Orpington and Catford. Buddy do you remember us going to the 81 milk cup final and we (tottenham) got stuffed 1-3 by Liverpool, you didnt say a word for 2 hrs (I think Ed from The Vapors) was with us ?

Another funny night was when we went to The Venue (Victoria) with some free tickets to see Gary US Bonds (of all people) Chris at the same time was in dispute with Bryan Morrison the publisher. As we walked in the bar Morrisson was there and ran after Chris up the street-But luckily Chris got away.

I have bought the new CD and I had forgotten how great this band actually were ! They would have pissed all over the 96 Britpop bands like shed seven, et al. The re-recording of British way of Life, just shows how strong the songs were. The Chords were unlucky that 1981 came along and things changed. Buddy if you see this, give me a call we must have a beer sometime! say hello to Chris as well Best rgds
Greg