More Info
• Six CD box set containing the complete recordings released between 1981 and 1986 by Edward Ball’s indie mod band The Times including their albums ‘Go! With The Times’ (recorded 1980 but released in 1985), ‘Pop Goes Art!’ (1982), ‘This Is London’ (1983), ‘Hello Europe’ (1984), ‘Up Against It’ (1986) and ‘Enjoy’ (1986).
• Also includes The Times’ rare 1981 debut single ‘Red With Purple Flashes’ / ‘Biff! Bang! Pow!’ which has sold for over £300 on Discogs and was named as one of the top five mod revival singles in MOJO magazine.
• Bonus tracks include The Times’ legendary take on the ‘Theme From Dangerman’, a cover of
David Bowie’s ‘London Boys’, tracks from the 12” EPs ‘I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape’ (1983), ‘Blue Period’ (1985), ‘Boys About Town’ (1986) and ‘Times TV’ (1986) and an alternative version of perhaps their most famous song ‘I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape’ (inspired by cult TV series The Prisoner) taken from the ‘A Splash Of Colour’ compilation that celebrated the early 1980s psychedelic revival.
Edward Ball was a member of cult band The Television Personalities alongside his school friend Dan Treacy before leaving to concentrate on The Times. Treacy plays guitar on the ‘Pop Goes Art!’ album which was originally released on Dan and Ed’s Whaam! Records before being reissued on Edward’s Artpop! label.
The Whaam! label set up by Edward Ball with the Television Personalities’ Dan Treacy and Ball’s own Artpop! Label were a direct inspiration for Alan McGee to set up Creation Records who signed Edward Ball in 1988. McGee was a fan of The Times and the ‘Pop Goes Art!’ and ‘This Is London’ albums and they inspired his own band Biff Bang Pow! and Creation Records.
The 1986 album ‘Up Against It’ is the soundtrack to Joe Orton’s rejected screenplay for The Beatles that was staged by Edward Ball and Mood Six’s Tony Conway at a West London theatre.
Edward Ball has approved the box set and has contributed notes alongside MOJO and Record Collector writer Lois Wilson.
The albums ‘This Is London’, ‘Hello Europe’ and ‘Enjoy’ make up the ‘Frank Summit’ trilogy, an ambitious work with the scope of ‘Tommy’ or ‘Quadrophenia’ that foretells Brexit and the rise of right wing leaders such as Donald Trump.
Tracklist
DISC ONE:
GO! WITH THE TIMES
1 You Can Get It
2 I’m With You
3 Your Generation
4 Pinstripes
5 Dressing Up For The Cameras
6 Red With Purple Flashes
7 The Jokes On Zandra
8 Nowhere To Run
9 No Hard Feelings
10 My Andy Warhol Poster 11 Man From Uncle
12 Reflections In An Imperfect Mirror
Bonus Tracks
13 Red With Purple Flashes (1981 7” single version)
14 Biff! Bang! Pow! (1981 7” single version)
JJ Foster Mixes ([Simulated] Stereo)
15 My Andy Warhol Poster
16 Pinstripes
17 The Joke’s On Zandra
18 Nowhere To Run
19 No Hard Feelings
20 You Can Get It
21 Theme From Man From Uncle
22 Reflections In An Imperfect Mirror
Other Bonus Tracks
23 My Andy Warhol Poster (Teenage Filmstars “McGoohan” Sessions)
24 Spoken word: “Joe, Dan And Me… Before The Creation Contxt”
DISC TWO:
POP GOES ART!
1 Picture Gallery
2 Biff! Bang! Pow!
3 It’s Time!
4 If Now Is The Answer
5 A New Arrangement
6 Looking At The World Through Dark Shades
7 I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape
8 Pop Goes Art! (Melody In Mono)
9 Miss London
10 The Sun Never Sets 11 Easy As Pie
12 This Is TOMORROW….
Bonus tracks
13 Have You Seen The Beautiful People
14 This Is Tomorrow (Alternative Ending)
15 Picture Gallery (Teenage Filmstars “McGoohan” Sessions)
16 The Sun Never Sets (Teenage Filmstars “McGoohan” Sessions)
17 Easy As Pie (Teenage Filmstars “McGoohan” Sessions)
18 Theme From “Dangerman” 19 I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape (1982 7” single version)
20 Theme From Dangerman (Alternative Session Take)
21 Goodbye Piccadilly (October 1981 version)
22 I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape (A Splash Of Colour Version)
23 Spoken word: “I Haven’t Seen Him… In Anybody Else” Speech: Edward Ball December 1999
DISC THREE:
THIS IS LONDON
1 This Is London
2 Goodbye Piccadilly
3 Whatever Happened To Thamesbeat
4 If Only
5 Big Painting
6 Goodnight Children Everywhere
7 The Party
8 Stranger Than Fiction
9 (There’s A) Cloud Over Liverpool
10 Will Success Spoil Frank Summit?
11 The Chimes Of Big Ben
12 This Green And Pleasant Land
Bonus tracks
13 Here Come The Holidays
14 Three Cheers For The Sun
15 All Systems Are Go!
16 Up Against It (long version)
17 Big Painting.(Alternative Session Take)
18 Whatever Happened To Thamesbeat? (Alternative Session Take)
19 This Is London (Alternative Session Take)
20 All Systems Are Go! (Alternative Session Take)
DISC FOUR:
HELLO EUROPE
1 Radiate
2 Blue Fire
3 Victory Drums
4 Everything Turns To Black And White
5 Boys Brigade
6 Where The Blue Begins
7 Public Reaction Killed This Cat
8 Faith
9 Things We’ve Learnt 10 Kulturshock
Bonus tracks
11 Power Is Forever
12 Stop In The Name Of Love 13 Tears On A Rainy Sunday
14 I’ll See You In My In My Dreams
15 Power Is Forever (alternative session take)
16 Biff Bang Pow (Live In Germany 1985)
17 Red With Purple Flashes (Live In Germany 1985)
DISC FIVE:
Screenplay For The Beatles)
1 Up Against It
2 Last Tango For One
3 Boys About Town
4 Garden In The Moonlight (Love Theme For McTurk And Rowena)
5 WPC Boon
6 Most Modern Woman In The World
7 Jacks Revolution
8 Ladies Of The Cause
9 Mutiny In The British Empire
10 Escape!
11 She’s A Professional
12 It’s Cabaret Time!
13 The War
14 The Wedding Song
Bonus Tracks
15 David Jones (Is On His Way)
16 Victim
17 Song For Joe Orton 18 London Boys
19 Dada Europe (I’m So Cut Up About You)
20 Oranges And Lemons 21 Dial L For Love
DISC SIX:
ENJOY
1 Britannia Sleeps Tonight
2 Something Like The Truth
3 (Where To Go) When The Sun Goes Down
4 Times TV
5 Think Big!
6 Housewives Law
7 The Third Wave
8 The American Way
9 Winning Hearts And Minds
10 Cousin Frank Goes To Hollywood
11 Enjoy
12 Dream Now (Young America)
13 Times Radio
14 When The Talking Had To Stop
Bonus Tracks
15 Trailer From Enjoy
16 The Polite Force
17 El Aragua
18 Pick It Up
19 Times Television Sting 20 If Only (Live At The 100 Club 1987)
21 (There’s A) Cloud Over Liverpool (Live At The 100 Club 1987)
22 I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape (Thanks For The Trip Dad)