i'm not even going to involve myself in the debate
about what constitues "mod music."
there are musical styles that many mods like, and there are bands with an obvious mod
influence, but it's impossible to get everyone to agree on a definitive mod "sound."
however, two bands that come close are the
Small Faces and
the Jam .
here, in a very loose kind of chronological order, are several categories of music
that are of interest to at least some mods. if the category is really big, i mostly listed
bands or pages i especially like. this page is currently under revision. i'm clearing
out broken links, and adding new categories and entries.
also coming soon is a form for submitting URLs.
modern jazz.
soul & northern soul.
60s pop & british invasion.
garage punk & psychedelic.
mod revival.
acid jazz & soul jazz.
britpop.
indie.
easy listening.
trip-hop & electronic.
there are many different kinds of jazz, though traditionally mods are more likely
to listen to bop or cool jazz than to fusion or dixieland.
according to some, today's mods don't listen to as much soul as they should.
northern soul has its own obsessed subculture, but there are some crossovers.
|
Booker T and the MGs Soul and R&B Index Rufus Thomas |
the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were too mainstream for 60s mods, but like the
Monkees, they inspired many mods of more recent vintage. in fact, most of these
bands were too mainstream for original British mods, though they helped popularize the
"Mod" fashion and pop culture that won over the later 60s.
| british invasion etc. | other 60s pop |
|---|---|
|
Petula Clark British Pop Music History the Hollies the Kinks the Move the Small Faces the Spencer Davis Group the Who. the Zombies. |
Brigitte Bardot Tom Jones the Velvet Underground Scott Walker |
i'm not too familiar with the current psych/garage scene, though i know that
there seem to be plenty of mods involved in it.
| psychedelic | garage rock |
|---|---|
|
alt.music.psychedelic the Left Banke Psychedelic Era |
Billy Childish Estrus the Garage Grunnen Rocks Sixty Second Swinger the Sonics Vox the Woggles |
| . . . |
why can't i find a website about the legendary hammond organist Jimmy Smith?
| acid jazz | soul jazz |
|---|---|
|
the Acid Jazz Server Giant Step the James Taylor Quartet Medeski, Martin, and Wood Ubiquity Records |
"Groove" Holmes the Hammond Grounds John Patton |
britpop has passed its prime, but a couple years ago, more than a few boys and girls
started on the mod path with a Blur or Menswear single in their adidas-sleeved arms.
|
Blur British Indie Index Britpop Article Gene Menswear Pulp the Stone Roses These Animal Men |
there are many possible links for this section, so i arbitrarily
chose to emphasize things i like and bands that are particularly 60s-influenced.
in some places, the "lounge thing" has evolved into a highly ironic, self-referential
hipster scene that is as controversial as swing dancing in terms of mod involvement. yet it is
possible to separate the slightly more 50s suburban "space age bachelor pad" sounds from the
styles of later vintage that i personally prefer: "now sound," easy listening, moogs, etc.
part of being a mod is the contradiction between a love of the past and a push
to be "modern." thus, a few people have claimed that electronica/drum&bass/post-rock or
whatever you want to call it is what the mods of today are or should be listening to (especially
since the artists of this genre often sample or show influences from 60s music).
| electronic | trip-hop |
|---|---|
|
Buffalo Daughter the Intelligent Dance Music list article on post-rock Spymania Squarepusher Trans Am Luke Vibert Warp Records |
Cup of Tea Massive Attack Mo Wax Portishead |
this list is missing a lot of links, due either to my oversight or because i can't find a good
page for something i know should be here. click here to add a URL (or comments), or email me.
back to image & direction.
