Mod Speed

Mo Jazz 2

2013-02-18T13:30:00.001Z

Man, love it like sunshine or weather it otherwise, it’s the jazz in the cracks of the pavement of life that puts skips in the step and a bounce in our soul; mind grease, to free up the cogs, the dirt and the rust, the oil that eases the pains of the day, that pays the way for the ferryman’s greed, free-form feet streaming street currency; it’s honk, melodic and lithe, for the crossing, for the flight, so we soar with the horn hop, with the be-bop, with the grind of the hard stops, jazz chops, fusion, a dad-a-boom beat baby bass sweating funk storm, strum along sex sax sing-song time changes, time changing, notes between notes between the note, slow to the fast to the free in the whole key, syncopation of style, speeding and locked, riff like your blocked, modern and trad with the beats and the mods by the old and the young for the everyone, for the thrill, organ groove and mood swing, the easy listening chill; ever onward and always moving, crazy. (Searle (2013)).

The re-emergence in interest of everything in and around the ‘beat generation’ has recently witnessed, finally, a feature length movie of the ‘beat bible’, Jack Kerouac’s - On The Road, to add to Hollywood’s fascination with the subject - (Howl by Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs Naked Lunch and Drugstore Cowboy).The soundtrack to these movies have always been a bedding of Bebop Jazz and Freeform riffery; Acid Jazz Records, often a sonic refuge for modern day beatniks and new ‘bo-ho’s’, has now revived it’s Mo Jazz series, creating a fresh take on the filmic jazz compilation. Updating the traditional, ‘hard-core jazz enthusiast only’ snobbery, to include some more accessible styles; to create a record with something for everyone, a compilation that is, in every sense, listenable.

Dance- floor DJs will enjoy Laurent Doumont’s - Everything I Do’s Gonna Be Funky (video below), Derek Chai introduces a ‘pop’ flavour in his song- Live Again, and Richard Bundy performs the beautiful ballad – Wine Cups; Rosa Brunello leads a freeform ensemble from behind her double bass, Nigel Price displays why he’s one of the country’s finest jazz guitarists, plus many more including the magnificant combo, (also featuring Nigel Price), The Filthy Six.

However, fans of proper Be Bop jazz needent fret, you are still catered for; Riley Stone-Lonergan’s - Pedalo is sheer class, a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, who recently played Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms- Riley is just 16 years of age; truly the future of jazz .

Skarooni.

References:

Searle Richard (2013) Mo Jazz 2. Acid Jazz Records. London.

Holdin' On With Geno Washington

2013-01-07T15:44:00.000Z

The Rare Mod series has had a chance to take stock following Acid Jazz Record’s recent box-set of the first seven Rare Mod EPs - and Acid Jazz Records have come up with an absolute corker of a dance-floor EP from the mod/soul master.

Geno Washington And The Ram Jam Band - a name synonymous with the handclappin’, footstompin', funky butt, live sound of sweaty mod Soho in '66.

Following the well-established route of an American serviceman turning his hand to singing in the London clubs, Geno took the London scene by storm; handsome, with the physique of a light heavyweight and the sartorial style of a Carnaby Street Modernist, The Ram Jam Band, originally formed by Geno and the guitarist Pete Gage, peppered the charts with a whole host of 45s and two hit albums for Pye Records. By the time The Ram Jam Band recorded this hitherto unheard session, the personnel had been through numerous changes. Colin Davey and Dave Greenslade had come in from Chris Farlowe's Thunderbirds, Pete Carney was on bass with Lionel Kingham and Buddy Beadle on saxes. Importantly, Dave Tedstone had moved across from Geno's Pye rivals The Vagabonds to play lead guitar and added an authentic 'British' soul sound.

The tracks presented here date from early '68. They were recently rediscovered by Dave Tedstone on the original quarter inch tape and have never before been heard. Take in another genuine slice of Rare Mod history; as Geno himself said on hearing the tapes for the first time, "Hey, I never heard us sound so damn good!”

Released as a limited edition 7” vinyl in an authentic sixties style sleeve and as a digital download. Release date is 28th Jan but advanced copies are available, right now, from the Acid Jazz store.

Rare Mod 4

2012-11-28T13:17:00.000Z

It’s been a long time since a previously unreleased track by The Artwoods saw the light of day. Hoochie Choochie Man, was the bands favourite track, recorded as a single but never released, until now.... as part of Rare Mod 4 - the next chapter in the outstanding series of super rare sixties gems.

The Artwoods were one of, if not the best British R&B band that ever existed. The line up is of course the stuff of legend; Art Wood on Vocals (brother of Ronnie, Rolling Stones, Wood,) Jon Lord (founder member of Deep Purple on Organ), a real find.

The Artwoods guitarist, Derek Griffiths’ later formed the gland expanding psych soul extravaganza Dog Soul; also featured, whose stunning version of Eddie Floyd’s Stax classic was recorded by a scratch band of legendary British musicians in Alvin Lee’s studio. The group consisted of members of The Kinks, Argent, Satisfaction and The Mike Cotton Sound. Unreleased until now, the definition of Rare Mod.

Gary Farr and The T-Bones, now considered legends of the British 60s R&B scene, Together Forever recorded in late 1966 and features new boy Keith Emerson of ELP on Hammond Organ; the track remained unreleased until now.

What do you get if you add Hammond Organ to a Donovan track and throw in the break from Sympathy For Devil ? The answer is this killer version of Hey Gyp by The Unknown Mod Band.

Also included :Syd’s Crowd - a stunning examples of the hard edged Mod soul sound.
Virgin Sleep - now considered British psychedelic gold.

The Perfumed Garden - who appeared regularly at the now legendary Mardis Gras Club playing support to many big names including Sharon Tandy and The Fleur de Lys.

16 tracks of rare, future, Mod classics.

1. Dog Soul - Big Bird

2. All Night Workers – Tell Daddy

3. Gary Farr And The T-Bones - Together Forever

4. The Unknown Mod Girl - Coming Home Baby

5. Mountain Men - Too Many People Around

6. Syd’s Crowd - Times Are Good Babe

7. Row Boat - Me And My Baby

8. The Artwoods - Hoochie Coochie Man

9. Syd’s Crowd - Road Runner

10. The Unknown Mod Band - Hey Gyp

11. All Night Workers – Rock Is Here To Stay

12. Perfumed Garden - Cover Girl

13. The Wild Ones - The Thinking kind

14. Virgin Sleep - Arthur

15. Row Boat - I Watch From Afar

16. Tomorrow’s Children -LSD

Get it while it's hot!

The Acid Jazz 25th Anniversary Box Set

2012-11-01T16:41:00.000Z

Acid Jazz, the brainchild of Piller and Peterson, was born in 1987 and immediately hit a chord in the UK by appealing to a cross section of serious fans - from old school Jazzers, obsessive Jazz-Funkers, passionate Soulboys, sharp-dressed Mods, nodding Hip-Hoppers and even laid back Dreads.

Before long the tentacles of the Acid Jazz movement were spreading throughout the world and what began as a bedroom label between two mates soon became a mecca for various tribes who had become disenfranchised from other scenes.

From international breakthrough successes like the Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai and the Totally Wired series, Acid Jazz cemented it’s image as one of the most iconic and unique UK record labels of the last 3 decades.

Harmless Records in conjunction with BBC Worldwide and Acid Jazz have packaged this beautiful collectors box set featuring:

4 x Audio CD’s.

1 x music video DVD (including promo videos and interviews).

1 24 page book, containing photographs and sleeve-art throughout the last 25 years.

1seven inch bonus vinyl single.

Every traditional Acid Jazz artist worth their salt feature throughout (other than Corduroy, mysteriously); Mother Earth, Sandals,Night Trains, Snowboy, JTQ, Galliano, The Young Disciples, Humble Souls and countless others. As well as new ones,The Third Degree, Janice Graham Band and Men Of North Country. Plus ‘friends’ of the label who released material through AJ at various times, Primal Scream, Paul Weller. And, incredibly, records that influenced the label, Chicago, Erma Franklin, Small Faces and loads more. Check them out....

CDDVD 1
1			Jose Feliciano - Golden Lady
2			The Isley Brothers - Love The One You’re With
3			Gil Scott-Heron - Lady Day & John Coltrane
4			Tyrone Davis - Is It Something You Got
5			Alice Clark - Don’t You Care
6			Spanky Wilson - You
7			Erma Franklin - Light My Fire
8			Clarence Wheeler & The Enforcers - Right On
9			The Quik - Bert's Apple Crumble
10			Jimmy Smith - Who's Afraid Of Virginia Wolfe Part 2
11			Mark Murphy - Milestones
12			The Googie Rene Combo - Smokey Joe’s La La
13			Ivan “Boogaloo Joe” Jones - Black Whip
14			Charles Earland - Murriley
15			Lonnie Liston-Smith & The Cosmic Echoes - Expansions
16			Dinosaur L - Go Bang! # 5
17			Chicago - I’m A Man
18			Small Faces - I Can’t Dance With You
19			Sydney Joe Qualls - I Don’t Do This (To Every Girl I Meet)
20			Ballistic Brothers - Blacker
CDDVD 2
1			Diana Brown & Barrie K. Sharpe - The Masterplan
2			S.O.H.O. - Hot Music
3			Young MC - Know How
4			Sugar Bear - Don’t Scandalize Mine
5			Nu Yorican Soul - The Nervous Track
6			A Man Called Adam- Earthly Powers
7			Jestofunk - I’m Gonna Love You
8			The Apostles - Super Strut
9			Stonebridge - Jazzy John’s Freestyle
10			Arthur Miles - Helping Hand
11			Dread Flimstone - From The Ghetto
12			Espiritu - Bonita Manana
13			A Tribe Called Quest - If The Papes Come
14			The Brand New Heavies - BNH
15			Galliano - Frederick Lies Still
16			Gang Starr - Jazz Thing
17			Young Disciples - Get Yourself Together
18			The Brand New Heavies - Dream Come True
19			The James Taylor Quartet - Love Will Keep Us Together
20			Snowboy - The New Avengers
CDDVD 3
1			A Forest Mighty Black - Fresh In My Mind
2			Pharcyde - Oh Shit
3			Chapter & The Verse - Black Whip
4			King Bee - Back By Dope Demand
5			The James Taylor Quartet - Theme From Starsky & Hutch
6			Incognito - Always There
7			Jamiroquai - Too Young To Die
8			Mother Earth - Apple Green
9			The Night Trains - Love Sick
10			Humble Souls - Beads Things & Flowers
11			One Creed - The Ladder
12			Primal Scream - Funky Jam
13			Paul Weller - Cosmos Sx 2000
14			Mother Earth - Non Corporealness
15			Mr Scruff V Manasseh - Rassellas
16			The Roots Radics Meet The Scientist - Movements In Dub (Roots)
17			Dread Flimstone - Render Your Heart
18			Max Romeo - Chase The Devil
19			Delroy Wilson - You Never Get Away
20			Emperors New Clothes - Leaders & Believers
CDDVD 4
1			Snowboy - Astralisation
2			Jeff & The Fresh Prince Feat Grover Washington Jr. - The Groove (Jazzy’s Groove – Instrumental)
3			Cypress Hill - I Wanna Get High
4			Jhelisa - Galactica Rush
5			Sandals - Nothing
6			Snowboy - Anarchy In The UK
7			Mother Earth - Find It (In The End)
8			The Brand New Heavies - Dream Come True
9			The James Taylor Quartet- Love Will Keep Us Together
10			Smoove Feat Jess Roberts - Coming Back
11			The Third Degree - Mercy
12			The Night Trains - No More Heroes
13			Janice Graham Band - Murder
14			Gregory Isaacs - Feeling Sad Tonight
15			Matt Berry - So Low
16			Men Of North Country - Debut
17			Twisted Tongue - A Really Good Thing

Christmas present anyone ?

NiGht TrAiNs - No More Heroes

2012-09-25T13:45:00.000+01:00

What happens when you cross-breed a perfect seventies seminal punk rock masterpiece, by say The Stranglers, with the bubblegum sixties soul chops of Tainted Love, not the Soft Cell version but the Gloria Jones original? You get, after some re-tailoring and nifty horn arranging, Night Trains cheek muscle straining and Northern Soul crafty single No More Heroes.

This dance-floor rework of a song that could never be bettered - has emerged as the Frankenstein monster cover version, which sets a new high in tongue-in-cheek chic. An infectious and sophisticated broth that marries the easy listening orchestration of James Last or the BBC Top Of The Pops orchestra, to the anarchic whimsy of the bile spitting nihilists that redefined a generation and changed the direction of music business that it sought to destroy.

Released on Acid Jazz Records this week, hang up your bondage trousers, shake out the talcum powder and dance.

No gobbing !

The Third Degree - Can't Get You Out Of My Head

2012-09-24T13:41:00.000+01:00

Lodged in the charts for more than a year, selling half a million copies in the UK and picking up a Grammy along the way, Mercy was the song that made Welsh retro diva Duffy a household name. But soon after the super-catchy tune took on a whole new lease of life. A cover version by an unknown band from London called the Third Degree re-imagined and vastly improved.

Where Duffy’s original offered a glitzy, contemporary twist on Sixties soul, the Third Degree render Mercy in a vintage, near-purist northern soul style. The instrumentation and production was so authentic that it sounds like some long-lost R&B classic from 45 years ago. You’d almost believe that this was the original version.

Led by producer Sir Tristan Longworth, from Acid Jazz band Pleasure Beach, the band are not a struggling young combo but a collective of session musicians who have been matched up with a young singer named Jon Allen solely for the recording.With its pounding northern beat, swirling Hammond organ and blaring horns, Third Degree’s Mercy is a tune !

A long awaited follow-up, the Kylie classic, Can’t Get You Out Of My Head, see's the same line-up giving a similar treatment to what was originally the throwaway ditty of a pop princess, reworked into a funky northern soul monster. Once again jumping aboard their musical time machine, dialing in 1968 and arriving at the Marquue club, leaving us to question whether this is actually a cover version in fact the long lost original.

Backed with a stonking remix by soul & jazz’s hottest remixer, Smoove, released by Acid Jazz records on limited seven inch vinyl and the obligitory download.

Nice arse !

JTQ - The Money Spyder

2012-09-06T12:46:00.001+01:00

The James Taylor Quartet’s second release on Acid Jazz, recorded in one afternoon and released in 1987, The Money Spyder, was, at the same time, the band’s first full album release, after their debut mini-album Mission Impossible. It happened to also become the first UK release on the label that secured a gold disc status.

The Money Spyder was conceived as the soundtrack to an imaginary spy film (a concept blatantly ‘borrowed’ some months later by label mates Corduroy’s album, High Havoc), applying the bands distinctive Hammond funk style to Taylor's own compositions. Go-go Fender guitars and Hammond organ race each other from beginning to end. From the title track, with its mysterious piano line, to the urgent, fuzz-infested Car Chase, the recording is live and raw and takes the listener on a journey from Carnaby Street into the arms of an exotic double agent (The Spiral Staircase), only to end up somewhere in Spain for the final showdown (Buzy Bee).

The Money Spyder is a true Hammond funk classic, re-released as part of twenty fifth anniversary of Acid Jazz Records.

The Frays

2012-08-29T13:04:00.000+01:00

In 1964 The Sneakers, released a 45 on the Columbia label Bald Headed Woman which was produced by Shel Talmy, and it was The Sneakers that The Who (as The High Numbers) had played with at the start of their run of Tuesday nights at the Marquee Club, which would become the stuff of Maximum R&B legend.

In 1965 they changed the name to The Frays and recorded an LP that was never issued. However, the holy grail of British Rhythm and Blues survived on a single acetate. With the exception of the song titles the only other information on the disc labels was words, The Frays, Marquee Club.

At the time the recording was made The Frays were Brian Howard on Vocals and Harmonica, Johnny Patto on Guitar, Clive Howse on Bass and Barry Gilford on Drums. They recorded the 12 track album at Marquee Studios which was situated behind the club. It secured a deal with Decca records. The Frays first release for the label was Walk On backed with the stunning group original Keep Me Covered.

The single failed to chart, the album remained unreleased so the band called it a day. But had this sole Frays LP been issued at the time it would have stood shoulder to shoulder with the great British R&B albums of the era.

The Frays album 90 Wardour Street (the address of Marquee), has been finally been released by Acid Jazz Records as part of its Rare Mod Series. Including the single, and a limited edition poster with the vinyl version, the band can now be appreciated as the very best in British R&B.

Pleasure Beach - Smells Like Teen Spirit

2012-08-23T12:45:00.000+01:00

In 2001 a young Northern quartet, going by the name of Pleasure Beach, released a single called Rollercoaster, the B-side of this record caused quite a stir. Radio DJs squabbled to play it; nightclub DJs had ‘the big tune’ with which to pack dance floors instantly. It quickly became an underground hit, causing scenes of near-riot in some clubs. The record sold out in two short weeks leaving eBay entrepreneurs to demand figure of around £200 for a copy. When the renowned dinosaur rock magazine, Kerrang!, reviewed this single the affronted journo noted that if Curt could hear it, ‘he’d be loading the other barrel.’ The song in question was the Nirvana classic Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Released by the Acid Jazz label, Pleasure Beach sounded more like ‘70s rock heroes Deep Purple than the beret wearing, goatee sporting jazz-funkers, or light footed Soho dwellers with bum-fluff sideburns and socks on their heads that, often frequented the Acid Jazz scene (Corduroy and Galliano take note) and as such were refreshing and much missed when they split in 2004.

As Acid Jazz Records continue to celebrate their 25^th year as an independent, the roster of acts has become increasingly diverse; the band Pleasure Beach being a perfect example. Re-issued here in 2012 as part of the jubilee anniversary, this truly is an exciting re-release.

Out August 28th - avoid the riots and smell the spirit !

The seaside: codes, behaviour and class.

2012-08-23T12:28:00.000+01:00

‘I’ve got to move with the fashions or be outcast’ (Pete Townsend. Cut My Hair. (1973)). To follow the changing modes and manners, to run with the expectations of one’s culture and the crowd, the seaside and its ceremony has, especially for the lower-middle and working-classes, remained part of and a place for a little relief and respite from the stresses and smoke of an urban lifestyle, a break from the drudgery of the everyday. This essay shall examine the history and rationale surrounding some of the strict codes of behaviour that, in my opinion, help to make the seaside part of this ritual of escape.

Along with measured therapeutic doses of seaside bathing, the consumption of sea water was popular and considered beneficial to one’s health by the upper-classes of the 1730s, advice that medical practitioners evolved from a similar well-established tradition involving mineral springs. Believed to be dangerous without the correct supervision of skilled staff, called Dippers, from modesty preserving beachfront covered wagons, called Bathing Machines, the cold water shock to the skin, nerves and internal organs was carefully regulated and costly, the reserve of the high-society set, the sickly well-to-do. ‘Bathing was not supposed to be pleasant’ (Deborah Brunton (2008) pg, 170). Taking the health-giving sea air was an agreeable alternative to icy bathing, although a claim that was scientifically dubious, ‘chemical analyses (exaggerated results which) showed that air samples [...] contained [...] (high levels of) ozone’ (Deborah Brunton (2008) pg, 171).

Breathing the sea breeze was far simpler than enduring chilly salt-water submersions and much cheaper for the less wealthy middle-classes, who could of course swim a little as well if they so wished, separated a suitable distance from the price prohibitive Bathing Machines. Despite the embellishment of the medicinal benefits, albeit providing a real escape from city smog, the seaside visit, by the later part of the eighteenth century was a ‘very fashionable activity’ (Deborah Brunton (2008) pg, 170).

As the Victorian middle-classes flocked to the seaside to enjoy the air, resort towns cashed in providing promenades, parks, winter gardens and piers, the better to enjoy the experience. ‘By the end of the nineteenth century, every seaside resort town of any size had a pier,’ (Deborah Brunton (2008) pg, 173), some carrying an entry charge, an attempt to ‘maintain a select tone for the well-off, high-class market’ (Deborah Brunton (2008) pg, 109). Middle-class holidaymakers were quickly joined by the lucrative ‘day tripping’ working-classes; the seaside escape was soon established, across the entire social spectrum, both in and out of the water.

‘Zoot suit, white jacket with side vents five inches long’ (Pete Townsend. Cut My Hair. (1973)). Whilst exploiting the welcome refuge from the urban routine that seaside trips awarded its visitors, the different cliques and classes still elected to bring along their own familiar fashions, tastes and traits, which helped define stereotypical behaviour. ‘The seaside was a place which had its own expectations of behaviour, reflected by a kind of uniform’ (Lucy Faire, (2008) pg, 136). The health-conscious Victorian upper-classes, formally dressed, ladies in long skirts or dresses and large brimmed hats, shaded from the sun, ‘tanned skin was associated with those who worked outside’ (Lucy Faire, (2008) pg, 134). The holidaymaking middle-classes, respectably dressed, relaxing with their shoes on, ‘bare feet [...] (was) a sign of poverty’ (Lucy Faire, (2008) pg, 135). The ‘rowdy’ working-classes arrived on mass suited and booted in their Sunday best, ‘the suit was worn in leisure time. It didn’t have the negative work-related connotations it has today’ (Lucy Faire, (2008) pg, 135). Too proud to wear work clothes, they couldn’t afford holiday clothes as well. Bare legs were not shown, ‘no adults wore shorts, at least not until the early Thirties’ (Goldman, (1997) pg, 71).

The inter-war years saw a less formal dress code, more casual, more flesh exposed. Financially liberating, this was a ‘new democracy of dress, [...] the working-class could now afford Sunday and holiday clothes’ (Walton, (2004) pg, 160). Skirt hems were shorter, as were shirt sleeves. ‘This reflects the growing general acceptability of displaying arms and calves; being tanned was now a reflection of health’ (Lucy Faire, (2008) pg, 135). Floral silks and sandals were in vogue for the ladies and Oxford bags trousers with bow ties and brogue shoes for the men, brash, flashy and fun. Fashion trends continued to change throughout to the post-war years ‘and the kinds of clothing generally associated with the beach today were adopted’ (Lucy, Faire, (2008) pg, 137).

The fickle detailing of youth culture brought its own in-styles and dress codes. When the guitarist and songwriter from the rock band The Who, Pete Townsend, in his ‘Prog’-concept album, about a seaside obsessed teenager entitled Quadrophenia, ‘incorrectly’ described the slim fitting suit favoured by Mods in the sixties as a ‘Zoot’ suit, which was in fact an early 1940s baggy suit, he was expressing the importance of fashion codes. Looking good was all important, and being seen looking good required a suitable location to be noticed.

‘Dressed right, for a beach fight’ (Pete Townsend. Cut My Hair. (1973)). As well as leisurely strolls along the promenades and piers ‘the jetty, was for those who desired to exhibit their wardrobes’ (Walton, (1983) pg, 209), a good place to show off. Another was music-halls. Music was popular from the Victorian era onwards and seaside music venues were a perfect place for the seaside tribes to congregate. The wealthy-set frequenting discrete hotel palm rooms and sedate assembly-halls for breezy performances by dignified string ensembles. Attempts were made to segregate the social divisions in some venues. ‘Blackpool’s North Pier [...] was a select venue where orchestral concerts were held with a charge for admission to discourage undesirables’ (Trevor Herbert, (2008) pg, 112).

The lower-classes, by necessity, preferred to congregate around cheap music-halls or public bandstands, where amateur brass bands attracted large audiences with loud rousing tunes. The ‘vulgar’ east coast music-halls brimmed with London working-class folk and traditional working-class behaviour, which received disapproving commentary in the broadsheets. A commentator in The Times noted ‘a Seven-Dials-on-Sea, a perpetual Derby Day [...] a saturnalia of lounging and drunken and card playing humanity’ (The Times (1885) pg, 4).

As a ploy to encourage the sobriety of the ‘plebeian public’ (Walton, 1998, p. 39), the upper-classes prescribed ‘rational recreation’, the pursuit of morally sound and self-improving activities, such as exposure to ‘high-brow’ music. With this in mind, contests between travelling brass bands performing classical pieces were organised, to focus attentions on friendly competition. The railways happy to provide sponsorship and affordable tickets for travellers in support of their local band, ‘there is persuasive evidence to show that the phenomenon of the cheap day excursion [...] was invented specifically to attract audiences to these contests’ (Trevor Herbert, (2008) pg, 115). The lower-middle and working-classes flocked to these ‘battle of the bands’ events, bringing with them their hard earned money and hard won habits. ‘It should be said that the virtue of these events was sometimes marred by the fist fights that broke out among rival supporters when a controversial result was announced’ (Trevor Herbert, (2008) pg, 115).

The image of the working-classes, fighting, smartly dressed in their best suits or smartest clothes was one that was repeated eight decades later, ‘as with many things in life, traditional habits die hard’(Lucy Faire, (2008) pg, 137). The 1960s witnessed bank holiday beach fights between rival gangs of Mods and Rockers, opposing working-class youths with very different codes of fashion and behaviour. The Rocker’s philosophy of ‘bikes, booze and birds’ (Cafe Racer, (2005)), leather clad with oily Brill-creem quiffs, at odds with the clean-cut Mod pill-popping ‘peacockery,’ who’s neat Italian hairstyles and bespoke suits were proudly worn like battle dress.

The Rockers typically frequenting pubs and cafes, listening to 50s Rock n’ Roll on jukeboxes, British motorcycles parked outside. The scooter riding Mods packing out the dance-halls, amphetamine fuelled and dancing to the latest imported U.S soul records, the music as important to the lifestyle as the clothes ‘they took their name from the sound of Modern Jazz’ (Edward Piller, (2008)). This was an echo from the Victorian era of dance-halls as a preferred venue for the working-classes to congregate and let off steam.

‘I am man who drives a local bus’ (Pete Townsend, The Dirty Jobs, (1973)). The Mods were typically working or lower-middle class kids. Hand tailored suits were expensive; the correct cut was essential to look sharp, to look ‘book’. ‘Mod living is an aphorism for clean living under difficult circumstances’ (Pete Meaden, N.M.E (1775)). Mods, like the lower-class holiday makers of decades past, worked hard to look good, to follow trends, to be a ‘face,’ ‘the right clothes mattered, they showed you were in’ (Anne Allen, The Daily Sketch (1958)). The culture of ‘living for the weekend’, the two days in the week when the working-classes stopped ‘grafting’ and ‘let their hair down’ was life affirming, work hard play hard. ‘The seaside resort offers a break from the routine of work and from the social controls of family, community and workplace’ (BFI, Holiday Escapes (2010)). Traditional brash behaviour, drinking, partying and fighting, that when taken to the seaside, taken on holiday, became even brasher. The escape from the routine of work was amplified, accepted within the cultural group because ‘they were on holiday’, at the seaside, ‘the playground of the workers’ (Partridge (2001)), and dressed to impress.

‘A beach is a place where a man can feel - he’s the only soul in the world that’s real’ (Pete Townsend, Bell Boy, (1973)). As the seaside ‘rucks’ between Mods and Rockers, roared on by tabloid journalism, became established, Mayday bank holiday scooter runs became part of the ‘ritual’ in the Mod fixture, a calendar event for later 1970s modernists to copy and emulate with fanatical fervour. ‘The sacredness or special nature of a place may be connected with the presence of a particular [...] significant event or with something about the location’ (Harvey and Bowman, (2008) pg, 60).

From one event, the Margate disturbances of 1964 - ‘Mods verses Rockers’, the seaside, for these young working-class youths, became a ‘sacred’ place; a seaside trip was a ‘pilgrimage’. ‘Places inherently express [...] social divisions’ [...] they are [...] spaces (with) certain meanings, association [...] and emotional geography’ (Morgan Nigel and Pritchard Annette, (1999) pg, 6). With the higher-classes now preferring to holiday abroad and an apparent acceptance to ‘over-look’ low-brow activities, the working-classes had claimed the seaside as their own. ‘Once the symbol of high culture [...] the British seaside lost its high social tone in the twentieth century as it’s wealthier visitors responded to the influx of working-class visitors by seeking more exclusive leisure sites elsewhere’ (Morgan Nigel and Pritchard Annette, (1999) Pg 6).

The ancient Greek philosopher, Epicurus, described leisure time as ‘a means to pleasure - a sanctuary from the hassles and hazards of public life’ (Jon Pike (2008) pg, 19). The weekend provided the opportunity for this sanctuary, a release for the working man. The seaside became a focus for this release, a place where they could get away with stereotypically boisterous behaviour. ‘The resort is a separate space, where a special licence exists to break down the usual conventions with boisterous behaviour, indulgence, late nights and sexual liaisons’ (BFI, Holiday Escapes (2010)). My conclusion to this essay is that the seaside has always been ‘a place of escape’ - and -‘has always been a place with its own strict codes of behaviour’, I disagree that escapism and coded conduct cannot co-exist; my argument is that they have developed together simultaneously, hand-in-hand.

The journey that the seaside has made, throughout its history, has seen what was once a health resort for the upper-classes transformed into a playground for the working-classes, who ultimately cracked the code to best exploit escapism - ‘the primary point of a holiday [...] is to enjoy yourself, for tomorrow you must work’ (Morgan and Pritchard, (1999) pg, 20).

Richard Searle (May 2012)

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Bibliography

Allen Anne. Are you a Trad or a Mod? The Daily Sketch. U.K (1958)

BFI. Resources for teachers and students. Holiday escapes. U.K (2010)

http://www.bfi.org.uk/education/teaching/hindlewakes/teaching/holiday.html

Brunton Deborah. The Healthy Seaside. AA100 The Arts Past And Present. Places and Leisure. The Open University. Milton Keynes. (2008).

Goldman, L. Oh What a Lovely Shore: Brighton in the Twenties through the Eyes of a Schoolboy, Brighton, The Author. (1997) quoted by Lucy Faire. Dressing For The Beach. AA100 The Arts Past And Present. Places and Leisure. The Open University. Milton Keynes. (2008).

Harvey Graham and Bowman Marion. Sacred Space and Landscape , AA100 The Arts Past And Present. Places and Leisure. The Open University. Milton Keynes. (2008).

Lucy Faire. Dressing For The Beach. AA100 The Arts Past And Present. Places and Leisure. The Open University. Milton Keynes. (2008).

Meaden Pete. Interview with Steve Turner. The NME. U.K (1975)

Morgan Nigel and Pritchard Annette. Power and Politics at the Seaside. University of Exeter Press. U.K (1999)

Partridge Andy. Bungalow. An XTC Resource. (2001) http://www.mysipod.co.uk/bungalow/dict/glossary/bungalow.htm

Pike Jon. Leisure And The Purpose Of Life. AA100 The Arts Past And Present. Places and Leisure. The Open University. Milton Keynes. (2008).

Piller Edward. Mods. BBC Radio 4. (2008).

Townsend Pete. Bell Boy. Quadrophenia. Track Records. (LP) UK (1973).

Townsend Pete. Cut My Hair. Quadrophenia. Track Records. (LP) UK (1973).

Townsend Pete. The Dirty Jobs. Quadrophenia. Track Records. (LP) UK (1973).

The Times, 16 September (1885) quoted by Trevor Herbert. Victorian Seaside Music. AA100 The Arts Past And Present. Places and Leisure. The Open University. Milton Keynes. (2008).

Trevor Herbert. Victorian Seaside Music. AA100 The Arts Past And Present. Places and Leisure. The Open University. Milton Keynes. (2008).

Stazz. Cafe Racer. net. Forum thread (2005).

http://caferacer.net/forum/pop_printer_friendly.asp?TOPIC_ID=1450

Walton, J.K. ‘The seaside and the holiday crowd’ in Toulmin, V, Russell, P. and Topple, S. The Lost World of Mitchell and Kenyon: Edwardian Britain on Film, London, British Film Institute, (2004) quoted by Lucy Faire. Dressing For The Beach, AA100 The Arts Past And Present. Places and Leisure. The Open University. Milton Keynes. (2008).

Walton, J.K. Blackpool, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, (1998) quoted by Colin Chant. Technology And The Seaside: Blackpool And Benidorm.AA100 The Arts Past And Present. Places and Leisure. The Open University. Milton Keynes. (2008)

Stoned Woman

2012-08-13T16:12:00.000+01:00

In 1991 Acid Jazz owner Ed Piller and his roommate Bunny entered a tiny studio in North West London with the idea that they would try to make an album. Eight months later, what emerged was a new band and one of the lost classics of the early 90s - a combination of hip hop beats, rock guitars and soulful voices that really put the band Mother Earth on the map.

The recording process saw an ever-changing set of personnel pass through the studio, including Leftfield's Paul Daley, The Brand New Heavies' Simon Bartholomew and James Taylor. As they did so, a permanent line-up of local musicians started to coalesce into a band that would be able to play the album live. The result was an LP with a funky blaxploitation soundtrack feel.

By the time Stoned Woman was released the band were a hardened touring outfit, gigging throughout Europe and Japan with label mates Corduroy.

Re-issued as part of the Acid Jazz Records 25th Anniversary, this time on 180gram vinyl.

Jimmy James & The Vagabonds

2012-07-30T12:15:00.003+01:00

The Vagabonds, a Jamaican calypso outfit, had been together since 1960, but it wasn't until their singer Jimmy James moved the band to London in 1964 that things started to happen. Already a star in his native Jamaica, James' vocal dexterity provided the perfect foil for the high-octane performances of their MC Count Prince Miller. The band immediately attracted the attention of mod impressario Peter Meaden, who was licking his wounds following his inopportune displacement by the mercurial Lambert and Stamp in The Who camp. Meaden envisaged an authentic mod band, in a way that The Who could never be - black!

Guy Stevens chose the songs for Meaden, and The Vagabonds delivered. The album 'A New Religion' spelt out Meaden's mod manifesto for the new generation, and the band became a live sensation. But chart hits proved hard to come by. The Vagabonds’ mod contemporaries were discovering their own songwriting voice, and whilst the Vags remained a big live draw, the lack of chart success eventually split the band.

Jimmy James, however, went back to basics. He recruited a new set of Vagabonds; some of the finest British soul musicians answered the call. Herb Prestige and John Roberts stepped across from The Ram Jam Band and were joined by David Tedstone and Art Regis from The Squires.

The session on this EP was recorded in late 1967 and is taken from the original quarter inch tape – only recently rediscovered by guitarist Dave Tedstone. She’s Looking Good, the Albert Collins classic. Aunt Dora’s Soul Shack, Arthur Conerly's dancer. Soul Sister, Brown Sugar, the Sam and Dave raver and Why (Must I) the classy soul grover.

The latest in the run of rare EPs in the Acid Jazz Records rare mod series.

Check it.

Galliano and JTQ

2012-07-25T13:45:00.002+01:00

The Acid Jazz Records 25^th Anniversary re-issue series continues with two uber rare seven inch singles. Galliano – Frederic Lies Still and JTQ’s – Blow Up.

Galliano were formed in 1987, a time when House music was becoming ever more prominent, and the Rare Groove scene really started to develop. The group was founded by new-age rapper and jazz poet Rob Gallagher, who had been broadcasting on pirate radio and performing at Gilles Peterson’s Babylon Club. This is where he first started to use the jazz and rare groove sounds that were played there as a musical background for his poetry. Rob traced his influences directly back to The Last Poets, bringing a purity into his raps that easily made him stand out from the crowd.

Frederic Lies Still is a play on Freddie’s Dead from the Superfly soundtrack with Rob Gallagher’s rapping redefining the idea of poetry.

The track was the first ever 45 released on Acid Jazz Records (originally released as a fake US import, which fooled many a reviewer), marking the beginning of a new musical era. Their sound defined the feel of the time, and the band enjoyed a productive relationship with producer Chris Bangs throughout the late 80s and early 90s, establishing themselves as first-class act of global proportions.

The late and great Radio 1 DJ, John Peel, once described JTQ’s Blow Up as his favorite single, Ex-Prisoners, The James Tayor Quartet were the epitome of the early Acid Jazz sound.

This version of the theme from Antonioni’s classic mod film Blow Up is coupled with the Jazz standard One Mint Julep, both of which also feature on JTQ’s debut album Mission Impossible.

The James Taylor Quartet’s first ever recording was also the first record ever to be labeled Acid Jazz and became a template for what was to follow.

Two more to collect and others to follow.

Brand New Heavies - BNH

2012-07-19T16:01:00.000+01:00

The Brand New Heavies began in the 1980s as an instrumental group called Brother International. The group came up with the Heavies name, borrowing it from a liner note by James Brown. The original line-up consisted of Simon Bartholomew, Jan Kincaid, Andrew Levy, Lascelles Gordon and Jim Wellman. As The Brand New Heavies they quickly gained a cult following in the London club scene as Acid Jazz replaced Rare Groove in the venues around the capital.

Newly signed to Acid Jazz Records, the band released their debut album in 1990, with Jay Williamson as lead singer, to critical acclaim. Known as ‘the blue album’ or ‘the elephant album‘ to fans, ‘The Brand New Heavies’ LP was a groundbreaking British Funk release and the springboard to world-wide success for this Ealing band. Featuring such classics as Dream Come True and Stay This Way (both to later achieve Top 40 status for the band), it is an early classic of UK Street Soul.

This is the first vinyl repressing since 1996 and the second of the 180g vinyl reissue series to celebrate Acid Jazz Records 25th Anniversary.

JTQ - Mission Impossible

2012-07-18T12:33:00.001+01:00

Proudly independent record label Acid Jazz Records are celebrating their 25^th anniversary this year. Having played a major part in shaping the musical landscape of the nineties and onwards, Acid Jazz aim to commemorate their quarter of a century with a bang! The campaign to honour the label’s varied and influential history will get underway in July with the first of numerous re-releases of classic albums and singles from throughout its past. The albums will be on 180g heavy-weight vinyl, while the singles come in a classic Acid Jazz housebag. This series will once again underline the legendary status of the acts and tracks featured.

1985, Medway: The band, who - according to the NME - recorded the 38th most important British album of all time, The Prisoners, had split. Stiff Records had gone bankrupt the week they released The Prisoners’ final album, In From The Cold and that was the final blow...

Three weeks later, organist James Taylor had recruited fellow ex-Prisoner Allan Crockford to help form his next project THE JAMES TAYLOR QUARTET. A 7” single, Blow Up, quickly followed - immediately pounced upon by John Peel (the track featured in his annual top 50 countdown for four years), and became an indie smash - peel pushed the band and the establishment followed, securing JTQ’s status as the band who reinvented the Hammond organ.

JTQ’s debut album Mission Impossible, an album of interpretations of film and TV themes, features both tracks from their first single, as well as a whole host of other smart Hammond groovers, which re-defined the term cool and put the band and their record label firmly on the musical map.

Historic.

Tony And Tandy - Rare 45

2012-06-11T11:54:00.000+01:00

The Bitter With The Sweet is a soulful slice of classic Pop Soul; a dance-floor filler as well as an obviously radio-friendly tune, recorded by the glamour couple of late 60’s cool – Tony And Tandy.

Re-released for the first time since 1968, the story of its origin is as complex as its title. Tony Head, front man of cult sixties freak beat legends (and backing group on this track) The Fleur De Lys, and SharonTandy, white soul diva of the sixties, occasional guest singer for The Fleur De Lys and girlfriend of Tony Head, should have been the Swinging Sixties’ golden couple.

They recorded the single with record producer, songwriter and mercurial sixties eccentric Graham Dee, who woke up the next morning with the tune for yet another song in his head, which was to become the song Two Can Make It Together. This track eventually became the a-side of their single, and both tracks enjoyed healthy radio play, which should have made household names of Tony and Tandy as well as Graham Dee. However, due to high demand at the pressing plant, their single was considered low priority, and there simply were not enough physical copies around to make it a hit.

Two years later the single was again released, and Tony And Tandy eventually got their moment in the spotlight when they performed Two Can Make It Together on Top Of The Pops.

Now finally re-released by Acid Jazz Records as part of their Rare Mod series, these rare nuggets of 60’s Pop Soul were well worth the wait.

Released on a limited edition 7” vinyl in an Acid Jazz housebag and as a digital download.

One for the record box.

Men Of North Country - The North

2012-06-06T11:20:00.003+01:00

Men of North Country started by chance, when soul DJ Yashiv Cohen was overheard singing along with the tunes he was playing at one of his Tel Aviv Soul Club parties. With the encouragement and eventual collaboration and of his musician friends he formed Israel’s finest soul outfit; managing to stay true to their beloved 60s soul, yet introducing a contemporary, fresh and personal twist.

In 2010 MONC signed with Acid Jazz Records, who put out their debut 7” - the double A-side single “Man of North Country / Debut” that defined the fresh soul sound of tomorrow. The single garnered glowing reviews and was met with excitement all over Europe’s mod and soul scene.

A second single, a cover version of The Human League’s - Mirror Man was a cheeky taster of what was to come, from the long awaited and exciting MONC debut album, The North. An album rippling with memorable melodies, infectious hooks and refreshingly honest lyrics which betray their love of a genre in which they truly excel.

Featuring both sides of the two previous singles, this is an album of pure quality and delight. Another tricky cover version tackled with considerable skill is the theme to the 1973 cult film, directed by Lindsay Anderson, Oh Lucky Man. Originally by Alan Price, this earthy song is given fresh breath by MONC's infectious soul treatment. Pandora (see video below) is arguably the strongest 'pop' song on the album, a catchy acoustic guitar led melodious masterpiece that any songwriter would be proud to pen. Ringtone (At The Cafs) is the instrumental Kevin Rowland used to try to write- but never quite managed.

Influenced worn with pride, Teardrop Explodes, Style Council and Dexys, but with an approving nods towards their 60s favourites, Al Wilson, Robert Parker and Gloria Jones, The North is the first truely GREAT soul album of in 2012.

Essential.

Hipsters 3

2012-05-28T11:39:00.008+01:00

Hot off the heels of Hipsters 2, Acid Jazz Records present Hipsters 3, a third selection of garage, mod and power pop grooves from around the world. And where better to start than in Moscow where The Riots are literally Out Of Control with their brand of melodic ’79 style Mod (see video below).

The Electric Mess hail from New York City and formed in 2007, receiving rave reviews for their spellbinding 60’s garage R&B sound - You’ve Become A Witch.

Cardiff boys Houdini Dax take influence from Hendrix, The Kinks, Beatles and the Sonics through to Blur and Supergrass and mix it up into a mighty fine blend of jangly riffs.

London boys, The Dactyls fuse garage, psych and acid rock and were described by BBC 6 Music as “a punk band with serious mainstream credentials”. With an album produced by Rat Scabies due later this year, here’s a taster to whet your appetite.

Another London 3 piece, The Feathers are an all girl group, formed in the summer of 2011 after leaving Adam Ants management, this is their debut recording.

Cryssis are an Anglo-German power pop group featuring Dick Yorke from Sta-Prest and Vom Ritchie from German rockers Die Toten Hosen and makes his second appearance on this album, the other with part Polish band Wet Dog.

Tone Puppets are an Alternative Rock band from Liverpool full of eastern promise and northern grit. Resident band at The Lovely Job, Tone Puppets produce a fizzy, guitar fuelled indie laced sound with curious time signatures and mathy prog-outs.

The Scottish 4 piece The Laynes found their direction with a melodic fusion of psychedelia, beat and soul.

The sixteen track CD and Vinyl make this good value- as well as an exciting release.

1. The Riots - Out Of Control.

2. The Electric Mess - You’re A Witch.

3. The Snakeman 3 - Gonna Find You.

4. Three Rum Coves - Gone Too Long.

5. Wet Dog - Perfect Crime.

6. The Keys - Vita Hope.

7. The Dactals - Burn This City Down.

8. The Feathers - Life Stranger.

9. The Get Go -Two Time Loser.

10. Cryssis - Simple Man.

11. The Tone Puppets - Late Nights.

12. The Brights - London Belongs To Me.

13. The Pages - Jene Genie.

14. The Supernovas - Ultra-Violence.

15. The Laynes - We Got Time.

16. Houdini Dax - Robin You Lie To Me.

Play Loud !

Men Of North Country - Mirror Man

2012-05-21T11:39:00.001+01:00

This shining slice of 80s pop, rejuvenated for the twenty first century’s image-conscious and the dance floor savvy in-crowd is from Israel's finest - Men Of North Country.

Look sharp, here comes the Mirror Man!

This re-invention of the famous number one hit single by electro-romantics The Human League is a mirror reflection of 1982 Sheffield chic - meets polished 2012 cool.

The second release by the band, following up the debut single double A-sider, A Man Of North Country & Debut, released by Acid Jazz Records on 21^st May 2012, with equally catchy flip-side The North, Mirror Man is a taste from the MONC debut album scheduled for June.

Very cool !

The Fantastic Freddy Mack Show 1966

2012-05-09T12:19:00.001+01:00

As part of the Rare Mod series of compilation albums, EPs, Box Sets and more recently Live albums, Acid Jazz Records have re-issue the impossibly rare FANTASTIC FREDDY MACK SHOW.

The second live album in the series following Kenny Bernard Live 66’, FREDDY MACK and his band are recorded here at the top of their game. FREDDY, an ex Boxing Pro born in South Carolina, and his soul revue band toured relentlessly up and down the UK. In late 1966 the band recorded this LP, only a small quantity was pressed and it was sold at shows.

These days original copies are very hard to find and so for the first time since 1966 ladies and gentlemen you too can experience, The Fantastic Freddie Mac Show !!

Track listing.

Side 1.

Introduction.

Bare Footin'

Funky B'Way

Sock It to em' JB

Long Tall Sally.

Side 2.

Three Time Loser.

Stand By Me.

Finale.

Release date 21st May on CD and Vinyl.

The Filthy Six - The Fox

2012-04-16T11:36:00.000+01:00

The Filthy Six are a cut above your average Organ Jazz combo. Six musicians who look to the blueprint of the late 60s Organ groups for inspiration, yet are confident and, perhaps more importantly, skilful enough to give us something more than a respectful pastiche.

Led by trumpeter Nick Etwell (Tom Jones/Jill Scott/David Axelrod), the band have recorded their second album for Acid Jazz Records quickly and with little fuss. Recorded live to tape the overdubs were kept to a minimum but, with some of the added elements, most notably the vocals of Brendan Reilly, this is a step forward from their label debut and is a Jazz record positively brimming with Soul. Once again we are given a mixture of stylish originals and a few well chosen covers, and once more we are given a front line dominated by Etwell’s crisp solos, Mark Brown’s mastery of the saxophone, Pete Whitaker’s bluesy organ and Nigel Price’s nimble guitar work. The rhythm section of Dan Drury and newcomer Simon Lea provide the flexible support and rhythmic dexterity that this sort of music demands.

Of the originals the title track stands out for its languid pace and heartfelt solos - it is of no surprise that it is a tribute to their sadly departed drummer - whilst ‘The Rum Diary’, written in tribute to the Hunter S. Thompson novel but before the film appeared last year, gets to the heart of the story’s Latin soul; cooking thrillingly for nearly eight sultry minutes. The covers are, by coincidence, both Michael Jackson related. The group and Reilly take ‘Girlfriend’ from ‘Off The Wall's' disco sheen into the ‘Tighten Up’ territory; something that I’m sure the song’s composer Paul McCartney never had in mind but which works an absolute treat. The Jackson 5 track ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ is given a stunning instrumental makeover with Price taking the lead as if paying tribute to the great balladeering style of Boogaloo Joe Jones.

The Filthy Six are a truly dynamic live band and this album is all about capturing that feel and energy on record.

Out 16^th April.

The Afex - She's Got The Time E.P

2012-04-10T14:16:00.003+01:00

Originally named The Sceptors, The Afex (pronounced effects) were young mods from Dagenham in Essex.They played a mixture of R&B and pop chart standards throughout 1964-65. With an average age of only 13, they performed mid-week evening gigs in Soho nightclubs, whilst still going to school in the daytime.

EMI approached the group in 65 and offered some recording time ‘Too Many Things’ and ‘Moon Blues’ were recorded but never released, the songs never progressing past the acetate stage.

By 1966 the band were established on the live circuit supporting major acts such as John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers and Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers. In 1967, a record deal was struck by King Records. A single was released, a cover version ‘She’s Got The Time,’ was the plug side, (although originally by The Poor, the band were influenced by another band The Gass, who also covered the track). An original composition ‘I Never Knew Love was like this’ on the flip.

Released in 1967, the Afex’s one and only release quickly vanished without trace and the band soldiered on for another couple of years, calling time at the end of the decade. The single however has become a firm favourite in modern Garage clubs and has remained a much sought after and expensive underground classic.

This E.P, released by Acid Jazz Records, the first of a second box set of Rare Mod E.Ps planned for release at the end of the year, includes the first ever re-release of ‘She’s Got The Time’ together with its original b-side and the two, only recently rediscovered, aforementioned acetate tracks making this a must-have slab of vinyl for all serious R&B collectors.

Release date 16^th April 2012

Skateboarding Mods - the story continues

2012-04-02T14:26:00.011+01:00

The one ‘retro’ inspired lifestyle movement that can honestly claim to speed ever forwards without fear of imploding under its own elitist gate or completist snobbery - is that of the Skateboarding Mods.

Since initial articles in magazines and blogs and the subsequent debates on internet blog-casts, the scene has grown from strength to strength alongside ever evolving extreme sporting technologies with parallelled advances in retro-styling of equipment and clothing. Quality products crafted with the modernist eye for style, super sleek long boards, stable, stream line and quick down hills. And terrifyingly twitchy slalom boards that soar down the same steep inclines whilst swerving through plastic cones, not for the faint hearted.

The original skateboarding- scooter- clubs that emerged at the spearhead of the scene have grown in size and number, some of them merging into hybrid skate-crews who travel around Europe and the UK to attend ‘Free rides’, weekend gathering around specially closed hills and steep graded super smooth tarmac roads, the better for long fast runs. One such ‘fellowship’ of scooterist skaters is The Blackheath Pandas alignment with The Croydon Scooter Club. Big Wave Dave (Croydon) and Dick D’mage (Panda) are both members of the highly exclusive Self-Proclaimed British Skateboarding Association.

An organisation dedicated to skate safety and encouragement of recreational skating,

spBSA website philosophy reads ‘The British Skateboard Association is the first and best officially self proclaimed, non profit making, organisation of skateboarding based activity throughout the United Kingdom. Fuelled by an unbridled passion for the operation and aesthetic of the beautiful be-wheeled objects, the BSA is an unrivalled inspirational driving force within the sport. Experts in their own fields, BSA Team members both inspire and encourage high end skate athleticism as well as nurture and support safe recreational riding. Honed by practical flair, worldly experience and the rigorous entry criteria that team members must satisfy to qualify, physically and philosophically skilled, the pinnacle of incredible honours won and a symbol of excellence and verve, the BSA ride at the forefront of urethane based action’ (spBSA 20012).

The spBSA are proudly sponsoring the only British race this season sanctioned by the IGSA (International Gravity Sports).

The Bo Peep ‘Crash n’ Burn’ ^.

Considered one of the most challenging races in Europe, Big Wave Dave is a contender in the men’s downhill category as well as being involved with the events complicated organisation. The need for Speed is urgent.

The world record top speed at ‘stand up’ downhill skateboarding is currently held at a lapel rippling 80.83 mph, a more relaxed 40mph being the norm on the informal and fun Free rides. At competition level however the teams take over, time for the echelon in skate athleticism to shine, fearless and svelte, leather clad in full face helmets, resplendent with team sponsor logos, a blur of corporate business, the bitter sweet consequence of a modern, successful and fast expanding sport.

From scooters to skateboards, skateboarding mod to skating modette, take a tip from the sharp skating in-crowd clique, pad-up, strap-up and look good when your shredding the road.

The skaters featured in the photographs included in this article are experienced athletes riding under strict supervision on closed roads. Always wear a helmet !

Totally Wired 21

2012-03-07T12:43:00.002Z

Compiled exclusively to co-inside with celebrations for the twenty-first anniversary of Acid Jazz Records, demand for this Ltd edition CD has lead to its re-issue, in anticipation of the labels forthcoming twenty fifth anniversary this year.

The last truly independent label has revisited the genre-defining and most popular of all compilation series, Totally Wired. Featuring previously unreleased dance floor killers with remixes of established Acid Jazz releases, plus some new boys and girls on the block.

Staying true to the winning formula of the historic series, Totally Wired 21 also offers the chance to discover some great oldies. Salvaged from original New York acetate, The Harmony Recorders perform the Exodus Theme to soulful perfection. As does Sharon Brown’s self penned Family Tree. Polygram in-house writer/ producer Graham Dee connects with The Fleur De Lys’ Tony Head for a pre-disco funk floor filler.

As for remixes, they live up to the high standard of the previous Totally Wired outings, as Paul Weller’s bassist Andy Lewis has his Loleatta Holloway dancer remixed by Tokyo’s finest, Latin aficionados Los Africanos get the Mondo Disco treatment and Grand Union’s folk masterpiece is ‘cut-up’ by DJ Smoove. Brasil’s Leleo meets electro-teers Twisted Tongue and Anthony Johnson’s dub classic is reworked by Brendan Lynch.

Newer tracks to complete the compilation are The Filthy Six’s record box rework of Roy Budd’s ‘Get Carter’ and Freefall effortlessly capture the timeless Acid Jazz sound on their debut recording while Canada’s Executive Sweet display their tastes in cool filmic arrangements.

The Get Go go R&B on their Hammond instrumental groover and The Elements skillfully cover a rare sixties stomper.

Finally, Twisted Tongue conclude this eclectic selection with the masterful ‘You Want That Soul’, the lead track from their eponymous debut album. If that doesn’t get your head nodding then you haven’t actually played the CD.

Get it here!

Janice Graham Band - new single - No Money Honey

2012-02-22T13:04:00.002Z

Following the fantastic response to their debut release this year South Manchester lads Janice Graham Band release their brand new single and live favourite.

No Money Honey is the second release from the band’s concept mini-album It's Not Me to be released a week later on Feb 27^th, 2012 through Acid Jazz Records.

No Money Honey has everything you need to start a party; the band mash up the adrenalised rush of beat, tastes of reggae, the bounce of ska and the urgency of punk with lead singer Joe Jones screaming the lyrics ‘I ain’t got no money honey’ (apparently written about a local prostitute), while playing his bass guitar with precision and attitude.

This mini album is not the band’s first “proper” album, it’s a concept album, a soundtrack to a film screening in the mind of the listener and in the grooves of the record. The album deals with questions and answers on love, life, sex and death. It concerns itself with the harsh brutality of life seen through the eyes of a man whose hedonistic incline leads him down a dark and twisted path of increasingly questionable morality and self –destruction.

Janice Graham Band, Joe Jones (lead vocals/bass), Andy Morton (guitar), Josh Hunt (trumpet and backing vocals) and Tom Scott (drums and backing vocals) - average age a mere 21 - are a true garage band; and could start a party in an empty room.

Released 20^th Feb 2012, Available on 7" vinyl and download.