SWINGING LONDON
VA - Portobello Explosion, The Mod Pop Sound of Swinging London [2013] + Portobello Explosion, The Mod Pop Sound of Swinging London, Part 2 [2014] (2 x CDs)
Released by Particles in 2013 and 2014, the Portobello Explosion series is a two-volume deep dive into the mod pop, beat, garage, and psychedelic sounds that defined London’s underground scene from 1965 to 1970. These unofficial compilations are subtitled Collected Artefacts of Illustrious Noise, and that’s exactly what they deliver, 44 tracks across both volumes, many of which were never reissued prior to this set.
Vol. 1, opens with Clayton Squares’ “Imagination” and rolls through fuzzed-out stompers by Thane Russal, The Gods, Richard Kent Style, and Oscar. You get a mix of R&B-inflected mod, garage rock, and early psych, all sourced from obscure UK singles. Labels like Decca, Parlophone, Columbia, and Pye are represented, but so are tiny indies and one-off pressings that barely made it past Soho record shops.
Vol. 2 digs deeper into the genre-blurring late ’60s, with Jigsaw’s “Let Me Go Home” and “Lollipop And Goody Man” bookending the set. Highlights include Storm’s “Let’s Go Dancing”, Pop Workshop’s “Love Is A One Way Highway”, and Curiosity Shoppe’s “So Sad”—tracks that blend mod urgency with psych melancholy. Artists like Studio Six, Edentree, Shere Khan, and The Executives return with deeper cuts, while Peeps, Made In Sheffield, and West Point Supernatural add texture from the demo vaults.
Both CDs are mastered cleanly but retain the analog grit of their vinyl sources. Packaging includes 12-page booklets with artist notes and period photos, though liner info is minimal, the music does the talking. These aren’t polished anthologies; they’re sonic snapshots of a scene bubbling just beneath the mainstream.
For collectors and mod revivalists, the Portobello Explosion series is a goldmine, not just for its rarities, but for its sequencing, which captures the vibe of Swinging London in all its stylish, fuzz-toned glory. (B)
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Track lists
Vol. 1
01 Clayton Squares - Imagination 2:20
02 Feet, The; Ten Feet - Shoot on Sight 1:59
03 Thane Russell; Thane Russal - I Need You 2:27
04 Roger Young - Sweet Sweet Morning 2:33
05 Him & The Others - I Mean It 3:06
06 Richard Kent Style - Go Go Children 3:01
07 Scots of St. James - Tic Toc 2:23
08 Bunch - You Never Came Home 2:43
09 Gods - Garage Man 2:29
10 Rosko - Mohammed Ben Ali 3:15
11 Oscar - Club of Lights 2:35
12 Edwick Rumbold - Come Back 3:09
13 Answers - You've Gotta Believe Me 2:24
14 Wards of Court - How Could You Say One Thing 1:54
15 Twinset - Tremblin' 2:15
16 Charles Dickens - Nobody Can 1:50
17 O'Hara's Playboys - Harry 2:48
18 Roger James Four - Better Than Here 1:59
19 Thane Russell & Three; Thane Russal & Three - Your Love is Burning Me 2:52
20 Executives - It's Been So Long 2:36
21 Night Riders - Love Me Right Now 2:09
22 Transatlantics - Look Before You Leap 2:11
23 Richard Kent Style - All Good Things 2:13
24 Tony Wilson - What Did I Do? 2:37
Vol. 2
01 Jigsaw - Let Me Go Home 2:54
02 Jason James - Count Me Out 2:34
03 Steve Hammond - The World is Wrapped Around My Neck 3:12
04 Made in Sheffield - Right Satisfied 2:12
05 West Point Supernatural - Night Train 2:47
06 Studio Six - People Say 2:23
07 Peeps - Tra La La 2:39
08 Storm - Let's Go Dancing 3:07
09 Edentree - You Are All I Need 2:04
10 Pop Workshop - Love is a One Way Highway 2:23
11 Mary McCarthy - You Know He Did 2:17
12 Falling Leaves - Tomorrow Night 2:16
13 Jigsaw Band - I've Gotta Get Me Some Money 2:18
14 Mojos - Seven Park Avenue 3:01
15 Shere Khan - No Reason 2:53
16 Peeps - The Loser Wins 2:38
17 Edentree - Call My Name 2:06
18 Curiosity Shoppe - So Sad 3:13
19 Executives - I'll Always Love You 2:48
20 Jigsaw - Lollipop and Goody Man 2:41
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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.
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