Mod-A-Day: Dobie Gray

Here's some serious soul music, "Out on the Floor" by Dobie Gray. Gray had his first hit with the top 20 song "The In Crowd" in 1965, but is probably best known for his international mega hit 1974's "Drift Away". Still, for soul fans it will always be "Out on the Floor" and "The In Crowd" both of which are terrific dance numbers. "Out on the Floor" was never a hit in the US, and really wasn't a hit at all. But, in the mid to late 70s it became a northern soul cult classic thanks to heavy play at Wigan Casino and other UK soul clubs.

Dobe Gray -- Out on the Floor


Here's a little bonus. This is the only video I could find of Dobie doing "The In Crowd" on an episode of Shindig. (I guess this is actually a big bonus because the video also contains a wild clip of Zsa Zsa Gabor --that's right dahling-- doing a groovy number of her own.)

Dobie Gray -- The In Crowd

Mod-A-Day: Long Tall Shorty

In the late 70s during the midst of the punk explosion and the mod revival there was a blurry line between the two genres. For me, no band more epitomized the pure mod sound and still was able to incorporate the agression of punk than Long Tall Shorty. Always a mod band firmly rooted in sixties beat sounds, they never the less had punk vibe about them that fit perfectly into the mod revival.

Founded in 1978 the band managed to maintain a very mod sound, and a very punk attitude. Riots seemed to follow them as much as anything making them one of the most loved bands by both mods and punks of the era. Their sound was a sixties infused power pop that fit well within the scenes of the day. But, they also managed to sneak in a fair amount of soul, turning their power pop into something more rhythmic and dancable than other straight ahead power pop outfits of the day.

This track, "Win Or Lose", was one of their last recorded singles late in 1980. It was a pretty standard mod revival number. It had a solid sixties mod power pop feel to it, was melodic but at the same time offered just enough agression to keep it from being too accesible to the pop music mainstream. After a number of line up changes the band finally called it quits in 1982. Time goes by and lo and behold a revamped Long Tall Shorty has reunited and been playing shows here and there the past few years, and the rumour is that there very well might be a new single and album in the offing. No matter, the excellent revival tracks of their original recordings are worth listening to until the end of time.

Long Tall Shorty -- Win Or Lose

Youtube

Mod-A-Day: Jimmy Page

Before Led Zeppelin, before The Yardbirds, in the beginning there was just Jimmy. Jimmy Page a kick ass session player, a guitarist so good he both commanded requests to play, and scared off all sorts of opportunities. In the early sixties Page played lead guitar on loads of great songs, for the biggest artists of the day like Lulu, The Tremeloes, Marianne Faithful, and perhaps The Who, Them, The Rolling Stones, and The Kinks -- with all of whom there is great debate about whether or not it is Page's session work that ended up on their hit singles. Regardless, you can't argue that he was one of the absolute best blues guitarists of the day. Eventually of course he was lured into a couple of years work with The Yardbirds, out of which arose Led Zeppelin, and the rest they say is history.

However, very early on he recorded with The Mickey Finn Group (or maybe it was just The Mickey Finn) and also as a solo artist. Here then is one of his earliest solo tracks, 1965's "She Just Satisfies", a ballsy, bluesy bit of floor stompin, R&B that was allegedly his first single. No matter, it's a blistering track of early sixties blues rock goodness, complete with harmonica.

Jimmy Page -- She Just Satisfies

Modcast #124: This is not a polka, this is rock and roll

Welcome to the flight, your pilot this week is the indisputable king of the guest DeeJays, Ken from The Shingles. Be sure to put your seat in its fully reclined condition, top off your libation and loosen your seat belt because Cap'n Ken's back again with a rock'em, sock'em lineup of mod tunes. Your inflight entertainment will include brand new tracks by Tinted Windows (note to Taylor Hanson, Rick Springfield called and he wants his look back) and Madness, as well as recent goodies from Boss Martians, The Major Labels, Muck & The Mires, and more. Happy landings.

1. 88 - Go Go Go (Not Only... But Also,
2008)
2. Tinted Windows -
Kind of a Girl (Tinted Windows, 2009)
3. Air Traffic - Just Abuse Me (Fractured
Life, 2007)
4. Beat Union -
Disconnected (Disconnected, 2008)
5. Winnerys - Get Into My Life (Daily
Urban Times, 2006)
6. Major
Labels - Don't Hear A Single (Aquavia, 2008)
7. Frank Popp Ensemble - Psychedelic Girl
(Touch & Go, 2005)
8. Solution - Had You Told It
Like It Was (It Wouldn't Be Like It Is) (Will Not Be Televised, 2007)
9. Madness - We Are London (The Liberty Of
Norton Folgate, 2009)
10. Metros -
Last Of The Lookers (More Money Less Grief, 2008)
11. Muck & the Mires - Hypnotic
(Hypnotic, 2008)
12. Boss
Martians - Mars Is for Martians (Pressure in the S.O.D.O., 2008)
13. Rulers - I Want My Ramones Records
Back (The Rulers Single, 2008)

Tinted Windows - Kind of a Girl

Mod-A-Day: The Toasters

Arguably The Toasters did more to bring ska to America than any other band, and they certainly paved the way for the big ska scare of the 90s that featured charting bands like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Sublime.

Formed in 1982 by Brit turned New Yorker, Rob "Bucket" Hingley, the band even created their own label to produce and distribute their albums. The Toasters produced a few albums in the 80s, and then kept right on going producing a fistful through the 90s and their latest one in 2007. They've collaborated with the likes of Joe Jackson, and featured ska legends on their albums and in concert such as Laurel Aiken and Lester Sterling. Their best album, in my mind, was 1996's Hard Band for Dead (a play off of Prince Buster's classic Hard Man for Dead release). The album showcased the band's eclectic influences from jazzy swing to boogie woogie, from rock steady to sixties soul -- all with an obvious nod to the Two-Tone style of ska they've always favored. Here then with "'90s beats and '50s roots," is "2 Tone Army".

The Toasters -- 2 Tone Army

Mod-A-Day: Love

Hailing from Los Angeles, Arthur Lee's band Love often lived in the shadow of The Doors, but is remembered for a number of songs including their rendition of Burt Bacharach's "My Little Red Book" (a version allegedly hated by Bacharach), and their original compositions like the soulful garage rocker "Seven and Seven Is", and the song featured here "Alone Again Or", a soft piece of melodic psychadelia. The song was the leader on Love's critically acclaimed 1967 album Forever Changes, and features a unique arrangement including a haunting guitar riff, stirring trumpet solo, gentle strings and a mariachi band. While it failed to garner much success at the time of its release --it reached only #99 on the charts-- it gradually became more and more appreciated, eventually landing on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 best songs of all time, and has been covered by numerous artists including The Damned and Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs. Love broke up after their third album and Lee went on to collaborate (briefly) with Jimi Hendrix and later Steve Winwood, before revamping the band and touring it in the late 80s, and after a prison stint in the late 90s. Sadly he died from luekemia in 2006.

Love -- Alone Again Or

Mod-A-Day: The Housemartins

The Housemartins were one of the few truly mod friendly bands to make the charts in the mid-80s. The band's version of jangly power pop combined with political and religious references throughout their songs made them one of the more unique bands of the decade. Their sound borrowed from pop music of the sixties, and had the jangly guitars, lilting vocals and driving beat that was just beginning to become popular among indie and alternative bands of the day.

Formed in 1984 and hailing from Hull, The Housemartins third single, "Happy Hour", vaulted to #3 on the charts in 1986 and instantly made them one of the most popular bands in the UK. Their first LP London 0 Hull 4 followed suit and landed in the top ten. Singles released throughout the rest of the decade didn't do quite as well, though a fair number did manage to break into the top 20. Their only other full length release, The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death also made it into the top 10 cementing the band's legacy as bonafide hit makers and not just one hit wonders.

Sadly, the band split in 1988 arguably at the top of their game. Lead singer Paul Heaton and drummer Dave Hemingway soon after formed the even more sucessful Beautiful South, in many ways continuing with a more advanced, more mature Housemartins sound. And that was a sound that apparently the public liked as the Beautiful South's "Carry On Up The Charts" best of disk became one of the biggest selling UK albums of all time, and they have had eight albums reach the top ten. Not to be outdone, bassist Norman Cook changed his stage name to Fat Boy Slim, and well as they say the rest is history.

This track, "Anxious", is by far my favorite. It's one of their faster and edgier songs, and probably the most power poppish in their catalog. It jigs along, punctuated by Heaton's sharp, succinct vocal delivery, and backed by a catchy riff and chorus. Perhaps not the most representative of their overall sound (though it's not wildly off the mark) it is still a great song.

The Housemartins -- Anxious

Mod-A-Day: The Beat (English Beat)

In many ways The Beat were the heart and soul of the two-tone movement of the late 70s and early 80s. Where Madness was beloved of the working class masses, and The Specials were the political consciousness of the movement, The Beat somehow seemed to have their finger on the pulse of the youth of the day. Maybe that's why they had staying power beyond so many of the other bands (except perhaps Madness).

The Beat featured a bonafide ska legend in Jamaican saxophonist Saxa, and becuase of that always seemed to infuse their music with a more care-free Jamaican reggae vibe than the other two tone bands. They were able to blend soul, ska, and power pop in such a way as to make themselves relevant to the 'new wave' sound beginning to take hold of mainstream musci. Add to that guitarist and vocalist Dave Wakeling's contemporary voice and style, and the toasting of Ranking Roger, along with an accomplished set of musicians, and the ingredients were all there for a world class band. The Beat didn't disappoint scoring a string of hits both in and out of the UK -- "Mirror in the Bathroom", "I Confess", "Save it For Later", "Can't Stand Losing You", "Tears of a Clown", and featured here, their last single 1983's "Ackee 1-2-3", which only made it to #54 on the charts. Still, it's a fantastic song that I think captures the band's tone and style quite well. The calypso like sound, combined with the overall ska style gave it the indelible Beat sound, but at the same time it embraced enough of a pop element that like all of their tracks made them accessible to both ska lovers and casual pop listeners. That was the main essence of the band's genius.

After the break up The Beat spawned two other critically acclaimed and extremely popular hit-making bands -- General Public and Fine Young Cannibals.

The Beat -- Ackee 1-2-3