musicology #169

alternativesoundtrack2..Quadrophenia #1

(Tommy Tucker - Hi Heel Sneakers)

having enjoyed laying down the alternativesoundtrack selection to one of themusicologist's favourite films, (Good, Bad and Ugly), so much I feel It's time for another one...

this time it's the turn of cult English film, Quadrophenia.

still the only cinematic portrayal of one of the most enduring and influential youth cults to emerge...'Mod'. which is amazing when we consider the impact that the movement had on music, fashion and society over the preceeding 45 years.

as a youngster growing up on the streets of South East London during the seventies, (born in 1968), themusicologist was part of the original mod/ernist legacy by having parents who were there at the birth of the movement, (1962), that had evolved out of a scattering of disparate individuals who began to congregate in pockets of London to become known, (mainly to themselves), as 'stylists' or even 'modernists'.

there are many reasons for this but the most important was the change in music from 'Rock & Roll' to 'Rock & Soul' that began to happen around 1959 but also the impact of globalisation and the 'consumer society' that emerged out of it.

I have seen and enjoyed the film many times but the thing that i always found dissapointing was the soundtrack. I know the film was about 'Mods'and in many ways it was authentic but also a little bit one-sided in as much as, for me, it didn't do musical justice to the more 'underground' aspect of the movement so this week it's going to be about the tunes that weren't featured in the film that, in my humble opinion should have been.

day 1 finds 'Jimmy' turning up at a club and buying his supply of FFrench Blues, (amphetamines), to complement the night's action at a local club.

a tune well known and loved by mods, modernists and stylists, recorded in late 1963 and released in early 1964. (the year in which the film was set). released as a 45 on the 'Checker' label..a Rhythm & Blues dancer that had all the neccessary requirements for getting cats off their arse and on the floor..