Longtime followers of the Brum music scene will have fond memories of THE QUADS, formed by brothers Josh, Jack (Colin) and drummer Johnny (Terry Jones) with bassist Jim Doherty, whose 1979 Big Bear debut single There Must Be Thousands’ became a Peel favourite (he declared it his single of the decade) and a minor hit, reaching 66. Sadly, none of the subsequent releases fared as well, but they were all impressive and distinctive New Wave numbers, especially characterized by the unique echoey guitar sound of ‘Jack’ Jones the likes of which I’ve never hear since.
After four further singles, they eventually called it a day in the mid 80s following Doherty’s departure, briefly reforming in the 90s and recording a series of tracks for Don Arden that were never released.
However, I learn they are in fact actually available via Bandcamp (https://joshjonesnz.bandcamp.com/album/the-quads-ep) where they surfaced in 2019 as The Quads EP, four tracks that open with the hazy ballad It Will Be Alright that builds to a slightly psychedelic feel. The spacey narcotic Feel The Need For More follows along with the equally cosmic almost proto Stone Roses vibe of the instrumental Radically Free and finally the similarly inclined fuzz and feedback Night Into Day.
They’re posted via Josh’s New Zealand site where he now lives in Auckland as an Anglican priest in which capacity he’s released Songs Of Grace, Hope & Lament which, as you might imagine, are deeply rooted in his beliefs and faith and that, however we understand the concept of 'God', most have a sense of the sacred and the divine. There’s six tracks, built around guitar, drums and keyboards and ample evidence that his voice has lost none of its character or power and he can still knock out an infectious melody. This Is The Day is a celebration of Christ’s birth, with the strummed and simply picked Let Your Kingdom Be and its call for a better world, the softly puttering bluesy folk Lord, Giver Of This Day while piano ballad I Am In Christ is pretty much a self-explanatory devotion.
Featuring violin and delicately played acoustic guitar and understated drums, Salt is a stunning near six-minute, slowly building epic while it closes with the anthemic, guitar chiming and very Quads-like (and early Psychedelic Furs) Lost In Awe And Wonder that should take hold of your whatever your faith may be.
What prompted these discovers was reconnecting with Terry John Jones who now lives in Stratford, where for six years he served as a Town Host at the Stratford Business Improvement District supporting local busker, and is now reviving his own music career. Last year he released the acoustic ballad You Are The Love Of My Life featuring Torie Rushton on cello and Gracie Shepherd on violin, and follows up now with You Don’t Believe that, as Josh has observed, while a new song, might have written a whole different story for The Quads had it been the follow up to Thousands.
It’s about time the band were accorded the respect and audiences they’ve always deserved and perhaps Terry’s re-emergence might just be a spark that lights the flame. Now, what’s Jack up to?
