The Mods band name and incredible sleeve look promising, but the ‘Mod’ flavor comes entirely from using Western beat combo instruments to play traditional songs. The results are an odd combination of Pakistani melodies and rhythms with some flavor of surf music, especially from one guitarist’s use of tremolo sound. More surprising is the use of a wah pedal, which would date this Columbia EP to not much earlier than 1968.
Mohamed Sadrudin Merchant played organ. The other members of the Mods are Karim on lead guitar, Feroz on rhythm, Rehman on bass and Aziz on drums. Mohammed Yousuf is credited with arrangments, and helped produce the session.
The only info I have is from the sleeve- if anyone knows anything more please write in.
Sold !!! well you didnt really need to sell it to me its just my cup of tea thank you 🙂
Did you know Dave Berry’s ‘Crying Game’ (1964) is regarded as the first time a wah-wah pedal was used? Who was the guitarist? Try Little Jim. Not got it? James Patrick Page, later of The Yardbirds (for whom he actually joined playing bass and not as the replacement for Jeff Beck’s guitar), The New Yardbirds (who never released anything, so we’re told), and that struggling combo Iron Balloon… er.. Led Butterfly…. oh! you know the one!
Back to the point i was making. 1964 would be too early for Pakistan. However, I’d date it around 1965/66, mainly due to the strong family links. I remember a friend, Ghulam, sending pedals over to his cousins around this time. Add on the fact that Dave Berry was highly popular around 1964-66, and the date would point to closer to 1965/66
BTW – Pagey is also claimant to first user of Fuzz (on the same Dave Berry sessions with Big Jim Sullivsn and Frank White, Dave Berry’s guitarist with The Cruisers. Frank still plays today and can list Eric Clapton amongst his devotees), and the thing he’s remembered for with Iron Whatever, using a bow on a guitar. This was something Pagey borrowed from Eddie Phillips (guitarist, The Creation). First recorded use – ‘Making Time’ 1966.