Mod to Suedehead

[harrysgame]



These may well be revival skins, but see the kid who's having his coat searched? Strides at that length, and with a turn-up like that - he's got a much better idea of how it was than these geezers you see with their skinny jeans rolled up to their knees!

Not all revival skinheads dressed like idiots.

 

[harrysgame]



Two questions..
1) why wouldnt that combination have been worn ? Because Cord jackets were usually worn with sta prest or the alike ? And by the time the rest of the outfit would catch on the boots would have been dropped and moved onto shoes ?
2) Does it matter ? Not having a go, but surely if you look smart you look smart. Im not talking about really pushing the boundries here (eg. Mixing much later 70's with early 60's) , but if its part of the 'uniform'..surely ? How are we, as the next Generation meant to know. I was at a soul nigh a couple of months ago and some guy made the effort to walk up to me and said 'we never had those' and Jabbed me in the cheek (referring to the sideburns) 'that was a rocker thing' and he sounded a bit annoyed. I said that hundreds would dissagree with him there, and also that photos would show otherwise. He then kept going at me about being a rocker, to which my Dad (who was there with me) said i wasnt and a soulie/skinhead. At which point the guy said to my dad 'oh yeah ? and where did you go ?' my dad answered with the usual ' what ? soul wise ? wigan casino, blackpool mecca, okeh club, central, cleethorpes etc'' and all this guy could say was..''so what was the first place in wigan that played soul music ?''. Its annoying you get these people with a chip on there shoulder who want you to fill out some sort of questionaire to be accepted, if he was my age or younger id have told him to **** off ! Its ironic that these people who act like that, would have been back in the day most likely battered.

However, in saying that if someone came up and jut said along the lines of 'good try mate, looking sharp but...' or gave me constructive advice i would take it, as long as they did it respectfully. I guess it comes into the age old ' are we time travellers or do we just like the clothes' for me i like the clothes, part of the fun is getting it right and hunting down for the originals, but i would still wear what the **** i like i want to !

You are right about being disrespectful and fair play to you for not giving the Elderly Gentleman a dig. Some of these people who claim to have been around in the day havn;t got much of a clue and just because they wore boots and had a skinhead haircut for ten minutes in the late sixties seem to think they are some sort of skinhead historian. Its the same with the revival period, just because they had a Specials record and a harrington they seem to believe they were everywhere.
Anyway, every soulie knows that Northern soul was played in Wilby, Northamptonshire before anywhere else in the early 60s.

 

[McDermott]

I hope no one minds this.
A Friend on Facebook has just put me onto this, im in no way connected with the organisers but thought some on here would like it. 60's Reggae,ska and early northern/soul night in manchester not far from the station. Would be excellent since there is a lack of decent reggae doo's in the north, plus since manchester was once the breeding ground...
Opening night this saturday which i cant make, but ill be off the May one..


http://thenubeatclub.co.uk/

 

[yankmod]

A tale of two polo shirts - take it for what it is.

http://www.theawl.com/2012/06/a-tale-of-two-tennis-shirts

Another great post Ed.Thanks.Didn't know there was a Fred Perry store in Soho(not a surprise though)Will have to check it out next time i'm in Minhattan(sic)(dats how the locals pronounce it)

 

[flyfronted]

Not all revival skinheads dressed like idiots.

the vast majority did and the sorts / birds all looked more like punks than proper skinhead girls.

 

[browniecj]



You are right browniecj,I was wrong to make such a sweeping statement.I think when looking back at anything in life you tend to remember the best and the worst examples of everything.As someone who is not involved in the scene,nor has been since the early '70s I just have my personal recollections to form opinions.I like the sound of what you say though and maybe I will visit one of the places you talk about .Do they have an "Old farts' corner? Cheers.

Yes Mate,I sit in it

 

[browniecj]



I hope no one minds this.
A Friend on Facebook has just put me onto this, im in no way connected with the organisers but thought some on here would like it. 60's Reggae,ska and early northern/soul night in manchester not far from the station. Would be excellent since there is a lack of decent reggae doo's in the north, plus since manchester was once the breeding ground...
Opening night this saturday which i cant make, but ill be off the May one..


http://thenubeatclub.co.uk/

That looks good.I saw Sugar Merchant in action at "The Hideaway-N/E 2009).There is a "YouTube" of his Set but it is very dark.I wont be able to make,this time but if it is regular will try some other time.

 

[browniecj]



You are right about being disrespectful and fair play to you for not giving the Elderly Gentleman a dig. Some of these people who claim to have been around in the day havn;t got much of a clue and just because they wore boots and had a skinhead haircut for ten minutes in the late sixties seem to think they are some sort of skinhead historian. Its the same with the revival period, just because they had a Specials record and a harrington they seem to believe they were everywhere.
Anyway, every soulie knows that Northern soul was played in Wilby, Northamptonshire before anywhere else in the early 60s.

Did Dave Godin visit it?He had to give it his "Seal Of Approval" and call it "Northern Soul"

 

[TomMc666]

the vast majority did and the sorts / birds all looked more like punks than proper skinhead girls.

What wave of the revival period are you talking about? 76-78? 79-82? 83-84 onwards? And even then these periods had differing elements eg from bonehead to skinhead to scooter boys to two tone. Also age and location also had an impact. I suppose its a bit the same as saying everyone in 68-72 were all smart and clued up.

As for the skinheads girls of that time, a bit of a statement to make. Agree there were many who took a more masculine look but there were also a good number who dressed like the original period, especially in 77/78 and then post 84-ish

 

[TomMc666]

You are right browniecj,I was wrong to make such a sweeping statement.I think when looking back at anything in life you tend to remember the best and the worst examples of everything.As someone who is not involved in the scene,nor has been since the early '70s I just have my personal recollections to form opinions.I like the sound of what you say though and maybe I will visit one of the places you talk about .Do they have an "Old farts' corner? Cheers.

Hope you dont mind me commenting on this and fair play to you. The end of the 70s and early 80s for both skinheads and mods were quite odd really, those of us who were 17-19 and went through skinhead and then mod took the clothing and the music seriously - hunting across London for clobber and recordsd - but also took in other elements such as punk as well as the mod revival bands - for us we didnt want to emulate the approach the teddy boys took, living in a museum. But at the same time the press took up the return of these cults and then you started to see punks crossing over - and this I think had an impact for the bonehead look - ,many young kids getting involved - especially with Quadrophenia and then Two Tone etc. Many of us moved on - it was totally elitist for many of us, being different - into casual etc.And I agree,as at any time, including now, there are the clued up and the clueless!

 

[TomMc666]

Browneicj
Did you ever go to the Seabright or the Norfolk? http://village-soul.com/page10.htm
Remember going to one of the early nights in 79 at the Bedford Head -might even have been the first - and me and my mates looking like the odd ones out as mods and suedeheads in a place full of older soulies.
Tom

 

[TomMc666]

2 new outlet stores, Pringles and Aquascutum, have opened in Hackney, joining Burberry. The Aquascutum in particular has some excellent stuff and deals in - got 25% before Christmas -, Burberry isnt as good as it used to be but sometimes some decent stuff. In the next few months a few more are opening, including some Ivy orientated stores - I did suggest to my colleagues in regeneration that Brooks Brothers would be a good addition but no luck! If I hear of any extra discounts I'll let you know.

 

[elwood]

I must do better-regularly.


Not seen too often in the original Photos but much more in the 70 Skinhead ones-woollen Skullcaps,that sat on the back of the head-with 1/2 inch roll back.I think I have seen a Picture on here-but where????

Can't remember where that photo might be, browniecj but I did wear one of those myself from about 70 to 73 I think. Just a small size old-style football bobble hat with the bobble cut off - as you say turned up and worn on the back of the head. I might even still have mine somewhere (in City colours - same pattern as the Dublin girls' scarf: light blue, white with a maroon stripe) but I don't think I'll be wearing it again somehow

 

[elwood]

Quote:

Here's my "Tale of Two City Scarves".

The scarf I got for Christmas 69 went North East - after we played Sunderland in early 1970.

Behind the Platt Lane stand at Maine Road there was a very narrow passage way that was a cut-through from the front of the stadium to the big car park behind the Kippax. I was taking that short cut with a mate to get to the Kippax turnstiles and meet some other mates. There were a few lads in front of us as we turned into the alley and a couple more immediately followed up behind us. We hadn't really paid any attention to them but it was soon one of those moments where you immediately know you'd taken a wrong turn.

They all turned on us and within seconds I was in a headlock and a big lad from Sunderland - bigger than me anyway, not that that was saying much at the time - in a dark brown cord Wrangler jacket was throttling me (easily done with a scarf knotted in the approved "muffler" fashion) and telling me in his Wearside tones to "give us yer scarf". It didn't take too much more strangulation before he had it.

I knew that if I went home without it and it came out that I'd had it pinched that would be the end of my trips to Maine Road. So, somehow between me and my mates we managed to scrape together 17/6 (pre-decimal money: 87.5p post-decimal) to buy an identical replacement from the souvenir shop. Not a small amount at the time: enough to pay for 8 junior entrances at 2/3 to the Kippax. Really don't know how we managed it.

So I went home with a scarf, even if it wasn't the same one I went out with and that's the one that's in my loft now.

To top it off, as we got back to the station to catch the train home who should be hanging around on the concourse but our friends from the alleyway. Dark brown Wrangler jacket's face was a picture. He did a double take as he saw the scarf round my neck and tried to work out how I'd magically got it back. There were lots of coppers on the station for the departure of the football special back to the North East. We timed the walk to our platform so that one of them was between us and the alleyway boys and nipped on to our train. City lost one-nil that day but that was my own last minute equaliser.

 

[Gsvs5]

Anyway, every soulie knows that Northern soul was played in Wilby, Northamptonshire before anywhere else in the early 60s.

I didn't know that,but it led me to reading about it on soul source,which in turn led me to this post on there:

"Did you ever go into a All- night club called the La Duce? it was a all night coffee bar that you paid 5/- to get in, only to find a juke bow 3 brasses and Soho night birds, We went in one night and there were 4 flash skinheads in there, the juke box had great records on it BANG BANG LULU WET DREAM, Any way there was about 6 of us, one bloke told me he was from Kilburn, i asked him if he knew 3 fFriendsmine who were in the Wilsdon whites? he said no and he was a member of the HENDON mafia, a small firm, he said his name was Paddy O Brian, Well thats fits in with Kilburn but not with Hendon, any way after half an hour the youngest bloke with us Paul got upset because one of them started to chat him up, he was only 16, and this was 1969, it turned out that ttheLa Duce was a GAY hangout, a fight broke out and could these bloke fight as people were leaving i had to fight on me bike going up stairs, then this O Brian got a cut throat out and swiped it at my boat, i put my arm up and ssteppedhim cutting m, when i got out on the street the razor had cut through my sheepskin, suit jacket sleeve and striped me on my right arm?
just one of me SOHO adadventuresowever, O Brian and his mate, are in some skinhead fanzines that come out in the OI! PERIOD AND THTHE PICTURESRE ICONIC, i will dig them out as there is a twist to my tale??
However i raised that incident as it included the same people in this news paper article from 69.this should bring a smile to CHICHIEFYas there are a couple of BLETSOE boys in the article??

by the way if you aain'tspent a night in WEST END CENTRAL you have not lived "

"


So much for the friendliness and cameraderie of the Soul scene eh!