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Mod Revival

Overview Artists Albums Songs

In the late '70s, a group of British punk rockers inspired by the Jam brought back the mod styles and sound of mid-'60s London. The Mod Revivalists stuck to the R&B-informed rock & roll that distinguished the original '60s mods, but the sound was harder and more frenetic, and often only implied the music's R&B roots. Since the original wave of mod bands in the '60s only included a few of bands -- the Small Faces, the Who, the Creation, and the Action, as well as a handful of others -- there were actually more mod groups in the revival than there were in the '60s. Furthermore, since most of the original mods only performed in cover bands (with the exception of the aforementioned groups) or simply danced to Motown records, the revival was the first wave of mod bands to rely on original material. Nevertheless, the mod revival only produced a handful of popular bands. The Jam were the most popular band in Britain during the late '70s and early '80s, but groups like the Lambrettas, the Merton Parkas, Squire, and Purple Hearts managed to cultivate cult followings and occasionally have pop hits. The mod revival lasted as long as the Jam's career -- after Paul Weller disbanded the trio to form the Style Council, most mod revivalists either split up or became new romantics, which usually resulted in a breakup as well. Despite its brief time in the spotlight, the mod revival had a lasting impact on British pop music, as many of the most popular English rock bands of the '80s and '90s -- from the Smiths to Blur and Oasis -- was indebted either to the Jam or to the movement in general.