What is Mod? Mr. Suave's Mod, Mod World is one of the web's original modcasts celebrating mod music, and mod-influenced music from past eras including soul, ska, garage, sixties R&B power pop, punk, britpop, acid jazz, lounge, easy listening and more. SEARCH
Meanwhile, Mojo is putting Weller on the cover, and calling the album "splenetic" (whatever that is) and "thoroughly Wellerian". They are also promising one of his best interviews ever.
In a career-spanning cover interview in the latest MOJO a vigorous Weller tells the tale behind his current creative and commercial resurgence, the impact of The Jam split on his nearest and dearest, and the night he put the Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious in hospital.
The mag comes with a "Heavy Soul" CD, although it's unclear whether it's the Weller soloer of the same name, or perhaps a bunch of soul songs picked by the Modfather, or maybe some other bunch of stuff. To top it all off Mojo has a nice list of what they think are Weller's best video moments.
In all the joints across the land It's just a cryin' shame It used to be a swingin' scene Now everything is tame If you're lookin' for action, baby Well that's my middle name I'll show you things you've never seen Beyond your wildest dreams Well if fun is what you're after Scream for all that you can get You won't find it anywhere 'cept in the Heathen Set -- The Fuzztones
Welcome to Mr. Suave's Mod Mod World. This week I'm taking you out to the garage for some of the best sixties inspired garage music you've ever heard. Garage rock can mean many different things, but for the purposes of this show I'm referring primarily to the garage revival of the 1980s. Garage bands in the eighties channeled the sound of the nuggets, the long lost mostly obscure bits of garage punk from the sixties and early seventies. The punk rock scene of the late seventies fragmented into a number of different sounds, one of which was largely influenced by loud, raw, R&B of sixties bands like The Standells, The Chocolate Watchband, and The Count Five. They mixed the punk of the sixties with the punk of the seventies and incorporate the blues influences of the early Stones, Them and Yardbirds to create a distinct sound.
Like any scene it varied from coast to coast with New York and Southern California being the primary pivots. The bands ranged from the punkier sounds of the early Miracle Workers, to the bluesy r&b of The Tell-Tale Hearts, to the snotty snarl of The Primates, to the psychadelic organ work of The Mystery Machine. Along the way the sound ceased being a revival, and developed its own unique snarling sound, driven equally by guitars described alternately as fuzzy and crunchy, and organs that seemed to swirl and float atop the songs.
There's a plethora of great garage rock out there, both new and old. So much in fact that one modcast just can't contain it all. This week I bring you the garage sound of the 80s. This is an all American show with all of the band's being from the US. But the 80s saw garage rock bands spring up all over the world. So, next week I'm doing another garage show, that one featuring garage bands from everywhere else besides the US.
Just got a heads up that the British Invasion DVDs are coming to America. The series will kick off here in the states later this month with the release of the Small Faces documentary. It looks great, including lots of interviews and concert footage. Future titles in the series will include Gerry & The Pacemakers: It’s Gonna Be All Right 1963 – 1965, Herman’s Hermits: Listen People 1964 – 1969 and Dusty Springfield: Once Upon A Time 1964 – 1969. It's done by the Reelin' in the Years folks, so you know it's gonna be good. They've done some great stuff on soul and jazz in the past.
Small Faces - British Invasion 'All Or Nothing 1965-1968'
At long last, the definitive official DVD for one of the greatest groups of the sixties (or any other decade for that matter.). Small Faces: All Or Nothing 1965 – 1968 features 23 complete performances filmed from 1965 to 1968 when the band was challenging the Who, Kinks, Stones and Beatles for domination of the charts. The DVD captures every aspect of their short but brilliant career including early Mod/R&B classics such as “What’cha Gonna Do About It”, “Sha La La La Lee” and “All Or Nothing”, timeless rockers like “Tin Soldier” and later psychedelic masterpieces including “Itchycoo Park”, and “Green Circles.” Best of all is the inclusion of eight songs from the band’s LP masterpiece Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake including “Lazy Sunday”, “Song Of A Baker” and the six song Happiness Stan suite. In between the performances original members Ian McLagan, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston talk about the songs and tell the band’s history in new interviews filmed exclusively for the DVD. Also interwoven into the story are archival interviews with Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane.
Once more into the vault my friends, once more into the vault. Step back in time, to a time when the modcast was young and fresh. Take a giant step outside your current listening constraints and journey with me all the way back to those oh so interesting days of Fall 2007. I've opened up the vaults and dusted off a classic modcast that I think you'll enjoy. Again.
Welcome to Mr. Suave's Mod Mod World, and welcome to the mod block party. Lots of cool sounds at the block party this week including The Creation, The Funseekers, The Chords, The Jetz, The Futureheads and more. Questions? Complaints? If you want to e-mail me you can do so at rob@mistersuave.com.
Straight outta Milwaukee, and seemingly 1966, come The Flips, an all-girl group of sixties afficianados. They got the look. They got the sound. They got ... six members -- and they're not a ska band.
The Flips take me back to when The Bangs (later the Bangles) were playing in the early 80s -- girly, soulful, garagish and overall poppy. They have a sweet girl-group sound, but there's a hint of agression under there, tightly coiled and waiting to be released. Not unlike other contemporary girl-groups going the retro route like The Pepper Pots or The Pippettes, The Flips come across not nearly as plastic as the latter, and not as sweet as the former. Both of which give them an advantage.
Next month Paul Weller will release his tenth studio album, an accomplishment that is impressive in part when you realize that Weller remains a virtual unknown to all but punk afficianados in the US. Compare that to his godlike stature in the UK where he's lovingly referred to as the modfather, a sort of elder statesman of British pop music who is credited with the advancement of Britpop as much as either the Beatles or Ray Davies (neither of which had the hands on experience with the 90s movement as Weller did).
He is arguably one of my top favorite living artists (along with the aforementioned Davies, Pete Townsend, Mike Ness and Billy Joe Armstrong) and the one who is still producing the mot original, highest quality music. And that's saying something when you think of what Billy Joe's done with Green Day of late, and Ness' own strong songwriting skills continue unabated.Still, Weller's solo albums, for me, have been hit or miss. The misses, admittedly, are vastly superior to the rest of the schlock on the market. But, not everything he touches turns to gold -- just most of it.
So, too with this latest release, Wake Up The Nation. The tracks run the gamut from outstanding to merely passable. Half of them are pure bliss, equally invoking northern soul and guitar driven punk rock -- two things Weller can combine like no one else. The other half are over produced, atmospheric pieces that pick up where his last release, the enormously successful (which I wasn't all that fond of) 22 Dreams left off. The album is heavily influenced by sixties psychadelia, almost too much so, with some of the effects overwhelming the songs, as in the case of the last track, "Two Fat Ladies".
The title track will shake up the nation for sure. It's riotous bit of pop sure to appeal to the masses, and at the same time scratch all the itches of Weller's longtime, more demanding fans. The lyrics deal wtih the inreasing impersonal nature of technology: Get your face off the facebook / and turn off the phone / the death of the postbox / nowhere feels home. The song has a striking resemblence to "From The Floor Boards Up", anoter upbeat, fast paced piece of rocking soul. It's quick, it's quirky, it flows smoothly in a memorable and catchy way and I expect it will be hit everywehre but in the states.
"Wake Up The Nation" is packed into the first third of the disk with "Moonshine", "No Tears Left To Cry", and "Fast Cars, Slow Traffic" (is there a stray Cure piano tinkle sampled in there?), all strong songs and helping make this the best start to an album that I've heard in a long time. The songs are soulful, especially the Motownesque "No Tears Left To Cry", and would seem to fit better with 2005's As Is Now than just about any other of his solo works.
The rest of the album isn't as strong, partly as I mentioned because some of it seems overproduced, especially the aptly-named instrumental "Whatever Next", which Weller describes as a breather; sadly, it's a noxious one with unneccesary tinkling windchimes. Or, "Up The Dosage" which probably would have been a fine, upbeat floorshaker, until they decided to play mixmaster with it.
Yet, there is one song in the latter half of the album that really rocks is "7&3 Is The Strikers Name". It too is atmospheric, pscychadelic, and on first listen might seem to have too many gimmicks, but the underlying melody and Weller's vocals actually pick the track up and really push it forward.
Overall this is a great record, and will probably fare well in the markets. It will be interesting to see if it can reach #1, giving the Modfather his fourth album to do so. An impressive trick no matter who you are.
Meanwhile, Mojo is putting Weller on the cover, and calling the album "splenetic" (whatever that is) and "thoroughly Wellerian". They are also promising one of his best interviews ever. 
