"Five-A-Side + Bonus Track/Time For Another/No Strings" by ACE featuring Paul Carrack, Bam King and Phil Harris (October 2018 UK Beat Goes On Compilation - 3LPs onto 2CDs Plus A Bonus Track - Andrew Thompson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Time For Another..."

England’s ACE made three respected albums for Anchor Records in the Seventies (1974, 1975 and 1977) before principal songwriter, front man and lead singer Paul Carrack jumped ship to session with the mighty Frankie Miller, did work with Roxy Music before a short lived spot in England’s Squeeze – one of the great bands of the Punk and New Wave era.

Carrack's debut solo album "Groove Approved" finally appeared in 1979 on Chrysalis Records. Thereafter he moved on to a huge career and Number 1 chart greatness with Mike Rutherford of Genesis and his Mike & The Mechanics band and from there onto a steady 10 to 15 album solo career that sees him gigging still and doing shows and a UK tour in 2019. If anything, with social media outlets like YouTube, Facebook and the downloading giant Spotify – Paul Carrack's light has never been higher – a truly wonderful British Rock singer with a Soulful voice and a knack for penning a fab tune – the kind of quality artist people keep rediscovering and passing on the good news (Carrack has rabid fans who go to see him gig everywhere he touches down).

Let's get to the band ACE. CD reissues for our hero pub-rockers have been a very mixed bag. But after years of crap sounding budget compilations (deleted and ludicrously expensive into the bargain) - along came Cherry Red Records of the UK in June 2011 finally reissuing the three platters by ACE in proper style – all with unreleased BBC sessions and the occasional outtake. But they in turn have been deleted and again have started to procure high prices. Which brings us to this timely 2018 reminder of the much-loved band and Carrack’s songwriting beginnings. Time For Another indeed – here are the details…

UK released Friday, 26 October 2018 - "Five-A-Side + Bonus Track/Time For Another/No Strings" by ACE on Beat Goes On Records BGOCD 1360 (Barcode 5017261213600) offers 3LPs and a Bonus Track Remastered onto 2CDs and plays out as follows:

Disc 1 (60:56 minutes):

1. Sniffin' About [Side 1]

2. Rock And Roll Runaway

3. How Long

4. The Real Feeling

5. 24 Hours

6. Why [Side 2]

7. Time Ain't Long

8. Know How It Feels

9. Satellite

10. So Sorry Baby

Tracks 1 to 10 are the band's debut album "Five-A-Side" - originally issued November 1974 in the UK on Anchor ANCL 2001 and March 1975 in the USA using the same catalogue number but entitled "An Ace Album" (peaked at No. 11 in the US LP charts). Despite the front sleeve title "An Ace Album", the first US LPs actually have the title "Five-A-Side" on their labels.

BONUS TRACK:

11. Tastes Like A Fish – A "Five-A-Side" album outtake (instrumental) which first appeared on the June 2011 UK 2CD reissue of "Five-A-Side" on Cherry Red CDBRED 493 (Barcode 5013929149328)

12. I Think It's Gonna Last

13. I'm A Man

14. Tongue Tied

15. Does It Hurt You

15. Message To You

Tracks 12 to 16 are Side 1 of their second studio album "Time For Another" - released November 1975 in the UK on Anchor Records ANCL 2013 and December 1975 in the USA with the same catalogue number (it peaked at No. 153 in the USA, didn't chart UK).

Disc 2 (61:09 minutes):

1. No Future In Your Eyes

2. This Is What You Find

3. You Can't Lose

4. Sail On My Brother

5. Ain't Gonna Stand For This No More

Tracks 1 to 5 are Side 2 of their second album "Time For Another" (for details see Disc 1)

6. Rock And Roll Singer [Side 1]

7. You're All That I Need

8. Crazy World

9. I'm Not Takin' It Out On You

10. Movin'

11. Gleaming In The Gloom [Side 2]

12. Let's Hang On

13. Why Did You Leave Me

14. Found Out The Hard Way

15. C'est La Vie

Tracks 6 to 16 are their third and final studio album "No Strings" - released January 1977 in the UK on Anchor Records ANCL 2020 and February 1977 in the USA with the same catalogue number (peaked at No. 170 on the US LP charts, didn't chart UK)

The band retained the same line-up through the three releases - Paul Carrack on Lead Vocals and Keyboards (ex Warm Dust), Phil Harris on Lead Guitar (ex The Action, formed the band as Ace Flash and the Dynamos), Alan 'Bam' King on Rhythm Guitar (ex The Action, Mighty Baby and B.B. Blunder), Terry 'Tex' Comer on Bass (ex Warm Dust) with Dubliner Fran Byrne on Drums (ex Bees Make Honey). American Guitarist Jon Woodhead joined the band for the "No Strings" LP replacing Phil Harris.

The card slipcase for these BGO reissues lends the release a classy feel whilst the new August 2018 liner notes from JOHN TOBLER acknowledges input from Michael Heatley who did the wordy-deed for the 2011 Cherry Red issues. The inner 'football cards' artwork from "Five-A-Side" is here as are the lyrics for the "How Long" album (neither of the other two original LPs came with lyrics so unfortunately they're not here) and other photos of our boys looking suitably pub-rocking, standing dodgy by a dartboard with a pint of Ale in hand and a ciggie hanging out of their working-class gobs. But what most will love is the new AUDIO by BGO's longstanding Engineer ANDREW THOMPSON - Fabulous stuff that equals if not betters the 2011 issues. 

Musically this is a London white boy's Rock band with a Soulful twist - not unlike Cado Belle who would join Anchor in 1976. There's a lovely J.J. Cale lilt to the rhythms too and Carrack's voice has always been one of the band's strong points (not to mention his quality songwriting). The only British single off the album was of course the fabulous Carrack original "How Long" - UK issued as a 45 in October 1974 on Anchor ANC 1002 with "Sniffin' About" on the flip. It hit a respectable peak of 20 in the British single charts in November (just as the album came out).

But its US equivalent issued in March 1975 on Anchor ANC-21000 went Top 5 eventually gaining Number 3. The 45 "How Long" was a huge radio hit Stateside and saw the LP (known as "An Ace Album" over there) push its way up to Number 11 in March 1975 (it didn't even dent the top 50 in the UK). Despite the warmth given "How Long" in good old Blighty - oddly the newly established Anchor Records didn't release a follow up single that surely cost the album momentum. Anchor America did try "Rock & Roll Runaway" b/w "Know How It Feels" in the USA on Anchor ANC-21002 - but it stalled at Number 71. A further 7" came out March 1975 in the UK ahead of the second album "Time For Another" - it was "I Ain't Gonna Stand For This No More' with Five-A-Side's "Rock And Roll Runaway" as it's B-side (Anchor ANC 1014) - but again despite a strong A - it went nowhere. Let's get to the album...

Produced so sweetly by JOHN ANTHONY (of Queen, Genesis, Rare Bird and Van Der Graaf Generator fame) - "Five-A-Side" opens with the catchy "Sniffin' About" and gets even better with the piano funky jaunt of "Rock & Roll Runaway". But then you're hit with absolute magic - the standout "How Long". To this day it sends me and to hear it sound this good is a proper blast. We're back to Katy Lied Steely Dan keyboard Funk with "The Real Feeling" (nice guitar too) and the superb "24 Hours" (both Carrack tunes).

Side 2 opens with what should have been the 2nd single - the killer groove of "Why?" - sounding like the Average White Band on a Rock tip. "Time Ain't Long" is about family, parents and their passing - and to this day its lyrics don't seem to sit comfortably with the upbeat soulful melody. Things slow down and get better with the Soulful "Know How It Feels". The TV song "Satellite" gets piano funky again while the finisher "So Sorry, Baby" could also have been a great single (a Paul Harris original). The good news is that the lone outtake "Tastes Like A Fish" is a wee gem - the bad news is that it's minus an obvious vocal - so what you get is a Funky Instrumental of about 3 minutes.

Compared to the perk of the debut - the other two albums felt ever so slightly ordinary - mediocre single sleeve artwork for both platters not helping their profile either. By the time the 1977 final studio album came around and even with a new producer of repute – Punk was making ACE seem like a sideshow with the Rock-Soul fun of 1974 and 1975 a distant memory. Anchor UK released singles like "I Ain't Gonna Stand For It" in April 1975 (Anchor ANC 1014 with "Rock & Roll Runaway" from the debut on the flipside) and "No Future In Your Eyes" in November 1975 (Anchor ANC 1024 with the LP’s "I’m A Man" on the B) to try to sell the second LP "Time For Another" - but neither was successful. They tried two more for the "No Strings" LP too - "You’re All I Need" in February 1977 (Anchor ANC 1036 with "Crazy World" on the other side) and "Found Out The Hard Way" in May 1977 (Anchor ANC 1040 with "Why Did You Leave Me?" on the flip) – but few were listening and their initial "How Come" fame and fortune was spent. The band split soon after...

You wouldn’t call these three albums by ACE masterpieces by any stretch of the imagination – but there is still a lot to love here. And with quality presentation combined with great new audio - if you’ve been on the Pub Rock fence with a tepid beer lollygagging sadly in your aging arthritic hand thinking it is indeed "Time For Another" – then dig in - before this 2018 2CD Trio on BGOCD1360 gets deleted too…