In 1979 as a 15-year-old Eddie Piller was perfectly placed to be
at the epicentre of the Mod revival. An inquisitive passion for
music, a family connection to Mod royalty The Small Faces, and an
attitude that saw him travelling his home city, then the country
and then the world to take in the sounds that were emerging. In
the years since, Piller has been a legendary figure within the
music industry setting up and continuing to own the
ground-breaking Jazz label, signing multi-platinum artists
such as Jamiroquai and The Brand New Heavies collaborating on
compilations with Martin Freeman and as an award winning
broadcaster even setting up his own Totally Wired Radio station.
However, this four CD box set is the first time he has looked
back on the movement that was to be his starting point. Mod is
a sixties youth movement original built on sharp clothes,
American soul music and nights on the town, that has never really
died. The originals added young British groups to their likes and
then moved on, but their influence echoed on through the 1970s in
Northern Soul clubs, and in the sixties influenced bands of the
pub rock era. When punk arrived, it was supposed to sweep away
the past, but instead the Sex Pistols were covering the Small
Faces. The Clash brought in Mod DJ Guy Stevens to produce
London's Calling, The Buzzcocks sounded closer to the Hollies
than The Ramones and in The Jam's Paul Weller there was a musical
and sartorial nod to the past of The Who, The Beatles and pop art
arrows. Weller had spent the 1970s becoming obsessed by mod and
saw punk as having a similar youthful energy to the era he had
missed by being born a decade too late. For others Weller's style
proved an inspiration, and as the Jam broke through in late 1978,
they saw a wave of bands follow in their wake, and they
themselves influenced others to form their own groups. But there
were other things. In bleak late 70s Britain the glorious
optimism of the 1960s looked bright and shiny, and as it was only
a decade or so in the past, it was easy to pick up original
records, clothes and books for pennies, and as you bought these
you met other like-minded souls who did the same. For those a
little too young for punk, it was a community of gigs, scooters,
clothes, bands and records, and for many it developed on through.
Eddie never stopped being a mod and has a unique perspective
having now lived through four decades of being ly
involved in the music that has emerged from the mod scene. In our
four CD box set, and its 2LP edited version Ed guides us through
some of his favourite music from the scene. He guides us through
a plethora of bands whose influences include The Who, The Kinks
and the Jam, to sixties soul and R&B, those with an eye on
psychedelia. The records have a vitality and a certain stylish
swagger to them, that marks them out as mod. In the deluxe
booklet, Piller has written a 5000 word note describing what it
meant to him and has granted access to his own scrapbooks from
his many years of gig-going from which pages and memorabilia are
reproduced. Eddie Piller's Mod Revival is a personal appraisal
from the founder of The Modcast, on what mod explosion of the
late 70s and 80s means to him.. It is not only a great listen,
but probably the only box set you will ever need on the subject.
4 CD boxset by Jazz Records and Modcast founder Eddie
Piller's definitive take on the music of the mod revival. 92
classics, rarities and under-appreciated gems across a 4 CD's.
In-depth sleeve note reviewing the history of the scene from
Eddie's unique perspective as a label boss, record producer and
ultimately a fan. Complete with unique illustrations of
memorabilia from Eddie's own personal scrap books