Mod to Suedehead

[Inks]

I might have started the latest discusions on Northern Soul and Casuals, Mike, I even bought up New Romantics haha!!
What you say about clothing styles in the 70's, when we were kids, is bang on and I never thought of it like that, fashion as the 70's progressed was dire and you can see why by the late 70's, some people must of been looking back towards a smarter look, hence the Skinhead and Mod revivals, I think that's what Jerry Dammers was thinking with 2tone and most of the lads and girls in the early stages, were smart or tried to emulate the smartness of what had passed 10 years earlier, I didnt really know there was a revival going on in 79 as a 12 year old, I just wanted to look like Chas Smash from Madness and my brother, who is 7 years older than me and was into Sham 69 and Punk, as well as Skinhead Reggae and 2 tone went it came along and then early Oi!, and as I can remember, was as smart as any of the photos I've seen of original Skinheads. I think everything started going over the top, with 14 hole Martens and shorter hair and t shirts after about 81, but even In the mid 80's we tried to look the part, if I could of still got Brutus and all the decent clobber then, I would have bought it, we made the best with what we could get, there was no eBay or charity shops to speak of, there were second hand shops, but dropping on anything decent was unlikely, not round here anyway and as I remember it the real bonehead look, ie, bald heads, skin tight jeans, black MA1's or lookalikes and heavy politial views was more towards the end of the 80's.... a lot of 80's Skinheads did look ****, but then, from what I've seen, a lot of originals did to

I'm was a 11 year old in '79, also a newbie to this thread/site (and internet in general). I am also guilty of talking of casuals and certain slack and cardigan manufacturers, not knowing the ropes. Not having known the original zeitgeist of '69, only the flared, double-knit, Ban-Lon, Crimplene, Trevia purgatory that was the mid '70s, I was so thankful for the new wind that seemed to blow through Southall in late '78 with the coming of 2Tone/Ska/Mod and Skins(yes various waves of them HT) revivals.1979 was the first year I was allowed to buy my own clobber and choose my own barnet style. So the Lionels and the mullet was given the FO. I went straight down to Acton on the 207(an 11 year old would not be allowed to go to the end of his street nowadays, let alone catch the bus on his jacks and buy himself some gear from a boutique), got myself a pair of claret/blue(big clue there) Tonik stides and a black BS. Then straight back to Leister's shoes to get a pair of Frank Wright two-tassle loafers and then down to 'Bernie the Butcher' under John Colliers on Southall Broadway to have a number 3. Only to return home to have my old queen have a ****-fit at my transformation and call me a 'bone-head'. All I know is I felt released from annoying hair, itchy clothes and felt like me, for once in me life. So excuse my initial over-enthusiasm and over-posting for someone that's found like-minded-style folk. Folk, I'll never probably meet, but learn interesting stuff from. I never knew that much about Suedeheads or Smooths, but this thread has taught me loads. I was a 2Tone Skin, then a Mod, then a Hard-Mod by default because me hair fell out. Now I rock the 'Ivy League' look because anything Trad makes other people cross the street because I look too scary.
I've had 20 years of walking about with people commenting, "What you all dressed up for mister ?" Where I come from, I ain't all dressed up, it's just standards have slipped. So sorry if I've been off-topic. I'll FO back to me hole.

 

[Sirryacus]

I keep forgetting you guys are talking about the character Budgie and not the Band Budgie makes hilarious images in my mind.

 

[Inks]

1

 

[Man-of-Mystery]



Trilby hat,gingham shirt,boots,trousers worn short....maybe we have missed the Swiss influence on the Skinhead look ?

Braces. You forgot to say 'braces'.

 

[Man-of-Mystery]



I haven't got the original 45, I'm going off a double album sleeve, I purchased in 86, called The Northern Soul Story 2
it states, I'm Coming Home In The Morning, Lou Pride 1970 Suemi Records.....of course this is a compilation Album, produced 16 years after it says this particular song was originaly produced...and could be a mistake

I'm sure I saw a Lou Pride discography somewhere that gives it as 72. But no matter, it's academic.

 

[cerneabbas]

No you're not, if you think that my post was some thinly veiled personal pop at you, then you've mis-understood the point im making.
I used the KK shot as a recent example, there's countless others i could have used.
And as for loads of lads knocking about in the early 70's in clothes they hated, sorry i aint buying that, thats just being selective to fit in with what some wish to wear now.

I do understand that you and others no longer like it, fair comment, but that period did happen and was at the cutting edge.
I think it's widely accepted that the smoothie look and all it entailed was the end of the line, every book has a beginning, middle, and end, failure to discuss the ending in any detail, is short sighted, and the story will not be complete.

This post has made me think,am I being selective ? not sure.
I am a few years younger than the "originals" on here,so I really wanted the clothes that they were actually wearing,maybe it was a passing fashion to some but I ( and some of my school mates ) was planning out what I was going to wear and what scooter I would have,the change in fashions left me feeling cheated,it still does .
I remember looking at the button downs,two tone sta prest,brogues etc etc and thinking that's smart...I don't remember those thoughts/feelings about what came after,it was just following the fashion to be "in" ( remember I was 14 in 1972 ).
I can actually remember being in places and seeing people wearing a certain button down for the first time,what came later just didn't stick in my head.
Another thing that I remember was that we still talked about the Skinhead times,i was always interested when meeting new people in their memories of it.
As I have said before in 1976 I started to do my own thing with clothes and shoes,i still wore some fashion stuff but I would wear loafers or brogues,a button down etc etc as I wanted to.
You have to ask yourself why lots of us don't want to wear anything that came after Suedehead now,i know you will say that we came to dislike it and I say that some of us never did like it.
By 1977 you would have had a job to find jeans that weren't baggy or flares in Bristol ( when punk came along the local paper had a diy article on how to cut baggy jeans into narrow leg ones !) by 1979 I doubt if any shops were selling anything but narrow leg jeans....
I never liked the "look" post 72 but I actually came to hate it,i didn't like the punk look but at least it helped to kill off the "70s" look and allowed people to move on.
I actually think that a lot of people would have liked a Skinhead revival in 73 or 74,but I suppose that there had to be a gap.
You may say well if you liked the look so much how come you don't go the whole hog and dress skinhead/suedehead now ? well I think that as a style it was a teenage thing, but as I have said many times on here there are many items that I do/can wear.
I hope that this makes some sense as I thought that your post was good ( thought provoking ) and you are right it needs talking about....sorry about using the word "actually" so many times !

 

[Clouseau]

When i was a kid, i was fascinated by David Bowie, T.Rex, and Roxy music. My older brother and sister was listening to them. I had no clue then and didn't knew Bowie, Bolan, and Brian Ferry were former mods. I didn't knew either that Glam was some sort of a last evolution for former skinheads. And when i saw skinheads in England in 1979, i said at least this is new ! This is the look of my generation. As i already said, not being English, i only discoverered later that skinhead originated in 1969. Anyway, From 1979 on there was no turning back, i could not stand anymore the look of my former Glam heroes. Cut my hairs, change my clothes.
But finally, as i evolved to a smarter look, at the same time that i discovered Trojan records, i have to admit today that the suedehead look is far less provocative/innovative than the (bad taste) Glam look. And i totally agree with Gsvs5 when he states:"Mod/ Skin/Suede was not really that different from menswear as we had traditionally seen for many years before" and with Cerneabbas when he says: " well I think that as a style (skinhead/suedehead) it was a teenage thing, but as I have said many times on here there are many items that I do/can wear."

Any idea of who is this Bowie fan, on a 1973 photo ?

 

[cerneabbas]

I'm was a 11 year old in '79, also a newbie to this thread/site (and internet in general). I am also guilty of talking of casuals and certain slack and cardigan manufacturers, not knowing the ropes. Not having known the original zeitgeist of '69, only the flared, double-knit, Ban-Lon, Crimplene, Trevia purgatory that was the mid '70s, I was so thankful for the new wind that seemed to blow through Southall in late '78 with the coming of 2Tone/Ska/Mod and Skins(yes various waves of them HT) revivals.1979 was the first year I was allowed to buy my own clobber and choose my own barnet style. So the Lionels and the mullet was given the FO. I went straight down to Acton on the 207(an 11 year old would not be allowed to go to the end of his street nowadays, let alone catch the bus on his jacks and buy himself some gear from a boutique), got myself a pair of claret/blue(big clue there) Tonik stides and a black BS. Then straight back to Leister's shoes to get a pair of Frank Wright two-tassle loafers and then down to 'Bernie the Butcher' under John Colliers on Southall Broadway to have a number 3. Only to return home to have my old queen have a ****-fit at my transformation and call me a 'bone-head'. All I know is I felt released from annoying hair, itchy clothes and felt like me, for once in me life. So excuse my initial over-enthusiasm and over-posting for someone that's found like-minded-style folk. Folk, I'll never probably meet, but learn interesting stuff from. I never knew that much about Suedeheads or Smooths, but this thread has taught me loads. I was a 2Tone Skin, then a Mod, then a Hard-Mod by default because me hair fell out. Now I rock the 'Ivy League' look because anything Trad makes other people cross the street because I look too scary.
I've had 20 years of walking about with people commenting, "What you all dressed up for mister ?" Where I come from, I ain't all dressed up, it's just standards have slipped. So sorry if I've been off-topic. I'll FO back to me hole.

Don't FO back to your hole and do keep on posting...its good to see posts from people of different ages and from different areas and see how their journey got them here .

 

[yankmod]

roytonboy.Great post as always.Sorry gents about the "Northern Soul" bizness.That was a particularly myopic day for me (the full moon and all) It's not a big deal.My problem is i talk about music as a musician,objectively and my perception of these associated musics is sometimes in conflict with the fans who are/were dancin to them.As for the late suedehead/smooth transition,I think it's a worthwhile discussion as it is the END of the story and every story needs an end(like con man said already) The Above Photo is Obviously the late and tragic Sid Viscious. I also thought you was talkin about the Fantastic Welsh band Budgie.

 

[Clouseau]

Sid Vicious is the correct answer. He was a big Bowie fan, what he denied when he became a punk. The photograph was shot at a David Bowie concert in London, 1973.

 

[yankmod]

Sorry not con man but Basset "every story has a beginning,middle and end" Ubuntu that sounds like a good combo.If I saw you in the Caf I would know right away what you was up to.Gettin to 1000 pages was like climbing a Mountain.But now I can see we aint at the top and there is more to come.

 

[roytonboy]

I think that you may be confusing the covers of these "classic " books....on the front of Suedehead they are wearing crombies,its Boot boys and Smoothies where the beagle collars and tank tops are shown....knowledge that I take no pleasure in.

My apologies, cerneabbas - you are absolutely right!

 

[Ed Vaughan]

Apparently, it's PNE '71.

 

[Basset]

Quite a few posts in reply to mine, by rights i should quote and answer them all, but tbh it would take a little while on my machine, so i'll try the one size fits all approach.

Being selective, i think were all guilty of this, myself included, human nature.

I do get me head up me arse from time to time, and if i've pissed anyone of then i apologise, my intentions have always been to stimulate discussion, gain knowledge and fill the gaps in re the thread title, if the general concenus of posters want to go outside that re-mit, i.e casual, im more than happy to go along with it.

I do like history, and find social/fashion history very interesting, after all were ALL playing a part in it, warts an all. One thing that has struck me is that all the youth fashions have a lot of confusion/mystery surrounding them, Teds, Mods, skins, Casuals. This thread in it's entirity has cleared a lot of that up.

A thousand plus pages, i raise a glass to you all, still tcp im afraid

 

[cerneabbas]

Quite a few posts in reply to mine, by rights i should quote and answer them all, but tbh it would take a little while on my machine, so i'll try the one size fits all approach.

Being selective, i think were all guilty of this, myself included, human nature.

I do get me head up me arse from time to time, and if i've pissed anyone of then i apologise, my intentions have always been to stimulate discussion, gain knowledge and fill the gaps in re the thread title, if the general concenus of posters want to go outside that re-mit, i.e casual, im more than happy to go along with it.

I do like history, and find social/fashion history very interesting, after all were ALL playing a part in it, warts an all. One thing that has struck me is that all the youth fashions have a lot of confusion/mystery surrounding them, Teds, Mods, skins, Casuals. This thread in it's entirity has cleared a lot of that up.

A thousand plus pages, i raise a glass to you all, still tcp im afraid

Well you haven't pissed me off,i thought it was a good post,thats why I answered it.
I think that the thread has done well to get to 1000 pages without any bust ups derailing it,i think that it pretty well moderates itself and we all know that it would be quite easily cocked up.
Sometimes I think that the questions asked are not easily answered and that's why the urban myths spring up and are believed.
As for going outside the remit,people don't want other threads started so this thread is bound to go off course,it seems to find its way back eventually
I don't think that you took my advice and tried the mulled cider,you should the old cures are the best ones....