Simon has put together an EXCLUSIVE SOUNDTRACK to document the history of FARAH VINTAGE. Our style has always been deep rooted in music and Simon demonstrates that perfectly with his eclectic mix of tracks and personal song notes.

Sit back and immerse yourself in a musical heritage we are very proud to be so strongly associated with.

| SOUNDTRACK |

1. Lightning & Group
‘Long John’

Farah’s heritage stretches back to the turn of the century in the USA. A large percentage of manufacturing labour was in the country’s prison camps. Black prisoners, working in gangs to break rocks or other such hard, menial jobs, chanted work songs to set the pace for their labour. This song, recorded by father and son folklorists John and Alan Lomax, can be traced to Darrington State Prison Farm in Texas in 1934. Its lyrics, both religious and secular, sing of the hope of freedom and the removal of their shackles – from both prison and slavery.

2. Lead Belly
‘Midnight Special’

Perhaps the most famous bearer of prison songs was Hudson Ledbetter. Numerous incarcerations from 1915 to 1933 saw the musician acquire a huge catalogue of songs, and in 1933, while serving in Angola Prison Farm, Louisiana, the Lomaxes discovered and recorded him, leading to a celebrated career outside of jail. ‘Midnight Special’ counts infinite versions, each with diverse lyrics, but its sentiment remains the same throughout: the hope that one day, that train that passes the prison and shines its light through my window, will someday carry me out of here.

3. Chuck Berry
‘Thirty Days’

World War Two saw American companies, including Farah, focus their attentions on working to aid their country, producing fatigues and uniforms for those fighting the cause. After the war, in a country rebuilding itself, and more affluent than ever, a new generation embraced individuality, youthfulness, and began to drive a wedge between their parents and the old order that has never healed. The teenager, and thus the generation gap, was born, and they wanted their own music, their own fashion, and their own future. This is the sound of young America in the ’50s.

4. Bob Dylan
‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’

Farah’s allegiance to their country was represented by a dedication to keep the operation wholly American in the 1960s. Bob Dylan was similarly respectful of his compatriots – inspired by dustbowl troubadour Woody Guthrie, Dylan established himself as the voice of social issues for that symbolic decade. As America cowered under the threat of Soviet power in the Cuban Missile Crisis and the possibility of a nuclear fall-out, Dylan was becoming a folk hero – a voice of a generation – and ‘A Hard Rain…’ was a bleak warning of portentous depths to anyone who’d listen.

5. The Band
‘King Harvest (Has Surely Come)’

While all employees, suppliers and distributors of Farah were all proudly American, the ’60s generation were far from patriots. They were paranoid, distrustful of their government (who were sending them to a war they had no right to fight in), and refuting the social order by which their parents abided. The Band – four Canadians and one American – believed in the sacred heart of America. Indebted to The Grapes Of Wrath and Woody Guthrie, this song imagines the plight of sharecroppers and farmers through the Depression, suggesting to the Love generation that the real American heroes are not necessarily those who achieve the American Dream, but those who work all their lives in its pursuit.

6. Elaine Brown
‘Until We’re Free’

Civil rights rocked America to its foundations, and Farah felt the wind of change blow through its operations. Martin Luther King preached of peaceful protest, demanding black Americans shun segregation with non-violent demonstrations. His progress was effective yet slow, and impatient opponents, such as the Black Panthers, pushed for more direct action. In the wake of King’s assassination, America felt the full force of black power – riots, burning, and looting rocked cities across the country. Elaine Brown was a political activist who became the first chairwoman of the Black Panther Party, whose radical methods and militant stance was provocative and dangerous. She recorded the song in 1971 to propagate their cause. It’s very rare so below her track ‘The End Of Silence’ which demonstrates voice and message beautifully.

7. The Faces
‘Had Me A Real Good Time’

In 1971, when Farah opened their first UK store in London, The Faces were at the forefront of culture when it came to influencing men’s fashion and music. They evolved from the ashes of The Small Faces, a glorious musical and sartorial encapsulation of ’60s mods, replacing lead singer Steve Marriott with Rod Stewart and guitarist Ronnie Wood, and pioneered a booze-fueled laddish rock, wherein the latest threads and a blonde on each arm was the ultimate acquisition. This song, more than any, summarizes the feelgood vibe of the gin-soaked Faces.

8. Dobie Gray
‘The In Crowd’

Another American export that took the UK by storm, Dobie Gray is one of the icons of the Northern Soul scene – an extension of the underground mod movement which exploded in the ’70s with venues in the North of England (such as the Wigan Casino, the Blackpool Mecca, or the Twisted Wheel in Manchester) delving into soul vinyl rarities and playing them to enthusiastic, stylish and energetic fans, who’s dance from dusk til dawn. This song, as relevant to the mods as to the Northern fans a decade later, perfectly describes their propensity for staying ahead of the pack.

9. The Jam
‘In The City’

As a new generation of disaffected youth sneered at the bloated and irrelevant rock stars that were supposed to be speaking to them, along came punk and swept all the dinosaurs away. The Jam were caught up in the signing frenzy of labels cashing in on the craze, but were more than three-chord yobs with spiky hair. In Paul Weller they had a mod-obsessed lyricist whose evocative tales of English social minutiae drew comparisons with The Kinks and The Beatles, while his love of well-ironed trousers set him apart as a fashion icon – a position he still holds today.

10. Willis Earl Beal
‘Take Me Away’

Twenty-first century blues may have been embraced by the likes of The White Stripes and The Black Keys, but the most exciting torch bearer of America’s homegrown roots music is 27-year-old Willis Earl Beal, a self-styled cult artist whose spare, lo-fi recordings have been creating great interest of late. ‘Take Me Away’ evokes prime Tom Waits in his rasping rails, while the battered recording suggests Beal is an artist who’s more concerned with getting his (tortured) message out than how it’s presented. The American influence continues unabated, breathing new life into the blues.

We hope you enjoyed the journey !

For more on Clash Magazine visit www.clashmusic.com

Danish folk megastars-in-waiting The Rumour Said Fire are both brilliant and new. Don’t believe us? Well they have had the fastest selling debut album of all time in their native Denmark and they have just been confirmed for a number of festivals around the UK, including The Camden Crawl and Dot to Dot. Not only that but they are a well-dressed bunch of chaps to boot! We caught up with them at their recent show at Proud in Camden to quiz these new Citizens of Farah about life in the band and we documented their evening in Camden with a Photo Blog too !

THE INTERVIEW

- Rumour has it you have the fastest selling debut album of all time in Denmark. It must feel good, what’s your secret ?
Better songs I guess. We don’t sound like any other band in DK.

- How do you find playing live in the UK compared to the rest of Europe ?
It’s been fun playing in the UK, people seem alert listening to our stuff even though they haven’t heard so much of it in advance. Actually we’ve experienced that generally playing different places and countries. We are very thankful for that.

- You guys were looking rather snappy onstage at Proud in Camden the other night ! Talk us through your onstage outfits gents !
Vintage stuff is the way to go you know. That’s how we looked I guess.

- You meet a girl in a bar and you tell her you’re in band….she then asks what you sound like, how do you respond ?
Like a beautiful and alarming dream.

- Tell us what Rumour Said Fire have planned for the rest of 2012 ?
We’re doing festivals like Camden Crawl, Dot to Dot and other shows in Germany, Hollland as well. And we’re working on a new album so stay tuned!

THE PHOTO BLOG

Photography: Beki Cowey

Debut album The Arrogant (out now!) Click here to download on iTunes

FOR EXCLUSIVE CONTENT FROM CITIZENS OF FARAH CLICK HERE

To top off all the love we have for Michael Kiwanuka, he is showing us some big love back by wearing our Farah Vintage Kingston Jumper on the single cover for I’m getting ready. Head over to his website for more information on upcoming gigs and releases.

Dean rose to fame when he starred as troubled teenager Jim Stark in the 1955 film ‘Rebel Without A Cause’; a role with which most young Americans could associate with. The film, which is seen as a representation of teenage angst showcased his iconic style to the world. His envious good looks and effortless style was admired by many and has been ever since the actor’s life was tragically cut short in a fatal car crash at the young age of 24.  His short career saw him star in only two other movies. He is perhaps most famous for his rebellious attitude, his infamous leather jacket and his love of fast cars and motorbikes.

To recreate his iconic laid back sense of style why not try our Kingston Crew Knit. Available now at ASOS

Starring in movies such as The Italian Job and Get Carter, his good looks and distinctive London accent have helped him to secure his place at the top of the style stakes. His look is associated with fine tailoring and British heritage and is one of the only two men to have been nominated for an academy award in every decade from 1960 to 2000.

Get a true English gent look with our Farah Vintage Aspinal cardigan available at ASOS now!

Bob Dylan is a man of many talents. He is a singer, songwriter, musician, poet, painter and this week, he is our style icon.

At 70 years old, Dylan has had a career spanning over five decades, which began in the early 1960s with songs that highlighted social issues like war and civil rights. Known as one of the most influential American musicians rock & roll has ever produced, Bob Dylan has been closely associated with beautiful women such as Edie Sedgwick.

Although his music has been ever-changing over the years, his style has definitely remained the same – consisting of simple, classic and clean cut pieces.

Team this Farah Vintage Merriweather polo shirt with a smart jacket to achieve that sophisticated Bob Dylan inspired look. Available now at Urban Outfitters.

We’ve been very busy here at Farah HQ making friends with one of our favourite new bands of the moment Hello Mexico, so, of course we wasted no time in getting ourselves down to their gig last week at The Macbeth in Hoxton.

The London based group which includes Myles, Nick, John, Oliver and Gulli, played a high energy set to a packed East London bar. With some very stylish attendees and a real buzz in the air it was definitely the place to be on this particularly rainy Thursday night!

Josh Beech and The Johns also put in a supporting performance, which pretty much had every lady in the house swooning!

When Hello Mexico finally took to the stage, the crowd was in full force. The boys put on a smashing performance. People danced along to the set whilst drinking a beer or two. They played some amazing new songs, but the song that people really went crazy for, was their cover of Slipknot’s song ‘Duality’.

It looked as if Hello Mexico had as much of a good time as their audience. We were also lucky enough to have the boys wear Farah on the night, and we have to say front-man Myles looked particularly dashing in his Farah Vintage Mansfield shirt.

The night continued afterwards with DJ’s keeping the crowd going till late. Hello Mexico will be releasing their cover of ‘Duality’ and a video for the song ‘April’ soon so be sure to keep an eye out what the boys have to offer in the future.