It wasn't released until 1985, after the band had already issued a handful of records, but Go! With the Times was the first
Times album. It was recorded in 1980 and marked bandleader Edward Ball's first step of independence from Daniel Treacy, his partner in
Television Personalities. The songs Ball wrote and recorded are breezy and fun, drawing heavily from classic mod bands like
the Small Faces and
Creation, along with slightly less mod beat groups like
the Beatles. From the sound of the album, he didn't have much time in the studio to polish off the rough edges. A couple songs, like the cover of "Nowhere to Run" and the Ball original "Dressing Up for the Cameras," have a skeletal, demo-like quality. The very scruffy sound adds to the ramshackle appeal for the most part, and many of the songs are good enough to overcome the modest effort put into the sonic presentation. The
Creation-quoting "Red with Purple Flashes" is a pulsing rocker with some edgy guitar playing, "I'm with You" is a sweet song that sounds like a
Rutles imitation, and "My Andy Warhol Poster" makes their debt to
the Jam crystal clear. Nothing here is quite on the level of
the TVPs' work at the time or Ball's 1982 classic art pop single "I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape," but the songs help lay the foundation for future
Times albums and are still a lot of fun for mods, rockers, and especially mockers who want to collect everything the mercurial and elusive Edward Ball is associated with. ~ Tim Sendra