Think the Mod movement was all about the Jam, 2Tone and the Who? While it seemed at the time that Paul Weller was stepping into Pete Townshends hand-me-downs, the Modfather actually did have a little brother. On The Air consisted of Simon Townshend, Tony Butler and Mark Brzezicki, the latter two soon to be drafted as Big Countrys rhythm section. This album collects their prime work, mostly from around 1980, showing that on a good night they could have given the Jam or the Clash a run for their money. Perhaps burdened by his brothers fame, Simon nonetheless comes off as a confident, passionate singer and guitarist, at times indicating what Pete could have been doing had he himself not been burdened by the Whos ever-growing mythology. "Comeback is the best example of this, as Simon reaches for Petes trademark falsetto, but more often hes got a heavily accented growl, à la Joe Strummer, as on "Typically English and "Going For Your Guns. Ready For Action Again is a must for Mods everywhere, and an interesting Brit-pop footnote thats worth a listen.
(Track)On The Air
Ready For Action Again
BY Jason SchneiderPublished Apr 1, 2002