If the late fifties and sixties, a subculture known as “mod” developed among young people in London. Mods wore sharp suits and rode Italian scooters. They stayed on point with amphetamines as they made the scene at cafes and all-night clubs, dancing to soul and ska music from Jamaica and the United States.
Mods prefered records with a certain dance beat. They shunned mainstream music and instead sought after the rarest of records. As a result, the DJs of the mod scene accumilated a considerable selection of very rare music that was not preserved in America. This collection of music is described as “northern soul.” Here are a few tracks of rare soul and ska music, which were popular among the British Mods.Fool's Paradise (Caleen Anderegg) |
Step Softly (The Crystalites) |
Renegade (The Zodiacs) |
In the late seventies and eighties, the mod style was revived. Groups like The Specials and Selecter formed to cover obscure Jamaican singers such as Prince Buster and Dandy Livingstone. These new bands dressed in a mod style but promoted more working class values. In order to encourage racial harmony they purposely included both black and white members, giving them the name "two-tone."A Message to You Rudy (The Specials) |
Gangsters (The Specials) |
Bristol and Miami (Selecter) |