I was saving up for some sebagos and working behind the bar in Camden!

Lovely stuff.

Working in advertising... wearing vintage suits, with a quiff and clubmaster framed glasses...

That was the last best summer before the rot set in at Liverpool Poly, I was working in a fab shop at Stone Manganese Marine, plenty of dosh for a student and was wearing Ocean Pacific and Mambo when they were definitely inspired by the Beach Boys and Hawaiian shirts. When their winter season clubber came out, they went all black and grundgy, a warning of what was to come for the 90s.

Edit: I was digging The Who's Quadrophenia and The Clash's London Calling, also had Cohen's I'm Your Man on the go, although he seemed impossibly old even then. It was a long sunny autumn as I remember, the bad weather and winter only really set in the middle of November. Christmas I received numerous M&S button-downs, the BB made ones. Aftershave was Lacoste Booster and Joop!.

A long time ago now, impossible to reach, but it was a wonderful summer as I recall with all my old school chums in the sixth form before they were scattered to be seen no more, or on odd occasions at Christmas or vacations in the Travellers Rest pub. Now, the ties of friendship and recognition  are long gone.

Last edited by 4F Hepcat (2012-04-06 02:39:19)

‘89. Last year of school. First year on building sites. First gig (Desmond Dekker). Ratty old Vespa. Passed driving test. Red Mini with white roof. First pair of Levi 501’s. First time I spent the whole night with a lady. Not a bad year now I think about it.

'89 was a great year for me. I was in my early twenties and my career had taken off. I was still living at home and had a fully expensed company car so my disposable income was really good. There was a regular luxury coach service that ran from Birmingham to Marble Arch so I was often down in London checking out what was going on. My return coach journey was never without a fist full of carrier bags. London then had so many great stores. Not just clothes shops but record stores and book shops too. The choice of cheap bistro's always amazed me.

I remember that the UK jazz revival that had fuelled an interest amongst younger guys in dressing in a much sharper but slightly retro was coming to an end. My interest in American style waned as the Italian designer look took hold. There was also a mini USA workwear/sportswear thing going on with stores opening up all over selling Russell, Champion, Carhartt and Timberland. I recall a short lived chain called McKenzie that did a roaring trade in this kind of stuff.

The soul and jazz scenes had fragmented into so many different niches there was an almost unlimited amount of specialist night outs. Some pretty scruffy, some smart.

Life was good.

Attanding Mod-Rallies and clapping hands to Dave Brubeck´s Unsquare Dance.
Wearing black roll-necks, duffle-coats, black berets.
When in Blighty graduating from CCI to "pirate rallies".

Duffer of St George was also big around that time Alvey, especially the club scene. Bought a few bits from there.

WIL - I would have been stepping into your place on the CCI's in '89. It's possible we've been in the same room in the same god awful seaside town at the same time.

Last edited by Spendthrift (2021-12-06 03:06:20)

Mod rallies AFS. I'll leave it there (wink)

Ah.  Mr. Johnson.  Yes.

A 'Mod' I was not, although I can sense the appeal once it had been 'stepped up' somewhat.  I was well aware of the Summer Of Love (was that 1988?) but had begun listening to rural blues by 1985/6 then moving onto Parker and Coltrane by 1988/89.  Limited, yes, but it led to other things (including Edith Piaf).  I had a pretty 'limited pallet' in that phase of my life but springing from poverty rather than indifference. 
Good music was also hard to come by.  I well remember the trouble my first wife had getting me a Son House LP.  You could get people like Muddy and B.B.King on cassette.  Not so plenty of others.  Thank heaven, I say, for the compact disc.