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Real Mod Music
The In Crowd - The Ultimate Mod Collection 1958 - 1967The In Crowd - The Ultimate Mod Collection 1958 - 1967 by Various Artists
Buy used from: £95.95
Does exactly what it says on the tin. No expense spared as far as licensing goes, shame there is not enough blues...
Out Of Sight: More Sounds From The In CrowdOut Of Sight: More Sounds From The In Crowd by Various Artists
Buy new: £8.98 / Used from: £8.00
So it's great that they rectified this in the second volume.
At the ClubAt the Club by Various Artists
Buy new: £11.98 / Used from: £18.66
This is just records from Atlantic and its subsidiaries, but It Ain't What You Got, Que Sera Sera, Comin' Home Baby, Three Time Loser- it hits all the right spots.
UK Sue Label Story: The WorldUK Sue Label Story: The World by Various Artists
Buy new: £11.98 / Used from: £20.90
Started off just releasin US Sue records, but then anything that sounded interesting at the time. Aimed at the mod crowd, and it delivers.
Chess Soul: A Decade of Chicago's FinestChess Soul: A Decade of Chicago's Finest by Various Artists
Buy new: £10.98 / Used from: £9.76
Ain't Love Good, Ain't Love Proud; another mod classic. Some duds here, but overall this stuff is perfect for the production values and soulful performances of the singers. And great tunes to boot.
Turn on Your Love Light: The Duke Recordings, Vol. 2Turn on Your Love Light: The Duke Recordings, Vol. 2 by Bobby "Blue" Bland
Buy used from: £62.32
It's not just the obvious ones that do it; check out I'm the Greatest, an unclassifiable song that transcends genres. The voice, the music and the passion. Class.
The Love You Save/I've Got to Do a Little Bit BetterThe Love You Save/I've Got to Do a Little Bit Better by Joe Tex
Buy used from: £19.98
Joe Tex is untouchable- check out I'm gonna get it for the perfect mod record. The horns, the soul, the rhythm, the blues, the hook it's all there in spades.
Welcome to the Club: The Essential Chess RecordingsWelcome to the Club: The Essential Chess Recordings by Little Milton
Buy used from: £41.99
Up there with Bobby Bland (and often surpassing him) Little Milton took blues, soul and bits of jazz and created the sound of a generation.
Mod Jazz Vol.1: 60's Discotheque Dancers for the Cool SchoolMod Jazz Vol.1: 60's Discotheque Dancers for the Cool School by Various Artists
Buy new: £11.98 / Used from: £8.99
This is where you can get to grips with the jazz element of mod music; it's the type of jazz that hardcore jazz fans hate, soul jazz.. But it's flipping perfect for grooving at the clubs.
The Soul of JazzThe Soul of Jazz by Jimmy Smith
Buy new: £12.69
For more of the same; Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The original yeh yeh
Soul Jazz (Jazz Club)Soul Jazz (Jazz Club) by Various Artists
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £4.40
A follow up of sorts, worth mentioning because they look the same but they are different cd's.
Sin & Soul...And Then SomeSin & Soul...And Then Some by Jr. Oscar Brown
Buy used from: £8.01
Man o man. Simply the best jazz soul you will ever hear. If they don't play Mr Kicks down a mod night, then trust me it ain't a mod night your at.
Comin' Home Baby!Comin' Home Baby! by Mel Tormé
Buy new: £6.18 / Used from: £4.00
Sticking in the same vain; his version of Dat dere' is pretty swinging once you get past that shoddy intro. Unwaveringly cool throughout/
The Beat Goes onThe Beat Goes on by Various Artists
Buy new: £12.69 / Used from: £8.59
Another Atlantic mod collection. LaVern Baker's You Better Find yourself another fool; wow. Also the title track, covered so many times it'll make you sick, what is soul and this Aretha's best.
Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington/Runnin' Out of FoolsUnforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington/Runnin' Out of Fools by Aretha Franklin
Buy new: £10.07 / Used from: £14.23
Talking of which, check out Aretha with a shed load of blues, jazz, soul and hammond. Yeah there's some dross, but her version of Evil Gal knocks the original out of the park and One Room paradise.
The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 6: 1966The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 6: 1966 by Various Artists
Buy new: £52.98 / Used from: £89.99
You can't forget the Motorcity. They never got it so right; this is classic Motown, before everything got funky, boring and derivitave of other songs. Motown doing it its own way. Get em all.
Definitive Impressions Vol.1: Defining Moments in 60's Soul from Chicago's Greatest GroupDefinitive Impressions Vol.1: Defining Moments in 60's Soul from Chicago's Greatest Group by The Impressions
Buy new: £11.98 / Used from: £19.09
It was like Curtis Mayfield had his pulse on what was happening halfway across the world. Nearly every song qualifies as mod.
I've Got a FeelingI've Got a Feeling by Baby Washington
Buy new: £5.78 / Used from: £12.06
Some slow 'uns and some groovers. Although it's on the cusp of Mod's end, It's a Hang up Baby is a top notch bit of soul/early funk.
The Complete Kent Recordings 1964-1968The Complete Kent Recordings 1964-1968 by Lowell Fulson
Buy new: £93.49 / Used from: £46.30
Either this or the Kent cd's; a good blues artistm became a pioneer blues/soul singer in the 60's.
The Bluesville Years, Vol. 1: Big Blues Honks and WailsThe Bluesville Years, Vol. 1: Big Blues Honks and Wails by Various Artists
Buy used from: £4.05
A jazz label recording blues artists with jazz players; too good to be true? It really happened, stunning stuff.
Soul Master/25 MilesSoul Master/25 Miles by Edwin Starr
Buy used from: £130.45
I couldn't care how much this goes for these days; worth every penny. Edwin Starr is a Mod legend.
Moods of Marvin Gaye/In the GrooveMoods of Marvin Gaye/In the Groove by Marvin Gaye
Buy used from: £67.35
Another highly priced treasure. Every track is just perfect Motown/60's soul with enough bite to make it slot right into those club playlists.
Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959)Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959) by Ray Charles
Buy new: £75.98 / Used from: £54.10
At least have What I'd Say; anything else from that era is a bonus. Yeah this is a cop out, but it's all good and the single album releases aren't readily available anyway.
B.B. King WailsB.B. King Wails by B.B. King
Buy new: £8.79 / Used from: £6.45
B.B. backed with an orchestra, it swings and hits the rhythm hard. Another soul/blues triumph.
Motown Mod Fave Raves - Volume 1Motown Mod Fave Raves - Volume 1 by Various Artists
Buy new: £3.48 / Used from: £1.95
More Motown; you can never get enough of the pre-1969 stuff.