The In Crowd: Five masterpiece albums that encapsulate the mod subculture
Scooters, Italian suits, amphetamines, and all-night dances; the mod subculture is among the most important and enduring the United Kingdom has ever witnessed. Emerging from the nightclubs of London during the early 1960s, mods ushered in a new cultural age, rebelling against the dullness of everyday life in England by immersing themselves in Italian fashion and American music. The image of the swinging sixties is virtually inseparable from the mod subculture, but the relevancy of the stunning subculture has never waned in the following decades.
Modernism was a defiant act in post-war England. For the very first time in modern history, young people sought to widen the generational gap between themselves and their parents. While the older generation might have been focused on work and raising a family from a pretty young age, this bold new generation yearned for fun and freedom. For many, that sense of youthful liberation came in the form of Black American music, sharp Italian suits, and a healthy dose of amphetamines.
Music was an utterly essential aspect of the mod subculture, but the movement has experienced multiple different eras of mod music. In the very early days of the subculture, mods were transfixed with obscure American jazz records, as these revolutionary sounds defined ideas of modernism during the early 1960s. However, as the scene progressed, the mod musical taste became much broader. Jamaican ska and ‘blue beat’ records became popular, as did the infectious sounds of Berry Gordy and Motown Records.
Perhaps the most infamous era of mod music came when mods began to form bands themselves. Groups like The Kinks, The Who, and The Small Faces pioneered an R&B-heavy rock and roll sound that blended elements of mod all-nighters with the rebellious rock sounds of Britain’s youth. Even after the 1960s, the mod subculture thrived through various revivalist bands like The Jam and Secret Affair, and the influence of the scene’s music can be heard in everything from northern soul to 2000s indie sleaze.
Five masterpiece mod albums:
Jimmy Smith – Back at the Chicken Shack (1963)
It would be a disservice to write an article about the mod subculture without mentioning The Flamingo Club, the legendary Soho nightclub that became a haven for mods during the early 1960s. One of the first places young people could go to hear modern jazz, blue beat, and American R&B, the venue was arguably the central focal point of the entire mod culture. One of the cornerstones of The Flamingo was the legendary jazz label Blue Note, and Jimmy Smith was among the most beloved artists on that label.
Smith pioneered the use of the Hammond organ within his jazz style, creating a brand-new sound that bordered on soul and R&B. Inevitably, his work was quickly picked up on my music-obsessed mods, and his 1963 record Back at the Chicken Shack is a particularly enduring masterpiece which encapsulates the sounds that early mods were captivated by.
Prince Buster – I Feel The Spirit (1963)
In addition to American jazz and R&B, certain pockets of the mod subculture developed a deep appreciation for the infectious rhythms of Caribbean ska and rocksteady music. Introduced to the UK by Jamaican artists who came over during the post-war Windrush generation, ska provided a modern, danceable beat to clubs across London, uniting Black and white youths under a common love of great music. Prince Buster was one of the earliest architects of ska, and his 1963 record I Feel The Spirit became a particular favourite among mods.
Dubbed ‘blue beat’ as a result of the record label, which released a lot of the early ska records in the UK, Buster’s timeless tones and infectious rocksteady rhythms commanded dancefloors with effortless grace. Given that Buster himself was heavily inspired by American R&B during his early years, it should come as no surprise that this album was beloved by young parka-wearing hooligans. In fact, ska proved so popular that it came to define the skinhead subculture, which emerged from the harder end of mod during the late 1960s.
The Who – My Generation (1965)
Taking their cues from all-nighters, amphetamines, and a youth spent immersed in the heart of modernism, Pete Townshend and The Who pioneered a bold new rock sound during the mid-1960s, which came to define the mod subculture. Townshend remained dedicated to mods throughout his tenure with The Who, with a notable highlight being the rock opera Quadrophenia, which was later adapted into the defacto mod film of the same name starring Phil Daniels in 1979.
Nevertheless, the band’s stunning 1965 debut perfectly captures the early spirit of R&B-infused mod rock, including the era-defining ‘My Generation’, which quickly became an anthemic chant for mods across the nation. With flawless production from Shel Talmy, who also worked with The Kinks on mod classics like ‘You Really Got Me’, the 1965 album is a mod masterpiece which also reflects a turning point in the subculture’s history. The success of The Who and this record, in particular, exposed the underground mod sound to mainstream audiences, allowing the subculture to expand far and wide outside of London.
Jacques Dutronc – Il Est Cinq Heures (1968)
The mod subculture might have emerged from the nightclubs of England’s capital, but its influence on music and style soon spread across borders. In the sleek, stylish land of Paris, artists were already aware of the power of sharp suits and scooters, but they readily embraced the music of mods. Yé-yé artists like Françoise Hardy and France Gall had a natural appeal to mods, owing to their dedication to R&B and jazz, but the timeless appeal of Jacques Dutronc was particularly suited to the cool sounds of mod clubs.
Dutronc’s sophomore record, Il Est Cinq Heures, perfectly captures the stylish innovation of the performer’s music, and his image reflected the epitome of mod style that youngsters in England were attempting to emulate. It also reflects the inherent sound of France’s Disques Vogue jazz label, which became an integral part of the jazz scene on both sides of the English channel, witnessing heavy airplay in mod nightclubs in London and beyond.
The Jam – All Mod Cons (1978)
By the time the 1960s drew to a close, many of the first generation of mods had grown up and moved on from all-nighters and scooter accidents, and so the subculture faded into the shadows for a while, to be replaced by skinheads, northern soul fans, and, later, punks. Like all good things, however, the mod culture didn’t stay away for too long. In the wake of punk, Paul Weller and The Jam offered a stylish alternative to safety pins and bondage trousers, ushering in the age of mod revival.
Truthfully, any record by The Jam – and select records from Weller’s post-Jam career as a solo artist or with The Style Council – could easily earn a place in this list. However, the trio’s often-maligned 1978 record All Mod Cons was a notable highlight of their time together. Paying homage to the mod groups of the 1960s by including a cover of The Kinks’ ‘David Watts’, The Jam created an entirely new age for the subculture, pioneering their own unique sound, which perfectly blended old and new.
