Spirit Of 69 in Bloomington, MN

During early 1969 throughout Britain's inner cities and following the passing of the mod scene a new subculture was developing across the country among the working-class youth - the subculture became known as SKINHEAD. The new wave of youth took on a whole new style adopted from their West Indian friends emulating the RUDE BOYS in faraway Kingston, Jamaica. The sight of cropped heads, half-mast levies held up by braces crossed at the back and hob nail boots - Dr Martens soon became the footwear of preference - was enough to send many fleeing as they entered a disco. Their ground-breaking brash style was seen to be at odds with the establishment. They had no empathy for the progressive rock and pop music that had become the mainstay of the BBC. Their favoured music was coming from Jamaica where rock steady had been superseded by a new style of music - REGGAE. The book tells an illustrated story of many of the well known and perhaps some less well-known albums that retailed for just 14/6 and the 45s that were issued in abundance - providing the soundtrack with a strong hypnotic driving beat to a subculture that was quite unique, The original SKINHEAD of 69 was influenced by Jamaican RUDE BOYS and REGGAE and never regarded attitude to racism and politics central to their subculture.