Scorcha! Skins, Suedes and Style from the Streets 1967-1973

I was brought up in West London and my formative years were those covered by this marvellous book. Whilst street fashion, music and attitudes changed rapidly during this period, there were some enduring stabilising factors. Clothes were smart, with a strong Ivy influence, and music was mainly in the soul/jazz/funk continuum. However the West Indian music influence was growing rapidly in this period with ska, rock steady and eventually reggae. West Indian street smart attitudes were dominant in London but spread out gradually over the Uk.If you are looking for a swinging sixties chronicle that features the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, long haired hippies and loon pants, psychedelic tripping, eastern religions and all the ridiculous excesses loved by the mainstream press, this is not the book for you. If you want to know what working class kids were really up to, what they were wearing and what they were listening to this book is the real deal. Packed with photos, music label scans and, most importantly, first hand testimony from a host of contributors who were actually there.I can’t recommend this book highly enough. If you were a west end jazzer, a suburban London soul boy, a blues party regular, an ageing mod, a northern soulie, a crombie clad skinhead or just a fledgling football hooligan this book is about you. The detail is amazing and reflects the painstaking research.You may know the name Paul Smiler Anderson from previous well researched books on mod culture. If not they are worth seeking out as companion volumes for this great purchase.

If I am honest I haven't really read it yet ,And do you know what ? ...I don't NEED to, justFlipping through it is enough...I Know how good Paul is at writing a book onWhat for most is more than difficult ..most haveFailed , some repeated other attempts orCopied them , there where however, someHighlights : " INFLUENTIAL FACTOR"& " SAWDUST CAESARS " both excellent., amongst others.Paul does have the odd bit of Duplicated dialog and aFew images from other publications , fromWhat I have read and viewed thus - far , and I kind ofExpected that to be the case , but to find soMuch more than other publications is nothing shortOf a Triumph , the photos are a thing of BeautyFor anyone engrossed , committed or interestedIn this Eclectic Under - Radar culture.... itTook me right back to my Sisters Boyfriend of the time ( 71')And how bloody cool he was amongst a sea of hand to mouthLiving in a Northern Council Estate , to a little toothy7 year old as I was then.Check out his " Mod Art "Book too , opened my eyesTo another level of the scene I previously failed to seeMuch of , Both Recommended.Cheers Paul , ya gone an done it again mate !200 KID

Great Coffee Table Book with some great photos, some not seen before. Good Quality as the previous Mods Book. Really comes up short on listing describing the clothes. Not the elite clothes but Which Jeans Cords Coats in detail which Shirt Manufactures. Shoes etc a general glossary of what the majority would wear with accompanying pictures. Not a complaint just a missed trick…All round thoroughly recommended

At last my long awaited present has arrived, I can’t recommend this book highly enough. It’s much, much more enlightening than I anticipated, the research is thorough and on point. I’m blown away by images that take me back to those Halcyon Days of my Youth… I have nothing but praise for the way this book is put together, a mammoth task and an accomplished work… Well done Paul Anderson & Mark Baxter… Hugely impressed by your dedication to get the story and images out there… It's a terrific read supported by some of the most iconic photo's I've ever seen.

Yet again the author delivers! This is the perfect companion to his Mod: The new religion. Great pics and stories , all well presented.I'm disappointed that my copy arrived without the colour photo dust jacket. Its just plain black.

Wow, I was not expecting such an amazing book ... from the author of Mods : New Religion, I think this goes even further. It is not a nostalgic view at all, this shows the attitudes, the fashions, the bikes, the hair styles, the views, the records, the magazines, literally everything about this suedes, skins etc. It is packed with so much information, the mind boggles. This is yet another masterpieces. I am loving this book (even if I was never a skin or suede). I can't wait for any new books to come out, not sure how he could make this even better. A must buy

It was a long wait for this book due to Covid etc but the wait was worth it.It’s full of never seen before photos of clothes and those who wore them with pride.I read it all in one sitting and each page is not only illustrated with photos, flyers and records but the text informs and educate las those of us too young to have been there.I doubt this book will ever be bettered.Martin P

Well worth the wait. The whole look and feel of this book is just super. The content provides great snippets of insight into life at the time and the photos are just amazing...Best Book I have purchased in years. GO buy one now!!