Since the British music market was flooded with mod revivalists in the late '70s, an effective way to promote the bands was through live shows -- several like-minded (and like-sounding) bands playing short sets on the same night.
Mods Mayday '79
is a classic collection which compiles the highlights from a show at the Bridge House in Canning Town, London, in May 1979. Most of the second wave revivalists -- bands who received their inspiration directly from
the Jam
's early albums -- are represented:
Secret Affair
,
Beggar
Small Hours
the Mods
Squire
, and
the Merton Parkas
. This provides the best look at the genre and is the only place to hear some of the bands who, despite their derivative nature, wrote some excellent pop songs that hold up pretty well even when removed from their context. ~ Chris Woodstra