Happy Music Monday! The Mod life is about looking good and going fast. Scott's not so good at either, but he does like their music! Celebrate the Mod Revival with him today!
The Jam - That's Entertainment
The first mods, of course, were bands like The Who and The High Numbers and the like. They dressed well, listened to post-war records from abroad, took a lot of speed, and were super cool. It's little wonder this concept keeps coming back every so often. Paul Weller was sort of the focal point of the Mod revival in the '70s and '80s, and with good reason. His songs are just so good!
Shine your shoes and come on in.
It's easy to see that other bands felt the same, this Chords song could easily fit right in on a Jam record and not many people would notice. But like many musical movements, it's the sound that's important. How many punk bands still try to be the Sex Pistols?
Nine Below Zero - Eleven Plus Eleven
There are four numbers in this song name/title combo. That's a TON for a pop song. Even one as full of energy as this.
To me, the weird part of the mod revival was the different directions fashion went in the '70s and '80s. Like, what would have been a cool haircut and jacket is now, well, not. So you gotta take these videos with a grain of salt sometimes, and know that back then, the band thought they were the height of style.
The Style Council - Shout To The Top
Here's a dark secret: if I had a choice between reforming The Jam and a Style Council reunion, I'd pick the Style Council. Paul Weller's other band still kept the hyper-now style of mods, but ditched the punk elements for something more soulful. A bit like my other favorite mod, Weller accepted that to be a mod meant going forward and not just trying to be nineteen forever. And isn't always keeping up with the "now" what it really means to be a mod?
Talk about mods in the comments all you wanna. Let us just remind you: some images come from the corresponding Wikipedia page and are here under fair use. Hit up Facebook and you can maybe win a record in the very latest format: vinyl! See you next week.