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Title: Mod a Very British Phenomenon: Clean Living Under Difficult Circumstances by Terry Rawlings, Richard Barnes ISBN: 0-7119-6813-6 Publisher: Omnibus Press Pub. Date: December, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $29.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4 (2 reviews)

Rating: 4
Summary: It's a matter of style
Comment: One of the greatest causes of inter-generational conflict is fashion; it's closely followed by poltics, but that's not what we're here for, is it?

And fashion is what Mod was all about. It was a uniquely British affair at the time, a teen movement that claimed to be a break with the staid past, but was almost fascistic in its relentless doctrine of 'dress this way or risk being ostracized'.

It didn't really hit in the US. Here, our teen culture was way too ethnocentric in the early sixties to adopt anything from overseas. Look, how even The Beatles' early singles died. In fact, it wasn't until the 1980's - in a post-modern, post-punk world - that new wavers on both sides of the pond embraced many of the basic dress tenets of the 1960 Mod culture.

So, what do we have here in Mr Rawlings book? It's a chronicle of what that time was about. Told in a broad sweeping narrative that is supported by a spectacular series of photos and first-person stories, the book confirms the title...Mod was a very Britsh Phenomena.

But, oh what a great time it was for music. And, that's real story in Rawlings' history. Sure, the Mods were self-absorbed fashion plates. But, while dressing for their own success, they also forged an amazing amalgamation of US R&B music with British skiffle and music hall beats. It was this synthesis of sound and culture that formed the foundation for most of The British Invasion. Listen to any of the early LP's by The Who; The Kinks; The Animals; or any the scores of one and no hit wonders. How many6 of them were covering Motown hits? How many of them took that beat and revved it up?

That's why so much of the book is a history of the rise and fall of groups. And, a comparatively unknown history it is. Just like current Brit charts are far more secular than in the US - where it is more the trend to 'Jim Crow' hits into a veritable plethora style-specific music - most of the groups chronicled are all but unknown here.

If you're into music - with a bias toward the 1960's - or if you just miss the good days, Mod - A Very British Phenomena is a worthwhile additiona to your library.

Rating: 4
Summary: Who are "The Mods" and why are they so IMPORTANT today? !
Comment: Why read The Story of Mod? What possible relevance and interest does Rawling's and Reed's well written and fascinating history of a scene begun in London in the early 1960's hold for today? Nice of you to ask! For an answer we should return to the Summer of 1979; out of the nihilism of post-punk England there arose a revival of a 1960's Youth Culture phenomenon called "Mod" . Bands such as the Jam ( whose gifted frontman Paul Weller later went on to U.S mainstream success with The Style Council) typified this rebirth with a heavy emphasis on their musical antecedants the Who, The Small Faces and The Kinks. Alongside this revival was a renewed interest in Motor Scooters and ska music. A variety of tangentially related fashions coalesced in the US and made Mod the Thinking Man's Answer to the increasing uniformity of Punk Rock and Rockabilly. Flash forward 20 years and we have the corporate pre-fab "rebellion" of Blink 182, Greenday and sundry other well scrubbed ( but tatooed) "punkers", Brian Setzer and the "Swingers" film bands/scene closely approximating a defanged,tame revival of the early '80's Rockabilly and punk scenes respectively. What of Mod? Well, the Parkas may be missing but the echoes are CLEAR in the music and style of such genuinely diverse pop music giants Oasis, No Doubt, Pulp, Blur, The Verve , and The Shazam ( from, of all places Tennesee). MOD is the ONLY authentic, non "corporate", GRASS roots YOUTH culture dynamic going today. The book chronicles the uniquely British birth and transmogrification of the fashion from its birth in post war England to the potent and creative force that it is today. Any student of youth culture and British pop music will find the book invaluable.

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