Even before issuing its first single, the Bristol based Cortinas had already garnered some national press for its simple, punky stylings.
Forming in 1976, the band counts as one of the earlier proponents of the genre over there on the other side of the Atlantic. Despite forming at a relatively auspicious time, though, the Cortinas never really impacted the scene.
Working with the Step One imprint, helmed by the Police’s manager and Mark Perry from Alternative Television, the Cortinas issued "Fascist Dictator" b/w "Television Families” in 1977. Of course, by that magical year, there was no shortage of bands working with similar source material. And while there’s an omnipresent mod influence – a later single sporting the song “Independence” ranks as an R&B track equal in tenacity to early recordings from the Jam – enough sneer was inserted into Jeremy Valentine’s vocals as to get the band over.
But even before the group issued any recordings, the Cortinas had created such a stir with its live show that the ensemble was gifted opening slots on bills with Television, Blondie and whoever else counted as a high profile act from the time period.
So, while the Cortinas aren’t today recalled the world over, unless hunkered down in some collector’s corner, the band was able to link up with CBS Records during the feeding frenzy that punk’s commercial viability resulted in. No, the Cortinas’ would have a hit record, but signing to the same label that also sported the Clash on its roster wasn’t a bad move – and guitarist Nick Sheppard would join the more famous group at the end of its career.
Before the Cortinas called it a day, though, its True Romances album, released in 1977, hit the shelves. The disc is pretty universally panned as a cop out. And it well maybe. But the musicianship exhibited on tracks like “Youth Club Dance” is something of a surprise after hearing the group’s earlier work. That being said, the lyrical bent of that track and its vocal delivery is really subpar, by any standards.
It’s still shocking to hear a band as adept as punk – and just good at writing simple songs – bog down its sound with pop aspirations and a generally ridiculous tone on its long player.
The release of True Romances, though, probably went a long way to punkers decrying the death of the genre – covering the Contours “First I Look At The Purse,” counts as a rare delight.