Various Artists - Eddie Piller Presents The Mod Top 40 [2LP]

Demon Records

£34.18

Format: 2 x LP
Catalogue No.: DEMREC1246
Barcode: 5014797911789
Release Date: 30 Aug 2024
Genre: Rock / Pop

While the recordings on Eddie Piller's latest release maybe familiar to diehard fans of great '60s music, the story behind it will be new to many but is well worth telling - and hearing - all the same.

A lot of youngsters fell in love with the Mod lifestyle during the revival at the end of the '70s, but the more inquisitive ones - like Eddie - wanted to know more about the original fashions, the original influential figures, and most of all the original music. Step forward one Randy Cozens, eager to give the benefit of his advice. In those pre-internet days his platform of choice was the letter pages of the weekly music press. His enthusiasm, his passion, and the sheer volume of missives he posted persuaded Sounds to commission Randy's guide to the music that was played in the all-nighter clubs in London's West End in those early '60s halcyon days. And so, the original Mod Top 100 was born.

Eddie has taken Randy's list, and added some personal favourites from the era where original selections are no longer available. The result is 'Eddie Piller Presents The Mod Top 40', a new 2LP set containing 40 examples of R&B, Soul, Jazz, and Beat that you would expect to hear on the finest and most discerning dancefloors. With new sleeve notes from Eddie, and the generous support of Randy's children, Paul and Terry, this release also serves as a fitting tribute to one of the most influential and important figures on the scene (as Eddie relates, when Randy passed away in 2003 there were more than 500 mods at his funeral, dancing in unison to The Soul Brothers Six and ‘I’ll Be Loving You’).

'Eddie Piller Presents The Mod Top 40’, for lovers of vinyl and listeners who want an introduction to some classic Mod sounds. Both formats are stylishly packaged (of course), include new sleeve notes by Eddie, and track by track details of when each single was first released in the UK, along with its ranking on Randy's original 1979 list.

'Eddie Piller Presents British Mod Sounds of The 1960s', and 'Eddie Piller Presents British Mod Sounds of The 1960s Volume 2: The Freakbeat & Psych Years' are still available on CD and vinyl.

A1. Doris Troy - What’cha Gonna Do About It
A2. Hank Jacobs - So Far Away
A3. Nella Dodds - Come See About Me
A4. George Stone - Hole In The Wall
A5. The High Keys - Que Sera Sera
A6. Betty Everett - Getting Mighty Crowded
A7. Sugar Pie DeSanto - I Don’t Wanna Fuss
A8. Rufus Thomas - Walking The Dog
A9. Joe Tex - Hold What You Got
A10. Irma Thomas - Time Is On My Side

B1. Ike And Tina Turner - I Can’t Believe What You Say
B2. Chuck Jackson - Any Day Now
B3. Major Lance - The Monkey Time
B4. Inez And Charlie Foxx - La De Da, I Love You
B5. Mary Love - I’m In Your Hands
B6. The Larks - The Jerk
B7. Mitty Collier - I Had A Talk With My Man
B8. Maxine Brown - Oh No Not My Baby
B9. The Sapphires - Gotta Have Your Love
B10. Solomon Burke - Everybody Needs Somebody To Love

C1. Lee Dorsey - Ride Your Pony
C2. Jackie Ross - Selfish One
C3. The Sharpees - Tired Of Being Lonely
C4. Roy Head & The Traits - Treat Her Right
C5. Little Milton - Who’s Cheating Who?
C6. James Brown - Out Of Sight
C7. Don Covay - Mercy Mercy
C8. Darrell Banks - Open The Door To Your Heart
C9. Bessie Banks - Go Now
C10. Bobby Moore & His Rhythm Aces - Searching For My Love

D1. Phil Upchurch Combo - You Can’t Sit Down Part 1
D2. Jackie Lee - The Duck
D3. Bobby Sheen - Dr. Love
D4. The Poets - She Blew A Good Thing
D5. Little Hank - Mr Bang Bang Man
D6. Jerry Jackson - It’s Rough Out There
D7. Bunny Sigler - Let The Good Times Roll - Feel So Good
D8. Chris Bartley - Sweetest Thing This Side Of Heaven
D9. Toussaint McCall - Nothing Takes The Place Of You
D10. Mickey Lee Lane - Hey-Sah-Lo-Nay