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Soul Power - Don Letts Subculture Films Online

Word from the mainstream of a online series of documentary on youth culture by Don Letts from Fred Perry via their subculture setup

Soul Power which may be most peoples first port of call is episode 4

The fourth episode in the series explores the Soul Boy subculture that hit the scene in Britain during the 1970s. Features interviews with Norman Jay and Russ Winstanley.

In the mid-70s, one of the later outcrops of the Mod emerged: The Soul Boy. Clothes- and dance music- obsessed, with a geographical divide between the Northern and the Southern Soul Boys. The Northern Soul scene was rooted in The North West, in Manchester and Wigan, and had a wild, backwards looking enthusiasm about classic 60s soul, whereas the Southern Soul Boys in Essex and Kent were more interested in contemporary soul. Loose fitting clothes were important, the work hard and dance hard ethos was all part of this subculture that never left the council estates. Multi-culturalism was embraced with both black and white working-class celebrating music together through dance and shared tastes.

http://www.fredperry...7297/soul-power

Episodes are about 11 mins long and while they do follow the familar format of talking heads and from what seen familar clips, and maybe some views are a bit too generic or indeed familar, from what I have viewed so far it does make entertaining viewing

All 6 episodes covering british street culture can be found via the main page...

http://www.fredperrysubculture.com/

list of all episodes follows...

Born to be wild

Episode 1

The first episode in the series looks at the birth of British youth subculture with the arrival of Teddy Boys and Rockers. Features interviews with Phill Jupitus and Robert Elms.

This is a modern world

Episode 2

The second film in the series explores the Mod subculture that exploded onto the London scene in the late 1950s and includes contributions from Jeff Dexter and Eddie Piller.

Made in England

Episode 3

The third instalment focuses on the Skinhead subculture that emerged in Britain during the 1960s and explores how it was influenced by Jamaican Rude Boys. Featuring contributions from Kevin Rowland and Lynval Golding.

Soul Power

Episode 4

The fourth episode in the series explores the Soul Boy subculture that hit the scene in Britain during the 1970s. Features interviews with Norman Jay and Russ Winstanley.

Black n white riot

Episode 5

The fifth documentary in the series focuses on the Punk and Two-Tone subcultures, which kicked off in the UK in the late 1970s. Includes contributions from Viv Albertine and Pauline Black.

Beaten Generation

Episode 6

The final film in the series discusses the casual, rave and Britpop scenes of the 1980s and 1990s, and asks what the future holds for British subculture. Features contributions from Steve Mason and Wayne Hemingway.




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interesting to hear them talking about Race unity @ Chris hill's jazz funk do's. I've hear Norman Jay say him and his mates used to get knocked back regualy due to their ethnicity.

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wow, the northern section fails on so many counts.

Roll out the same old talking heads to discuss a northern youth scene when they're southern based, a few new ones who have read about it but know little else, such as the daft comment about it didn't hit the mainstream because they played the b-sides (lol), half of them are too young to have ever been a part of it anyway, Why not easily find people that were there apart from RW rather than a load of revisionists. Perhaps Sir Norman should have turned the page when reading Russ's playlists and read what Dave Godin had to say. One frame it was about dressing up, then soon after the south was about dressing up which is what made it different from the north, make your minds up!

Sack the researcher.

cheers Sutty

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Guest Nick Harrison

Posted (edited)

Raised a thread on SS this year, when it was first shown on E4 - during June 2012, as part of the 6 mini 15 minute episodes.

Thanks for re posting this link.

Edited by Nick Harrison
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Guest Nick Harrison

Posted (edited)

Sack the researcher.

Did they not approach this forum during 2010 :g:.

The exclusion of the Highland Room is rather laughable, and poorly sited, but then it must of been so far in front off it's self, it had not left the Scottish, the midland's or even the north of England's council estates. :lol:

Did the north not have a credited Jazz/Funk scene - Yes ?

:D .

Edited by Nick Harrison
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I think the inclusion of Phill Jupitus says it all, that said I haven't yet seen it, and I have to say I can listen to Robert Elms any time of the day..

I think the thing with these shows is the format they insist on sticking to, ok its its an archive heavy factual programme made from a diminishing pool of original content, which can only generally be illustrated with a splattering of talking heads, but if you want to see how well a programme of this genre can be made, look no further that Flame TV's ' Pump up the Volume' commissioned by channel four back in 2001/2, without doubt the best series on a scene I've seen.

I think something along the lines of actually following some people to a nighter, with the history running parallel says allot more the viewer, there are tons of ways you can tell the story make it allot more engaging.

You can pretty much guarantee they didn't bother thinking about that, and stuck to the same old..

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just watched some of this, it aint half bad.... but what the hell is Phil Jupitus wearing btw?

if I'd have done it I'd have gone to a decent nighter and interviewed people there, and outside the venue, then cut the relevant 'History' in.. make sure the presenter is seen having a drink, and in the receipt of some nice records, then at least well know he made an effort...

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Norman Jay use 'go to Wigan and has long featured Northern tracks on his comps, Phil Jupitus might not have been a Soul Boy but he is an Essex lad who grew up in Stanford le Hope Nr Basildon ,but is probably better qualified to comment on the Ska/Skinhead film. Elms dismissive attitude to the North was voiced in The Face way back but he is right about the scene being over looked by the music press snobs. , but for a less polarised view they could have done a lot worse than Stuart Cosgrove.(Or Colin Curtis ..) There were many of us from Essex and the South who comftably bridged Jazz Funk and Northern /Rare Soul with no hang ups , were neither 'Northern' anoraks nor Essex Tories.Norman Jay perfectly summed up what we were about really. Good Times indeed. Keep the Faith. Cool Notes

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