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The Ska, Rock & Mod revival of late 70s early 80s put life and laughs into a politically grim UK scene. Journalist Garry Bushell was on the front line, working for Sounds and Dance Craze magazine, and was present to witness all of the critical events.
It’s over forty years since The Jam inspired a new generation with their All Mod Cons album – released in the dying months of 1978. But the Mod revival was far more than just a one-band phenomenon inspired by the arrival of the film version of The Who’s Quadrophenia. A succession of groups including The Purple Hearts, The Jolt, The Chords and Secret Affair amongst many others added to Weller’s powerful songs with great tunes. It was a movement that had been growing organically for more than a year and was a fitting answer to the increasingly grim post-punk scene with hits such as: ‘David Watts’, ‘The Modern World’, ‘Down in the Tube Station at Midnight’, ‘Eton Rifles’, ‘That’s Entertainment’, ‘Going Underground’...
This is Garry Bushell’s funny, informative and affectionate history of the rise and influence of the mod revival. In it, he covers all of the major bands and most of the minor ones. It is the story of those times through the dispatches he sent from the front line.