NOW DO YOU GET IT?

If you've ever looked from the outside of mod circles and wondered what the attraction is (or was), I've got just the thing for you. It's a clip from an early High Numbers gig, in a small club, filmed in 1964. My first reaction after seeing it was "Who wouldn't want to be a part of that!?!" It's one of the coolest music related clips I've ever seen. From a subject standpoint, and because of its quality and anthropological value, it really is the whole package; so good, it seems fake. The High Numbers were, of course, the Who, before they became well known (they had called themselves the Who for a brief period, then the Detours, then the High Numbers, and back again to the Who.) Then Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp stepped in. They knew what they were witnessing when they first saw the band, and on the strength of a performance at the Railway Tavern, wasted no time buying out their management contract from mod Peter Meaden, and taking them under their wing. But before that, they were working on a documentary about mod culture, and that's where the video is from (and also explains the high quality of the clip).

Take a look at the crowd in that video, and you see why mods are/were such clothes hounds. They sure were some competitively stylish kids. (Though, I gotta say, seems like a lotta work just to be cool...)

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:

The High Numbers - I'm the Face mp3 at 4Shared*
The High Numbers - Zoot Suit mp3 at 4Shared*
* Click on blue "Download Now" button
Full LP:
The High Numbers - Live (1964) and early studio sessions at Skamanchackett (Click on the flag for redirect to RapidShare. Once there click on "Free Download" and wait.)
Misc:
The High Numbers - Article from the Record Mirror, July 11, 1964 (scan)