the Specials - skankin' gangsta
Dawning of
a New Era
a New Era
The beginnings of what was to become The Specials as we know them, came about when Jerry Dammers(keys), Horace Panter(bass), Lynval Golding (guitar), Silverton Hutchison (drums) and Tim Strickland (vocals) formed Coventry band 'The Automatics' in 1977. The band hit the Coventry circuit, playing a unique mixture of punk and reggae to local punters, even securing a residency at Coventry's 'Mr. Georges' club. After a while, vocalist Tim was replaced by former Squad front man Terry Hall, and soon after Jerry also recruited an old acquaintance, Roddy Byers, lead guitarist from 'The Wild Boys'. In fact, Roddy's introduction was just in time to join the rest of the band in Berwick Street Studios, London, under the auspices of Coventry DJ Pete Waterman.
Jerry circulated the tape to the record companies, but they showed little interest. A tape was also sent to John Peel at Radio One, and although overlooked at the time, this tape was rediscovered in 1993 and released as 'Dawning of a New Era, The Coventry Automatics AKA The Specials'. Jerry persuaded fellow Coventry kid, and more importantly, Clash roadie Steve Connolly to introduce him to their manager Bernie Rhodes. The ensuing conversations resulted in the lads being given the support slot on the Clash's 'On Parole' tour in June/July 1978. By this point the band had changed their name to 'The Coventry Automatics' due to the fact that another 'Automatics' were already doing the rounds, and they again changed it to 'The Special AKA The Coventry Automatics'. It was finally shortened for claritys sake to 'The Special AKA'.
Jerry circulated the tape to the record companies, but they showed little interest. A tape was also sent to John Peel at Radio One, and although overlooked at the time, this tape was rediscovered in 1993 and released as 'Dawning of a New Era, The Coventry Automatics AKA The Specials'. Jerry persuaded fellow Coventry kid, and more importantly, Clash roadie Steve Connolly to introduce him to their manager Bernie Rhodes. The ensuing conversations resulted in the lads being given the support slot on the Clash's 'On Parole' tour in June/July 1978. By this point the band had changed their name to 'The Coventry Automatics' due to the fact that another 'Automatics' were already doing the rounds, and they again changed it to 'The Special AKA The Coventry Automatics'. It was finally shortened for claritys sake to 'The Special AKA'.
2 Tone
Gangsters
Gangsters
Jerry Dammers had long had a dream of starting his own label, similar to Motown, that they could release their own records on. He composed some artwork, with Horace's help, that was soon to become central to the 2 Tone world, and in fact feature as the label on all their releases. The logo was based on an early album cover picture of Peter Tosh, and with the signature black and white checks dropped in for good measure, Walt Jabsco was born.
With a new song written, but no support from the record companies, the Special AKA set about raising some cash from family and friends to record 'Gangsters' themselves. (Read the story behind the song here . They were without a drummer however as Silverton had finally quit, so Jerry turned to his then house mate John 'Brad' Bradbury to fill in just for the recording session. It went so well that Brad was made a permanent member there and then, and the band lineup was completed. Based on the 1964 track 'Al Capone' by Prince Buster. The Special AKA changed the original opening in their version from 'Al Capones Guns Dont Argue' to 'Bernie Rhodes Knows Dont Argue' as a stab at their former manager, and at seedy manager types in general.
Short of cash, the band couldn't afford to record a B-side for the single, so a demo recorded two years earlier by Brad, Barry Jones and Neol Davis was dug out, billed as The Selecter by The Selecter, and stuck on the flip side. They called their new label '2 Tone'.
Jerry then approached Rough Trade for distribution of the new single, who agreed to press 5000 copies. He then got talking to 'The Damned' manager Rick Rogers, who on hearing the single, and then seeing the bands stunning live performance, leapt on board as manager. 'Gangsters' was picking up airplay and favourable reviews rapidly, and Rick Rogers was working his contacts getting the band shows in London in venues such as the Hope & Anchor. Word of their electric live shows spread like wildfire and they started to build a solid following in the capital city and a buzz amongst the A&R departments too.
All this lead to the Moonlight Club in early May 1979, where the Specials played to a packed house of fans and record company execs. Even Mick Jagger was there anxious to sign the band to his own Rolling Stone Records! They received several offers, but most weren't willing to accommodate Jerry's demands for the 2 Tone label to maintain it's own identity. One who did was Chrysalis Records, and the deal was done - 10 singles a year from 2 Tone, and the Specials were signed to a 5 album deal. Amazingly that show was recorded unbeknownst to those involved. Decca studios was next door and the entire concert was captured through an audio feed they had set up, which serves as a great reminder of the bands early form. The bootleg features plenty of Terry's dry humour on the eve of the Thatcher election, along with a killer live performance to boot. Ironically this bootleg made it onto the streets just days before their debut album was released. Chrysalis pressed more copies of 'Gangsters', and fuelled by a Radio One session on the John Peel show and an eight week tour of the UK, the single peaked at number 6 in the singles chart, earning a debut appearance on Top Of The Pops. Along the way, 2 Tone signed it's first band - The Selecter - which was a hastily put together band formed by Neol Davis on the back of the success of the Gangsters/Selecter single. The second 2 Tone signing was Madness, after they had got a tape to Jerry, and had opened for the Specials on a couple of occasions to great success.
With a new song written, but no support from the record companies, the Special AKA set about raising some cash from family and friends to record 'Gangsters' themselves. (Read the story behind the song here . They were without a drummer however as Silverton had finally quit, so Jerry turned to his then house mate John 'Brad' Bradbury to fill in just for the recording session. It went so well that Brad was made a permanent member there and then, and the band lineup was completed. Based on the 1964 track 'Al Capone' by Prince Buster. The Special AKA changed the original opening in their version from 'Al Capones Guns Dont Argue' to 'Bernie Rhodes Knows Dont Argue' as a stab at their former manager, and at seedy manager types in general.
Short of cash, the band couldn't afford to record a B-side for the single, so a demo recorded two years earlier by Brad, Barry Jones and Neol Davis was dug out, billed as The Selecter by The Selecter, and stuck on the flip side. They called their new label '2 Tone'.
Jerry then approached Rough Trade for distribution of the new single, who agreed to press 5000 copies. He then got talking to 'The Damned' manager Rick Rogers, who on hearing the single, and then seeing the bands stunning live performance, leapt on board as manager. 'Gangsters' was picking up airplay and favourable reviews rapidly, and Rick Rogers was working his contacts getting the band shows in London in venues such as the Hope & Anchor. Word of their electric live shows spread like wildfire and they started to build a solid following in the capital city and a buzz amongst the A&R departments too.
All this lead to the Moonlight Club in early May 1979, where the Specials played to a packed house of fans and record company execs. Even Mick Jagger was there anxious to sign the band to his own Rolling Stone Records! They received several offers, but most weren't willing to accommodate Jerry's demands for the 2 Tone label to maintain it's own identity. One who did was Chrysalis Records, and the deal was done - 10 singles a year from 2 Tone, and the Specials were signed to a 5 album deal. Amazingly that show was recorded unbeknownst to those involved. Decca studios was next door and the entire concert was captured through an audio feed they had set up, which serves as a great reminder of the bands early form. The bootleg features plenty of Terry's dry humour on the eve of the Thatcher election, along with a killer live performance to boot. Ironically this bootleg made it onto the streets just days before their debut album was released. Chrysalis pressed more copies of 'Gangsters', and fuelled by a Radio One session on the John Peel show and an eight week tour of the UK, the single peaked at number 6 in the singles chart, earning a debut appearance on Top Of The Pops. Along the way, 2 Tone signed it's first band - The Selecter - which was a hastily put together band formed by Neol Davis on the back of the success of the Gangsters/Selecter single. The second 2 Tone signing was Madness, after they had got a tape to Jerry, and had opened for the Specials on a couple of occasions to great success.
2 Tone Tour
Hits the road
Hits the road
Laying down tracks for the debut album began, with Elvis Costello wearing the producer hat - an early fan of the band, he jumped at the chance. At the same time the band made time to dash over to Europe to play a few festivals where they inevitably went down a storm, stealing the show from the likes of the Police and The Cure to name but two. 'A Message To You, Rudy' was released in October 1979, backed by 'Nite Klub' as a double A side, both tracks featured two new honorary Specials - Hornsmen Rico Rodriguez and Dick Cuthell. Rico was already a legend in ska, having played trombone with many of the early ska greats such as Prince Buster, the Skatalites and Laurel Aitken. He had even played on the original version of 'A Message To You, Rudy' by Dandy Livingstone.
Later that month, their debut album, entitled simply 'Specials' was released and shot straight into the UK album charts at number 7. The Specials, and 2 Tone were really on the map, and a 40 date '2 Tone Tour' of the country began in earnest featuring The Specials, Madness and The Selecter. The tour was a complete success, selling out all over the country, but was tarnished by some violent outbreaks my a minority of troublemakers in some venues, which was of course singled out by the press. It was a fact that racists from the NF and the BNP were recruiting at the shows, but the bands openly distanced themselves from these people, and made it clear to all that they weren't welcome. It goes to show how stupid these people were, canvassing music fans who were dancing to multi-racial bands and singing along with songs preaching racial unity, and yet some impressionables took the bait. Half way through the tour Madness were replaced by Kevin Roland's 'Dexy Midnight Runners', a soul band from Birmingham, who although didn't play ska and weren't signed to 2 Tone, still went down a storm. After the tour, The Specials last show of the decade was at the UNICEF Concert for Kampuchea, sharing the stage with the likes of The Who, Queen, Paul McCartney, The Clash and Elvis Costello to name a few. Jerry also found time to sign The Beat from Birmingham to 2 Tone, who he and Lynval had seen opening for the Selecter some months before. Their debut single, Smokey Robinson's 'Tears of a Clown' was another success for the label, although the beat subsequently went out on their own forming their own label 'Go Feet'.
In January 1980, being filmed for a 2 Tone documentary by the BBC and an live appearance on the 'Rock Goes To College' show, The Specials released their third single 'Too Much Too Young'. It was a 5 track live EP, featuring 'Too Much Too Young' and 'Guns of Navarone' recorded in London, and 'Skinhead Symphony' which was a medley of 'Long Shot Kick The Bucket', 'Liquidator' and 'Skinhead Moonstomp' recorded at an electric homecoming show at Tiffany's in Coventry (which is now the public Library !) The band played a few shows in Europe, and then headed off to take British ska to the USA.
Later that month, their debut album, entitled simply 'Specials' was released and shot straight into the UK album charts at number 7. The Specials, and 2 Tone were really on the map, and a 40 date '2 Tone Tour' of the country began in earnest featuring The Specials, Madness and The Selecter. The tour was a complete success, selling out all over the country, but was tarnished by some violent outbreaks my a minority of troublemakers in some venues, which was of course singled out by the press. It was a fact that racists from the NF and the BNP were recruiting at the shows, but the bands openly distanced themselves from these people, and made it clear to all that they weren't welcome. It goes to show how stupid these people were, canvassing music fans who were dancing to multi-racial bands and singing along with songs preaching racial unity, and yet some impressionables took the bait. Half way through the tour Madness were replaced by Kevin Roland's 'Dexy Midnight Runners', a soul band from Birmingham, who although didn't play ska and weren't signed to 2 Tone, still went down a storm. After the tour, The Specials last show of the decade was at the UNICEF Concert for Kampuchea, sharing the stage with the likes of The Who, Queen, Paul McCartney, The Clash and Elvis Costello to name a few. Jerry also found time to sign The Beat from Birmingham to 2 Tone, who he and Lynval had seen opening for the Selecter some months before. Their debut single, Smokey Robinson's 'Tears of a Clown' was another success for the label, although the beat subsequently went out on their own forming their own label 'Go Feet'.
In January 1980, being filmed for a 2 Tone documentary by the BBC and an live appearance on the 'Rock Goes To College' show, The Specials released their third single 'Too Much Too Young'. It was a 5 track live EP, featuring 'Too Much Too Young' and 'Guns of Navarone' recorded in London, and 'Skinhead Symphony' which was a medley of 'Long Shot Kick The Bucket', 'Liquidator' and 'Skinhead Moonstomp' recorded at an electric homecoming show at Tiffany's in Coventry (which is now the public Library !) The band played a few shows in Europe, and then headed off to take British ska to the USA.
Taken from: http://www.thespecials.com/history.php
Best buy!?
1.Message To You Rudy 2.Do The Dog 3.It's Up To You 4.Nite Klub 5.Doesn't Make It Alright 6.Concrete Jungle 7.Too Hot 8.Monkey Man 9.New Era (Dawning Of A) 10.Blank Expression 11.Stupid Marriage 12.Too Much Too Young 13.Little Bitch 14.You're Wondering Now
This is clearly the best Ska record ever made. Their debut album (the BBC had just aired The Specials John Peel Sessions, but it was not yet for sale. Also, their true debut was a 45rpm single of Gangsters whose B-side was titled The Selector and credited to The Selector, but in reality, The Selector was Jerry Dammers, John Bradbury, both from The Specials, and two of their roommates. I think it is the best song The Selector ever did). If you listen to earlier versions of these songs available elsewhere, you can see how much they honed everything. The Specials had toured the U.K. supporting The Clash, and as a result you can hear more Clash-like-Grit on this album, and you can also see The Specials influence on Clash songs like Pressure Drop, very Ska.
I like everything about this album, every song. I still remember my high school English tutor in the 9th grade (I was really bad in school) who was more interested in shaping my musical tastes, and my sister, English was third on his list. He made me a tape of this album with the This Are Two Tone compilation on the second side. I listened to that tape for years, before they had tape-players that would flip the tape for you. I remember one time I accidentally hit "Record", so to this day I am surprised there is no gap at the beginning of "Concrete Jungle". Not too long ago, I was invited to several Specials shows. My friend had gone to school with Mark Addams (keyboards) in Coventry and whenever they'd come to San Francisco my friend rob would arrange to have us on the list. They have altered the band since 1980 (when this album came out), a few new members, but they still have Neville Staples(who looks even cooler today), Horace Panter, Roddy Radiation, and Lynval Golding. They preformed these songs in a dizzying frenzy. After each show we'd go backstage with them (once to the Green-Room of the legendary Fillmore Auditorium!) and one time on their tour bus somewhere in Santa Cruz. My friends wife was blind, so she had a seeing-eye-Doberman with her. We were on this crowded bus, with the band, this huge dog and scattered other people. They were playing some old sixties Ska on the bus stereo, and Lynval Golding (guitarist) danced with the seeing-eye-dog, and I cracked a corny joke, which I began to regret as I was saying it. I said to Mr. Golding, "Do The Dog!" (referring to their song by the same name) then my ears began to turn red. He thought it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard and slapped his leg as he laughed. He put his rude-boy hat on my head, which was pathetically loose, and laughed his way to the ice-chest and he fetched two beers and brought one to me as his laughter died down. The joke seemed rather obvious to me. He took his hat back as he gave me the beer. It was all very weird.
Anyway, this is the album to have. I have many Specials albums, and would choose this one over all the rest, or any other Ska band, there is No Doubt about that. If you have never heard this album but are considering it, then trust the instincts that brought you this far and get it, if you remember this album from your youth but haven't gotten around to getting it on CD I suggest you drop everything and get it, and get Led Zeppelin IV another time. This album has aged very well. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition
I like everything about this album, every song. I still remember my high school English tutor in the 9th grade (I was really bad in school) who was more interested in shaping my musical tastes, and my sister, English was third on his list. He made me a tape of this album with the This Are Two Tone compilation on the second side. I listened to that tape for years, before they had tape-players that would flip the tape for you. I remember one time I accidentally hit "Record", so to this day I am surprised there is no gap at the beginning of "Concrete Jungle". Not too long ago, I was invited to several Specials shows. My friend had gone to school with Mark Addams (keyboards) in Coventry and whenever they'd come to San Francisco my friend rob would arrange to have us on the list. They have altered the band since 1980 (when this album came out), a few new members, but they still have Neville Staples(who looks even cooler today), Horace Panter, Roddy Radiation, and Lynval Golding. They preformed these songs in a dizzying frenzy. After each show we'd go backstage with them (once to the Green-Room of the legendary Fillmore Auditorium!) and one time on their tour bus somewhere in Santa Cruz. My friends wife was blind, so she had a seeing-eye-Doberman with her. We were on this crowded bus, with the band, this huge dog and scattered other people. They were playing some old sixties Ska on the bus stereo, and Lynval Golding (guitarist) danced with the seeing-eye-dog, and I cracked a corny joke, which I began to regret as I was saying it. I said to Mr. Golding, "Do The Dog!" (referring to their song by the same name) then my ears began to turn red. He thought it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard and slapped his leg as he laughed. He put his rude-boy hat on my head, which was pathetically loose, and laughed his way to the ice-chest and he fetched two beers and brought one to me as his laughter died down. The joke seemed rather obvious to me. He took his hat back as he gave me the beer. It was all very weird.
Anyway, this is the album to have. I have many Specials albums, and would choose this one over all the rest, or any other Ska band, there is No Doubt about that. If you have never heard this album but are considering it, then trust the instincts that brought you this far and get it, if you remember this album from your youth but haven't gotten around to getting it on CD I suggest you drop everything and get it, and get Led Zeppelin IV another time. This album has aged very well. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition
M. Fantino "Disco-Punk Evangelist!" (San Francisco, California USA)
Taken from: http://www.amazon.com
Taken from: http://www.amazon.com
posted by kapellmeister at 2:33 AM
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