K SPECIAL VA - Time for Action: The British Mod, Soul & Ska Revival 1977-1983 - 215 Classic Mod, Soul & Ska Anthems (Super Deluxe Edition) [2024] (9 x CDs)

K SPECIAL 

VA - Time for Action: The British Mod, Soul & Ska Revival 1977-1983 - 215 Classic Mod, Soul & Ska Anthems (Super Deluxe Edition) [2024] (9 x CDs)

THE MOD REVIVAL

The mod revival was a subculture that started in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and later spread to other countries (to a lesser degree). The mod revival's mainstream popularity was relatively short, although its influence lasted for decades. The mod revival post-dated a Teddy Boy revival, and mod revivalists sometimes clashed with Teddy Boy revivalists, skinhead revivalists, casuals, punks and rival gang members.

The late 1970s mod revival was led by the band the Jam, who had adopted a stark mod look and mixed the energy of punk with the sound of early 1960s mod bands. It was heavily influenced by the 1979 film Quadrophenia. The mod revival was a conscious effort to hark back to the earlier generation in terms of style and presentation. In the early 1980s in the UK, a mod revival scene influenced by the original mod subculture of the 1960s developed.

The late 1970s mod revival combined musical and cultural elements of the 1970s pub rock, punk rock and new wave music genres with influences from 1960s mod and beat music bands such as the Who, Small Faces, the Kinks and the Beatles.

The mod revival was largely set in motion by the Jam and their fans. The band had adopted a stark mod look and mixed the energy of punk with the sound of 1960s mod bands. Their debut album In the City (1977), mixed R&B standards with originals modelled on the Who's early singles. They confirmed their status as the leading mod revival band with their third album All Mod Cons (1978), on which Paul Weller's song-writing drew heavily on the British-focused narratives of the Kinks. The revival was also spurred on by small concerts at venues such as the Cambridge Hotel, Edmonton, Hop Poles Hotel and Howard Hall both in Enfield, the Wellington, Waterloo Road, London, and the Bridge House in Canning Town. In 1979, the film Quadrophenia, which romanticised the original 1960s mod subculture, widened the impact and popularity of the mod revival across the UK. The original mod revival fanzine, Maximum Speed started in 1979 and spawned other home-produced fanzines from then until the mid-to-late 1980s.

Bands grew up to feed the desire for mod music, often combining the music of 1960s mod groups with elements of punk music, including the Chords, Secret Affair, Purple Hearts and the Lambrettas. These acts managed to develop cult followings, and some had pop hits, before the revival petered out in the early 1980s. More R'n'B based bands such as the Inmates and Nine Below Zero also became key acts in the growing mod revival scene in London.

Another British tradition that returned at the same time was the penchant for members of youth subcultures to go to seaside resorts on bank holidays and fight members of other subcultures. This originated in the early 1960s with the mods and rockers fighting each other at places such as Brighton. The phenomenon returned in 1969 through to 1970 with skinheads fighting Teddy boys and bikers. In 1977 it returned yet again, with punks fighting Teddy Boys at Margate, and revival skinheads fighting Teddy boys, bikers and rockers at Southend and Margate. This carried on until 1978. In 1979 and 1980, the resorts became major battlegrounds on bank holidays for young skinheads and mods together against Teddy boys and rockers. Some of the main resorts involved were Margate, Brighton, Southend, Clacton, Hastings and Scarborough.

Summer 1978 - England: Two years on, punk has exploded from its roots in grubby Sex Pistols gigs to shock exposés, hit singles, high street fashion and cartoon punks like Sham 69. It has lost its bite.

The Jam, part of punk’s first wave, also appeared to have lost their edge, but as the year wears on, they emerge with an album that is swiftly proclaimed as one of the decade's finest. 

The LP launches The Jam on a journey which makes them the UK’s most adored pop group.

The album was of course, All Mod Cons, which was smothered in the iconography of the 60’s cult which had so impacted on the young Paul Weller three years earlier.

Soon a clutch of The Jam’s most loyal fans took to copying the band’s Mod dress sense; suits, button-down collared shirts, Fred Perry’s and short, neat hairstyles (such as the French Crew).

By coincidence, probably the most influential Mod band from the original 60’s scene were in the process of making a film about the original teenage experience - based in their West London haunt of Shepherds Bush - through the eyes of a Mod.

The Who‘s Quadrophenia accurately re-enacted the spirit of Mod London and Brighton for a generation too young to remember.

News filters out, nostalgic epitaphs to Mod are published and by the time the film is launched a year later, that army of Jam fans grows into what will soon be labelled the Mod Revival...

Summer 1979: Sounds music paper has led the way in documenting a fresh clutch of bands dressing as Mods. Most of them are based around London/Essex with a sound that mixes The Jam’s new wave energy with 60’s melodies and choice Motown/Who/Small Faces cover versions.

One of their main haunts is a rough and ready pub in Canning Town, East London, called the Bridge House, which funds a live album taped on May 1st - Mods Mayday ’79. The album includes tracks by Secret Affair, Squire, Small Hours, The Mods and Beggar. It is the first gathering of the tribes outside a Jam gig.

Meanwhile, Paul Weller stumbles across another regular haunt, the Duke of Wellington at London Bridge, where he spots The Chords from South London – and invites them – and a leading Mod band from Essex, Romford’s Purple Hearts - to support The Jam on tour.

By August, most of the revival’s leading players had been signed up. Ian Page is seen on BBC1’s Nationwide as the scene’s self-proclaimed spokesman while his band, Secret Affair are given their own label (along with Squire) called I-Spy, by Arista Records. Both had already supported The Jam.

The Jam’s former producer, Chris Parry, adds Purple Hearts and Back to Zero to his Fiction roster of The Chords and the R&B fuelled Long Tall Shorty. The Chords link up with Polydor and Long Tall Shorty to Warners. By Autumn the Mod revival is in full swing.

The Merton Parkas break into the mainstream Top 40 (just) with You Need Wheels, followed by Secret Affair with the ultimate Mod revival anthem, Time for Action (followed by the Motown-styled Let Your Heart Dance, and the more serious My World).

The Purple Hearts and The Chords enjoy a string of minor hits while The Lambrettas from Lewes, West Sussex, debut with the excellent Go Steady, before cracking the Top 10 with an old R&B favourite, The Coasters‘ Poison Ivy.

Fuelled by this and Quadrophenia - and running parallel to the Midlands’ 2 Tone Ska Revival - Mod filtered out of London right across the South and the Midlands, and, to a lesser extent, the North.

The revival would ultimately spread to include much of Europe, Australia and even (albeit to a lesser degree) to parts of the USA.

THE JAM

The Jam were an English rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1982, including four number one hits. As of 2007, "That's Entertainment" and "Just Who Is the 5 O'Clock Hero?" remain the best-selling import singles of all time in the UK. They released one live album and six studio albums, the last of which, The Gift, reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. When the group disbanded in 1982, their first 15 singles were re-released, and all placed within the top 100.

The band drew upon a variety of stylistic influences over the course of their career, including 1970s punk and new wave and 1960s beat music, soul and rhythm and blues. The trio were known for their melodic pop songs, their distinctly English flavour and their mod image. The band launched the career of Paul Weller, who went on to form the Style Council and later started a solo career. Weller wrote and sang most of the Jam's original compositions and played lead guitar, using a Rickenbacker 330. Bruce Foxton provided backing vocals and prominent basslines, which were the foundation of many of the band's songs, including the hits "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight", "The Eton Rifles", "Going Underground" and "Town Called Malice."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jam

THE CHORDS

The Chords are a 1970s British pop music group, commonly associated with the 1970s mod revival, who had several hits in their homeland, before the decline of the trend brought about their break-up. They were one of the more successful groups to emerge during the revival, and they re-formed with the four original members for a UK tour during 2010.

In January 1980 the hit single "Maybe Tomorrow", which, bolstered by rave reviews in the press, shot into the UK Top 40. A John Peel session was recorded in March, and the next month their third single, "Something's Missing", arrived. This taster for their debut album, So Far Away, reached No. 55. The album made No. 30 in the UK Albums Chart in May, bolstered by a UK tour. The album included two cover versions; Sam & Dave's "Hold On, I'm Comin'" and The Beatles' "She Said She Said". AllMusic gave So Far Away 4.5 stars, the second highest rating possible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chords_(British_band)

THE SKA REVIVAL

Ska evolved in the early '60s, when Jamaicans tried to replicate the sound of the New Orleans R&B they heard over their radios. Instead of mimicking the sound of the R&B, the first ska artists developed a distinctive rhythmic and melodic sensibility, which eventually turned into reggae music. In the late '70s, a number of young British bands began reviving the sound of original ska, adding a nervous punk edge to the skittish rhythms.

Furthermore, the Ska Revivalists were among the only bands of the era to feature racially integrated lineups, which was a bold political statement for the time. Indeed, ska revival was more implicitly political than any of their British punk and new wave contemporaries. The leading ska revivalist band was the Specials, who formed their own independent label, 2-Tone. Led by Jerry Dammers and fronted by Terry Hall, the Specials established the sound and approach for all of the bands that followed and were an immediate hit in England. Through 2-Tone and a variety of tours, the Specials helped cultivate an active ska revival scene -- the group offered support for all of the major ska revivalists that followed, including Madness, the (English) Beat, and the Selecter.

Throughout the early '80s, ska revival bands, particularly Madness, were very popular in the U.K. The groups didn't make much headway in the States until 1982 and 1983, when MTV aired videos by all of the important (and many of the lesser) bands. By that time, most of the bands had run their peak and it was just a matter of months before the Specials, Madness, the (English) Beat, and the Selecter all broke up. Although the ska revival bands never became stars outside of the U.K., they did become major cult figures in the U.S. and inspired several generations of musicians to form similar bands. This wave of ska revivalists was equally inspired by hardcore punk and heavy metal, thereby stripping out much of the R&B groove that informed the original ska and 2-Tone artists. Nevertheless, these bands -- including Rancid, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and No Doubt -- became quite popular in America during the mid-'90s. In the U.K., ska revivalists influenced both Britpop bands like Blur and trip-hop artists like Tricky.

Two-tone or 2-Tone, also known as ska-rock and ska revival, is a genre of British popular music of the late 1970s and early 1980s that fused traditional Jamaican ska, rocksteady, and reggae music with elements of punk rock and new wave music. Its name derives from 2 Tone Records, a record label founded in 1979 by Jerry Dammers of the Specials, and references a desire to transcend and defuse racial tensions in Thatcher-era Britain: many two-tone groups, such as the Specials, the Selecter and the Beat, featured a mix of black, white, and multiracial people.

Originating in Coventry in the West Midlands of England in the late 1970s, it was part of the second wave of ska music. It followed on from the first ska music that developed in Jamaica in the 1950s and 1960s, infused with punk and new wave textures.

Although two-tone's mainstream commercial appeal was largely limited to the UK, it influenced the ska punk movement that developed in the US in the late 1980s and 1990s.

The two-tone sound originated among young musicians in Coventry in the West Midlands of England, who grew up listening to 1960s Jamaican music. They combined influences from ska, reggae and rocksteady with elements of punk rock and new wave. Bands considered part of the genre include the Specials, the Selecter, Madness, the Beat, Bad Manners, and the Bodysnatchers.

The Specials' keyboard player Jerry Dammers coined the term "two-tone". Dammers, with the assistance of Horace Panter and graphic designer John "Teflon" Sims, developed the iconic Walt Jabsco logo (a man in a black suit, white shirt, black tie, pork pie hat, white socks and black loafers) to represent the two-tone genre. The logo, based on an early album-cover photo of Peter Tosh, included an added black-and-white check pattern.

Most of the bands considered to be part of the two-tone genre were signed to 2 Tone Records (operative 1979–1985) at some point. Other record labels associated with the two-tone sound were Stiff Records and Go Feet Records. The music was especially popular among skinheads, rudies and mod revivalists.

THE SPECIALS

The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, were an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, Jerry Dammers on keyboards, Lynval Golding and Roddy Radiation on guitars, Horace Panter on bass, John Bradbury on drums, and Dick Cuthell and Rico Rodriguez on horns. The band wore mod-style "1960s period rude boy outfits (pork pie hats, tonic and mohair suits and loafers)". Their music combines the danceable rhythms of ska and rocksteady with the energy and attitude of punk. Lyrically, their work (often written by primary songwriter Dammers) presented overt political and social commentary.

In 1980, their The Special AKA Live! EP, featuring lead track "Too Much Too Young", reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1981, the recession-themed single "Ghost Town" also hit No. 1 in the UK.

After seven consecutive UK top 10 singles between 1979 and 1981, main lead vocalists Hall and Staple, along with guitarist Golding, left to form Fun Boy Three. Continuing as "The Special AKA" (a name they used frequently on earlier Specials releases), a substantially revised Specials line-up issued new material until 1984, including the top 10 UK hit single "Free Nelson Mandela". After this, founder Jerry Dammers dissolved the band and pursued political activism.

The group re-formed in 1993 and continued to perform and record with varying line-ups - none of them involving Dammers - until the death of Terry Hall in December 2022.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Specials

MADNESS

Madness are an English ska and pop band from Camden Town, north London, who formed in 1976. One of the most prominent bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s two-tone ska revival, they continue to perform with six of the seven members of their original line-up. Madness's most successful period was from 1980 to 1986, when the band's songs spent a total of 214 weeks on the UK Singles Chart.

Madness have had 16 singles reach the UK top ten, including "One Step Beyond", "Baggy Trousers" and "It Must Be Love", one UK number-one single "House of Fun". "Our House" was their biggest US hit, reaching number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2000, the band received the Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors for Outstanding Song Collection.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madness_(band)

THE BEAT

The Beat (known in the United States and Canada as the English Beat) and in Australia as the British Beat are a British band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1978. Their music fuses Latin, ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock.

The Beat formed in Birmingham, England, in 1978, during a period of high unemployment and social upheaval in the United Kingdom. Ranking Roger, one of the band's vocalists, added a Jamaican vocal flavour to the band's sound with his toasting style. Jamaican saxophonist Saxa added a Jamaican ska instrumental sound. Saxa (born Lionel Augustus Martin in 1930) had played saxophone with Prince Buster, Laurel Aitken, and Desmond Dekker in the first wave of ska. He joined the Beat to record their first single, "Tears of a Clown", a cover version of the Motown hit by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

The band's debut studio album, I Just Can't Stop It, was released in May 1980, entering the UK albums chart at No. 3. Notable singles from the album included "Can't Get Used to Losing You", "Mirror in the Bathroom", "Hands Off...She's Mine" and "Best Friend". The second Beat album, Wha'ppen? was supported by extensive touring, including a United States tour with the Pretenders and Talking Heads. The album yielded more UK hits, with "All Out to Get You", "Drowning" and "Doors of Your Heart", all of which broke into the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. The Beat received support from modern rock radio stations such as KROQ-FM in Los Angeles, the now-defunct KQAK The Quake 99FM (98.9) in San Francisco and KYYX in Seattle.

Although the Beat's main fan base was in the UK, the band was also popular in Australia, partly due to exposure on the radio station Triple J and the TV show Countdown. The Beat had a sizable following in the US and Canada, where the band were known as the English Beat for legal reasons (to avoid confusion with the American band the Beat). The Beat toured the world with well-known artists including David Bowie, the Clash, the Police, the Pretenders, R.E.M., the Specials and Talking Heads. Members of the band often collaborated on stage with the Specials.

During their early career, the band were associated with Birmingham-based cartoonist Hunt Emerson, who designed their 'Beat Girl' icon and painted the mural that was used on the cover of Wha'ppen?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beat_(British_band)

Although 2-Tone was initially closely identified with Ska, opportunities existed to broaden the label’s musical output. Two bands that almost made it onto the label with their debut singles were UB40 and Dexys Midnight Runners, both from the English midland city of Birmingham and both playing a cultural mix of music.

Dexys took their inspiration from the 60s soul of Stax and Motown, while UB40 played a unique style of old school reggae. Both bands were widely expected to sign with 2 Tone but depending on who you’re talking to; they either turned down the offer flat, or the label simply missed the opportunity of signing them.

DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS

Formed in 1978, Dexys took their name from the commercially available amphetamine Dexedrine. Dexedrine was one of the favoured drugs of 60s mods and soul boys and was an essential part of any night out. It enabled users to stay awake and kept energy levels at a maximum for ‘All Nighters’, hence the name Dexys Midnight Runners.

One of the main instigators behind the band was Kevin Rowland who had previously been vocalist with original punk outfit The Killjoys. He set about recruiting like minded musicians who took inspiration from the sounds of James Brown and Sam and Dave. The band played various pubs and clubs in their native Birmingham and soon came to the attention of the music press. By now 2 Tone-mania was taking a grip of the nation and Dexy’s with their brass driven dance sound were widely rumoured to be the labels next signing. They managed to pick up a slot on the first 2 Tone Tour, replacing Madness who had to leave the tour due to other commitments. According to reports at the time they “kept themselves to themselves” on the tour and rarely mixed with any members of the other bands.

Their sound and indeed image was not a million miles away from the traditional fair and certainly would have made a welcome variation to the labels portfolio, but Kevin Rowland was having none of it, and refused to be part of what he called “anyone else’s movement”. Having turned down 2 Tone the band released their debut single, Dance Stance, on the small Odd Ball label, which was owned by a certain Bernie Rhodes… Although Dance Stance failed to make a major impression on the charts, it did get favourable reviews in the music press mostly via the bands’ association with 2 Tone. Smash Hits in a rather strange review hailed the arrival of “a single by ska’s horniest band”.

Following a few lineup changes (including the addition of future member of the Style Council, Mick Talbot) the band continued to release soul-based singles and managed a UK number one with the single Geno, their tribute to soul legend Geno Washington. The song contained the line ‘my bombers, my dexys, my high’ Bombers being a reference to yet another amphetamine pill with the street name Black Bombers. The band also recorded a critically acclaimed album, Searching for the Young Soul Rebels, which contained a small snippet of Rat Race by The Specials, but were soon to adopt an ever-changing musical style and image. The band would go from dungarees and banjos to an image that was once described as “the look of a double-glazing salesman” with various degrees of success.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dexys_Midnight_Runners

UB40

Named after an unemployment benefit card, UB40 were formed in 1978 in their native Birmingham. They were not exactly competent musicians at the time, in fact some of the members of the band couldn’t play any instruments at all, but a few months of practice in a cellar of all places soon brought everyone up to scratch. The majority of the band were unemployed at the time so there was plenty of time to practice, so aided by a supply of electricity which they ‘borrowed’ from the premises above the rehearsal room they were soon able to knock out covers of various reggae classics.

They were influenced by the many blues parties they attended as teenagers in the multicultural Balsall Heath area of Birmingham. Their love of ska, reggae and early lovers rock inspired such original tracks as "King", "Madam Medusa", "Food for Thought", "Signing Off" and "One in Ten". Their early musical style was unique, with a heavy influence of analogue synthesisers, psychedelic rock guitar, saxophone and dub producer techniques.

The band soon felt confident enough to play small local venues, their first gig was in February 1979 at the ‘Horse & Hounds’ in nearby Kings Heath, and they even managed a session for a local radio station. As luck would have it a certain Mr John Peel heard the broadcast and before the band knew it they were recording a session for national radio, which was broadcast in January 1980. It was during this period that the band picked up support slots for local band The Beat and generated media interest via their loose association with 2 Tone. Although the band played a laid-back style of reggae rather than the frenetic ska of 2 Tone, the multicultural makeup of the band placed them under the media spotlight.

Shortly before their first recording session, the band were joined by Astro, whose role initially was to encourage the audience to dance, but soon became compere and Toasted over some of the extended tracks, this role in fact was similarly filled by Neville, Roger & Chas in The Specials, The Beat & Madness respectively. UB40 turned to local producer Bob Lamb to supervise their demo recordings.

The band were keen to release a single and signed a deal with local independent label, Graduate. Graduate was run by David & Susan Virr from their record shop in Dudley, and the deal was that the band & label would share royalties 50-50. Why the band didn’t sign with 2 Tone has never been fully explained, all Dammers has said on the matter is “that we missed out signing UB40”, but UB40 subsequently claimed that they were anxious not to be associated with the potentially short-lived ska phenomenon.

The debut release was a double A side of King/Food for Thought, with airplay concentrating on the less obviously political Food For Thought, the record met with the public’s approval and reached a very respectable number 4 in the national charts and went on to sell half a million copies. This placing was no doubt aided by the fact that Chrissie Hynde had offered the band a support slot on The Pretenders UK tour which coincided exactly with the singles release.

The band’s follow-up single ‘My Way of Thinking/I Think It’s Going to Rain Today’, moved away from politics and inevitably led to “sell-out” accusations from some quarters, however it was the group's policy, at least in the early years to alternate between ‘pop’ and ‘message’ songs. The third single ‘The Earth Dies Screaming/Dream a Lie’ was to be their last for Graduate (and oddly includes the inscription DEP! on the run-out grooves), and neither track appeared on their aptly named debut LP, ‘Signing Off’. The album became the biggest selling UK Independent LP to date, reaching No.2 and spending a total of 71 weeks in the charts.

The band severed their relationship with Graduate after the label allegedly tried to omit the anit-apartheid anthem ‘Burden of Shame’ from the South African release of ‘Singing Off’.

The band left their producer too, and set up their own label DEP International and vowed to release a dub version of their next long player which was ‘Present Arms’. The album was promoted by two singles ‘Don’t Slow Down’ & ‘One In Ten’ which became their only single besides King/Food for Thought not to have a 12″ format release. For many this record marked the end of UB40’s ‘message’ singles, before moving in a lighter pop direction.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UB40

This iconic photo of Prince Buster dancing with Brigette Bond was taken at London Airport on the 25th of February, 1964. The image would be published in a May 1979 issue of Melody Maker and become the inspiration for Hunt Emerson's The Beat Girl, aka the English Beat logo, and quickly become synonymous with Ska.

For more on Brigette Bond watch Joanna Wallace's documentary Blue Beat Baby.

https://youtu.be/A7RNzArsQx8

As a very SPECIAL BONUS I've included two excellent documentaries in mp4 and mkv video formats.

The Jam - About the Young Idea - Sky Arts (2015)

Feature length documentary produced for Eagle Rock Entertainment in Association with Sky Arts.

About the Young Idea is the story of The Jam. It charts their career from formation in the early seventies, through the heady days of chart success and on to their break up in 1982. The programme features extensive, brand-new interviews with Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler alongside archive performance footage and new contributions from fans, journalists and many involved in the band’s career.

https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a665759/the-jam-about-the-young-idea-review-surrender-to-a-fine-rock-documentary/#r3z-addoor

2 Tone: The Sound of Coventry - BBC2 (2022)

Using music, archive and new interviews, this is the story of 2 Tone - a unique musical phenomenon that exploded out of Coventry in the summer of 1979. 2 Tone not only dominated the charts and got the nation dancing to a ska beat, it played a vital part in the movement against racism in Britain and beyond. Including a rare interview with Jerry Dammers, the architect of 2 Tone, and contributions from other key players, the film explores the music style and ethos of the genre and charts the remarkable story of how this independent ‘do it yourself’ record label from Coventry went on to have a global impact and a unique place in popular music.

https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2022/2-tone-the-sound-of-coventry-bbc-2

Plus a couple to watch on YouTube:

1979: The MOD REVIVAL | Nationwide | Retro Fashion | BBC Archive

https://youtu.be/KyuDsFf46aI?si=aeKcdATaUKxDIn85

Time for Action: Mod Revival Generation - London Weekend Television (2003)

Excellent documentary based on the 1979 Mod revival in London featuring interviews with Purple Hearts, The Chords, Eddie Pillar, Gary Crowley, Terry Rawlings, Ian Page, John Entwistle, etc. Broadcast only on London Weekend Television in 2003 as part of a series called 'SOUL' Sounds of Underground London.

https://youtu.be/N4f3MC0YYFM?si=bZk1GlOFhpxo4HzJ

https://youtu.be/K1zktCYMSEM?si=5pFFNxDje8Ubn1vK

So, after exhaustive and extensive online research, plus my own recollections, memories and records bought at the time, here is my personal compilation of what I consider to be the 215 best and most important tracks from the British Mod, Soul & Ska Revival of the late 70s into the early 80s.

Compiled as always using the very latest and highest quality digital remasters, with a considerable number of tracks sourced from the original master tapes for superior sound quality and enjoyment.

All tracks are the 100% CD quality original recordings. No poor-quality YouTube rips here!

This fully packed 9CD set features almost 12 hours of classic tracks!

Check out the artwork folder for lots of fascinating memorabilia including magazine covers, clippings, concert tickets, button pin badges, etc.

Enjoy!

K

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ALL 

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Video's

The Jam - About the Young Idea - Sky Arts (2015)

2 Tone: The Sound of Coventry - BBC2 (2022)

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Track lists

CD1

01 The Jam - The Eton Rifles (Original 1979 7" Single Version) 3:29

02 The Chords - Maybe Tomorrow 3:13

03 Purple Hearts - Millions Like Us (Original 1979 Polydor Records 7" Single Version) 3:07

04 Secret Affair - Time for Action 2:44

05 The Special A.K.A. - Gangsters 2:46

06 Madness - The Prince (Original 1979 2 Tone Records 7" Single Version) 2:28

07 The Beat - Hands Off...She's Mine 2:59

08 The Selecter - On My Radio 3:07

09 Dexys Midnight Runners - Geno 3:27

10 The Lambrettas - D-a-a-ance 2:19

11 The Merton Parkas - Put Me in the Picture 2:48

12 Squire - Walking Down the King's Road (Original 1979 7" Single Version) 3:36

13 The Bodysnatchers - Ruder Than You 2:48

14 Rico - Sea Cruise 3:00

15 UB40 - Food for Thought 4:12

16 Bad Manners - Walking in the Sunshine 3:28

17 The Jam - 'A' Bomb in Wardour Street (Original 1978 7" Single Version) 2:31

18 The Jam - Absolute Beginners 2:48

19 Graduate - Acting My Age 3:49

20 The Jam - All Around the World 2:22

21 The Lambrettas - Another Day, Another Girl (Page 3) 2:42

22 The Jam - Away from the Numbers 4:03

23 Madness - Baggy Trousers 2:46

24 The Vandells - Bank Holiday 2:19

25 The Lambrettas - Beat Boys in the Jet Age 3:00

26 The Jam - Beat Surrender 3:34

CD2

27 Purple Hearts - Beat That! (B-side to 'Millions Like Us') 2:33

28 Madness - Bed and Breakfast Man 2:33

29 The Beat - Best Friend 3:02

30 The Beat - Big Shot 2:34

31 The Jam - The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had to Swallow) 3:33

32 The Specials - Blank Expression 2:44

33 Rhoda with The Special A.K.A. - The Boiler 5:47

34 The Jam - Boy About Town 2:00

35 Dexys Midnight Runners - Breaking Down the Walls of Heartache (B-side to 'Geno') 3:25

36 The Chords - The British Way of Life 3:33

37 The Jam - The Butterfly Collector (B-side to 'Strange Town') 3:07

38 Long Tall Shorty - By Your Love (Original 1979 7" Single Version) 2:23

39 Bad Manners - Can Can 2:49

40 The Amber Squad - Can We Go Dancing? 2:35

41 The Beat - Can't Get Used to Losing You 3:01

42 Madness - Cardiac Arrest 2:52

43 The Jam - Carnation 3:27

44 Rico - Carolina 4:17

45 The Selecter - Celebrate the Bullet (Original 1981 7" Single Version) 3:10

46 The Specials - Concrete Jungle 3:20

47 The Truth - Confusion (Hits Us Everytime) 3:04

48 The Lambrettas - Cortina 2:35

49 Dexys Midnight Runners - Dance Stance (Original 1979 7" Single Version) 3:40

50 The Jam - David Watts (Original 1978 7" Single Mix) 2:54

51 The Selecter - Deep Water 4:09

CD3

52 The Inmates - Dirty Water 3:01

53 The Specials feat. Rico with the Ice Rink String Sounds - Do Nothing (Original 1980 7" Single Version) 3:41

54 Secret Affair - Do You Know? 4:00

55 Squire - Does Stephanie Know? 2:46

56 The Specials - Doesn't Make It Alright 3:26

57 The Chords - Don't Go Back 2:39

58 Two Tone Pinks - Don't Lecture Me 2:46

60 The Beat - Doors of Your Heart 3:47

61 UB40 - Dream a Lie (Original 1980 12" Single Version) 7:53

62 The Jam - Dream Time 3:54

63 The Jam - The Dreams of Children 3:07

64 UB40 - The Earth Dies Screaming (Original 1980 12" Single Version) 8:20

65 The Bodysnatchers - Easy Life 3:14

66 Rico - Easy Snappin' 3:56

67 Nine Below Zero - Eleven Plus Eleven 2:19

68 Madness - Embarrassment 3:11

69 The Chords - Empty Dreams (Unissued Single) 3:47

70 The Jam - English Rose 2:48

71 The Specials - Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think) 3:38

72 Graduate - Ever Met a Day 3:27

CD4

73 Squire - The Face of Youth Today 2:08

74 The Merton Parkas - Flat 19 3:16

75 The Specials - Friday Night, Saturday Morning (B-side to 'Ghost Town') 3:35

76 Purple Hearts - Frustration 2:54

77 The Jam - Funeral Pyre 3:27

78 The Specials feat. Rico - Ghost Town (Original 1981 12" Extended Single Version) 6:03

79 The Jam - Ghosts 2:11

80 The Jam - Girl on the Phone 2:56

82 The Merton Parkas - Give It to Me Now 2:29

83 The Lambrettas - Go Steady 2:55

84 The Jam - Going Underground 2:53

85 Madness - Grey Day 3:39

86 The Chords - Hey Girl 2:17

87 The Scene - Hey Girl 2:12

88 The Specials - Hey, Little Rich Girl 3:37

89 Secret Affair - Hide and Seek 3:03

90 Madness - House of Fun 2:46

91 Teenbeats - I Can't Control Myself 2:57

92 Elvis Costello and the Attractions - I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down (Withdrawn 1980 2 Tone Records Single CHS TT 7) 2:07

93 The Beat - I Confess 4:30

94 The Chords - I Don't Wanna Know 2:53

95 The Piranhas - I Don't Want My Body (Original Vaultage '78 Version) 3:48

96 UB40 - I Think It's Going to Rain Today (Original 1980 12" Single Version) 7:31

CD5

97 Dexys Midnight Runners - I'm Just Looking (Original 1979 Oddball Productions 7" B-side to 'Dance Stance') 4:24

98 Secret Affair - I'm Not Free (But I'm Cheap) 7:05

99 The Chords - In My Street 3:38

100 The Jam - In the City 2:19

101 The Jam - In the Crowd 5:38

102 Madness - In the Middle of the Night 3:02

103 The Specials - International Jet Set (Original 1980 7" Single Edit) 4:13

104 Madness - It Must Be Love 3:20

105 Squire - It's a Mod Mod World 2:24

106 The Jam - It's Too Bad 2:36

107 The Beat - Jackpot 4:18

108 Purple Hearts - Jimmy 3:27

109 Rico and the Special A.K.A. - Jungle Music 4:00

110 Bad Manners - Just a Feeling 3:13

111 Dexys Midnight Runners - Keep It 4:00

112 UB40 - King 4:37

113 The Lambrettas - Leap Before You Look 2:35

115 Secret Affair - Let Your Heart Dance 2:59

116 The Bodysnatchers - Let's Do Rock Steady 2:56

117 Bad Manners - Lip Up Fatty 2:45

118 The Jam - Liza Radley (B-side to 'Start!') 2:33

CD6

119 Bad Manners - Lorraine 3:07

120 Secret Affair - Lost in the Night (Mack the Knife) 3:30

121 Small World - Love Is Dead 2:57

122 The Specials - Man at C&A 3:38

123 The Jam - Man in the Corner Shop 3:14

124 The Specials - A Message to You, Rudy 2:52

125 The Beat - Mirror in the Bathroom 3:09

126 The Selecter - Missing Words (Original 1980 7" Single Version) 3:22

127 The Crooks - Modern Boys 2:48

128 The Jam - The Modern World 2:31

129 The Jam - Monday 3:00

130 The Jam - Mr. Clean 3:29

131 Madness - My Girl 2:45

132 Purple Hearts - My Life's a Jigsaw 2:51

133 Squire - My Mind Goes Round in Circles 3:42

134 UB40 - My Way of Thinking (Original 1980 12" Single Version) 6:50

135 Secret Affair - My World 3:39

136 The Jam - News of the World 3:27

137 Madness - Night Boat to Cairo 3:31

138 The Specials - Nite Klub 3:23

139 The Fixations - No Way Out 2:35

140 The Chords - Now It's Gone (Original 1979 Polydor Records 7" Single Version) 3:07

141 Scarlet Party - 101-Dam-Nations 3:35

CD7

142 The Chords - One More Minute 3:35

143 Madness - One Step Beyond (Original 1979 7" Single Edit) 2:20

144 The Circles - Opening Up 3:11

145 Madness - Our House 3:23

146 The Jam - The Place I Love 2:52

147 Dexys Midnight Runners - Plan B 2:37

148 Purple Hearts - Plane Crash 2:51

149 The Merton Parkas - Plastic Smile 2:11

150 The Lambrettas - Poison Ivy 2:42

151 The Jam - Pretty Green 2:35

152 The Beat - Ranking Full Stop 2:48

153 The Specials - Rat Race 3:10

154 Madness - The Return of the Los Palmas 7 (Original 1981 7" Single Version) 2:33

155 The Beat - Rough Rider 4:49

156 The Specials - Rude Boys Outa Jail 2:40

157 The Jam - Saturday's Kids 2:51

158 The Beat - Save It for Later 3:34

159 The Jolt - See Saw 2:42

160 The Selecter - The Selecter 2:57

161 The Jam - Set the House Ablaze 5:02

162 Dexys Midnight Runners - Seven Days Too Long 2:43

163 Dexys Midnight Runners - Show Me 3:25

164 Madness - Shut Up 4:06

165 The Jam - Smithers-Jones (B-side to 'When You're Young') 3:00

166 The Chords - So Far Away (Unissued Single Edit) 3:16

CD8

167 The Beat - Sole Salvation 3:05

168 The Chords - Something's Missing 3:26

169 Secret Affair - Sound of Confusion 3:00

170 Bad Manners - Special Brew 3:18

171 The Jam - Start! (Original 1980 7" Single Version) 2:16

172 The Truth - A Step in the Right Direction 3:37

173 The Specials - Stereotype (Original 1980 7" Single Version) 3:49

174 The Jam - Strange Town 3:47

175 Teenbeats - Strength of the Nation 2:51

176 Madness - The Sun and the Rain 3:28

177 The Jam - Tales from the Riverbank (B-side to 'Absolute Beginners') 3:33

178 Dexys Midnight Runners - The Teams That Meet in Caffs 4:08

179 The Beat - Tears of a Clown 2:42

180 Dexys Midnight Runners - Tell Me When My Light Turns Green 3:43

181 Rico - That Man Is Forward 3:48

182 The Jam - That's Entertainment (Original 1981 7" Single Edit) 3:33

183 The Quads - There Must Be Thousands 3:25

184 Dexys Midnight Runners - There, There, My Dear 3:15

185 The Cigarettes - They're Back Again, Here They Come 3:58

186 The Jam - Thick as Thieves 3:38

187 The Chords - Things We Said 3:50

188 The Directions - Three Bands Tonite 4:01

189 The Selecter - Three Minute Hero 3:02

CD9

190 The Jam - To Be Someone (Didn't We Have a Nice Time) 2:29

191 The Piranhas - Tom Hark 2:46

192 Madness - Tomorrow's (Just Another Day) 3:11

193 The Bodysnatchers - Too Experienced 2:34

194 The Selecter - Too Much Pressure (B-side to 'On My Radio') 2:48

195 The Special A.K.A. feat. Rico - Too Much Too Young (Live at the Lyceum, London) (Original 1980 7" Single Version) 2:04

196 The Beat - Too Nice to Talk To 3:07

197 The Jam - Town Called Malice 2:54

198 The Chords - Turn Away Again 3:33

199 The Beat - Twist & Crawl 2:34

200 The Beat - Two Swords 2:17

201 The Inmates - The Walk 2:47

202 The Selecter - Washed Up and Left for Dead 4:04

203 The Donkeys - What I Want 2:26

204 The Jam - When You're Young 3:12

205 The Beat - Whine & Grine/Stand Down Margaret 3:46

206 The Selecter - The Whisper 3:01

207 The Chords - Who's Killing Who (B-side to 'One More Minute') 2:56

208 The Killermeters - Why Should It Happen to Me? 3:25

209 Long Tall Shorty - Win or Lose 2:44

210 The Merton Parkas - You Need Wheels 2:45

211 The Merton Parkas - You Should Be So Lucky 1:59

212 Back to Zero - Your Side of Heaven 2:37

213 The Piranhas feat. Boring Bob Grover (The Man with the Golden Trumpet) - Zambezi 2:46

214 The Specials - You're Wondering Now 2:37

215 The Jam - Down in the Tube Station at Midnight ('All Mod Cons' Full Length Album Version) 4:43

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