View
221
Download
0
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
7/28/2019 Deep Cuts, Readers Choice - Alex Johnson
1/5
Deep Cuts, Readers Choice: Alex Johnsonon Why It MattersLiquor, Lust, and Primer Gray Camaros Set to Music
21 May 2013 http://jamesostafford.com/2013/05/21/deep-cuts-readers-choice-alex-johnson/
I met Alex Johnson thanks to Why It Matters just a couple ofshort years ago. Since then
weve been fast friends on Twitter (follow him at @koolwriting) and have exchanged mail
both real and electronic. Alex was kind enough to send me a cast recording ofSTORM the
Musical, written by the man himself. How cool is that?
What connects Alex and me are the Mods,
that wonderfully stylish and R&B obsessed
group of mid-sixties English kids that most of
us know from The Whos Quadrophenia.What separates us is that I always wanted to
be a Mod, though I missed the window by a
good fifteen years, and Alex was right in the
middle of it. Yep, my friend Johnson is an
original Mod.
And so I asked the big man if hed put
together a Mod Deep Cuts for you. What
follows is a Mod playlist that Alex put together
especially for you along with his memories of the scene. Although Im supposed tomaintain a pretense of editorial objectivity Ill tell you a secret: This is my favourite Deep
Cuts yet.
Nineteen sixty-three, I was a naive thirteen year old, very much mixed up, teenager. My
family surroundings lacked the love and security that a young teen needs. My mother, in
her never ending search for money, had rented most of the space in our tiny terraced
house, located in the then poor part of Chelsea. My stepfather was such a creep that
writing about him would be a waste of time.
The lawof the house was that children should neither be heard nor seen, so most of the
time I was banished to the four walls of a tiny room which I shared with a lodger. To tell
you the truth I have forgotten the lodgers name, only that he came from the Caribbean.
However, it is him I have to thank for showing me the magic of music, for the 45s he
played on his small record player helped to sooth the harshness of my then world. The
music thathe played also lead to the birth of my Mod soul!
Most of the boarders singles were different from the ones being played on the radio or
television at the time, who in the few minutes devoted to the teen viewers and listenerswould play the usual Elvis and Cliff Richard produce. But here was I, lucky enough to be
1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGAlIqzGl8Ahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGAlIqzGl8Ahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGAlIqzGl8Ahttp://jamesostafford.com/2011/10/19/50-the-punk-and-the-godfather-why-it-matters-revisited/http://jamesostafford.com/2011/10/19/50-the-punk-and-the-godfather-why-it-matters-revisited/http://jamesostafford.com/2013/05/21/deep-cuts-readers-choice-alex-johnson/http://jamesostafford.com/http://jamesostafford.com/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGAlIqzGl8Ahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGAlIqzGl8Ahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGAlIqzGl8Ahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGAlIqzGl8Ahttp://jamesostafford.com/2011/10/19/50-the-punk-and-the-godfather-why-it-matters-revisited/http://jamesostafford.com/2011/10/19/50-the-punk-and-the-godfather-why-it-matters-revisited/http://jamesostafford.com/2013/05/21/deep-cuts-readers-choice-alex-johnson/http://jamesostafford.com/2013/05/21/deep-cuts-readers-choice-alex-johnson/http://jamesostafford.com/http://jamesostafford.com/7/28/2019 Deep Cuts, Readers Choice - Alex Johnson
2/5
exiled to a tiny room that opened my being to a universe of sounds that soothed the
harshness of my then world.
I was in music paradise, listening to blue beat, soul and jazz, and in the process being
introduced to the high priests of music with magical names such as James Brown,
Solomon Burke, and of course Ray Charles. At the time I had no idea who these artists
were, but their music filled me with a warmth and rhythm I had never known before.
One song I was particularly fond of was
Mockingbird, by Inez and Charlie Foxx. I
suppose this song has always stuck in my
head because it was the only major hit the
brother and sister duo had, whereas all the
other above mentioned went on to create one
classic song after another.
Going To A Go Go - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
It was a cold winters night in 1965, I just
turned fifteen, and after an aggressive
argument with my mothers then boyfriend, I
broke out of the house and made my way to
Londons Soho. All I had was ten shillings,
and the thin pullover I was wearing did little to
protect me against the icy wind. Somehow I
found myself standing at the entrance to a
club that I had often heard mentioned by the
kids at school, the Flamingo. It was Saturday,
and the club had an all nighter. The entrance cost all my money but I didnt care: the
hypnotic beat of Going to a Go Go coming up the stairwell was too much to resist!
I Cant Explain - The Who
We early Mods had some kind of bush
telegraph: we always knew where to buy our
clothes, and what club had the newest sound.
It was through this Mod pipeline that I heard
of a group called The Who and their first
single, I Cant Explain. It wasnt the song
that actually got my attention: it was the fact
these musicians dressed and acted in a Mod
style, which if I think back meant our cult was
about to go mainstream. Interesting fact
about this song is Jimmy Page plays lead guitar!
2
http://youtu.be/h3h--K5928Mhttp://youtu.be/h3h--K5928Mhttp://youtu.be/h3h--K5928Mhttp://youtu.be/h3h--K5928Mhttp://youtu.be/sWt4Hz1KGcQhttp://youtu.be/sWt4Hz1KGcQhttp://youtu.be/sWt4Hz1KGcQhttp://youtu.be/IgsFS43iFAIhttp://youtu.be/IgsFS43iFAIhttp://youtu.be/IgsFS43iFAIhttp://youtu.be/IgsFS43iFAIhttp://youtu.be/IgsFS43iFAIhttp://youtu.be/IgsFS43iFAIhttp://youtu.be/h3h--K5928Mhttp://youtu.be/h3h--K5928Mhttp://youtu.be/IgsFS43iFAIhttp://youtu.be/IgsFS43iFAIhttp://youtu.be/sWt4Hz1KGcQhttp://youtu.be/sWt4Hz1KGcQhttp://youtu.be/h3h--K5928Mhttp://youtu.be/h3h--K5928Mhttp://youtu.be/IgsFS43iFAIhttp://youtu.be/IgsFS43iFAIhttp://youtu.be/sWt4Hz1KGcQhttp://youtu.be/sWt4Hz1KGcQhttp://youtu.be/h3h--K5928Mhttp://youtu.be/h3h--K5928Mhttp://youtu.be/sWt4Hz1KGcQhttp://youtu.be/sWt4Hz1KGcQhttp://youtu.be/IgsFS43iFAIhttp://youtu.be/IgsFS43iFAI7/28/2019 Deep Cuts, Readers Choice - Alex Johnson
3/5
Tin Soldier - Small Faces
My personal favourite Mod group has to be
the Small Faces, the reason being one of
those simple happenings that make a day
special.
It was a Friday afternoon sometime in the
summer of 65, and I walked into a working
mans cafe at the back of Kings Cross,
London. Who should be sitting there but the
Small Faces. Steve Marriott caught me
looking at their table, winked and said, All
right, mate. I just smiled and replied a shy, yes. Through my new Mod friends I had what
was then considered gold dust by all Mods: tickets for that nights Mod oriented TV show
Ready Steady Go! Who should be appearing but the Small Faces. I was in the crowd in
front of the stage as they came on. Steve spotted me amidst the crowd and asked jokingly,
Are you following me? Man, was I proud! Apart from that, I found the Small Faces to be
a great band. You would have to go a long way to find a voice and performer to match
Steve Marriotts amazing talent. Unlike The Who, The Small Faces made you feel as if you
were mates. I dont know of any 60s Mod who does not have The Small Faces on his or
her list of greats.
Play With Fire - The Rolling Stones
Obviously we were aware of the super
groups of the time such as The Beatles and
The Rolling Stones, and each individual had
his or her preference. I was more inclined
towards the Stones. Not only did I find their
music had more raw soul in its fibre, but the
fact that they were formed in the pub on the
corner of my street made them even more
alluring! The little known Play with Fire has
always been one of my long time favourites.
Cant Turn You Loose/Shake - Otis Redding
In the spring of 66 Ready Steady Go!
transmitted The Otis Redding Special. This
was the last RSG! show I attended. Even
now as my hair turns to grey and my body
starts to show its age, I can close my eyes
and imagine Im sixteen again. The studio
was very small; however, even with the ever-
present cameras, which were very large, Ican still feel the magical atmosphere that Otis
created today. Otis was a name with British
3
http://youtu.be/xi_7iBskm94http://youtu.be/xi_7iBskm94http://youtu.be/xi_7iBskm94http://youtu.be/_QlBTOAqHhkhttp://youtu.be/_QlBTOAqHhkhttp://youtu.be/_QlBTOAqHhkhttp://youtu.be/_QlBTOAqHhkhttp://youtu.be/_QlBTOAqHhkhttp://youtu.be/_QlBTOAqHhkhttp://youtu.be/_QlBTOAqHhkhttp://youtu.be/_QlBTOAqHhkhttp://youtu.be/_QlBTOAqHhkhttp://youtu.be/wcKZoFRpZCIhttp://youtu.be/wcKZoFRpZCIhttp://youtu.be/wcKZoFRpZCIhttp://youtu.be/xi_7iBskm94http://youtu.be/xi_7iBskm94http://youtu.be/_QlBTOAqHhkhttp://youtu.be/_QlBTOAqHhkhttp://youtu.be/wcKZoFRpZCIhttp://youtu.be/wcKZoFRpZCIhttp://youtu.be/xi_7iBskm94http://youtu.be/xi_7iBskm94http://youtu.be/_QlBTOAqHhkhttp://youtu.be/_QlBTOAqHhkhttp://youtu.be/wcKZoFRpZCIhttp://youtu.be/wcKZoFRpZCIhttp://youtu.be/xi_7iBskm94http://youtu.be/xi_7iBskm94http://youtu.be/_QlBTOAqHhkhttp://youtu.be/_QlBTOAqHhkhttp://youtu.be/wcKZoFRpZCIhttp://youtu.be/wcKZoFRpZCI7/28/2019 Deep Cuts, Readers Choice - Alex Johnson
4/5
Mods, long before it was heralded in his own backyard. His early death was a huge loss to
the world of music.
I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye.
Tamla Motown was an important ingredient in
every Mods music diet! The Four Tops, TheTemptations, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder,
Junior Walker, Martha Reeves and the
Vandellas, and, andthe list goes on forever!
At least 60% of our dance floor music came
from Detroit City!
With so many platinum sounding songs to
choose from, I had to go for the one that has
been called the most perfect pop song ever,
Mr. Marvin Gayes I Heard it Through The Grapevine. A huge commendation for TheFunk Brothers: a band of musical geniuses, without whom the sound of Motown might not
have been created!
Madness - Prince Buster.
Racism in the early Mod scene was
practically nonexistent. Indeed, the cult
emulated a great deal from the Rude Boy
Jamaican youth movement, such as the pork
pie hats, and their preferred music rhythmand dance style called bluebeat, later
renamed as ska, which in its turn led to the
sound the whole world knows as reggae. The
stars of this genre were mostly recording on
the Blue Beat label, who had on their list of
session musicians two youngsters, Peter Tosh and Bob Marley, no need to tell you what
they got up to years later!
However, the main attractions then were, The Skatalites, The Deltas, Derrick Morgan, and
my all time favourite Prince Buster.
In my opinion the following quote only scratches the surface of the decline of the Mod
scene; however. it does show that we were a creative group of teenagers! By the summer
of 1966, the mod scene was in sharp decline. Dick Hebdige argues that the mod
subculture lost its vitality when it became commercialised, artificial and styled to the point
that new mod clothing styles were being created from above by clothing companies and
by TV shows like Ready Steady Go!, rather than being developed by young people
customising their clothes and mixing different fashions together.
4
http://youtu.be/EZC6Ot1MLP0http://youtu.be/EZC6Ot1MLP0http://youtu.be/EZC6Ot1MLP0http://youtu.be/EZC6Ot1MLP0http://youtu.be/EZC6Ot1MLP0http://youtu.be/EZC6Ot1MLP0http://youtu.be/EZC6Ot1MLP0http://youtu.be/iyQwBA02I0Qhttp://jamesostafford.com/2013/02/13/why-it-matters-to-dennis-coffey/http://youtu.be/iyQwBA02I0Qhttp://youtu.be/iyQwBA02I0Qhttp://youtu.be/iyQwBA02I0Qhttp://youtu.be/iyQwBA02I0Qhttp://youtu.be/iyQwBA02I0Qhttp://youtu.be/iyQwBA02I0Qhttp://youtu.be/iyQwBA02I0Qhttp://youtu.be/iyQwBA02I0Qhttp://youtu.be/EZC6Ot1MLP0http://youtu.be/EZC6Ot1MLP0http://youtu.be/iyQwBA02I0Qhttp://youtu.be/iyQwBA02I0Qhttp://youtu.be/EZC6Ot1MLP0http://youtu.be/EZC6Ot1MLP0http://youtu.be/iyQwBA02I0Qhttp://youtu.be/iyQwBA02I0Qhttp://youtu.be/EZC6Ot1MLP0http://youtu.be/EZC6Ot1MLP0http://jamesostafford.com/2013/02/13/why-it-matters-to-dennis-coffey/http://jamesostafford.com/2013/02/13/why-it-matters-to-dennis-coffey/http://jamesostafford.com/2013/02/13/why-it-matters-to-dennis-coffey/http://jamesostafford.com/2013/02/13/why-it-matters-to-dennis-coffey/http://youtu.be/iyQwBA02I0Qhttp://youtu.be/iyQwBA02I0Q7/28/2019 Deep Cuts, Readers Choice - Alex Johnson
5/5
What the above leaves out is the reason this so called subculture came into being, and
being an insider, even now many years later, I can allow my self to state my own
comments.
The world the we were growing up in was grey, and our parents, and the city we lived in,
still bore the scars of the war, most of us were starved of any emotional feelings from our
families, and our homes were usually drab, and our future looked as dingy as our
surroundings. Therefore, we were a lost generation, with no where to turn to except
ourselves, and we found the love we were lacking in our music, and our way of dressing,
as a group we had a common bond that, for a while, kept us safe in our own world.
Im sure that most of the Originals out there, no matter what road life has taken them on,
have one fact in common: they can close their eyes and dream back to the days when
London moved to the rhythm of their beat.
Ive Got Dreams To Remember - Otis Redding
Are you interested in writing your own
Deep Cuts to share with your WIM-
minded brothers and sisters? Leave a
comment or send me an email at:
jostaffordjr@gmail.com.
Alexander G. Johnsonwww.koolwritings.com
5
http://www.koolwritings.com/http://www.koolwritings.com/mailto:jostaffordjr@gmail.comhttp://youtu.be/i2RGu1v5388http://youtu.be/i2RGu1v5388http://youtu.be/i2RGu1v5388http://youtu.be/i2RGu1v5388http://www.koolwritings.com/http://www.koolwritings.com/mailto:jostaffordjr@gmail.commailto:jostaffordjr@gmail.comhttp://youtu.be/i2RGu1v5388http://youtu.be/i2RGu1v5388Recommended