GENTLE INTRODUCTION
When I foolishly went to Aston University at the end of the ‘eighties, I apparently introduced myself to other blokes in my accommodation block as “Me name’s Ga and I like ska.” Well, as someone who has owned and played all the albums from the British ‘ska’ artists and read lots of material about such acts, I feel that I am in a position to offload my own twopence worth of expertise on what many people refer to as the great ska revival that occurred between 1979 and 1981, when the 2 Tone label was in its heyday.
THE MYTH OF SKA
Time and again, countless people have erroneously described the 2 Tone acts, including Madness and The [English] Beat as ska performers. I must take issue with this mythical nonsense. To do so, one must first ask what ska is [or was].
Ska was born in sunny Jamaica, circa 1962, the very year that this colony was being granted its independence of big, bad colonial Britain. Perhaps celebrating their delivery from the clutches of the white man and the Babylon that was imperial Britain, the local populace embraced a new dance craze of their own making. It was based on a new sound called ska. Ska was popularized by such acts as Byron Lee and the Dragonnaires and by the equally pioneering Skatalites. Herein we find the definition of what I would describe as authentic [Jamaican] ska. These were big bands with a big brass sound and the music was delivered with an unprecedented fast tempo. Trombones and trumpets were prominent, as were rhythm guitars, an organ [probably of the Hammond variety] as well as the obligatory bass and drums rhythm section. Right, so this is original ska. Let’s look at British so-called ‘ska’.
Even allowing for the fact that some of their tunes were boosted by the brass input of Dick Cuthell and the legendary Skatalite, Rico Rodriguez, the Specials were NOT a ska band. The septet themselves didn’t even have anyone on brass instruments. They also recorded many tracks where there was an absence of a brass sound. Dawning Of A New Era, Little Bitch, and Too Much Too Young are three early examples, amongst others, of Specials’ songs which were essentially fast-paced punk rock tunes. Later Specials recordings which included the likes of Stereotypes, Do Nothing, and the delicious Holiday Fortnight may have boasted a brass accompaniment, but these tunes were definitely not ska. Also, Ghost Town is no more a ska song than Hark The Herald Angels Sing.
Their 2 Tone stablemates, the Selecter have also been mistakenly characterised as a ska band, but this septet similarly did not contain a single brass musician. This is scarcely compelling evidence of ska.
Madness may have featured the admirable Lee Thompson on saxophone, but these north Londoners composed their very own nutty sound, which one could certainly argue was a derivative of ska. However, as the nutty sound was frequently built around the piano of Mike Barson, this hardly suggests ska music. The brilliant hit single One Step Beyond and possibly Night Boat To Cairo are probably the closest that Madness ever came to performing ska.
The Beat were certainly not the ska band that has been suggested in some quarters. Their sound summed up the efforts of the aforementioned acts as these Brummies branched out into a hybrid of different sounds, embracing punk and calypso and reggae. Ska? I don’t think so. Just because Tears Of A Clown was released on the 2 Tone label does not render this worthy cover of a Motown classic to be suddenly a ska tune. Similarly, just because Madness release The Prince on 2 Tone, it does not automatically qualify as a ska song, even allowing for the fact that it is a tribute to the ska marvel, Prince Buster.
Take a listen to the albums Wha’ppen by The Beat or Special Beat Service, or Celebrate The Bullet by The Selecter, and see if you can identify all those great ska tunes. You won’t succeed, because they don’t exist. Ska is the figment of many a fertile imagination. British ska as mentioned on the cover of the Dance Craze compilation album was largely a fusion of punk, reggae, and other North American and Caribbean ’riddims’, including yes ska.
The best means to summarise the music that emerged from 2 Tone is simply to use the vague label of new wave. As new wave took off in the aftermath of punk, then it is fair to say that the 2 Tone artists with their fusion of different musical styles were indeed premier British new wave recording stars.
If truth be told, the only British band that closely impersonated authentic ska was Bad Manners, themselves a non 2 Tone act. This north London combo featured two saxophonists and a trumpet player, Gus ‘Hotlips’ Herman, which collectively lent Bad Manners a big brass sound. Thier music was invariably fast tempo and yes Buster and the gang were, in my semi-humble opinion, much more in step with the likes of the Skatalites. To suggest that The Beat, Madness, The Selecter, and The Specials were ska acts is akin to stating that rounders is the same as cricket, and that cricket and baseball are the same game.
In fact, it would be best to conclude that the British ska ‘revival’ that graced the early years of the Thatcher project was not so much a rebirth of ska but more strictly a rehabilitation of skinhead reggae. Skinhead reggae as performed by the great Trojan acts of the late ‘sixties is the true forerunner of British ska. Early Jamican ska is a far cry from the 2 Tone sounds. Instead 2 Tone was an urban new wave phenomenon that brought the skinhead reggae to a wider audience. Agreed?
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A TRIBUTE TO MADNESS [by Gary Watton]
No this is not a bizarre commercial, endorsing the merits of insanity. Instead I recently watched my Complete Madness video compilation. It’s forty minutes well spent. I remain a little disappointed that the hugely popular septet from north London never received the critical acclaim that they perhaps deserved. After all, ask anyone on the street or in the music business about Madness and nobody it seems has a bad word to say about Camden Town’s finest. Yet for all the string of hit singles that began with ‘The Prince’ in the autumn of 1979, one will struggle to find a solitary music critic who recognises the impact that Madness had on British pop music in the 1980s and beyond.
It is probable that the group’s eye-catching, wacky videos perhaps deflected the fact that the group created outstanding records. ‘Baggy Trousers’ spent a remarkable twenty weeks in the singles charts and is a terrific social commentary on comprehensive education, while the group’s only number one, ‘House Of Fun’, is a light-hearted look at the coming of age. ‘Embarrassment’, ‘Cardiac Arrest’, and ‘Grey Day’ were also superbly crafted pop songs which nevertheless explored a darker side to the group’s collective songwriting formula, not forgetting the delights of ‘Wings Of A Dove’, ‘Uncle Sam’, and ‘Waiting For The Ghost Train’ which each covered politics without preaching or getting too inaccessibly intellectual.
Only Graham McPherson, under the alias of Suggs, has increased his profile since Madness became more sane in the mid-1980s, courtesy of a television show, followed by an excellent residency at Virgin Radio, not to mention a ‘This Is Your Life’ profile and a fish fingers advertisement. What a pity that the group as a whole never quite garnered the critical esteem that their musical exploits merited. Their influence almost certainly re-surfaced in such Britpop anthems as ‘Common People’ and ‘Parklife’, yet Madness probably suffer for the image they cultivated: fast-paced anthems performed by an unpretentious, down-to-earth bunch of lads, who didn’t take themselves too seriously. However, to ignore their music and its legacy, well that would be absolutely madness.
Incidentally, Madness had at least one single in the UK Top 75 chart every single week from the week ending Saturday the 1st of September 1979 through to the week ending Saturday the 8th of March 1980, a consecutive run of 28 weeks! The Madness single that spent longest in the UK charts was ‘It Must Be Love’ which accumulated 21 weeks on two separate chart runs, and even penetrated the UK Top 10 each time, in 1981/2 and again in 1992 when Madness re-formed for their Madstock project. ‘Baggy Trousers’ meanwhile achieved a phenomenal run of twenty consecutive weeks in the UK singles chart in the autumn and winter of 1980. Finally, two Madness singles reached the UK Top 10 on their first week in the chart, namely the chart-topper, ‘House Of Fun’, and its follow-up ‘Driving In My Car’. The latter splashed into the charts at number 6 while the former previously jumped in at number 8.
My first Madness album: Complete Madness [1982]
My favourite Madness album: Seven [1981]
My favourite Madness song: Overdone [1980]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKKW35p78K4
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2 TONE TRIBUTE
Okay, the time is long overdue for me to pay my respects to a music label that began life in 1979 under the watchful eye of Chrysalis Records, and despite humble origins, proceeded to conquer the British music charts over the next couple of years as there took place a ska revival in the Disunited Queendom.
For the record, the Beat and Madness merely signed a one-off contract for a debut single. They then departed with no hard feelings to Arista and Stiff Records respectively. Inspired by the 2-Tone label, the Beat set up their very own: Go Feet Records. Another act, Bad Manners were invited along to increase the mayhem of the riotous 2-Tone tour of early 1980 but they never signed a recording deal with 2-Tone. Meanwhile, the Selecter jumped ship in the summer of 1980, but their great album ‘Celebrate The Bullet [1981] sank without trace, and the septet soon followed it into oblivion. Regrettably, the Bodysnatchers and the Swinging Cats also proved to be short-lived phenomena, although the former were partially re-invented as the Belle Stars and enjoyed success with the poptastic ‘Sign Of The Times’ in early 1983. 2-Tone also signed the Higsons and the Apollinaires, but these artists failed to trouble the compilers of album or singles charts. Interestingly, the former group counted amongst its ranks, one Charlie Higson, who at least found fame amongst the coveted ‘Fast Show’ BBC comedy production, with the man himself excelling as ‘Swiss Tony’, among other creations.
Incidentally, the 2 Tone label had at least one single in the UK Top 75 every week from the week ending Saturday the 27th of July 1979 through to the week ending Saturday the 2nd of August 1980, representing a quite staggering fifty-three consecutive weeks. Another impressive fact was that on the week ending Saturday the 17th of November 1979, ‘On My Radio’ and ‘A Message To You Rudy’ both occupied positions within the UK Top 10, at numbers 8 and 10 respectively.
Furthermore, the unforgettable ‘Nelson Mandela’ recording featured a total of nineteen musicians and singers, and was almost a prototype Band Aid, before that particular choir assembled several months later for another worthy cause. One of the singers, Caron Wheeler, of the female trio, the Afrodisiaks, would later taste chart-topping fame with the hit ‘Back To Life’ in 1989.
Meanwhile, did you know that one of the 2 Tone albums was partially recorded in Jamaica? ‘Jama Rico’ featured ace Jamaican musicians Sly Dunbar, Tommy McCook, Robbie Shakespeare, and Winston Wright when Rico Rodriguez returned to his native land to lay down a number of tracks at Kingston’s famed Joe Gibbs studios.
Of course, the central act to the 2 Tone story was the Specials. This outfit were a highly regarded live act, and indeed they were invited to perform in a concert for the people of Kampuchea in late December 1979. In the event, their danceable cover version of ‘Monkey Man’ was included on the 1981 compilation album which commemorated those concerts.
After the Specials acrimoniously finished all too soon in the late summer of 1981, and at the height of their fame, the two flagship acts of the now struggling label were the ace Jamaican trombonist Rico Rodriguez and the Special AKA. The latter was a combo that suffered from constant changes in personnel as it painstakingly pieced together the ‘In The Studio’ project of 1984. The LP itself was well worth the wait, but 2-Tone legend Jerry Dammers once ruefully summed up this album as “three years in the making and six weeks in the charts!”
Before I sign off, here are a few pieces of trivia for ya. Did you know that both Elvis Costello and Chrissie Hynde appeared on 2-Tone tracks? The latter applied backing vocals on ‘Nite Klub’ from the Specials’ debut album, which was actually produced by Elvis Costello, while EC lent backing vocals to the cast of singers that decorated the rallying call of ‘Nelson Mandela’, which also reunited Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger with the label that had first given the Beat their break four and a half years earlier. Further contributors to 2-Tone tunes included future pop sensations Belinda Carlisle and Jane Wiedlin on ‘I Can’t Stand It’ and ‘Enjoy Yourself, reprise’ from the album ‘More Specials’. This LP was slated in some quarters as ‘muzak’ that belonged in shopping malls and was a far cry from the group’s punk/ska origins, but it also boasted saxophone cameos from Paul Heskatt of the Swinging Cats and the admirable Lee Thompson of Madness.
Furthermore, you may be interested to know that the Special AKA Live extended player, released in January 1980, boasts the record for the highest chart entry of any single from this celebrated stable. It catapulted into the UK Top 40 at number 15 on its first week, and then joined an elite club of releases which jumped to the top spot having previously resided outside of the coveted Top 10. This EP became only the second extended player to reach the UK pop summit. It included four live cover versions of ska classics, namely Guns Of Navarone, Long Shot Kick De Bucket, Liquidator, and Skinhead Moonstomp.
Finally, the fine single ‘Do Nothing’ might have climbed further than a UK peak of number 4 in January 1981, were it not for the recent assassination of John Lennon. The Beatles’ legend posthumously dominated the highest echelons of the UK singles charts in early 1981 as the British record-buyers re-familiarised themselves with such items as ‘Happy Christmas [War Is Over]‘, ‘Imagine’, and ‘Woman’. A ‘Top Of The Pops’ appearance by the Specials performing ‘Do Nothing’ features David Steele of the Beat, standing in for the absent Horace Panter. Steele, who later became a Fine Young Cannibal, was nicknamed ‘Shuffle’, and he can be found shuffling his way around the stage on the likes of ‘Do Nothing’ and previously on the commendable cover version, ‘Tears Of A Clown’.
Oh and regrettably the 2-Tone label was unable to conquer the prized USA singles charts, but given the sometimes questionable musical taste of north Americans, this comes as no surprise. Nevertheless, the Specials and the English Beat in particular cultivated a cult following on account of their concerts across the Atlantic pond.
Right, I shall first remind y’all of ten recommended 2-Tone albums, then compile a discography of the main 2 Tone singles, and also throw in a few other bits and pieces too. Easy skanking!
Specials by the Specials [1979]; peaked at 4 in the UK
Too Much Pressure by the Selecter [1980]; peaked at 5 in the UK
More Specials by the Specials [1980]; peaked at 5 in the UK
Dance Craze by Various Artists [1981]; peaked at 5 in the UK
That Man Is Forward by Rico Rodriguez [1981]
Jama Rico by Rico Rodriguez [1982]
This Are 2-Tone by Various Artists [1983]
In The Studio by the Special AKA [1984]; peaked at 34 in the UK
The 2 Tone Story by Various Artists [ 1989]
The Specials Singles by the Specials [1991]; peaked at 10 in the UK
1979
Gangsters/The Selecter by the Specials; peaked at 6
This contains the unforgettable line: “Bernie Rhodes knows. Don’t argue.”
The Prince/Madness by Madness; peaked at 16
The A-side is a tribute to Prince Buster. The B-side is a song by ‘the prince’.
On My Radio/Too Much Pressure by the Selecter; peaked at 8
Rudy, A Message To You/Nite Klub by the Specials; peaked at 10
This was one of many tracks to feature Dick Cuthell and Rico Rodriguez.
Tears Of A Clown/Ranking Full Stop by the Beat; peaked at 6
This was a cover version of a 1970 UK chart-topper for Smokey Robinson.
1980
The Special AKA, Live EP by the Specials; peaked at 1
Featuring ‘Too Much Too Young’, this was a UK chart-topper for 2 weeks.
Let’s Do Rock Steady/Ruder Than You by the Bodysnatchers; peaked at 22
Three Minute Hero by the Selecter; peaked at 16
Rat Race/Rude Buoys Outa Jail by the Specials; peaked at 5
Missing Words by the Selecter; peaked at 23
Easy Life/Too Experienced by the Bodysnatchers; peaked at 50
Stereotype/International Jet Set by the Specials; peaked at 6
This double A-side jumped from 25 to number 6 and then back down to 22!
Do Nothing/Maggie’s Farm by the Specials; peaked at 4
1981
Ghost Town/Friday Night, Saturday Morning by the Specials; peaked at 1
This single was ‘Top Of The Pops’ for three weeks during June and July.
1982
The Boiler by Rhoda Dakar & the Special AKA; peaked at 35
This monologue about rape was written by a few of the Bodysnatchers.
1983
Bright Lights/Racist Friend by the Special AKA; peaked at 60
1984
Nelson Mandela/Break Down The Door by the Special AKA; peaked at 9
Girlfriend by the Special AKA; peaked at 51
Jerry Dammers bravely took lead vocals in the absence of Stan Campbell.
My first 2-Tone record: ‘Dance Craze’ [1981] which was a live album
My favourite 2-Tone track: International Jet Set by the Specials [1980]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LCQ0OQq314
My least favourite 2-Tone track: War Crimes by the Special AKA [1982]
My favourite 2-Tone instrumental: Destroy Them by Rico Rodriguez [1982]
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A ‘SPECIAL’ 2-TONE YEAR [by Gary Watton]
For each and every week in the following item, there was at least one 2-Tone single occupying a place in the UK Top 75 charts. This was all the more remarkable, given that the newly-born 2-Tone did not have a huge marketing budget and its stable of artists were all brand spanking new to the music industry. This renders this achievement by this small but significant record label all the more astonishing. When I browsed through the following chronology, I found it noticeable that in almost every instance, a 2-Tone single was not issued until its predecessor was on the decline in the charts. I don’t know if this was pure coincidence or a deliberate policy to avoid different 2-Tone acts jeopardising each other’s attempts to ascend the singles league table. The only obvious exception was when the Specials’ second single charted a mere two weeks after ‘On My Radio’. Fortunately, in this instance, the Selecter’s debut single was not adversely affected by Rudy’s ‘rude’ incursion onto the airwaves.
Right, let me take you back down memory lane to the year from the summer of 1979 to the summer of 1980……….
The chart position for the week ending Saturday:
28th July – Gangsters [74]
4th August – Gangsters [41]
11th August – Gangsters [24]
18th August – Gangsters [18]
25th August – Gangsters [8]
1st September – Gangsters [6]; The Prince [74]
8th September – Gangsters [6]; The Prince [52]
15th September – Gangsters [11]; The Prince [37]
22nd September – Gangsters [19]; The Prince [23]
29th September – The Prince [21]; Gangsters [36]
6th October – The Prince [16]; Gangsters [44]
13th October – The Prince [19]; Gangsters [61]; On My Radio [64]
20th October – The Prince [22]; On My Radio [47]
27th October – On My Radio [26]; The Prince [28]; A Message To You Rudy [41]
3rd November – On My Radio [21]; A Message To You Rudy [28]; The Prince [53]
10th November – On My Radio [9]; A Message To You Rudy [19]; The Prince [71]
17th November – On My Radio [8]; A Message To You Rudy [10]
24th November – A Message To You Rudy [12]; On My Radio [16]
1st December – A Message To You Rudy [17]; On My Radio [28]
8th December – A Message To You Rudy [32]; On My Radio [43]; Tears Of A Clown [67]
15th December – Tears Of A Clown [31]; A Message To You Rudy [54]
22nd December – Tears Of A Clown [20]; A Message To You Rudy [74]
29th December* – Tears Of A Clown [20]; A Message To You Rudy [74]
*There were no new chart positions for this week.
1980
5th January – Tears Of A Clown [17]; A Message To You Rudy [67]
12th January – Tears Of A Clown [6]; A Message To You Rudy [59]
19th January – Tears Of A Clown [8]; A Message To You Rudy [69]
26th January – Tears Of A Clown [11]; Special AKA Live EP [15]; A Message To You Rudy [74]
2nd February – Special AKA Live EP [1]; Tears Of A Clown [17]; Three Minute Hero [29]
9th February – Special AKA Live EP [1]; Three Minute Hero [21]; Tears Of A Clown [37]
16th February – Special AKA Live EP [2]; Three Minute Hero [16]; Tears Of A Clown [52]
23rd February – Special AKA Live EP [4]; Three Minute Hero [21]
1st March – Special AKA Live EP [13]; Three Minute Hero [27]
8th March – Special AKA Live EP [21]; Three Minute Hero [33]
15th March – Let’s Do Rock Steady [44]; Special AKA Live EP [48]
22nd March – Let’s Do Rock Steady [31]; Special AKA Live EP [64]
29th March – Let’s Do Rock Steady [24]; Missing Words [51]; Special AKA Live EP [71]
5th April – Let’s Do Rock Steady [27]; Missing Words [34]
12th April – Let’s Do Rock Steady [22]; Missing Words [30]
19th April – Let’s Do Rock Steady [22]; Missing Words [26]
26th April – Missing Words [23]; Let’s Do Rock Steady [24]
3rd May – Missing Words [24]; Let’s Do Rock Steady [26]
10th May – Missing Words [37]; Let’s Do Rock Steady [60]
17th May – Missing Words [43]
24th May – Rat Race [18]
31st May – Rat Race [8]
7th June – Rat Race [5]
14th June – Rat Race [7]
21st June – Rat Race [11]
28th June – Rat Race [10]
5th July – Rat Race [33]
12th July – Rat Race [42]
19th July – Easy Life [71]; Rat Race [75]
26th July – Easy Life [50]
2nd August – Easy Life [59]
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