Tonik, Terry
A Tonik For The Nation
When I became an original Mod back in 1963 my life changed forever. Being a London Mod gave me a sense of identity and from the age of 15 I was proud to be part of an exciting youth movement that only the U.K. seems to produce. I was a lead singer in Mod bands back then and still write and record to this day. In the 1970s I decided to write an ode to my Mod youth and Just a Little Mod c/w Smashed & Blocked is my 60s Mod story. The 2 songs were recorded in Soho, London and released as a 7" vinyl single on Posh Records in 1980 and has now become a much sought after single to find and demands a 50+ price tag. Suffice to say it wasnt a hit so undeterred I went back into the studio to record again. That session produced 3 songs, one of which was my version of Eve Of Destruction written by PF Sloan and originally a No1 hit for Barry McGuire in 1965. The other 2 songs (which have never been heard) are self penned auto -biographical dittys, Lost in a World of My Own and Wishing Your Life Away. A decade later, I recorded Nothing Left to Lose, the title summing up my frustration at the time! The 6 songs on my CD - A Tonik for the Nation - from Detour Records - are a piece of Mod history. What a privilege to have witnessed first hand the flowering of the Mod movement during the 1960s, the decade that changed the World. The whole Mod ethos of Music and Fashion has remained with me since first becoming a Mod in 1963. The phrase I coined in 1980 - "Once a Mod always a Mod" is my mantra to this day. Terry Tonik - 2017.