Mod to Suedehead

Originally Posted by bunty

Click to expand...

Steptoe and Son (1970)

(Just the first 30 secs)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PQq8...yer_detailpage

Blimey, where do you dig these things out from, bunty?

Anyhow the pic below (thanks Alex)...



... is a low quality photo of a photocopy from the Radio times 4th Dec 1969. Do I recall that someone was querying the appearance of Fred Perrys until 1970? Although the definition in the photo is very poor and I can't see any logo, I would say that the bloke third from left is wearing an FP, and maybe even the bloke whose nose he's pushing. They're certainly tennis shirts in that style. I got my white one in 1969.

Originally Posted by Man-of-Mystery

Click to expand...

Blimey, where do you dig these things out from, bunty?

Anyhow the pic below (thanks Alex)...

... is a low quality photo of a photocopy from the Radio times 4th Dec 1969. Do I recall that someone was querying the appearance of Fred Perrys until 1970? Although the definition in the photo is very poor and I can't see any logo, I would say that the bloke third from left is wearing an FP, and maybe even the bloke whose nose he's pushing. They're certainly tennis shirts in that style. I got my white one in 1969.


Look on http://www.fredperry.com/heritage/ at the 'Five decades' - 60s section, FPs were re-styled (with piping) to cash in on football colours in the late 60s apparently. Good move eh? You couldn't buy replica shirts then could you? (Then again, you wouldn't have worn them anyway!)

Mom, I have great memory for useless info too!

Originally Posted by bunty

Click to expand...

Look on http://www.fredperry.com/heritage/ at the 'Five decades' - 60s section, FPs were re-styled (with piping) to cash in on football colours in the late 60s apparently. Good move eh? You couldn't buy replica shirts then could you? (Then again, you wouldn't have worn them anyway!)

Aye... well... hmmm... (bunty, you're the TV buff so tell me where that comes from).

I think the folks at FP may well be indulging in a bit of manipulative hindsight here. The FP I bought (in S E London) was white with two very thin piping stripes, one navy and one sky blue. I can't readily think of a football team that had precisely those colours. My recollection of myself and others wearing them was them we wore the colours we thought looked good on us. I didn't spot ranks of blokes in claret and blue FPs at Selhurst Park or Upton Park or in blue and white at Loftus Road for example. Although maybe there could have been some impetus to choose one in your team's colours I think that's FP Co having a 'yeah, right' moment!

bunty I just read the FP article and I think you put the wrong spin on it. It wasn't a conscious marketing decision, it was a decsion of the fans, as I speculated.

Yep, I've just re-read it too, my mistake - that's how myths are spread!

Thanks MoM, I didn't know you cared!

Originally Posted by bunty

Click to expand...

I didn't know you cared!

Blimey, you're good! Must have square eyes!

Originally Posted by Lasttye

Click to expand...

As i have said Skinheads never had their own music, also said music was not the main interest for us Skinheads
But it all changed in 70 T Rex, Marc Bolan brought out Ride a White Swan, That was the near as end of the Skinheads, I remember my future Wife bringing the record around my house to play, 11 years later we called our Second son Marc with a C,

A Year later Rod Stewart, brought out Maggie May, 71 another mile-stone for ex Skinheads.

One other great influence for us now Ex London Skinheads was Adam Faith in the 71 TV Series Budgie,

From then on Music was our biggest influence, Ask any Original Ex Skinhead about Music and Reggae will hardly get a mention... if that, He will mention Marc Bolan, Rod Stewart, Mott the Hopple, Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, i could go on.

The cloths was changing by the week , mostly for the worse

Funny how we would hate the Hippies,but by `71 we were listening to similiar music.As you said in your second Post,we had long hair as well.

Originally Posted by Little Queenie

Click to expand...

You know what strikes me about this? Brownie looks older and more sophisticated than a lot of the photos you see from back then.
Why,thank-you Little Queenie.I will buy you a drink-next time we meet.

Originally Posted by browniecj

Click to expand...

Why,thank-you Little Queenie.I will buy you a drink-next time we meet.

I'll probably be there so I'll see you do that, mate!

I agree with Little Queenie too.


'Pint of bitter....in a thin glass'

Originally Posted by bunty

Click to expand...

'Pint of bitter....in a thin glass'

Shaken, not stirred.

Originally Posted by Lasttye

Click to expand...

As i have said Skinheads never had their own music, also said music was not the main interest for us Skinheads
But it all changed in 70 T Rex, Marc Bolan brought out Ride a White Swan, That was the near as end of the Skinheads, I remember my future Wife bringing the record around my house to play, 11 years later we called our Second son Marc with a C,

A Year later Rod Stewart, brought out Maggie May, 71 another mile-stone for ex Skinheads.

One other great influence for us now Ex London Skinheads was Adam Faith in the 71 TV Series Budgie,

From then on Music was our biggest influence, Ask any Original Ex Skinhead about Music and Reggae will hardly get a mention... if that, He will mention Marc Bolan, Rod Stewart, Mott the Hopple, Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, i could go on.

The cloths was changing by the week , mostly for the worse

There is a danger of taking your own experiences and assuming they were universal.

Lasttye, you represent the aspect of skinhead that was based on gangs interested in 'aggro'. However,as I have mentioned before, there were others that wore the same clothes that were not. Same applies to music.

IMO music was important. However it was extremely expensive to buy records back then. Concerts on the other hand were as cheap as chips. So the reverse of today's situation.

I remember seeing Stevie Wonder at Hammersmith Odeon, a Carribean music festival at the Empire Pool in Wembley(69, 70 ?) and James Brown at the Albert Hall (71?) to name but a few.

I only bought cheap LPs. Everybody had 'This is Soul' - cost 12/6d. Everybody had 'Tighten Up Volume2' and various collection on the Pama labels - Gas Greatest Hits, Nu Beat Greatest Hits etc. Singles did not represent good value so I had few of them. However people at school used to get all the reggae singles at places like Shepherds Bush market.

As for the radio there was a great DJ called Mike Raven who was on Saturday evenings about 6 before people went out. He played all black music from soul, R&B, reggae through to blues from the 1920s. I always used to try to tape his shows.

I lost interest with dub and toasting and when the Temptations went psychedelic. However I was never interested in Led Zeppelin etc. That was the sort of stuff we tried to get off the school record player so we could play our stuff instead of the hippy kids' tunes.


I remember Budgie was an entertaining TV show and spawned those horrible jackets. It went with flared trousers and those horrible shirts with collars like floppy dogs ears. Crap clothes as you say.

Originally Posted by Kingstonian

Click to expand...

Everybody had 'This is Soul' - cost 12/6d. Everybody had 'Tighten Up Volume2'

I certainly did.

Originally Posted by Kingstonian

Click to expand...

(There's) the aspect of skinhead that was based on gangs interested in 'aggro'. However,as I have mentioned before, there were others that wore the same clothes that were not. Same applies to music.

I'm sure John won't mind me quoting him again, albeit via a post from another forum really:

I do smile at times though at the suggestion that the Look that emerged in and around London c 1968 / 69 was exclusive to the working class yobbo. My own background and that of most of my mates was not overtly working class, most of us coming from professional homes. We embraced the look, along with young guys from many walks of life. The look was all we had in common in many cases.

Originally Posted by Kingstonian

Click to expand...

There is a danger of taking your own experiences and assuming they were universal. Lasttye, you represent the aspect of skinhead that was based on gangs interested in 'aggro'. However,as I have mentioned before, there were others that wore the same clothes that were not. Same applies to music. IMO music was important. However it was extremely expensive to buy records back then. Concerts on the other hand were as cheap as chips. So the reverse of today's situation. I remember seeing Stevie Wonder at Hammersmith Odeon, a Carribean music festival at the Empire Pool in Wembley(69, 70 ?) and James Brown at the Albert Hall (71?) to name but a few. I only bought cheap LPs. Everybody had 'This is Soul' - cost 12/6d. Everybody had 'Tighten Up Volume2' and various collection on the Pama labels - Gas Greatest Hits, Nu Beat Greatest Hits etc. Singles did not represent good value so I had few of them. However people at school used to get all the reggae singles at places like Shepherds Bush market. As for the radio there was a great DJ called Mike Raven who was on Saturday evenings about 6 before people went out. He played all black music from soul, R&B, reggae through to blues from the 1920s. I always used to try to tape his shows. I lost interest with dub and toasting and when the Temptations went psychedelic. However I was never interested in Led Zeppelin etc. That was the sort of stuff we tried to get off the school record player so we could play our stuff instead of the hippy kids' tunes. I remember Budgie was an entertaining TV show and spawned those horrible jackets. It went with flared trousers and those horrible shirts with collars like floppy dogs ears. Crap clothes as you say.
Point Taken Kingstonan. But i can only go on by my own experiences, You mentioned me in Gangs and the Aggro, but i was also a very smart skinhead, Many was a reluctant Skinhead, that did not like the violence, but by and large they kept it to themselves, We was all drawn into the madness, including me. I did know a couple of lads that was into only the cloths and music, they mostly hung around with girls, as soon as the aggro started they was under the table. Most skinheads would only stay in their own post code area, working in the building trade i would meet loads of skinheads from all over London, and made friends, so i would travel over to their areas and see how it was for them. Also because of Football i travelled all over England, So i think i have a good idea of the scene back then. Lastly i had no time for Skinheads who would never cover your back , and run away at the first wiff of trouble, it was a violent world back then and you had to rely on your mates. yes some was only into the Cloths and Music, But they was not in my world, i would not want em. Just to add Kingstonian, I do not think you have ever given your age, As i have said my age was 15 in 69, So i saw that World through a 15 year olds eyes, MoM and Brownie are Three years older than myself so they would have seen that World From older wiser Heads. Hope you get my point.