Mod Couples photographic project by Carlotta Cardana

I saw this mentioned on The Guardian site, but thought the Mod Couples photographic project by Carlotta Cardana should really get a plug on here, Not least, because it is an ongoing project that you can be part of.

The title says it all really, with the photographer looking to capture mod couples across the spectrum. Hence the variety of different looks at play here. Never has the phrase ‘broad church’ been more apt. But that’s mod in 2013 for you, despite what anyone says.

As I said earlier, the photographic project is ongoing and Carlotta is keen to capture as many people as possible for it, so if you want to be part of Mod Couples (and the eventual photo exhibition), you should get in touch with the London-based photographer via her website. Especially if you think your ‘look’ isn’t represented (I know @monkeypicks is having his photo taken today!)

Check out some of the images below and see more at the Carlotta Cardana website.

Mod Couples photographic project by Carlotta Cardana

Mod Couples photographic project by Carlotta Cardana

Mod Couples photographic project by Carlotta Cardana

Mod Couples photographic project by Carlotta Cardana

Jaeger Single Storm Flap Car Coat

If you were a fan of the classic 1960s Baracuta Ramsey raincoat, you might be partial to this Jaeger Single Storm Flap Car Coat.

Very much in the same style as that vintage classic, this is designed as an alternative to the longer raincoat for the spring and summer months. It’s a mix of cotton and polyester, designed for dodging the showers and with detailing including hidden buttons, storm flap and a single vent at the back.

Not cheap though, as you might expect from Jaeger, selling for £299.

Find out more at the Jaeger website

Via His Knibs

Nightshift by Pete McKenna

If you’ve not read Nightshift by Pete McKenna, I would recommend it. The book was republished in 2011, although tracking one down in book format is still a tough job. But you can now get a digital copy.

It’s a take of life in the ’70s on the northern soul scene. Or more specifically, the book revolves around the northern soul scene and the Wigan Casino, kicking off with the lead character’s life as a teenager in early 70s Blackpool, painting a picture of the times.

It then moves onto his love affair with northern soul – the dancing, the record collecting, the people and everything else the lifestyle entailed.

If you have any interest in the era or the original northern soul movement, it’s well worth picking up or downloading. I read it years back and recall it being an entertaining read. Anyway, it’s now available as a Kindle download, selling for £4 from Amazon.

Find out more at the Amazon website

Ivy league-inspired shirts by Fitzgerald’s Clothiers

When a new label says it is about ‘producing classic mid 20th century menswear’, as well as ‘ivy league style garments’, we’re interested. Hopefully you are interested in Fitzgerald’s Clothiers.

According to the company’s website, the people behind the label have spent years searching around for unworn or mint vintage American clothing, but they have now taken it a step further, actually making the gear in that style in the UK.

The company is based in Brighton, with the shirts ‘manufactured to the highest quality standards here in the UK’ to ensure top notch clothing on the shelves. Initially, that’s limited to Oxford button-downs right now, but as you can see below, the company has madras check shirts coming soon (four in total), as well as some blue and white university stripes too.

Keep an eye out for all of those. You can find the site here and you will find the label’s Facebook page here.

Ivy league-inspired shirts by Fitzgerald’s Clothiers

Ivy league-inspired shirts by Fitzgerald’s Clothiers

The High Learys

We have mentioned the band in the past in our new bands section, but now you can hear the first long-player by Australian garage band The High Learys.

Out of Perth, the R&B/garage band, which cites ’1966′ and the likes of  Slim Harpo, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Ray Charles, Ann Cole and Rufus Thomas as influences, have their first album released in a couple of weeks on the German Soundflat label‎. It’s called Here Come The High Learys and is available on long-playing vinyl as well as CD.

The album is going to be followed by a European tour, so if you like what you hear, you can always catch the band. Talking of listening, you can do that below – or go to the Bandcamp page of the band.

Footnote: You can watch a video featuring a track of the album here too:

John Smedley

Always a big date in the mod calendar (for some) – the chance to get some cheap quality knits at the John Smedley Mill Sale.

We’ve just got the dates for the next factory sale for the knitwear maker, which is next weekend, specifically Friday 17th and Saturday 18th May 2013 at the John Smedley factory (of course).

You’ll find that at Lea Mills, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 5AG. You can ring(01629) 534160 if you get lost, but stick that address in a mapping site and you can’t go far wrong.

Always bargains – samples, slight seconds, end of range and so on at a fraction of the full price. Just make sure you get there early to get the best stuff.

You can always check out the John Smedley site if you fancy doing some advanced shopping in your head. Although there’s no guarantees that something like the Newstead polo shirts above will be there. You just have to get lucky in your size.

The Action

Not sure if you can pick up the station, but the power of BBC iPlayer should sort you out to catch The Action’s Roger Powell on BBC Radio Ulster.

Not sure of the details either, but according to show host Ralph McLean, his Classic Albums show on Thursday 9th May 2013 at 8pm (tomorrow) will include a ‘special hour’ with Roger Powell of the mod favourites.

The show page is here – which will presumably host the listen again details once the show is over (and might be available to listen online at the time for UK residents too).

Calle Modista by Mark Prethero

We have featured the label before, notably for its handmade vintage-style scarves. But Calle Modista does more than just scarves, with some of that range being captured by photographer Mark Prethero.

The 24-year-old photographer recently did a photoshoot for the label to showcase the range, which you can see here. Nice images they are too. The scarves and the women’s dresses are perhaps of most interest to these pages, although the kaftan range for men might tick a box for anyone with a love of the later 1960s.

All the gear (male and female) is available at the Calle Modista website and if you want to know about the photographer, you can see his site here.

Calle Modista by Mark Prethero

Calle Modista by Mark Prethero

Calle Modista by Mark Prethero

Calle Modista by Mark Prethero

Calle Modista by Mark Prethero

Calle Modista by Mark Prethero

Calle Modista by Mark Prethero

Calle Modista by Mark Prethero

Corduroy – Very Yeah – The Director’s Cut Complete Compositions 1992-1996 box set

I suspect it’s a love or hate band, but personally I love ‘em, so you’ll have to indulge me in a write-up of Corduroy – Very Yeah – The Director’s Cut Complete Compositions 1992-1996 box set.

Yes, a Corduroy box set. When I mentioned this on Twitter a while back, a number of people didn’t actually believe me that Cherry Red was producing one. But they are, with the box due for release on 20th May 2013.

It’s a 4CD box, showcasing the band’s five (out of print) albums for Acid Jazz and Big Cat, as well as throwing in a number of rarities and unissued tracks. Each album is housed in a replica card sleeve, sat alongside a 16-page booklet featuring rare photos and new sleevenotes from Corduroy bassist Rich Searle.

As I mentioned there, plenty of non-album cuts too (22 in total), 17 of which are previously unreleased tracks and demos. That swells the length of the discs to 80 minutes each, so we’re talking quite a lengthy set. Those unissued tunes include a previously unheard vocal version of Very Yeah and the very first demo version of E-Type (used for the promo video) and covers of two famous US TV themes (Sesame Street and Quincy Jones Hikky Bur, from the Bill Cosby Show).

Tracklisting in full below, with pre-orders available from Amazon for £21. There’s a Facebook page for the release too.

Find out more at the Amazon website

Disc: 1
1. Chowdown – Corduroy
2. Long Cool & Bubbly – Corduroy
3. The Girl Who Was Death – Corduroy
4. How To Steal The World – Corduroy
5. Frug In G Major – Corduroy
6. Electric Soup – Corduroy
7. Ponytail – Corduroy
8. Harry Palmer – Corduroy
9. E-Type – Corduroy
10. Skirt Alert – Corduroy
11. Six Plus One – Corduroy
12. Money Is – Corduroy
13. Goober Grape (Demo) – Corduroy
14. Hikky Burr (Demo) – Corduroy
15. Funky Freedom (Demo) – Corduroy
16. Happy Shopper (Demo) – Corduroy
17. Sesame Street (Demo) – Corduroy
18. E-Type (Demo) – Corduroy

Disc: 2
1. High Havoc – Corduroy
2. London, England – Corduroy
3. The Corduroy Orgasm Club – Corduroy
4. The Frighteners – Corduroy
5. You’re A Great Way To Fly – Corduroy
6. Something In My Eye – Corduroy
7. Lovely Lonely And Loaded – Corduroy
8. Breakfast In Love – Corduroy
9. One Born Every Minute – Corduroy
10. Follow That Arab – Corduroy
11. Nobody Move – Corduroy
12. Very Yeah – Corduroy
13. Clearing Up Music – Corduroy
14. Simon’s Tune – Corduroy
15. Paper Money – Corduroy
16. 10.28 From Shibuya – Corduroy
17. Emmanuelle In The Jaws Of The Dragon – Corduroy
18. Summer In My Eye – Corduroy
19. Man Alive – Corduroy
20. The Mandelbrot Set – Corduroy
21. Get Ron Carter – Corduroy
22. Very Yeah (Vocal Version) – Corduroy

Disc: 3
1. Don’t Wait For Monday – Corduroy
2. Practice What You Preach – Corduroy
3. Red Mercury – Corduroy
4. End Of The Rainbow – Corduroy
5. Out Of Here – Corduroy
6. The Diceman – Corduroy
7. Magic Carpet – Corduroy
8. January Woman – Corduroy
9. Mini – Corduroy
10. Along The Rooftops – Corduroy
11. Ayrton Senna – Corduroy
12. Motorhead – Corduroy
13. Clockwork Man (Fast Version) – Corduroy
14. Impossible Smile (Demo) – Corduroy
15. Preacher (Demo) – Corduroy
16. Another Hundred Years (Demo) – Corduroy
17. Apple Pipe (Demo) – Corduroy
18. Original Sin (Demo) – Corduroy
19. Finally Atlanta (Demo) – Corduroy

Disc: 4
1. High Havoc – Corduroy
2. E-Type – Corduroy
3. The Frighteners – Corduroy
4. Don’t Wait For Monday – Corduroy
5. Chowdown – Corduroy
6. Very Yeah – Corduroy
7. Along The Rooftops – Corduroy
8. Something In My Eye – Corduroy
9. Mini – Corduroy
10. Motorhead – Corduroy
11. Electric Soup – Corduroy
12. London, England – Corduroy
13. The Corduroy Orgasm Club – Corduroy
14. Skirt Alert – Corduroy
15. Money Is – Corduroy

Gear Guide 1967 – Hip-Pocket Guide To Britain’s Swinging Fashion Scene (Old House)

Anyone who loves books like London Dossier and London Spy will be interested in  Gear Guide 1967 – Hip-Pocket Guide To Britain’s Swinging Fashion Scene, which is just published by Old House.

It’s a hipster’s guide to shopping, but not shopping in the modern era. This is a paperback reissue of a guide from 1967, where to find the coolest gear for men and women, from either the Carnaby Street or Kings Road areas.

So in essence, a pretty useless guide in 2013. But that is missing the point. The book gives an insight into the shops trading back in the day, what they sell, what they charge and just who happened to favour that particular store. So if you want to know where Johnny Halliday got a pair of navy blue and white leather shoes from, or indeed, where you can get a hipster suit to fit your figure on Carnaby Street, this is the book for you.

It also flags up the good and the average in the shopping streets, the key styles of the year and where to get a pine dresser in the world’s hippest shopping area. Yes, you could even buy things like that in a London boutique in the mid-1960s.

Bulking out the listings is a potted history of London boutiques (pre ’67), some detail on key styles of the era, the movers and shakers, a piece on how London led the world on clobber and to finish things off, a tip off on just what might follow in the years to come. Some nice little black and white images too, photos and illustrations.

The book is a designed to be a reproduction guide and as such, certainly lacks on finish. it all resembles a photocopied guide, with a nice vintage-style fold-out cover. That’s not penny pinching, that’s the point – it is intended to look and feel like a vintage publication.

It also helps ease the price too – you can secure this for just over a fiver and to be honest, if you have an interest in the shopping streets of London in the 1960s, this is well worth that price tag.

Find out more at the Amazon website