Wednesday, 27 January 2021

BOOK REVIEW: ‘Beyond The Jet Age: The Story of The Lambrettas’ by Amanda Sanders

 


Catching up on some lockdown 3 reading I have just finished Amanda Sanders’ book on The Lambrettas that she wrote during lockdown 1 (what a strange world we are currently living in). Amanda is the wife of Doug Sanders, the bands guitarist and one of the vocalists and songwriters, and, having married Doug in 1973 is perfectly placed to tell the story of the band from the very start and throughout the band’s history, as Doug is the only ever-present member.

The book is divided into three section: 1979-1982, the 90s and 2009 to date to cover the three periods in time that the band were/are active (which also covers my memories of the band – The Sands, Skegness, in July 1980, Mansfield, Notts, in 1993, and the several times that The Deep Six have supported The Lambrettas since 2016). The very beginning of the book covers Doug’s pre-Lambrettas musical endeavours, including when Jez Bird joined his band, Shakedown, in mid-1978 and they decided to form their own band to focus on the Mod sound (calling themselves The Lambrettas to ensure people had no doubt about the type of material that they would be playing). With Mark Ellis and Paul Wincer joining the band, and Doug and Jez writing the material for them to play, rehearsals led to them getting their first gig due to a band cancelling at a Mod Alldayer at Hastings pier where they supported Purple Hearts, The Fixations, The Teenbeats and The Scooters on 9th June 1979. Not a bad first gig!

And from this debut gig they signed a management deal and, quite quickly after that, a contract with Rocket Records to record a song for the label’s ‘499 2139’ compilation album. They recorded 'Go Steady’, produced by Pete Waterman, which was subsequently released as the single from the album too, and the success of this led to a 3-year deal with Rocket. This quickly produced a silver disc for The Lambrettas for over 250,000 sales of their ‘Poison Ivy’ single that charted at number 7, and this was followed by their ‘Da-a-a-ance’ and ‘Page 3’ singles and the superb ‘Beat Boys In The Jet Age’ album that rose to number 28 and stayed on the charts for some time. I have always loved this album – great song-writing from Doug and Jez and a really clean sound held together by Paul Wincer’s tight and powerful drumming and Mark Ellis’ pumping bass lines. It still sounds fresh and relevant today and I do still play it quite regularly.

The book contains so many photos and images of the band, the gigs, the posters, tickets, letters and lots and lots of memorabilia, which is fantastic to see. In fact it is amazing how so much stuff around the band has been lovingly kept and archived over the years.

The sad death of Jez Bird from cancer in August 2008 is handled sensitively and with the love and respect of a family member, and there are stories and quotes from band members, fans and people who have worked with the band at record labels, recording studios, as management, promoters and friends. One thing that always comes through from all of the contributions is how nice the band members are, how they have always kept their feet on the ground, and how they are always willing to help and encourage others (which I have experienced personally from Doug and Amanda whenever The Deep Six have supported The Lambrettas, and in personal messages of help and encouragement from Doug). And the fact that they still attract so much attention, admiration and sizeable crowds still amazes them.

The book contains a gig list for the 1979-1982 period, and 2009 to date, along with a full discography of the bands releases on vinyl and CD, so covers all bases for fans of the band.

Overall, this is a beautifully produced book written by Amanda who has been there for the entirety of The Lambrettas career. With a narrative that is interspersed with contributions and quotes from significant people in The Lambrettas’ history, this is a compelling book that is hard to put down. I can highly recommend this book for fans of the band, people with an interest in the Mod revival period, and anyone with a love for music.

Get your copy today by emailing Amanda at amanda4929@btinternet.com for the price and postage detail. Don’t delay, order it today!


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BREAKING NEWS: The Threads will be playing Mods Mayday 2025 at 229 The Venue, London, on 4th May

  Tickets are available from: - https://www.seetickets.com/event/mods-mayday-2025/229/2965419?fbclid=IwY2xjawGq7kRleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHTBw6PGqf...