In the mind of the average American rock fan, kids in the U.K. mod scene of the 1960s liked
the Who, and that's the end of their knowledge on the subject. The musical diet of the mods was significantly more complicated than that; they liked music that was smart and full-bodied, and their greatest allegiance was to soul and R&B, as well as rock & roll bands who drank from those wells. They also liked rock that was full of smarts and intensity, and given their enthusiasm for recreational chemicals (speed at first, and moving into a wider variety of drugs after that), it's no great shock that they enjoyed the early dawnings of psychedelia.
Jon Harrington, an obsessive follower of all things mod, offers an in-depth study of this Golden Triangle of British Beat music of the early to mid-'60s with
Halcyon Days: 60s Mod, R&B, Brit Soul & Freakbeat Nuggets, a consistently entertaining three-volume set that devotes one disc each to jazzy and often horn-laden R&B, edgy rock with an R&B undercurrent, and freakbeat where acid consciousness begins making itself known. While there are clear areas of overlap throughout the set, the sequence makes sense of how mod-centric music evolved and shape-shifted through the decade, and along with being a good historical document, this set is strong, satisfying listening throughout.
Along with prized obscurities, you get formative performances from scene stars who later broke big (
the Kinks,
the Yardbirds,
the Animals,
the Pretty Things), acknowledged mod icons (
the Action,
the Artwoods,
the Creation), future superstars (
David Bowie,
Rod Stewart), and more than a few U.K. rock mainstays in their scuffling days (
Jack Bruce and
Ginger Baker in the
Graham Bond Quartet,
Mick Fleetwood in the
Bo Street Runners, and
Jimmy Page sitting in with
Mickey Finn and the Blue Men).
Jon Harrington's liner notes are enjoyable reading as well as offering the scoop on each band featured. If you're already a fan of vintage British Beat sounds,
Halcyon Days is a king-size sampler that will introduce you to some fine, lesser-known tracks, and for folks new to this era of music, this is a treat and a fine road map to a rich vein of British rock. ~ Mark Deming
![Small Faces [Decca]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/5060767443309_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Small Faces [Decca]")
![The My Generation [Bonus Tracks]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/mimages/0000000000000_p0_v0_s192x300.jpg "The My Generation [Bonus Tracks]")
![Action Painting [With Book]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0825764106429_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Action Painting [With Book]")