Ah, 1994. Back then I was going out to see bands three nights a week and spending $50 at the record store every night. I didn’t have a scooter yet, but I noticed the mod revival revival revival going on in Engerland and that (among other things) probably had some effect on my scanning the classifieds for old Vespas a year later. As a musicophile and anglophile since high school, I’ve certainly read my fair share of NMEs and Melody Makers, so when I came across Archived Music Press, it was heaven.
Charles posts beefy scans of random articles and covers from his boxes of 1987 to 1996 british music magazines he can’t bring himself to throw away. It’s awesome to relive the hepness of my youth, so I check in often and I’m always thrilled, but it was a special honor to get a shoutout when Charles posted the Melody Maker cover from November 19th, 1994, titled “Touched by the Hand of Mod.” I pushed my luck and asked for the insides, and he obliged. I’ve only started to graze through this bounty, but it’s all fantastic:
- The cover (note the photos link to much larger, readable scans).
- An interview with the (not very mod) band Menswear.
- A New Order review (“Touched by the Hand of Mod” was a play off New Order’s soundtrack single “Touched by the Hand of God,” which appeared on this compilation and had a funny video. OMG, a seminal MoWax comp review, too!
- A story exposing ex-Quadrophenia star and Blur’s “Parklife” narrator Phil Daniels’ taste in music (ooh, some cringers in there), and
- A look at the 1994 mod scene, crediting Blur with starting it, listing some Mod literature, a bit about scooters, and profiles of four typically-prattish mods (Jane Elmsley, call me!).
Thanks again, very much, Charles. Brilliant!