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Review [published January 2000]
Ed Jones: This Is Pop
Gary Marshall
It wasn’t a rock gig, it was an event. Journalists from
all the major music papers were there, and even the
local newspaper had marked the event with a special
supplement. Celebrities air-kissed backstage, and the
band took the stage in front of thousands of people. For
Wigan musician Ed Jones, the gig should have been a
triumphant homecoming, a sign that the years of tours
and recording had been worthwhile. Unfortunately,
Jones was in the audience.
The band was The Verve, and the gig was the nowlegendary
show at Haigh Hall. Jones was the bassist in
the Tansads and, a few years previously, had played to
packed venues with The Verve as the band’s support
act. While Richard Ashcroft and co went stellar, The
Tansads stumbled from one disaster to another. Hating
his former friends, Jones quit the band in disgust.
Is Ed Jones bitter? You bet. Ostensibly the story of
a band whose success never matched their ambition,
This Is Pop is an extended v-sign to Jones’ former band
members, record company and peers. Over the course
of the book he paints a less than flattering picture of
several indie heroes, from Jarvis Cocker throwing his
BUY Ed Jones books online from and
weight around in TV studios to thinly-disguised allegations
about Cast. The only band spared Jones’ vitriol is
Stiff Little Fingers, with singer Jake Burns portrayed
as a decent bloke in an industry notorious for backstabbing
and one-upmanship.
Although Jones’ anger sometimes overpowers the
story he’s trying to tell, This Is Pop is a fascinating insight
into the realities of the record business. As Jones
describes in detail, very few bands are actually making
any money – even though they were appearing on Top
Of The Pops, the seven members of the Tansads had a
combined income of £25 per week. Touring is shown
in its true colours, and the bickering over publishing
royalties is depressingly familiar.
It’s obvious from the text that Jones still believes that
the Tansads could and should have been pop stars, although
few non-fans are likely to agree. For most people,
the Tansads were an uncomfortable cross between
The Levellers and Half Man Half Biscuit, a moderately
talented novelty band forever destined to play the bottom
of the bill at festivals. Jones clearly doesn’t see
it that way, although his occasional descriptions of the
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