Mods, Rockers, and the Music of the British Invasion

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James E. Perone

Book Code: C9860

ISBN: 0-275-99860-6

ISBN-13: 978-0-275-99860-8

DOI:

224 pages, photos

Praeger Publishers

Publication: 11/30/2008

List Price: $49.95 (UK Sterling Price: £27.95)

Availability: Not yet published. (Estimated publication date, 11/30/2008)

Media Type: Hardcover

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

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Description: May 1964 saw major gang-style battles break out in British resort communities between the Mods and the Rockers. The tensions between the two groups had been developing for several years, with each group claiming their own sense of culture and style. The Mods wore designer clothing, rode Vespa motor scooters, and shared an affinity for black American soul music, while the Rockers favored powerful motorcycles, greased-back hair, and 1950s American rock and roll. It was within this context that the sounds of British Invasion developed.
Mods, Rockers, and the Music of the British Invasion chronicles the development of British rock through the iconic artists who inspired the movement, as well as through the bands who later found incredible success overseas. In addition to analyzing the music in the context of the British youth culture of the early 1960s, Perone analyzes the reasons that the British bands came to so thoroughly dominate the record charts and airwaves in the United States. The contributions of Cliff Richard, Billy Fury, Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, Tommy Steele, the Tornados, Tony Sheridan, Blues Incorporated, and others to the development of British rock and roll are examined, as are the contributions and commercial and artistic impact of major British Invasion artists such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Dave Clark Five, the Yardbirds, Manfred Mann, the Who, the Kinks, and others. After investigating these groups and their influences upon one another, Perone concludes by examining the commercial and stylistic impact British rock musicians had on the American music of the time.
Die-hard fans of the Beatles, the Who, and the Stones will all want a copy of Mods, Rockers, and the Music of the British Invasion--as will everyone who looks back at the '60s and wishes they'd been there.

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgments
1. Introduction: The Mods versus the Rockers
2. Skiffle and 1950s British Rockers
3. 1960-1963: From the Rocker Aesthetic to the Mod Aesthetic
4. The Beatles and Merseybeat: Balancing the Sides
5. A Different Sort of Balance: the Dave Clark Five
6. The Who and the Kinks: Mod to the Core
7. The Blues and R&B Bands
8. The Rolling Stones: It All Starts with the Blues
9. And Thats Not All: Other British Invasion Artists
10. Impact on America and Conclusions
Selected Discography
Bibliography

LC Card Number: 2008029355

LCC Class: ML3534

Dewey Class: 781


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