British Beat Groups of the 1960s
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Book Review: The Young Mod's Forgotten Story by Paolo Hewitt |
July 2000 |
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Recent years have seen a crop of long-overdue books about the Small Faces. Each
of these has had a different approach. Paolo Hewitt's book was the first of
these and was published in 1995. Paolo has also written biographies of The Jam
and Oasis.
The Young Mod's Forgotten Story does not have the intense detail of Quite Naturally or the longer-term perspective of Happy Boys Happy. It focuses purely on the Small Faces and is lavishly illustrated with black & white and colour photographs. As such it is an essential guide for many on how to dress and look "cool." This is the real mod style bible. This is a definite fan's book. Paolo make it very clear in what regard he holds the "fab four." The book contains a lot of research about the Small Faces as well as context from the times. The book was also written before a number of major developments such as Ronnie's death and the resolution of the royalties questions. The Small Faces had a short career together covering just three "official" albums and a whole string of classic hit singles. Nevertheless, they have proved to be one of the most enduring and influential of British groups of the era. The author makes extensive use of interviews with members of the group. This adds to the depth of detail. However, the book is very easy to read and you get a clear insight into the band very quickly. The depth of pictures including magazine covers and articles helps to put everything into context. As a "teenybop" band, at least in the eyes of the media and the girl fans, the Small Faces were subject to no end of questionnaires about likes and dislikes and what they liked to eat and drink. These are also shown in the book. This is more than just an important book in musical terms but also a guide to style and fashion. It has the best collection of Small Faces press clippings and photographs in one single publication and sits neatly alongside the other Small Faces books on the shelf. It may not have the day by day detail of Quite Naturally or the longer-term career perspective of Happy Boys Happy but it has a clear direction of showcasing the sheer style of the Small Faces. mp, June 2000 |
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Published in 1995 by Acid Jazz ISBN: 0-95239-350-6 |
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Last Updated: 30 June 2000
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