The Inciters - Doing Fine (2000)

Hailing from San Francisco, The Inciters are simply the world's finest Northen Soul act, an overpowering 11 piece dance floor soul band that has brought the house down from LA to SF to DC to Chicago! Maybe you saw The Commitments movie a few years ago, showing the rage a true 6T's soul band can create in a short amount of time.....or have you harked back to a time when Motown/Stax was king, and casinos were packed to sweet sounds of soul: Booker T & The MG's, The Impressions, The Supremes, The Flirtations, Major Lance and more! Well my friend, those days have begun once again....Northern Soul is the sound of NOW. Coined by British press in the 60's to describe the club scene in the North of England, "Northern Soul" nights at famous clubs like Wigan Casino thrived on DJs playing rare soul from independent labels, these sides taking the Motown/Stax ethic but adding a stronger back-beat with more adventurous production! The Inciters "Doing Fine" is exactly that, a mix of heavy dance floor soul fueled by a four dynamic lead singers (1 male, 3 female) that deserve your attention! Already a household name within the Mod/scooter and ska scenes, The Inciters look towards 2000 with a firm grip n an era where music really mattered!.

from jump up! records.
----------------------------

El Northern Soul es una de las variantes que tuvo el sonido de la Motown y Stax en los años sesenta. Sonido que se desarrolló en Inglaterra en esos años, más bien hacia el norte de Inglaterra, de ahí su nombre. Estilo que fue rápidamente adoptado por los mods, música bailable y que sonaba frecuentemente en los clubs de la época.
The Inciters hacen Northern Soul y son de San Francisco, eran, grupo numeroso de once miembros y con cuatro voces solistas, tres femeninas y una masculina que se van alternando en los temas de este su segundo disco "Doing Fine" (2000 ó 1999) dando un cierto aire de disco en vivo. Aparte de temas propios, hay versiones como "Lay This Burden Down", "Magic Touch" o "Lean On Me". Anteriormente publicaron "Movin' On" y el último fue "Well Well Well"(2002).
No es fácil encontrar sus discos, quizá el Well Well Well, incluso la página donde compré Doing Fine ya no lo tiene. Carátulas modymade.

TV Fly - Five Songs EP (2000)

TV Fly was a short-lived (Spanish) band with little published material that appeared at the end of the 90’s. Its members were J. Antonio Guerrero (bass & vocals), David Cazorla (drums & vocals) and Enrique Martínez (guitar & vocals). They played at Festimad, Moby Dick and the El Sol theatre as supporting act to DM3. They also accompanied the Dover band in several shows and they even published two tunes under the “Loly Jackson Records” label (belonging to the Dover) in the “The Power Of Dolores “compilation, and a single shared with Super Skunk. Masters of the three voices, it strikes me that no one was aware of their talent for making excellent power pop songs, because that’s what the never published “Five Songs EP” record is all about. Five unfinished and unmixed tunes recorded just before they separated… these things happen… I made the sleeves at that time, after knowing about Enrique ("ficuscactus", a web mate) and his songs. Listen to “Going Nowhere”, it’s one of those tunes that move me, and I don’t mean sissy-style, like the intro to “It’s Too Bad” in the “Dig The New Breed” (The Jam), that shiver that starts in your neck and trickles down your spine…
........

TV Fly fue un grupo de corta existencia y de poco material editado que apareció a finales de los noventa. Formado por J. Antonio Guerrero (bajo y voz), David Cazorla (batería y voces) y Enrique Martínez (guitarra y voces), estuvieron actuando en Festimad, Moby Dick o la sala El Sol en la que tocaron como teloneros de DM3, así mismo acompañaron a la banda Dover en varias actuacionesllegando a publicar dos temas en el sello “Loly Jackson Records” (de los mismos Dover) dentro del Recopilatorio “The Power Of Dolores” y un single compartido con Super Skunk. Maestros de las tres voces, llama la atención el que nadie se diese cuenta de su talento para hacer estupendas canciones de power pop, porque de eso trata el disco nunca editado “Five Songs EP”.Cinco temas grabados sin acabar de mezclarlos justo antes de separarse, cosas que pasan. Las portadas para este EP las hice en su momento tras conocer a Enrique ("ficuscactus", amigo webero) y sus canciones. Escucha “Going Nowhere” ,es de esos temas que me emocionan, no lo digo en plan ñoño, como la entrada de “It’s Too Bad” en el disco “Dig The New Breed” (The Jam), ese escalofrío que empieza enla nuca y baja por la espalda .......

En el blog de mi amigo "vikingo", los fiordos de vikingo, podeís encontrar un post anterior a este y si lo publico aquí es debido a la supuesta mayor afluencia de público anglosajón, por eso del idioma. Me gusta más su comentario hecho desde el cariño. Si.



Going Nowhere
...........................more in comments.

Driving Music - 1

This is the music I listened to this month, well, these last two or three weeks. I usually burn a CDR with twelve mp3 archives so I can listen to all the records in the car.

Dee-Rangers - So Far Out So Good - 2002
The Moviees - Become One Of Them - 2000
The Solarflares - Look What I Made Out Of My Head - 2002
The Fleshtones - Roman Gods - 1982
The Decibels - Create Action! - 1998
The Waistcoats - All The Rage - 2002
The Kliek - Behind Bars - 1990
The Royal Purple - Spearmint Experiment - 2004
The New Mastersounds - This is What We Do - 2005
The Greenhornes - Gun For You - 1999
DM3 - Road To Rome - 1996
The Insomniacs - Wake Up! - 1995

Paso bastante tiempo en el coche, como muchos de vosotros, así que es un buen lugar para escuchar la música que me gusta o que normalmente no tengo tiempo de escuchar. Suelo mantener el CDR con unos doce discos en mp3 durante dos o tres semanas, tiempo suficiente para empaparme de todos ellos.

Planet - Confusion EP (1995)

Graham Day was originally signed as an artist in 1983 as a member of the Prisoners and we have been finding reasons to have him back ever since. We have released albums by the SolarFlares, and a complete set of Prisoners reissues including the recent “Rare And Unissued”, which involved a gathering together of all the bits and pieces of the bands career. Graham is a fantastic songwriter with an amazing voice, and we felt it was time to shine a spotlight on one of the most overlooked parts of his career.
In 1993 the Prisoners re-formed for a one-off gig at London’s Subterranea. It was a roaring success. Over the next year they would play a number of gigs, including headlining at the 2000-capacity Clapham Grand and playing a tour of Germany. However the reunion was never going to permanent as the Prisoners’ organist James Taylor was riding high with the JTQ scoring chart hits and touring the world. After hooking up with the bass player and drummer from the support band on the Prisoners’ German tour Graham Day formed a new band, Planet. Planet were a more groove-based outfit whose influences went beyond his love of classic 60s UK rock and into the realms of late 60s soul and Funkadelic.
It may have been inevitable that they would sign to Acid Jazz’ new indie label, Focus. Acid Jazz is owned by Eddie Piller, the Prisoners’ final manager, and he has an enduring appreciation of Graham’s talent. Signing Planet was a no-brainer. Graham thought that the signing might have been a move to try for a new Prisoners album, but as the JTQ was Acid Jazz’s biggest act, this was probably not his motive. Planet were allowed unlimited time in the Acid Jazz studio and recorded 17 tracks that made up the LP and various singles that appeared throughout 1995. The music has a strong rhythmic thrust and plenty of wah wah guitar, but it also is full to the brim with great melodies and vocals.
“Splitting The Humidity” was released in the late summer of 1995 but although Planet toured heavily around its issue, it was not destined to be the breakthrough for Graham’s talent. It failed to set the charts alight and the band split. What was left has a unique sound and deserves to be heard afresh.

By Dean Rudland

They also released a few singles or EPs in 1995 like "Sky","Dog" and "Confusion". In 2008 was edited "The Complete Studio Recordings" on the Big Beat label.

Click on the picture.......
This is an "old" picture from the web, it's not complete: The Buff Medways (2002-2006) or Graham Day & The Galoers (2007- )

Planet fue otra de las muchas bandas de Graham Day, no duró mucho, un año, pero dio para sacar unos cuantos EPs o singles ("Sky","Dog" and "Confusion".) y el disco “Splitting The Humidity” en 1995. Tras una tercera reunión de los Prisoners se formó Planet fichando por el sello Focus (Acid Jazz). El sonido de Planet se acerca más al de la última época de Prime Movers que al de Prisoners, quizá con un ligero toque Hendrix, pero no deja de ser Graham Day.
He añadido un esquema o árbol de las aventuras de Day, incompleto ya que es de hace unos años, falta The Buff Medways ,bajo, con Childish y Graham Day & The Galoers con miembros de Woggles.
El archivo se agradece al amigo ,golden67 , ya de hace años..........

Jarvis Humby - Assume The Position it's... (2004)

Try as we might, no one here can think of a name more British sounding than Jarvis Humby. He clearly must be the king of mod-swingers, this Humby character. What you say? Jarvis Humby is actually four blokes? Well then, they've set themselves up to quite a task with a name like that. They even put images of Keith Richards, the Who, the Beatles and a friggin' Union Jack on their album cover. Fortunately, these Humby boys deliver everything they promise. Pure liquid adrenalin R&B, complete with fuzzed guitars, white-boy blues vocals and an omnipresent Hammond that coats everything with a 1964 flavor. "99 Steps to the Sun" could be the official follow-up to ? & the Mysterians' "96 Tears," but they don't leave it at that. Opener "We Say Yeah!" is excellent if typical garage rock until the closing holler of "Yeah, yeah yeah" that you can imagine soundtracking the toga party scene in Animal House (originally filled by Lloyd Williams' "Shout"). "These Eyes" sounds like R.E.M. sounding like the Byrds, with it's antique 12-string tumble and "The 4th Man" is pure spy show/surf guitar goodness. Coming complete with white pants and Fender reverb, Jarvis Humby will make you want to grow your bangs, pop a couple of pep pills and head on down to Brighton to dance around and fight with the rockers. Vintage!
by Joshua Glazer All Music Guide

Another review here

Jarvis Humby suele aparecer por la red como Neo Garage Mod band o Hard Soul band.... etiquetas que parece ser nos gusta poner a todo, asimismo comentan que se parecen a The Prisoners, que suenan a 60s.......... vale, a mí me suenan a Hammond. Con esto quiero decir que me dan igual las etiquetas o a qué suenan, a mí me gustan y los tengo en mi lista de escucha a menudo. Me despista un poco la poca información que he conseguido de la banda: single para Detour records (Get On Board My Train / Gwen Stacy 1996) , y supongo que un EP previo a este disco, Assume The Position it's..... aparición en algún recopilatorio (Halloween A Go-Go! de Little Stevens, Sugarlumps y Exile on Hammond Street), pero nada nuevo desde la aparición del disco que nos ocupa. Tres temas nuevos en su página de myspace .

Tres portadas distintas para el mismo disco y las ganas de saber algo más sobre esta fantástica banda. La última portada creo que pertenece a la primera edición del disco con 12 temas, ampliada a 14 en la siguiente edición, la que traemos aquí. Si alguien sabe algo más de Jarvis........

Mega Super Ultra - Power Pop Art (1999)

In the late 70's, parka-clad thousands took to beaches of Brighton to defend the Mod way of life, depicted in the classic film Quadrophenia. Bands like The Jam, Purple Hearts, Secret Affair, The Lambrettas, and countless others re-ignited the R&B influenced, energetic pop sound that had been missing in punk, yet still containing the intensity and emotion of the UK punk movement. Here in the United States, rock critics tend to cite this "power-pop" movement in terms of it's Chicago roots, most notably Cheap Trick, Green, Shoes, and Material Issue.....which is fine to the members of MegaSuperUltra, the 12 songs on "Power Pop Art" have been crafted from the very core of rock. The music is full of quick changes, stops, starts, and cleverly honed lyrics mingled with irresistible melody. These songs are non stop action, obviously based on the Mod styles and ideals of 1960's England but given an distinct American twist. The world is ready for this "brand" of feel-good pop again, directly targeted to the new high-paced Scooterist movement that is bubbling strong in the underground once again.
                          Jump Up Records
 
Mega Super Ultra are another one of those 3 piece Jam influenced Stateside '79 revival bands complete with parkas, targets, arrows and London imagery.
It's all very nostalgic and in the words of the band themselves "It's like growing up and wanting to be British". As much as this stuff doesn't seem to have much relevance in 2001 you still can't knock people for just believing in what they do. I've heard the best and worst of the revival revival bands and although I'd rather go out and find something new Mega Super Ultra are top class in what they do and well worth checking out against some of the other new mod bands.

Reviewed by Mark McNulty (review posted on 10th October 2001) modculture
--
Si se te ocurre poner en la búsqueda de tu navegador favorito las palabras "mega super ultra" puedes quedar sorprendido de la cantidad de páginas que las utilizan, incluso acompañadas de "hyper", el no va más. Puede que en españa estas tres palabras nos suenen a expresión un tanto "pija", pero no nos confundamos con este grupo, son de Chicago, son mods y vienen de nuevo a decirnos que cuando quieren los yanquis hacen muy buenas canciones mod, que suenan a jam a chords.... como siempre. Temas como "How stupid can I Be", "Salt" o "Seven Waves Away" me darán la razón. Disco publicado en Jump Up! Records. En 2002 sacaron "Back To Take Another Bow" y creo que estaban trabajando en otro disco pero no sé si han llegado a publicarlo (Mega Means More). Han tenido apariciones en recopilatorios:
News of the World MKII - Once I'm All the Rage (We're Through),
Smash Your Radio Volume 2.0 - Get it? Got it? GOOD!,
The Young Idea Squire Tribute - Live Without Her Love.

The Gain - You Should Know EP (USA 1995)

Four songs, three great, one just mortal. The cover of "I Don't Mind" (Buzzcocks) is brilliant, and not just because it's such a cool song to begin with. These songs are simple rocking punk with elaborate vocals reminding me of Blatz but just with no girl singing. Out of hand is my favorite because I lean towards the Us against the World punk rock inspirational. (GS)

I'd like to start this post with a "you should know" review from The Gain's webpage. Another great single was posted in my blog, here. And searching for info about the band I found five live songs (At Fireside Bowl, 1997) in the record "V.M. Live Series 2 Volume 1" with another three bands: The Pist, Supernova and Brand New Unit. These songs will be uploaded soon...... Another EP: The Gain / Scared Of Chaka split (1995 702 records) is in the blog one-side war.
---------
Grupo al que tengo especial cariño. Buscando información sobre la banda (y su "Highway to Heck") me encontré con el disco "V.M. Live Series 2 Volume 1", compartido con tres bandas más (The Pist, Supernova and Brand New Unit) que incluye cinco temas en vivo que subiré un día de estos (un mes, vamos). Puede que sea por eso la razón de volver a traer a The Gain, Quadroburbia ya apareció por aquí. De paso, podeís encontrar el EP compartido con Scared Of Chaka en el blog one-side war.

Aceface - Amazing Dementia (2000)

This EP’s sleeve features the parka-clad Torontonians on scooters. Mod, soul and Brit pop are the keys genres here, as the mid-tempo, guitar-based tunes are angular, groovy and melodic (respectively?). Paul Weller’s shadow appears in the slow-Jam of some tracks and in the vocals of front-man Carl Nanders, who with his constant Briticisms had better be from England, let me tell you. About half of this six-tracker is very good, a promising start to a career that will hopefully move beyond the Blow-Up set. (Lorraine Carpenter)

Aceface se formaron en Toronto en 1998. Publicaron su primer disco, este Amazing Dementia, en el año 2000 y quizás fue por entonces cuando les conocí. Tardé un tiempo en reunir los seis temas de su EP y no volví a saber de ellos hasta la publicación de su "Threat Level: Redwhhiteblue" (Fading Ways, 2004) en el que puede que variaran su sonido inicial hacia algo más Soul.... bueno, eso creo. En 2008 autopublicaron un EP de 6 temas "Aceface". Una muestra más de international mod.

The Aim - Call Your Name 7 (1994)

I only know The Aim through this single, published by Detour Records in 1994. I don't know if they have any other records but one thing I'm sure of is that this is a very good single. Two pure mod power pop tunes "Call Your Name" and "Out On The Street" and the lingering feeling of needing more.....
As you can see, the front sleeve sends us back to Jam's "Sounds Affect" and in the back the members of the band appear in streets wearing their names. Tony Duke, Dave Pryor and Steve White.
As usual: No links in Detour posts..... but you can leave your comments or send any question to my email.

Solo conozco a "The Aim" por este single, publicado por Detour Records en 1994. No sé si llegaron a publicar algo más, pero la sensación tras escuchar los dos temas del disco "Call Your Name" y "Out On The Street" es la de necesitar más, de preguntarte porqué no publicaron nada más. Dos canciones de puro mod power pop. La portada frontal recuerda a "Sounds Affect" de los Jam y en la trasera aparecen los miembros de la Banda (Tony Duke, David Pryor y Steve White) junto a letreros de las calles que llevan su apellido.
Como es norma con los posts de Detour: No hay Link para este disco, pero podeís dejar vuestros comentarios o preguntar 'cualquier cosa' a mi correo electronico.

John Wicks / The Records, Verano 2011

John Wicks, lead singer of The Records and co-writer of the hit songs Starry Eyes and Hearts In Her Eyes, has an idea he'd like to share.
For the entire summer, John will be posting a free, rare demo or outtake every week on the band's Facebook fan page.
Starting June 13 go to www.facebook.com/TheRecordsFeaturingJohnWicks, "like" the page, and you'll be treated to that week's feature outtake or demo. Most if not all of these cuts have never seen the light of day and promise to be a real treat, both for those familiar with Wicks' work as well as those who just dig good, melodic pop of the highest order. Eventually some but not all of these tracks will appear on an upcoming CD release, but the only way to make sure you hear them all is to check out John's fanpage. Go to www.facebook.com/TheRecordsFeaturingJohnWicks
and click "Like", refresh your browser, and the mp3 will be available to you...FOR FREE. Check out The Records' main website at www.johnwicksandtherecords.com for news, tour, or any other additional information about the band.

Marshall Crenshaw - Downtown (1985)

................... ........Jllopez (JAM) nos trae de nuevo Power Pop

Marshall Crenshaw (11 de Noviembre de 1953) cantante compositor y guitarista de Detroit comenzó a tocar la guitarra a los diez años. De 1968 a 1973 dirigió la banda "Astigafa", continuando una larga carrera musical, que le ha llevado desde interpretar a Buddy Holly en la película "La Bamba", a ser comparado con Alex Chilton en la influencia en el Power Pop, publicar un libro sobre el Rock'n'Roll en el cine, tocar la guitarra como invitado especial en la reunión de los MC5, escribir canciones de películas (Globo de Oro a la Mejor Canción Original por Walk Hard 2007) y a acomodarse en la música AOR y el Rock convencional.

Influenciado por el Soul y la British Invasion fue el creador de "Someday, Someway", que interpretada por Robert Gordon alcanzó el Top 40 de Billboard, siendo considerada una obra maestra del Pop y una de las mejores canciones de Rock. Técnicamente habilidoso e investigando la guitarra utiliza progresiones de acordes fuera de lo común acercándose al jazz en ocasiones.

Más conocido por sus dos primeros discos y sobre todo por el primero "Marshall Crenshaw" (1982) por la canción "Someday, Someway" y "Field Day" (1983), este su tercer disco "Downtown" (1985) está considerado como uno de los mejores de su carrera musical. Pop elegante, composiciones perfectas, empezando por la canción que abre el disco "Little Wild One (No.5)" con sabor Rockabilly, sensuales "Yvonne", influencias de los 50's en "Right Now" (ya interpretó a Buddy Holly en La Bamba), puede que necesite más de una escucha para apreciarlo, pero no te lo pierdas, merece la pena escuchar unas buenas canciones de Pop bien hechas. Producido por T-Bone Burnett y Mitch Easter junto a Marshall Crenshaw.

Back To Zero - Live At The Acklam Hall , London 3-5-79

Musical archaeology. One of my many bad habits is converting all my LP records and original cassettes to wav or mp3 , in an attempt to preserve what I think could get lost with time. It’s only another format change and, however much I work on it, the result is not always as good as hoped, but I like to do it. I copy it in wav from a cassette player to my PC, I use a program to separate individual tracks, I fiddle with the sound if needed, I convert it to mp3, at 320kbps if possible, and finally I scan the sleeves or add new custom-made ones. Some time ago I converted a Back To Zero tape, in what was maybe my third attempt. I bought my “original” tape from Detour Records when they sold LP’s and cassettes by mail, back when CD toasters still ran with SCSI cards. I fathom this tape is a copy of a copy of a copy. When you find bootlegs on the web you classify them in three categories: VERY good sound, acceptable sound and listenable. In this case the sound is listenable and maybe only appropriate for big fans or tireless collectors of any sound material. It’s a short concert, 8 tracks plus a sound check and, as indicated on the tape, it is their seventh concert. I won’t write about Back To Zero, I’d rather advise you to go here, where you will find plenty of useful info. Depending on your skills, it’s not too difficult to find the “Your Side Of Heaven/Back to Back” single on the web, the only single published by Fiction Records in ’79. The Your Side Of Heaven song already appeared here (this blog) in the Unicorn Records compilation “The Unsung Heroes”. ..................(Translation: madbarbax). Arqueologia Musical. Entre mis muchas manías se encuentra la de grabar en formato wav o mp3 todos los discos de vinilo y los originales que tengo en formato cassette. Es un intento de preservar aquello que creo se puede perder con el tiempo, no deja de ser otro traslado más de formato y por mucho trabajo que le dedique el resultado no siempre es el deseado, pero me gusta hacerlo. Hace tiempo que pasé la Cinta de los Back To Zero, pero este puede que sea el tercer intento, lo grabo en wav en el PC desde el reproductor de cassetes, utilizo un programa para separar los temas individualmente, trato el sonido si es necesario y finalmente lo convierto a mp3, 320Kbps si es posible, escaneo portadas o añado nuevas realizadas en plan casero por mí. La cinta "original" que poseo fue adquirida a Detour Records cuando se dedicaban a la venta por correo de vinilos y cass, supongo que cuando las grabadoras de CDs eran con tarjeta SCSI y sin ninguna duda será copia de cinta de copia de copia.......Siempre que encuentras bootlegs por la web debes catalogarlos en tres tipos: MUY Buen Sonido, Sonido Aceptable y Escuchables. En este caso el sonido es "Escuchable" y posiblemente sólo apto para aquellos que sean muy fans o colectores infatigables de cualquier material sonoro. Es un concierto corto, 8 temas más una prueba de sonido y, como se indica en la cinta, se trata de su séptimo bolo o concierto. Como comentario y remate a la calidad de la cinta, el tema "Peter Hall" aparece cortado ya que se termina la cinta. No voy a hablar de Back To Zero, prefiero dirigiros hacia el blog ModRevival , donde encontrareis información a vuestro gusto. No es demasiado difícil lograr encontrar el single "Your Side Of Heaven/Back to Back" en la web, único single publicado por Fiction Records en el 79. Bueno, depende de las habilidades de cada uno. El tema Your Side Of Heaven ya apareció por aqui en el recopilatorio de Unicorn Records: "The Unsung Heroes" .

The Offbeat - In Love Field (2010)

I’ve always thought that internet is cyclic. You start looking for something, you find something else that catches your attention, you look for other things and find them, you park them somewhere for later and after some time they come back. I got to know The Offbeat by reading some comments in a blog whose name I don’t remember, it arose my interest just enough to try and find some more information, and I found it in the friendly blog POWER POP ACTION (blog in Spanish, but you can find the comment in English here ), and in the group’s webpage , where I could listen to some tracks: Wasted, Blue Sky... I got a good feeling of POP songs, songs that bring back memories of holidays, green fields… it sounds trite I know, but well, it’s Sunshine Pop, isn’t it?
After some time I “chanced” upon two LP CD’s of the group, and this is when this particular Internet cycle ended.
By now you will have fathomed that this is not a “mod’ group, but when I like something I mention it. The Offbeat are not a conventional group, they are the pet project of Darren Finlan and Tony Coxx and Nigel Clark of Dodgy, both known in the British pop scene (the trio feature in Tony Coxx’s "Unpublished", 2009), who also feature in this "in love field" (2010) with 10 tracks that will inevitably remind you of the Beach Boys, the Beatles or Crowded House... Pop with a capital P; get smitten by the first song "She can make the sunshine" and let the rest of the tracks surprise you.
In fact this record contains five tracks already published in the EP "To The Rescue" in 2009, but it has been enriched with five more songs to become an LP, a duration which according to Darren Finlan can reach more people. The added tracks give some continuity to "in love field" and give you the impression of listening to a complete record created as a whole from scratch. In their webpage you can find tracks like "She can make the sunshine", "Blue Sky", "Something about the girl", "Someday somehow", which are in this record.

You can also find tracks from their previous work, "The Offbeat", 2008, composed together with Tony Coxx (six tracks feature in their record "Unpublished"), as "Wasted", "Lonely Girl" or "Keep it Real", where you can feel Darren’s touch. "Wasted" in particular is a very rounded song.
Both records are self-published, a very good reason to try and get them ‘legally’ and not with a miserly click.
In a nutshell, The Offbeat are a group that, as I’ve read in several webpages, will put a smile on your face… with me they have definitely succeeded.

More info and purchase : here or here and here.

................... (Translation: madbarbax )

Siempre he pensado que internet es algo cíclico, empiezas buscando algo, encuentras otra cosa que atrae tu atención,buscas y encuentras,lo dejas aparcado para más adelante y con el tiempo vuelve. Conocí a The Offbeat a través de alguna crítica en algún blog que no recuerdo, me produjo un ligero interés, lo suficiente como para intentar buscar algo más de información y encontrarlo en el blog amigo POWER POP ACTION , junto a la direccion de su página web, donde ya pude escuchar algunas de sus canciones: Wasted, Blue Sky..... la sensación fué buena, canciones POP, canciones que te traen algún tipo de recuerdo relaccionado con vacaciones, campos verdes... suena a tópico, lo sé, pero bueno, es Sunshine Pop.
Pasado un cierto tiempo conseguí de manera "casual" los dos CDs de larga duración del grupo y es cuando el ciclo de internet se cierra con este comentario.
En principio ya tienes claro que no se trata de un grupo "mod", pero si algo me gusta hablo de ello. The Offbeat no es un grupo convencional, más bien es el proyecto de Darren Finlan y colaboradores: Tony Coxx y Nigel Clark de Dodgy, ambos ya conocidos de la escena pop inglesa (este mismo trio es es que aparece en el disco de Tony Coxx "Unpublished" de 2009) y que aparecen en este "in love field" (2010) con 10 temas que inevitablemente te recordarán a Beach Boys, Beatles o Crowded House....Pop en mayúsculas, déjate atrapar por la primera canción "She can make the sun shine" y sigue sorprendiéndote con el resto de temas.
En realidad este disco ya tenía cinco temas publicados con anterioridad en el EP "To The Rescue" de 2009, pero ha sido ampliado con cinco canciones más para obtener un larga duración, formato con el que Darren Finlan opina que puede llegar a más gente.Los temas añadidos dan continuidad a "in love field" dándote la sensacion de disco compacto o completo. Temas como "She can make the sun shine","Blue Sky","Something about the girl","Someday somehow" pertenecientes a este disco las puedes escuchar en su pagina web. También aparecen temas de su anterior trabajo "The Offbeat", 2008,compuesto junto a Tony Coxx (seis temas aparecen en su disco "Unpublished") como "Wasted","Lonely Girl"o "Keep it Real" donde se nota el sello de Darren, en especial "Wasted" es una canción redonda.
Los dos discos son autopublicados, razón de más para intentar conseguirlos de manera 'legal', no con un sencillo click.
Resumiendo, The Offbeat es un grupo que como he podido leer en varias páginas web, hará que aparezca una sonrisa en tu cara, conmigo lo ha conseguido.
Más info y/venta: aqui , aqui (los 2 CDs) y aqui.

The Insomniacs - Live at Maxwel's 15-07-2005

Here is a live set from one of my favourite bands, The Insomniacs. There are many bootlegs on the net (in general), most with really bad sound,suitable only for hard-core fans. This one is not the case, the sound of this file is very acceptable, twelve songs picked from their three albums released before 2005.
This archive has no artwork, I made the front cover from their myspace and for the back cover I used the Wake up inlay.
I have some recordings, appearances on radio shows, which I might post in the future .....

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New Jersey's mod power pop trio the Insomniacs formed in Englishtown in 1989 when their previous incarnation, the Tea Club, fizzled out after a year of rehearsals and infrequent gigs. By 1991, the group, made up of brothers David Wojciechowski (bass) and Robert Wojciechowski (guitar) and drummer Michael Sinocchi, released their debut 7", My Favorite Story, on Umbrella Records. The Time Ticks By and Going Out of My Mind singles followed, and in 1994, the band put out its self-titled EP on Estrus, known among fans as "the ghoul record." The next two years brought the Sylvia Gray and Already Down 7" records. The band's first album was delayed by the infamous Estrus warehouse fire, but in 1997, the Insomniacs finally debuted their first full-length of catchy munster rock, Out of It. The groovy, shag carpets and mood rings follow-up, Get Something Going!, arrived on the scene in 2000, and the similarly fabuloso Switched On! appeared in finer record shops in 2004. ~ Charles Spano, All Music Guide.

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Note: The first EP and many singles appears on Wake Up!, released on Estrus in 1995.
Michael Sinochi (Mike Sin), drums, formed along with Stu Rutherford (The Creatures of The Golden Dawn) the group "The Royal Purple", psycho, pop and female vocals in some songs........
More info about The Insomniacs: Estrus Records

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Pues The Insomniacs son uno de mis muchos grupos favoritos, seguidos desde su primer disco y siempre buscados. Podía haber hecho el post con cualquiera de sus discos publicados ,pero he preferido hacerlo con algo que no sea tan fácil de encontrar. Concierto del 2005 en la sala Maxwell's , New Jersey, con buen sonido y donde repasan canciones de todos sus discos..... no me cansaré de escucharles......
En la parte escrita en "inglés" teneís enlaces a su myspace y a Estrus, aparte del comentario de que Mike Sin, batería, formó junto a Stu Rutherford de The Creatures Of The Golden Dawn el grupo "The Royal Purple", grabando unos cuantos EPs, que fueron (o son) distribuidos de manera gratuita por ellos mismos, pop psycho de agradable escucha. Buscarlos.

VVAA - Mod World Hammond Vol 2 (2008)

Another personal recop, six bands, most of them from Hammondbeat Records a good label for Hammond sounds.

The Boogaloo Investigators were formed in 2001, originally (and very briefly) as an instrumental group inspired by Booker T & the MG's, The Meters and The Sugarman 3. That idea lasted about a month or two.
Initially playing late 60's and early 70's influenced Funk and Soul music the group's sound almost instantly incorporated an ever growing Rhythm & Blues element, based a lot more around songs with singing in them, as it were. The first 2 singles established the band as a funk band in the eyes of the record buying world. Unfortunately, their live set showed a band playing 60's style dance floor R&B getting booked for countless funk nights.........................
Info

Captain Hammond is the brainchild of Mother Earth's Hammond hero Bryn Barklam.
More than a group, Captain Hammond is an audio-visual concept featuring the Hammond Organ Power Trio's rocking instrumental Hammond sounds accompanied by the cosmic comic book exploits of half man - half organ, and all hero, Captain Hammond!
Inspired by months of sweaty jamming in the infamous London basement blues joint "Frank's Bar" with long-time cohort Greg Boraman, Bryn began to blend his favourite musical elements into a grooving, Hammond flavoured musical stew. After the addition of Greg's Reverend Cleatus band mate Pete Collison on guitar, the trio began creating some serious sounds - heavy, blistering, organic rock; gospel; 60's rhythm and blues; a hint of down-home funk and a cosmos worth of soul!................. Info

Fast 3The mobile phone, the computer game, the digital camera, "programmed" music... growing up in the 1980s, the Wilkinson brothers have seen such familiar friends bloom from humble beginnings, and its perhaps because of this that they look to earlier decades for something "new" and inspirational. Fast 3 too started from humble beginnings..... Info

The book of Leslie OverdriveChapter 1: The beginning.

In the beginning God created the four men.
Now these four men were square and empty, darkness
was over the surface of their souls, and the Spirit of God
was hovering over them.
And God said, "Let there be Hammond," and there was Hammond.
God saw that the Hammond was good, and
He separated the Hammond from the Leslie. God called
the Hammond "funk," and the Leslie he called "soul."
And there was funk, and there was soul - Leslie Overdrive. Info

Paolo Apollo Negri (born 1979) starts his musical career with prog trio Nice Price, realizing a mini-album and a few compilations. The Hammond organ, his primary instrument, is soon joined by several vintage machines: Moog and ARP synthesizers, electric pianos, Eminent and Mellotron to name just a few................ Info

Organ led instrumental funk band The Getup were formed in 2005 by Hammond player Mark Ashfield. A student of Acid Jazz Hammond legend James Taylor, Mark sought some like minded musicians to let out his tonewheel urges, and in 2005 met up with a guitar playing friend and drummer from the north of England and promptly wrote and recorded Nelson Street. Unable to find a suitable bass player at the time, Mark played bass on organ............... Info
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Recopilación mía de hace ya un tiempo pero que subo tal cual. Seis grupos, pertenecientes al sello Hammondbeat Records, al que suelo seguir a menudo por su dedicación al sonido Hammond.
Aunque algunos de estos grupos ya han aparecido por este blog, caso de Paolo Apollo Negri, no he creido necesario rehacer la compilación así como tampoco los comentarios originales:

Leslie Overdrive
Cuarteto de Copenhagen, Dinamarca,grupo instrumental donde el Hammond juega parte destacada, desde luego parece que han nacido para interpretar bajo Hammond,se les nota tablas, tienen publicadas no oficialmente unas cuantas actuaciones en vivo en la que podemos apreciar su calidad musical.Muchas versiones entre las que incluyo "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" , tema muy versioneado por los grupos Hammond ( otro tema del que hay muchas versiones en el mundo hammond es "Crosstown Traffic"). Publicaron en 2007 el EP "With The Hammond ,in the Beauty" .(en este blog)

Paolo "Apollo" Negri
Puede que alguno conozca a este músico italiano como uno de los componentes de The Link Quartet, pero aparte de publicar en solitario, forma parte de "Modulo5","Low Fidelity Orchestra","Fred Leslie's Missing Links"e incluso del grupo hard-progresivo "Wicked Minds",desde luego se mueve.En sus muchos grupos no descarta la utilización de moog, sintetizador,piano electrico o mellotron, aparte del Hammond, claro. Ha publicado el álbum "A Bigger Tomorrow" (sin portadas) en el 2007 y aquí incluyo entero su EP "Applecore"del mismo año. (en este blog)

The Fast 3
Fundado en Inglaterra por los hermanos Wilkinson, Fast 3 es un trío de órgano, guitarra y batería afincado en Barcelona desde 2005. Con un sonido inspirado en los grupos de organ hammond de la década de 1960, su repertorio incluye temas originales de una mezcla explosiva de soul/funk y estandards del jazz y del pop que los vuelve irresistibles en las pistas de baile. Su primer disco, The Grifter, salió a la luz en 2006 bajo el sello One Note Records (Inglaterra) y tuvo un inesperado éxito de ventas en Japón. Próximamente sacarán un disco en homenaje a Grant Green, maestro incomparable del jazz más swingeante, en Doodlin' Records (Estados Unidos). Con su electrizante actuación, Fast 3 fue la gran sorpresa del Soul Cooker Festival 2007 en Francia. El trío ha acompañado al legendario George Braith y a Brian Jackson en sus giras por España.(texto sacado de su página de myspace,vago que soy)

Boogaloo Investigators
Grupo escocés formado en el 2001,al que parece que desde un principio se les asoció con el funk y soul, realmente optaron pronto por una música más R&B, pero difícil quitarse de encima una etiqueta. Han venido a nuestro país en bastantes ocasiones creo que la última para promocionar su disco "Dynamighty!"(portadas hand-made) en el 2005. En el año 2006 cambiaron de nombre a "The Five Aces", quizás para poder hacer el tipo de música que les gusta.

Captain Hammond
Seguramente os suena el grupo "Mother Earth",Bryn Barklam decidió formar Captain Hammond junto a Greg Boraman y Pete Collison para tocar soul, funk, R&B... dentro de un estilo 60s. Puede que esto ya no sorprenda a nadie. Lo curioso de este grupo es la asociación con el mundo del comic al crear el personaje de estilo manga "Captain Hammond",mitad hombre mitad órgano, que se supone salvará al mundo de la música mecánica de sus enemigos MECHANAUTS. Los temas pertenecen a su disco del 2008 "The Origin Of Captain Hammond" (sin portadas) y una versión de "Gimme Some Lovin'"del EP Cosmic Cantina

The Getup
Este grupo inglés está liderado por Mark Ashfield,que ha estudiado a conciencia a James Taylor (quartet) y que ha colaborado con gente como The New Mastersounds, Stoned Soul Picnic,Mother Earth,Speedometer.... y JTQ. Sólo incluyo dos temas por no tener más, pero es un grupo del que seguiré buscando. El el 2007 publicaron el EP "Getup & Groove!" y supongo que estarán a punto de sacar su primer larga duración. No confundir con el grupo de mismo nombre pero Californiano de Los Angeles, que también hacen música funk, soul......

A Few Years Ago: 021 "The Pop Song" (1982)

I learned about 021 while searching for something different in the web, you know, you look for one band, go to one webpage and another and another anf finally you find 021 and their "The Pop Song" single. Two fantastic songs (Aversion! in B side) with a touch of Mod Powerpop. I can't find anything more.
A few days ago I received an email from Mike (021 member, bass) and I think it's better to show you the entire mail:

Hiya! Some time ago I was in a band called 021, based in Birmingham England.

We released a single called "The Pop Song" which was and is still popular on the Mod & Powerpop scenes. This song, along with others has been re-released on a compilation album called "Mell Square Musick". The album has received rave reviews, most reciently in the Sunday Times. If you follow the links below to either Amazon or itunes you can download individual tracks. Suggest download "Class of 78" and/or "The Pop Song".
Should you do this, then a full album of 021 tracks will be released in the new year.
Hope you don't think this request too cheeky, but it could be a dream come true for me. Thanks.

PS. The songs are really good!

Mike (021)

itunes link: here Amazon link: here
Info in their myspace

If you want to contact Mike, info,news,friends... rgdmth@yahoo.co.uk . El single de 021 es del año 1982 y contiene dos temas: The Pop Song y Aversion! Es seguro que lo encontré en internet uno de esos días que vas de una página a otra buscando en principio algo concreto y lo que acabas encontrando es algo totalmente distinto, olvidando la búsqueda inicial. Me encontré con dos temas powerpoperos que asocié con el entorno mod por el comentario del post. No encontré nada más del grupo. Pero hace unos días recibí un email de uno de los componentes de 021, Mike (lo teneís más arriba) informándome de la aparición de varios temas en el recopilatorio "Mell Square Musick" (originalmente un EP de 1979 con seis temas, reeditado y ampliado ahora, 2010, con el tema "Robot (don't you wanna be)" con aires punkis y un sonido que espanta, je, menos mal que evolucionaron....) junto a tres bandas más y en el que recomendaba el tema "Class of 78" más la ilusión de la posible publicación de un albun completo de 021. Así lo espero.
Podeís escuchar los temas y puede que bajar algunos en los enlaces indicados. Información de la banda en su página de myspace .(junto a unas cinco canciones)

De momento nos contentaremos con escuchar estos temas, pero si alguien quiere buscar en google poniendo; 021 "The Pop Song" , puede que encuentre algo.
Si alguien está interesado en el "Mell Square Musick" original de 1979 que se dé una vuelta por aqui.

VVAA - Come On Peel The Noise (1995)

Tangerine Records is a UK-based independent record label founded in 1992 by musician Paul Bevoir, music journalist Chris Hunt and marketing executive John Ashworth. The label specialised in reissuing collectable vinyl recordings on CD, focusing on mod, psychedelic, power pop and bubblegum pop genres. Acts released by the label have included The Jetset, The Moment, Direct Hits, Squire, The Cleaners From Venus, Dee Walker, Paul Bevoir and The VIPs.

Recopilación de grupos Mod realizada por el sello Tangerine Records.
Soy consciente de que las palabras Mod y recopilación podrán echar para atrás a más de uno. Para los que hayan aguantado y den un vistazo a los grupos que aparecen se encontrarán con conocidos como Jetset, Direct Hits, Moment, Squire, Mood Six ..... pero también aparecen grupos que estuvieron relacionados con ellos de una u otra forma como Melvyn & The Smartys, Cleaners from Venus,Smalltown Parade, Paul Bevoir, Dee Walker, The Candees.
Tangerine Records es un sello ligado a Paul Bevoir desde 1992 y especializado en editar - reeditar a grupos del "revival" mod de los 80s, vertiente POP. Es en esta recopilación donde descubrí un par de canciones de lo mejor del pop que he escuchado: "Maybe Not" de Bevoir y "Modesty Blaise" de los "Direct Hits", con uno que esté de acuerdo conmigo ya seremos dos.
Publicado en 1995, 20 temas, carátulas y folleto completo con comentarios sobre los grupos.
Buena introducción para el buen mod pop.

The Revs - Do The Right Thing (7,1993)

Formed in the halcyon spring of 1988 The Revs were to go on to become one of England's greatest undiscovered gems. Hatched in the minds of Keith McAndrew and Jake Harding upon the demise of their former band, The Revs created a tight and passionate fan base for their catchy Mod influenced pop punk. Keith and Jake were soon joined by John Honeysett, son of Twickenham, and all round good egg. The three manboys pressed further into the recesses of their minds to discover and develop the means of world domination through 3 minute classics.
This young band of charming rogues began their quest and began to write instantly catchy, melodic masterpieces of post-modernist modernism. Their message began to seep out across the nation. Heavy touring secured them in the hearts and minds of audiences across the country. However, the dark and malignant cloud of record company disinterest hung over them from the beginning. Never ones to bend their unswerving personal vision to the trends of the times The Revs resolutely missed any bandwagon they tried to jump on. (myspace)

The Revs have two EPs: Buzz and Elevater (1992), Vinyl Japan edited both in one CD. And this single,Do The Right Thing (three songs) edited by Detour Records in 1993, only 1500 copies.

........................................... "Buzz" and "Elevater" EPs

You can find three more songs in their myspace : Little Terrors, Start it up and a version of "The Kids are alright". The song "Julie got a raise" appears on the Vinyl Japan CD.

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Disco publicado en 1993 por Detour Records, tres temas. El primero Do the right thing con un ligero toque 90s, opinión personal pero no por ello deja de ser un estupendo tema, seguido por Stay in touch desde luego más mod y termina con Anna en plan más lentillo. Buen single que durante bastante tiempo pensé que era lo único publicado por ellos, hasta que gracias al amigo jllopez descubrí los dos anteriores EPs: Buzz y Elevater, publicados en un solo CD por Vinyl Japan en 1992. También en su página de myspace podéis encontrar tres temas más: Start it up, Little Terrors y una versión de The Kids are alright. Todo ello lo edité en un solo CD que más adelante publicaré en el blog.

The Aardvarks - Bargain (1995)

Band that needs no introduction to fans of Mod/60's influenced music, these guys have been popular on the circuit for a fair few years now, and they're '95 debut long-player doesn't disappoint."Bargain" showcases a band with excellent influences (The Small Faces, Beatles, Who, The Kinks - "Office No.1" and "Mr. Inertia", for example, remind me an awful lot of Ray Davies tunes), but also a band not afraid to give their sound a contemporary feel. Mixing Hammond organ with psych-guitar riffs, most of the tunes are up-tempo Mod-rockers - if you'll pardon the term, and any album that includes a tune called 'Arthur C.Clarke' must be good, musn't it? Strong and impressive debut album, and nice get-up on the cover-sleeve lads!
Reviewed by David Steel (review posted on 9th September 2001) modculture.com

You can find in this blog a version of "Mr Inertia" by Mark Vark (Mark Pietronave) here.





De nuevo nos encontramos ante un buen disco y de nuevo nos vemos con una banda que posiblemente debió tener mejor suerte.Conocí a los Aardvarks a través de sus singles con Screaming Apple (89 y 91), discográfica con la que debieron tener algún problema para la publicación de su LP ya que no fué editado hasta 1995 y por otro sello: Delerium Records coincidiendo con problemas en la banda. Posteriormente se editó otro single en Detour Records: Buttermilk Boy / Bad Clothes (1999). Entre los temas del disco aparece "Mr Inertia" cuya versión a manos de Mark Vark (Mark Pietronave) apareció hace tiempo por este blog.
Influencias mod por todos lados con un toque psycho agradable.El archivo es colaboración del amigo jllopez, aunque al tenerlo en vinilo lo he ripeado también.

SEARCHING....Helium Angel - Early Clue To The New Direction (1998)

I learned about Helium Angel many years ago, around 1999, maybe through mp3.com (when this web offered free songs) while searching Billy Bragg covers... I found Accident Waiting to Happen and a few more songs (18), little information about the band and a desire to get more (teehee). This is the reason why Helium Angel appears on this post: "Searching" ......... but now I can give you the fifteen songs from Early Clue To The New Direction plus eight more (some appear in recops like International Pop Overthrow vol 2 (December Song), vol 5 (Enjoy The Gravity), Pop Under The Surface vol 4 (Shakespeare)....).

Review from popmatters.com :

I get CDs all the time from unsigned bands who have pooled all their resources to put out their own records. Most of the time, the results are quite predictable—poor sound and material that needs more work. So imagine my surprise when the opening chords of “The Crowd Appears” came blasting out of my stereo, and I suddenly felt a bit like the way those lucky punters must have felt standing around the beer-sodden pubs of 1977 London listening to a young Woking band, who married soulful mod pop to punk fury—The Jam.

Helium Angel are a young mod band from San Francisco, so correctly mod in fact, that they thank their local Vespa Club and their scooter suppliers in the liner notes. The influences are all right too—The Jam, The Who, The Small Faces. But like the Small Faces before them, Helium Angel clearly dig psychedelia too, though theirs seem to come mainly from the Byrd’s “Eight Miles High” school.

As the album wears on, you realize there’s not a lot of fury here, but then Helium Angel aren’t playing in the shadow of Thatcherism and the Sex Pistols either. There is plenty of self-assured, catchy and crunchy power pop (yes, crunchy can be good), played with the confidence and ability only earned through generous amounts of practice, live playing and, dammit, heart. The punkiest song on the block is “When the Plane Touched Down,” about equal parts Who and Buzzcocks. Here and there, Keith Moon-style drums surface, but then so do Beatlesque harmonies, and a slashing Pete Townshend-ish rhythm guitar. I bet these guys have done a few windmills on their guitars—at least in front of their mirrors. It all adds up to an exciting debut, that while it could use a bit more variety, clearly sets them up for a killer effort next
time.
By PopMatters Staff

More info: iconofan .

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Aunque esta sección (SEARCHING....) se refiere normalmente a búsquedas incompletas de grupos en la web, casi siempre suelo ofrecer un álbum completo a pesar de estar formado por canciones de diversa procedencia. Este es el caso de este grupo de Santa Bárbara, California (aunque es cierto que siguieron en NY y acabaron en San Francisco), grupo que descubrí allá por 1999 puede que buscando versiones de temas de Billy Bragg (me van las versiones, tengo algún Giga en mp3...) encontrando su "Accident Waiting To Happen", pero habiendo escuchado el tema "The Crowd Appears" me hizo pensar que algo me sonaba a "mod".... pues bueno, no me equivoqué, así que Helium Angel se unió a la lista de SEARCHING.
Reconozco que hasta ayer mismo no había conseguido recomponer su álbum "Early Clue To The New Direction", lo cual me alegró el día.

Como comentario tonto veo que los tres últimos post han aparecido en fecha 13. Buen número.

Poca información en la red, salvo lo comentado arriba y en iconofan que hay una especie de biografía.....