musicology #175

alternativesoundtrack2..Quadrophenia #7

(The Blenders - Everybody’s Got A Right)

LISTEN

day seven and just to make things worse Jimmy has been dragged in to be patronised by his boss on how he should ‘count his lucky stars’ for having such an illustrious job, (especially considering his working class status !!)

this was, (and in many ways still is), how the establishment expects us to behave, that we should be happy with the ‘crumbs off the top table’. Elitism is very much alive today as is ‘class’, even though successive governments, whatever their persuasion, have tried over the past 30 years to convince us of the opposite.

money isn’t the issue. it’s all about ‘mind-set’ and this piece of dialogue has always been one of my favourites in the film. great piece of acting by Phil Daniels…full of emotion and pathos, (you tell him Jim)

the music is courtesy of foundation Soul vocal group The Blenders with what might not sound like a revolutionary piece of social commentary but when you consider the year (1963), is.

a 45 on the Witch label.

Listen tune

musicology #174

alternativesoundtrack2..Quadrophenia #6

(Big Jay McNeely - Without A Love)

LISTEN

it’s on top for Jimmy now and from here on in it’s just pure kicks in the nuts for the kid..

the come-down off the ‘blues’ wouldn’t be helping either but there’s no denying that he’s on the slippery slope downwards. one thing about slipping into darkness is, you never know when it’s going to end until the moment after you hit the floor. it could be moments or even years until you start the climb back up.

I know I have been there, (too many times), so I feel for the kid but life seems to be full of trials and tribulations, each to be conquered and vanquished and in the scheme of things ‘growing up’ isn’t that hard an ordeal. you just got to accept it and move on..

the dialogue says it all. his mum has nailed him for being involved in the troubles, found his stash and kicked his arse out onto the streets..the musical accompaniment is a 1962 cut of majesty, (as far as i’m concerned), by a legendary Rhythm & Blues performer, saxophonist supreme Big Jay McNeely, (and his band), which has a particularly fine a piece of organ work that I have been waiting for the opportunity to fling down..a 45 on the Swingin’ Label.

musicology #173

alternativesoundtrack2..Quadrophenia #5

(The 4 Casts - Stormy Weather)

LISTEN

day 5 and for Jimmy it's all about to start going downhill. having made his way, (on convoy), down to Brighton and spent the day getting ready for some evening action he has been ejected from the 'dance' for jumping from the balcony in an attempt to impress Steph, (the things we males do to be noticed by the ladies !!), who has mugged him off to be with 'The Face'.

having nowhere to go and no-one to go with he spends the night on the beach, (no doubt speeding off his 'nut'), and in the morning makes his way to to meet up with the boys. this is followed by the big 'tear-up' on the beach and the demolishing of a cafe that some 'greasers' have holed up in. if you've seen it you know all about the 'knee jerker' in the alley with Steph and then him having his collar felt by the old bill, where he ends up in a black mariah with his 'hero' .

Cut to this scene, where the mod attitude and deference to authority is highlighted by 'the Face's' dismissal of his financial punishment in style. but notice how the judge states that these are not the first wave of 'hooligans' to hit Brighton, in reference to the much more dangerous and violent racecourse wars of the 1920's featuring the likes of 'The Elephant Boys', the Brummagen boys, the Sabini's and cats such as Georgie Sewell and Billy Kimber...Brighton was always a hotbed of crime and violence right up until the most recent spate of re gentrification that has taken place over the preceding 10 years or so..and a trip 'down the line' was very common for London's opportunists and villains of the past.

the tune that follows is a slice of the Atlantic pie from early 1964 by a vocal group I know nothing about so I can't offer any information other than what's on the label.

stormy weather is certainly up ahead for 'young Jim'

musicology #172

alternativesoundtrack2..Quadrophenia #4

(Robert Parker - Watch Your Step)

LISTEN

today’s section is the scene about ’scoring the ‘Jack & Jills’ for Brighton, featuring Jimmy, Dave, (his so called best mate), and Chalky. ‘Flash’ Pete puts them on to some proper Villians from South Of The River and the story unfolds..

one thing I would like to add is that there is no way that what follows, (”lets do the bastards motor”), would or could have happened back in the day…it’s pure fantasy to suggest it. what definately did happen back then, is Villains were on the speed long before the ‘mods’ and it many cases would have been how the teenagers were introduced to them.

speed was in use throughout the 1950’s, (especially in and around Soho), and was known to have been used by some in preparation for crimes that sometimes required a ‘liitle helper’. used in World War II, ( British troops used 72 million amphetamine tablets in the second world war), it was freely available to soldiers to ‘help’ keep them alert, awake, and fearless. I recall a sentence from a fantastic work of art, (Information Panel), detailing the late 50’s, early 60’s period of crime in London and it mentions ‘teams of pilled up 16 stone villains striking terror into the hearts of most’…especially on the ‘armed blag’ so to suggest that young kids would have been so foolish to have dealt out such retribution over such a small thing as a ‘Cockle’s’ worth of pills is misguided.

the piece of music that follows the dialogue is a well known Mod/ernist slice of the Rhythm & Blues pie by artist Robert Parker that was issued in the UK on London DJ and musicologist Guy Steven’s Sue label a couple of years after this one, (the American original released on V-Tone in 1961).

I know it’s been all Rhythm & Blues so far but it was this music that defined Mods up to the year in question, (1964) and certainly not bands like The Who. Live music was performed at places like the Scene by bands such as The Who, The Animals and others but they were mostly to be found, (tradition that still holds), performing in local Pubs and live music venues.

musicology #171

alternativesoundtrack2..Quadrophenia #3

LISTEN

(Gino Parkes - Fire)

after the ‘reunion’ at the public baths with old ’spar’ Kevin, Jimmy has been to a party, been seen getting off with a girl, (purely for some ‘blues’), by the object of his affection and desire, (Steph), and has for the first time begun to question ‘what it’s all about’

this next, (key), section of dialogue finds Kevin, (the rocker), turning up at Jimmy’s family home on a social visit and offering to fix his ‘poxy hair-dryer’, (scooter), which leads to a great piece of acting and communication between the two childhood friends about ‘being different’. the reality is, (of course), that they are exactly the same and Kevin, (played majestically by Ray Winstone), nails this with the closing line…

What struck me about the film was the way it portrayed the disillusionment of the movement as well as it’s depiction of the ‘Mod’ attitude, (captured in fine style by Phil Daniels as ‘Jimmy’), and it’s in this exchange that it is laid bare.

the music is a 1962 cut from Detroit, courtesy of Soul singer Gino Parkes, (not forgetting the cats behind the Motown sound, the ‘Funk Brothers’), with a rare slice of the Motown pie. can’t say for sure whether it was played back then but if not, it should and probably would have been if known about.

musicology #170

alternativesoundtrack2..Quadrophenia #2

(Buster Brown - Fannie Mae)

day two of the selection and after setting the scene, (no pun intended), with one of the great Mod classics Jimmy finds himself having a clean up at the Public Baths…now there’s a blast from the past…young bloods these days can’t even begin to imagine how common it was right up until the 1970’s to have your weekly bath down at the local swimming pool, (nowdays known as ‘Leisure Centre’)

part of what I really enjoy about Quadrophenia is the way it depicts how life was for the working class. which really began to change, (for the worse), during Thatcher’s reign as we were sold into rising debt and subsequently wage slavery with the ‘carrot’ of becoming ‘better off’.

my belief is that today’s society is a backward step. Health, Education and Security are all in a spiraling decline as the businessmen and politicians wait like stinking vultures to carve up the ‘institutions’ that were meant for the people’s welfare. It won’t be long before business is in charge of all the areas mentioned above as whoever is in charge tries to remind us that it’s ‘for our own good’ .. believe me it won’t be. as always the Poor and Needy will be raped and pillaged by the Rich and Greedy.

so..back to the film.

‘Jimmy’ is having a relaxing soak in the bath when the opening lines to Gene Vincent’s ‘Be Bop A Lula’ come floating over the cubicle wall… being a ‘Mod’ he takes this as a personal affront and makes his feelings known. leading to a vocal altercation that is about to step up to a confrontation until the two parties make visual contact and realise they are, what sounds like, friends. as we now know the ‘mods vs rockers’ fighting pitched battles and being sworn enemies is a myth overcooked by the media to sell newspapers.

if the truth be known it was more likely to be mods fighting mods over age old territorial rights or who ‘owned’ a particular corner of a dancehall.

the tune that follows is an example of the music that was appreciated by both mods and rockers, (music is a great leveller), another stomping piece of Rhythm & Blues, (released in 1959), that was played in early mod venues in London by the likes of original DJ’s such as Sammy Samwell and Guy Stevens.

Tony Blue this one’s yours. hope it brings back fond memories of being young, free and disengaged.

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..