Guide to British Music of the 1960s
July 2022
CD Review: Eddie Piller Presents British Mod Sounds of the 1960s
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There has been a wealth of compilations of great 1960s music in the last few years and this is no exception. This is quality from the beginning to the end with 100 great tracks. The usual suspects are here, the Small Faces, the Yardbirds, the Creation, the Hollies etc but, as ever, the real strength lies in the more obscure artists who deserve a listen. Furthermore, some artists make appearances in different guises. Furthermore, defining these tracks as "mod" may be stretching the definition in some cases! Certainly in the 1960s, "Mod" was a definition that was loose as the inspiration came from different sources, soul, blues and jazz, for example. Many of the so-called "Mod" acts have their roots in these genres. Sometimes it is interesting to look at the writers of the songs. The High Numbers' debut was written by manager Pete Meaden to help the future Who attract a mod audience. It is based heavily on Slim Harpo's Got Love If You Want It. It was not a commercial success but very important in view of what was to follow. The band's next single release was I Can't Explain but as the Who. Sorry She's Mine was on the first Small Faces album and is covered here by former bandmate Jimmy Winston. Kenny Lynch was a popular singer who was frequently on Ready Steady Go and (with Mort Shuman). He wrote the Small Faces second hit and third single Sha La La La Lee as well as Sorry She's Mine. PP Arnold is included here (as on Making Time as an honorary Brit having become established as a solo artist in London. As part of the Immediate stable she released the Marriott/Lane track (If You Think You're) Groovy and it has all of the Small Faces backing her. Marriott & Lane also appear on disc two on the amazing Small Faces track Don't Burst My Bubble. This was an early sign of the heavier direction of some of the Small Faces' output. Jimmy Winston's replacement in the Small Faces was Ian McLagan who is also featured here with the Muleskinners, playing guitar. The Fleurs de Lys are present in several guises with Graham Dee taking the writing credits in some cases. Tick Tock by Shyster is one of the band's aliases although Circles (the Pete Townshend song) is the band in their own right with the amazing guitar sound of Phil Sawyer. He would later join the Spencer Davis Group replacing Steve Winwood. Similarly, Waygood Ellis is also the Fleurs de Lys. The band are also, probably, backing Tony & Tandy on another Graham Dee & Brian Potter composition Two Can Make It Together. Sharon Tandy also appears in her own right on Hold On, again backed by the Fleurs de Lys who also recorded their version of the song. Graham Gouldman (later of 10CC) was a prolific songwriter. Alongside the Hollies' hit Bus Stop he wrote several tracks for the Yardbirds although Over Under Sideways Down was not one of them. Elton John (or Reg Dwight) has an early outing as a member of Bluesology with Come Back Baby. Like Elton John, several artists would make their mark in later years. :There is an early duet from Rod Stewart with PP Arnold. Marc Bolan appears as guitarist with John's Children on Desdemona, a track that would later become Mustang Ford for T-Rex. David Bowie released his first track under this name with the Lower Third. It would be some years before his solo chart success though. Ronnie Wood appears with the West London outfit the Birds and Quiet Melon, the latter also featuring Rod Stewart, Ronnie's brother Art and three of the Small Faces. Ronnie would also be part of the Jeff Beck Group and the Creation (not this track) before teaming up with Rod and the former Small Faces again in the Faces and later (and still) the Rolling Stones. Bands appearing in more than one guise include The Mark Four who became the Creation and the Silence who became John's Children. Incidentally, Down Down is not the Status Quo track and nor are the Spectres an early incarnation of Status Quo but a different band of the same name. Some artists made their name as "family" entertainers but this classification hides the true quality of their output. Check out Tom Jones' Chills & Fever and Dusty Springfield's Little by Little. Georgie Fame was very popular in mod circles and his cover of Marvin Gaye's Sweet Thing is well worth a listen. The quality of the tracks chosen make this a great 4CD set for the collection. So many of the lesser-known artists stand up well in 2022 and deserve their place alongside the better-known groups. Edsel EDSL0091 Original release: February 2022 Essential Tracks
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Track Listing Disc One
Disc Two
Disc Three
Disc Four
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