Ray Columbus and the Invaders: She's A Mod/The Cruel Sea (Phillips 40340)

This is an Australian beat group with what must be a rare U.S. release. And what a mover and shaker it is. In fact, "She's A Mod" was a Number 1 hit in its native country, while "The Cruel Sea" was taken from a later 45 release. Evidently, lead singer Columbus kept trying to get his band into the U.S., but got resistance from the U.S. Consul for whatever reason. Well, it wasn't for lack of trying, as at least one U.S. label took an interest.

Let us now look at that sole release. (Whether they had a second U.S. release, I do not know. Further enlightenment is appreciated.) We won't spend too much time with "The Cruel Sea" other than to say it's a pretty decent instrumental in which Ray and his crew do their best Ventures imitation. (The Ventures themselves did an even better version on "Live In Japan '65.")

"She's A Mod" is way, way, WAY better. In fact, it's an infectious beat mover that deserved to be a hit in whatever soil it touched. Think I'm pulling your chain? Then, dig this chorus:

She's a mod, she's a mod, she's a mod
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
She's a mod, she's a mod
Yeah, yeah
She's a mod, she's a mod
She won't change any more.

Pure poetry, mate, pure poetry.

The basic gist is that the girl in the song went from being a rocker to a mod, something you Who enthusiasts might know something about. Okay, well, maybe the "Mod" connection might not have translated so well this side of the Atlantic, but if we could make hits out of "Sukiyaki" and "Dominique," which weren't even in English, ferheavenssake, couldn't we have gone a little "Mod" crazy, too?

Oh yeah, the girl also took advantage of her Mod boyfriend's trust and now he's completely bust. Such is life. And such it is that after 1966, Ray Columbus and the Invaders were no more.