Part 4: Break Down The Door

With the departure of more than half of the group, Jerry Dammers, Horace 'Gentleman' Panter and John Bradbury, were left with the dilema of how to keep the group alive. After a short trip to Germany to back Rico, the three remaining Specials returned to the UK to sort matters out. Because of legal red tape, they could no longer use the name the Specials, so reverted to the old Special A.K.A. moniker.

The first project was to record a single with Rhoda Dakar, 'The Boiler', which Jerry had first attempted early in 1981. The song was an old Bodysnatchers number, a harrowing tale of rape, and despite a great production, it was never going to feature on too many radio play lists. The single was released in January 1982, and credited to Rhoda With The Special A.K.A. Horace didn't actually play on the record, his place being filled by ex- Bodysnatcher Nicky Summer, and a new guitarist, John Shipley was also present.

The record got a lot of attention, if not airplay, due to the sensitive subject matter, and evetually reached a very credible No.35 on the chart. A follow up single 'Female Chauvinist Pig' was planned but never emerged. Instead the next single to feature the band was 'Jungle Music', by Rico And The Special A.K.A. A catchy number that despite some good airplay failed to chart. Jerry, Brad and Horace also contributed to Rico's second album for 2-Tone, 'Jama', released in May '82.

Dammers tried to rebuild his 2-Tone empire by signing two new bands, first the Apollonaires, and then the Higsons. Both bands had leanings toward jazz funk, and it came as no surprise when the 4 singles that the bands issued all flopped. A new look Special A.K.A. soon appeared. Dammers had recruited Stan Campbell, and a friend of Rhoda's Egidio Newton, to provide vocals, and Gary McManus joined shortly after to replace Horace Panter, who had decided to call it a day.

The band released a new single 'War Crimes' in a flurry of publicity, but like 'The Boiler' previously, the subject of the song prevented it from getting the airplay it deserved. 'War Crimes' became the first single by the Specials not to gain any chart placing. Dammers however, was happy to sacrifice commercial success to get his message across.

The next move was to take the band into the studio to record a new album. It was a long hard process, and the first that the public got to hear of their labours was 8 months later, in August 1983, when the single 'Rascist Friend/Bright Lights' was released. The single found Roddy Radiation making a guest appearance on guitar, and took the band to the lower reaches of the chart, with a No.60 chart placing.

The inspiration for 'Racist Friend' came from Jerry's observation that the more famous he got, the more friends he accumulated. He found he was seeing less and less of his family and real friends, and spending more time with the hangers on. One day he took out his address book, and as a starting point to decide who to get rid of, he scribbled out the name of anyone with racist tendancies.

The other side of the single, 'Bright Lights' summed up Stan Campbell's attitude to the band perfectly. The lyric goes along the lines of moving to London and joining a band, with the naive belief that "the streets really must be paved with gold". Campbell joined the Special A.K.A. expecting immediate fame and fortune, after all he was working with the guy who started 2-Tone. When this success was not forthcoming, Campbell became very irritable, threatening to quit on an almost daily basis.

To make the recording of the album even more stressful, some members of the band lived in Coventry, while some still lived in London. Just getting the group together was a nightmare. Rhoda also has unhappy memories of the recording: "My memories are of going home in tears after singing one line of a lyric over and over for about five hours. I went home sobbing in a cab most nights." With the recording costs beginning to rise at an alarming rate, Chrysalis tried to recoup some of the cash by issuing the compilation album 'This Are Two Tone'.

The next thing to emerge from the studio was the classic 'Free Nelson Mandela' single in March 1984. The recording, produced by Elvis Costello, also featured Lynval Golding, now a free agent after the Fun Boy 3 split, and Ranking Roger and Dave Wakeling, formely of the Beat. The single brought the plight of the ANC member to the attention of many for the first time. If 'Ghost Town' was Dammers greatest commercial success, 'Free Nelson Mandela' was his greatest artistic achievment, although he rarely gets the credit for it he deserves. The record shot to No.9 on the chart, and Jerry was soon busy organising the Artists Against Apartheid' concert on Clapham Common. The Special A.K.A. did not appear on the bill, possibly because that Stan campbell had finally quit the band shortly before the release of the new single.

After two long, hard years in the making, the Special A.K.A.s 'In The Studio' album was finally unveiled in August 1984. Although it was a fine album, half of the tracks were already available on single issue, and another, 'What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend', was released in September. Of the new tracks, the standout was probably the smokey jazz of 'Alcohol', which featured a big fat brass section and seductive vocal from Rhoda.

The new single '...Girlfriend' actually featured Jerry on lead vocals, and the video was a classic, with Dammers playing the part of an alien who comes to Earth and takes an instant attraction to some blokes girl in a bar. The single, which struggled to No.51, was to be the last from the 'original' Specials camp. 'In The Studio' proved a financial disaster for Chrysalis, and the last that anyone saw of the Special A.K.A. was on Channel 4's Play At Home series, where the band made a video for each of the tracks from the album.

Another single, 'You Can't Take Love Seriously', was planned but eventually Chrysalis refused to fund the project. To make matters worse , Dammers was under contract to provide a further 3 albums, but the budget was gone. Jerry was caught in a contractual limbo that eventually strangled his career. Chrysalis cashed in on the 2-Tone phenomenon over the next 10 years by releasing a selection of compilations, and recentley a couple of budget priced Specials collections were also issued. These albums are a disgrace as members of the band receive absolutely no royalties from them. Dammers urges people to stick to the Specials official albums, and avoid the cheaply priced ones.

It seemed as if the Specials would never be heard of again, but when ska started to take off in America in the late '80's, John Bradbury decided to put together a touring band made up of members of the Specials and the Beat. Terry Hall and Jerry Dammers had left ska behind long ago, and so were obviously not approached for the project, but Neville Staples, Lynval Golding and Horace Panter did join up, although Roddy Radiation declined. The band toured America and Japan, and also released a couple of live albums before splitting.

The next Specials re-union occurred in 1993, when Roddy, Neville, Lynval and Horace teamed up to record an album with Jamaican legend Desmond Dekker. The album, 'King Of Kings', featured cover versions of Jamaican standards and was credited to Desmond Dekker And The Specials. Although the album was widely panned, the foursome decided to go on the road as the Specials, and evetually signed a deal with Ali Campbell's Kuff label. An album, 'Today's Specials' and two singles, 'Pressure Drop' and 'Hypocrite', were issued before the band signed with MCA.

The second album 'Guilty 'Til Proved Innocent' was much better received by the press, and the band continue to play live under the Specials name. A full re-union of all original members will probably never happen, Terry Hall has said that he will never go back, despite, or maybe because of, his love for the band.

Part 3: No Fun Boys

Nothing was heard from the Specials until September, but they had not been taking the well deserved rest they all craved for. Instead, they had been shut up in Horizon studios putting the finishing touches to their second album, 'More Specials', which was released at the end of the month. The recording had been a difficult process. The tension still remained between Jerry and Roddy, and Dammers health was beginning to suffer, a direct result of the non stop work schedule of the last year.

Dammers managed to get himself together in time for the Specials latest UK tour, which kicked off in Cornwell on September 13th. A taster for the forthcoming album, 'Stereotype', was released as a single a week later, and found the band in very different territory. The single, a swipe at Jack the lad types, featured an overtly muzak influence, which was Dammers latest influence. As well as a drum machine, the recording also had a flamenco style guitar and quirky keyboards, all of which left some rude boys and skinheads very bemused. The flip side 'International Jet Set', featured an even heavier muzak influence, and was inspired by the bands gruelling American tour.

Eventually, the new sound was readily accepted by the fans, and the single reached No.6 on the UK chart. Some radio stations had a problem playing the track though, as it wasn't exactly 'radio friendly', containing as it did references to getting "pissed" and catching VD. The eagerly awaited album was issued the following week, and received very favourable reviews from the press, many of whom had been sharpening their knives, ready to tear the band apart.

The first side of the album featured pretty much the Specials old ska sound. Kicking off with an uptempo version of 'Enjoy Yourself', previously popularised by Prince Buster, it moved steadily toward the newer sound as the tracks progressed. 'Man At C & A', 'Hey Little Rich Girl' and 'Do Nothing' are all typically Specials classics, whereas 'Sock It To 'Em JB' is a soul stomper originally recorded on Stax by Rex Garvin. 'Pearls Cafe' was an updating of an early Automatics number called 'Rock & Roll Nightmare', that now featured the infamous "it's all a load of bollocks" chorus, that was soon being sung in shools up and down the country by junior rudies and mini skinheads.

Side 2 started with an extended version of 'Stereotype', that featured Nevill Staples toasting over the second section, and this was followed 'Holiday Fortnight', an instrumental that could quite easily have been recorded by Joe Loss or Herb Alpert. The next track featured guest vocals from Bodysnatcher Rhoda Darkar, who duetted with Terry Hall on 'I Can't Stand It', a bitter sweet tale of love and rejection. The album closed with a remix of 'International Jet Set' and a brief reprise of 'Enjoy Yourself'.

The first 100,000 copies came with a free poster, and more importantley, a free 7" single, that coupled Roddy Radiations 'Braggin' & Trying Not To Lie', and Neville's 'Rude Boys Out Of Jail Part 2'. The second track was a completely different recording to the original, and saw Neville revive his Judge Roughneck character who originally appeared on 'Stupid Marriage' on the first album. 'More Specials' was warmly received by the fans and they sent it to the No.5 spot on the UK album chart.

The ugly spectre of violence again reared its head at Specials shows. The worst incident occured in Cambridge on October 9th, where 3,500 people gathered in a tent on Midsummer Common to see the band play. Trouble flared during support act The Swinging Cats set, which forced them to leave the stage. To try and calm things down the Specials took to the stage, and announced at the first sight of trouble they would be off. Initially things cooled down, but eventually further fighting broke out and the band, true to their word, left the stage.

The Specials tried to resume their set, but were forced off stage twice more as the aggrovation continued. After taking to the stage a fourth time, with the fighting still ongoing, the police were called, but rather than keeping order, bouncers were now contributing to the violence. Terry Hall also had to be restrained after he grabbed a microphone stand with the intention of inserting it into one of the guilty bouncers. In the dressing room, Dammers and Hall were shocked to hear that the promoter was holding them personally responsible for the trouble. The police charged the two Specials with behaviour likely to cause a breach of the peace, and eventually the pair were fined £1,000.

The cracks were beginning to appear in the 2-Tone dream. The Specials were fed up with the mindless violence that, through no fault of their own, seemed to follow them wherever they went. They made it public that they had no intention of touring on such a large scale in the foreseeable future, it just wasn't worth all the trouble. The next planned live performance was supposed to be at a CND gig at Trafalgar Square, but when the Department Of Enviroment refused to grant a license for the large PA system, the Specials were pulled from the bill. Other bands still played the gig, through smaller PA's on the backs of trucks, but the Specials were not asked by the organisers to do so.

As well as problems on the road, things were also beginning to falter at 2-Tone records. The Beat had left the previous year after issuing just one single, a cut of Smokey Robinson's 'Tears Of A Clown', the Bodysnatchers had split, and the Swinging Cats had failed to last to the end of the More Specials tour. That left just Rico and the Specials themselves still signed to the chequered label. The Selecter had quit to sign directly to Chrysalis, as they felt that 2-Tone could not offer them the promotion they needed. To rub salt in the wounds, they got a much more lucrative deal than Dammers had for the Specials and 2-Tone.

The band played a gig for the charity Blanket Coverage at the Hope & Anchor, and this really made the band pine for the old days when they were on the small club circuit. Also on the bill that night were old chums Madness, and both bands played blinding sets. Lynval Golding stated afterwards that it was one of the best performances the band had ever put in, and he also said the band would play a lot more small venues in the future.

The next vinyl outing for the band was released a week before Christmas 1980. 'Do Nothing', Lynval Golding's catchy reggae number from the 'More Specials' album, was re-mixed with added strings, and issued as a 7", coupled with a percussive cover version of Bob Dylan's 'Maggies Farm'. The single proved extremely popular and finally peaked at No.4 on the UK chart, but it was to be the last thing anyone heard of from the Specials collective on record for 6 months.

The break was just what the band needed, 18 months of non-stop touring and recording had really taken it's toll on the group. Rather than put their feet up and relax however, Neville Staples and John Bradbury each founded their own record labels, Staples with Shack and Brad with Race Records. Neither label enjoyed commercial success, and both ventures folded after 4 releases. Roddy Radiation passed his time by forming an offshoot band, the Tearjerkers, who played what Roddy described as "Skabilly", a mix of ska and rockabilly.

By January, the band were back on the treadmill. Gigs in Ireland for some childrens charities and anti-nuclear campaigns ended in farce when the money raised was confiscated by airport officials. The band could also be seen live on cinema screens when the film 'Dance Craze' was released in February 1981. The film, directed by American Joe Massot, featured all the popular 2-Tone bands, as well as soulmates Bad Manners, playing live in footage shot the previous year. The Specials contributed 5 performances to the movie, and 3 were included on the soundtrack album released by 2-Tone, that reached No.5 on the album chart.

The Specials finally returned to the studio, and the fruits of their labour were issued on a 3 track EP in June. The lead track 'Ghost Town', a spooky reggae number complete with banshee wailing, immediately caught the publics imagination, and the record shot straight to the top of the chart. The record featured a shared vocal between Neville and Terry, and ex-Bodysnatcher Rhoda Dakar also contributed. The single was also issued as a 12", which featured a sublime trombone solo from Rico over the extended dub section.

The other 2 tracks on the EP were of the same high standard. The first of these,'Why?', was written by Lynval Golding as a direct response to the racist attack he suffered at the Moonlight Club the previous year. Terry Hall's 'Friday Night Saturday Morning' came next, and portrayed a night out on the town, although it was a far cry from 'Stereotype'. Although he admitted Jerry's slightly muzak treatment of the song was OK, it wasn't exactly how Terry had envisaged it. He had wanted to sing the song to just a basic piano accompaniment, but General Dammers pulled rank and jazzed it up.

After playing several gigs around England, the Specials were due to travel to Ireland for a gig at Dalymount Park. The tickets went on sale, but soon after the gig was mysteriously cancelled. No definitive explaination has ever been put forward, but rumours of ill health, or the band splitting were rife.When the controversy died down, the Specials crossed the Atlantic for another tour of America. The tension between band members was reaching a new high, and Dammers behaviour was becoming increasingly unpredictable.

After performing in front of 25,000 people in Toronto, Canada, an argument between Dammers and manager Rick Rogers resulted with Jerry giving Rogers his marching orders. Hearing of Rogers dismissal, Terry Hall approached him and said that he, Neville and Lynval had been thinking of quitting the band. Hall asked if Rogers would like to join the trio as their manager, and Rick readily agreed, after all what did he have to lose?

Terry, Lynval and Neville had already worked on a couple of tracks back in January. The trio recorded an early version of Lynval's 'Why?' and a cover version of the Paragons 'Wear You To The Ball', which eventually saw the light of day on the album 'The Shack' in 1993, although Hall's vocal was removed for legal reasons.

After returning to the UK, the individual members of the Specials went their seperate ways, with the intention of returning to the fold later that year to record their third album. By late October however, Hall confirmed that he, Staples and Golding had left the band, and formed a new outfit the Fun Boy 3. Jerry, Brad and Horace learnt of the defection whilst on tour with Rico, and a week later Roddy Radiation was also on his way. Jerry was obviously upset by the reticent manner of their departure, and was disappointed that the trio didn't try and work things out with him.

A mere fortnight after the split was announced, the debut single from the Fun Boy 3, 'The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum', was in the shops, and shortly after, in the charts. It was a typical Specials style lyric, vaguely akin to 'Man At C&A', but the backing track was very different. To conceal their lack of musical dexterity (only Lynval could play an instrument to any real standard), the boys covered the recording in heavy percussion, which worked a treat, and created their own sound in the process.

Part 2: Too Much Too Young

With the recording complete, Dammers approached Geoff Travis at Rough Trade to set up a distribution agreement. Rough Trade decided that they would like to handle 5,000 copies, which was double what Dammers had expected to have pressed. Realising that he needed help to fulfill this agreement, Jerry soon made tracks to Rick Rogers, who had worked in PR at Stiff records, and was now running his own management agency, Trigger.

Dammers went to meet Rogers, and talked him into seeing the band play live in Coventry. Rogers was immediately struck by the bands energy and enthusiasm, and decided to offer his services as manager. 'Gangsters' was getting a lot of independent radio coverage, and Rogers soon booked the band to play a few gigs in London. The first of these was at The Hope & Anchor in Camden Town where a mere 30 people were in attendance , but soon the audiences started to swell, and a support slot at the Lyceum in April '79 gave the band greater exposure.

A Rock Against Racism gig saw the band return to The Hope & Anchor and in the audience this time around was a young Graham 'Suggs' McPherson, lead singer with another ska influenced band Madness. Suggs got talking to Jerry, and Dammers was amazed to find that there was another band playing the same blend of ska and new wave.

The gigs in London had caused quite a stir amongst the music press, and soon the shows were being attended by a flurry of record company representatives. A gig at The Moonlight Club on May 3rd (the day before Thatcher tragically won the election), was attended by Roy Eldridge, an A&R man for Chrysalia Records, and he was completely blown away by the band. Although The Specials were offered a lot more money by other labels, they had been unwilling to accept the 2-Tone label as part of the deal. Chrysalis on the other hand offered to release 10 2-Tone singles a year, each with a budget of £1,000, and also signed the Specials to a 5 album deal.

The Specials were definatley going places. On May 23rd, they recorded a 4 track session for John Peel's Radio 1 show, which was broadcast 6 days later, and Chrysalis re-pressed the 'Gangsters' single and gave it wider distribution. The single entered the UK national chart on July 28th 1979 eventually peaking at No.6, and the band set out on an eight week tour to promote it. On some of the gigs, the Specials were supported by Madness, whom Dammers had gone to see play live after his meeting with Suggs at the Hope & Anchor gig.

Madness had sent Dammers a copy of their demo tape, and, although not particulaly good, he knew from their live performance that they had potenial. Subsequentley, Madness became the first band Jerry signed to his 2-Tone label. Madness also supported the band at the Electric Ballroom, Camden on July 21st, a show billed as a 2-Tone evening. Also on the bill that night was a new band put together by Neol Davis. Davis formed the Selecter from a bunch of musicians he knew from the Coventry scene in a month and, the group fronted by Pauline Black, immediately gelled and became Dammers second label sigining.

The band set about laying down tracks for an album which were produced by Elvis Costello, who was an early fan of the group. After a brief tour of Europe, the band returned to the UK and released their second single, 'A Message To You Rudy', which was a cover of an old Dandy Livingstone song. The flip side was a favourite from the bands live set, 'Nite Klub', which was given double A side status.

Both tracks featured the legendary Jamaican trombonist Rico Rodriguez, who had played with many of the original ska artists such as Prince Buster, the Skatalites, and Derrick Morgan, as well as playing on Dandy's original version of 'Rudy, A Message To You' (it's original title). The single was the fourth on 2-Tone, following Madness' 'The Prince', and The Selecter's 'On My Radio', and now there wasn't anyone in the United Kingdom who had not heard at least one 2-Tone record. Dammers dream was now a reality.

The single, that peaked at No.10 in the UK chart, was taken from the debut album simply titled 'Specials'. The album was full of favourites from the bands live set, featuring original tracks such as 'Concrete Jungle', 'It's Up To You', and 'Blank Expression', as well as a few Jamaican classics like Prince Buster's 'Too Hot' and the Maytals 'Monkey Man'. The production was again by Elvis Costello, who basically just let the band play live, and the raw, powerful sound suited the songs perfectly.

By the time that the album was released, the Specials had set out on a 40 date UK 2-Tone tour, that also featured the Selecter and Madness, who had now left 2-Tone and signed to Stiff records, the label that launched the career of Costello. A week in to the tour however, disaster struck.

At a gig at the Hatfield polytechnic on October 27th, during the Selecter's set, 30 or so men broke through the fire exit after being refused entry, and started slashing at people with razors. The trouble occured in a bar, seperate from where the band were playing, and unaware of the incident the Selecter carried on playing. Eventually 11 people were arrested, and 10 casualties taken to hospital. Unperturbed, both Madness and the Specials played their sets. The press however, quickly latched on to the racist element in the audience, blatanly ignoring the 2-Tone message of racial unity, and started painting all 2- Tone fans as fascist thugs.

It was true that members of racist organisations, such as the National Front, were trying to recruit at 2-Tone gigs, but overall it was a very small section of the crowd that subscribed to such views. The fact was that there were almost as many black memebers of 2-Tone bands as white, the music they played originated from the West Indies, and the 2-Tone black & white checks was an obvious symbol of unity. As the skinhead saying goes, "if you don't know your roots, it's time to hang up your boots". The bands quickly distanced them selves from the racist element, and continued with the tour.

After the tour, the Specials played their last gig of the '70's, the UNICEF charity concert at the Hammersmith Odeon. Also on the bill were acts such as the Who, Queen, Wings and Ian Dury. A live album of the event was also released, and the Specials featured with one track, 'Monkey Man'. A BBC camera crew had also followed the band around for the previous few months, and the fruits of their work was aired on the program Arena in January 1980.

The third Specials single was also released that January. The EP 'The Special A.K.A. Live!', was recorded at the Lyceum at the end of the last tour, and gave the band their first UK chart No.1. The lead track was a high energy version of 'Too Much Too Young', which had originally appeared in extended form on the debut album. The live version was vastly superior, and side 1 of the EP also featured a wicked version of 'Guns Of Naverone', with Rico Rodriguez leading on trombone and Neville adding some typical toasting. As if that wasn't enough to have all rude boys reaching for their wallets, the B side contained the tremendous 'Skinhead Symphony', a medley of 'Longshot Kick The Bucket', 'Liquidator' and 'Skinhead Moonstomp' recorded at Tiffany's night club in Coventry.

After conquering the UK, the Specials then set off to Europe, first Germany, and then Holland, before crossing the Atlantic for a brief tour of America. Rick Rogers had to be carful what hotels he booked the band into, Dammers hated anything too flash, and Rico insisted on 24 hour room service. The first stop was Hurrah's in New York, where the band went down a storm, despite arriving on stage 2 hours late, and the boys then supported the Police for a spell at the Paradise Ballroom, Boston.

The Specials then blew the Police off stage at the Warehouse in New Orleans, and continued to do the same at other gigs on the itinerary, much to the displeasure of Sting and Co. The gig at the Commodore Hotel, Seattle sold out in 24 hours, and there was the a 3 day residancy at the Whiskey A Go Go club in Los Angeles. Some bright spark had the notion of painting the club exterior in black & white checks, to which the owner agreed, but when Dammers saw the finished paint job, he went ballistic, taking it as a typical piece of American tack.

The arduous journeys between shows was beginning to have a derogatory affect on some band members and the last stop of the tour, at the Diplomat Hotel Ballroom on March 1st 1980, couldn't come quick enough. There was a lot of controversy over the inflated $10 ticket price, the result of New York promoter Ron Delsener's involment, and as a result sales were very slow.

This obviously upset some Specials fan, as a week before the gig, official looking posters started appearing around New York, which carried an apology, supposedly from the band, about the ticket fee. The poster also stated that 500 tickets had been put aside for those not so well off, and all they had to do was 'phone one of the four numbers listed. The numbers given were those of the booking agent, the head of Chrysalis, and Delsener's home and office number. They were inundated with calls over the folowing week.

After a brief recovery period back home, the band dragged their weary bones to Europe. At one well documented gig at the Pavillion in France, they were subjected to severe provocation from some Parisian skinheads, who threw beer cans and spat at the band. At one point Neville Staples dived in to the crowd and attacked one of the offending skins who had continually spat at him. Some English fans were also attacked, and the merchandise stall was robbed and destroyed.

May 1980 heralded the release of 'Rat Race', the bands fourth single, and the tenth on 2- Tone. The song, written by Roddy Radiation, was a sharp stab at students, and was coupled with 'Rude Buoys Outa Jail', a Lynval Golding/Horace Panter collaboration. The video for 'Rat Race' was banned by the BBC, apparentley because the sight of a toothless Jerry Dammers in skirt and wig was too upsetting for small children.

The band then set off on the 12 day Specials Seaside Tour, which saw latest 2-Tone signing the Bodysnatchers join them on the road. On June 5th, the second day of the tour, the bands played at the Sands Show bar in Skegness. During the Specials set, the customary crowd invasion of the stage ended in near disaster. The stage gave way under the weight, and it was a minor miracle that no one was injured.

The friction between Roddy Radiation and Jerry Dammers had reached an all time worst. At one gig, after a heated exchange, Roddy smashed his guitar over Dammers keyboards, and apparentley he tried to push Dammers over a cliff during a photo shoot for the Melody Maker. Manager Rick Rogers did his utmost to restore calm, and an uneasy peace was eventually reached, allowing the band to resume work on their second album.

Following an appearance on American TV's Saturday Night Live, the Specials headed off to Japan for a jaunt around the land of the rising sun. Controversy continued to court the band, however, and the Specials ended up being confined to their hotel room after the first show in Osaka. The show was at an all seated venue, and the audience was forbidden by law to leave their seats. The Specials soon had the crowd up dancing, much to the dismay of the stage manager who pleaded with Rick Rogers to halt the stage invasion thatw as taking place. The club manager threatened to pull the plug, and Rick Rogers stopped him. The police were called and Rogers and the promoter spent the night in the cells.

A second Osaka show was cancelled, but after much consideration, the rest of the tour went ahead, fortuantely without further incident. Shortly after their return to the UK, Lynval Golding was attacked after attending a Modettes gig at the Moonlight Club. The attack, by racist thugs, left Lynval needing hospital treatment, fortunately though, he was fit enough to fly out with the band to the Montreaux Pop Festival a few days later.

Part 1: Dawning Of New Era

July 1981, "Britain's nights of anarchy" erupted throughout cities up and down the country. London, Liverpool and Birmingham were amongst those to suffer the disturbances that resulted as a direct consequence of the Brixton riots in April, and further violence flared in South London a few days later.

TV coverage of these events was often accompanied by an eerie reggae based tune that seemed to relate directly to the images on screen. The song was of course 'Ghost Town', a UK chart No.1, and the last single by the most succesful line up of The Specials. By the time of these riots however, the band had collapsed. A stressful tour of America led to strained relations and constant bickering that eventually pulled the group limb from limb.

The group was the brainchild of one Gerald Dankey, better know to the world as The Specials toothless keyboardist Jerry Dammers, who had put the band together in 1978. Dammers, had served his apprenticeship in various bands on the Coventry scene since the early '70's, playing anything from soul to country & western music. With the arrival of punk, Jerry was inspired to try writing his own material, and evetually he started looking around to form a band to record a demo.

He enlisted the help of Neol Davis, a guitarist he knew from the Coventry scene, drummer Silverton Hutchinson, and a singer named Tim Strickland who he met in a Virgin record shop. The bass player was Horace Panter, whom Jerry new from his college days, where the two had produced an animation, which Panter added the reggae soundtrack to. Eventually the band took the name The Automatics, and Jamaican born Lynval Golding replaced Neol Davies on guitar.

The band played a mix of reggae and punk, that was not always well received by the audience. The most noteworthy event from this period was the band supporting Ultravox at Tiffany's night club, shortly before Tim Strickland left the microphone stand and headed into obscurity.

As chance had it, another Coventry band, The Squad, had just split, and Dammers remembered being impressed by their vocalist, 18 year old Terry Hall. Before long Hall was the offical voice of the Automatics, and the bands ranks were swelled further with the recruitment of lead guitarist Roddy Byers. Byers, who had previously played in his own band The Wild Boys, was inspired by the punk uprising to take the pseudonym Roddy Radiation, and his spikey hair, leather jacket and Doc Martens image was also a hang over from that period.

Dammers had met Roddy in a club called the Domino, and after much beer had been consumed, he talked Byers into going to London the next day to record a demo. Roddy was awoken the following morning from his hangover by the sound of Dammers wrapping at his door. Eventually Byers recovered enough to join the band, and they set off to the bright lights in search of fame and fortune. They found neither.In London, the band recorded a demo tape, and also filled a support slot at the Marquee in Charing Cross Road, but, short of cash, they had to borrow a tenner to get home.

Dammers sent a copy of the demo tape to John Peel at Radio 1, and also left a copy with a 'friend' of Johnny Rotten. After the demise of the Sex Pistols, Dammers had the idea of inviting Rotten to join The Automatics, but the demo tape never reached him, instead, it eventually fell into the hands of Bernie Rhodes, the manager of The Clash.

Rhodes set up a meeting with Dammers, and the eventual outcome was that The Automatics were given a support slot on The Clash's On Parole tour. At this point another band emerged who were using the same Automatics moniker, and as they had already secured a record deal, Dammers and co. had to change their name, first to The Coventry Automatics, then to The Special A.K.A. The Automatics. Eventually, The Automatics part was dropped all together, it was only tagged on the end to let those who already knew of the band exactly who The Specials were.

The tour was not a success for the band, their awkard mix of punk and reggae was not well received by the punk audience, and they were only being paid £25 by Rhodes, although this was later doubled on the insistence of The Clash. At one gig in Leeds, roadie Neville Staples started toasting along as Jerry played a version of The Maytals 'Monkey Man' on the keyboard. Staples was invited to add his chanting to the song on stage that night, and from then on became a permanent member of the band.

After the Clash tour, Rhodes took the band to London for 6 months, and then sent them away to France for a short period. On their return, Dammers sat up one night at Rhodes rehearsal room in Chalk Farm , and composed the song 'Gangsters' on Joe Strummers guitar. The song was based around Prince Buster's 'Al Capone' riff, and was a stab at people like Rhodes , and the music biz in general. The group were still struggling financially, and Rhodes didn't seem to be making much of an effort to promote them. Eventually, enough was enough for drummer Silverton Hutchinson, he had a family and mortgage to consider, and decided to head back to Coventry. The rest of the band soon followed.

Back in Coventry, the band found a practice room in the back of a pub, and set about knocking their sound into shape with regular rehearsals. Hutchinson, however, was often absent due to his search for regular employment, and eventually he parted company with the band. As luck had it, Dammers just happened to have a flat mate who was pretty mean with the drum sticks, and so John Bradbury was invited to sit in on a temporary basis.

Another reason for Silverton's departure was Dammers interest in mixing ska to the Specials ingrediant. Hutchinson saw himself as a reggae drummer, and didn't see any point in playing the long defunct Jamaican blend of r&b. It proved to be a masterstroke on Dammers behalf, however, and for the first time The Specials sound really came together. The final piece in the jigsaw was the bands image. On the Clash tour, he noticed that many punks were turning to the skinhead movement, with a worrying trend towards facism. Dammers liked the image, and thought the best way to eliminate the facist element would be to infiltrate their ranks, rather than preach to them from a podium.

Fed up with the treatment dished out by Bernie Rhodes, Dammers dream was to have his own record label, and with the bands music and image in place, he set about designing what was to become the famous 2-Tone records logo. Taking a picture of Peter Tosh from the cover of the Studio 1 'Wailing Wailers' album, Dammers traced the image, amended it to suit his needs and then added some black and white checks. The image became known as Walt Jabsco, and featured on the custom sleeve for all future releases on 2-Tone.

Scraping together money from family and friends, the band set about making their first 'professional' recording, which was aided further by a donation of £700 from a local business man. A no holds barred version of 'Gangsters' was duly recorded, to which Neville Staples added the "Bernie Rhodes knows, don't argue" introduction, but this left the band short of anything to put on the B side.

As luck would have it, John Bradbury, who was now permanatley seated behind the Specials drum kit, had recorded an instrumental with former guitarist Neol Davis a few years earlier. This was dusted off, remixed, titled 'The Selecter' and pressed up on the flip of 'Gamgsters'

MISSING WORDS - THE SELECTER - TT10

Missing Words
The Selecter



UK
2 Tone
CHS TT10
7"
Released: 29 March 1980


A side
Missing Words

B side
Carry Go Bring Come

This was the bands third and last single for the label. It is a slightly different mix from the version which appears on the album Too Much Pressure. The album was released in February 1980 but only five months later the band decided to leave 2 Tone. They thought the label had lost direction and had grown out of control, so they severed links with the label and signed directly to Chrysalis Records.

The b-side is a live version of the Justin Hinds song 'Carry Go Bring Come' which was recorded at Tiffanys in Coventry on the same night that The Specials recorded The Skinhead Symphony.

The track was also promoted with a video, something that up until then had only been afforded to The Specials.

LET'S DO ROCK STEADY - THE BODYSBATCHERS - TT9

Let's Do Rock Steady
The Bodysnatchers




UK
2 Tone
CHS TT9
7"
Released: 15 March 1980


A side
Let's Do Rock Steady

B side
Ruder Than You

After only their second gig The Bodysnatchers were offered a support slot with The Selecter and 4 months later they were in the national charts with this spirited cover of an old Dandy Livingstone song.

Bass player Nicky Summer was the main instigator behind the band and had the idea of forming an all female band after attending a Specials gig at the Hope and Anchor in London. She recruited 5 other musicians who were either just learning to play their instruments or "learning to play as they went along". Vocalist Rhoda Dakar was spotted at a Selecter gig and joined the band to complete the line up.

This was one of the frequent double A sides on the label and Ruder Than You proved to be as equally worthy as the title track.

THREE MINUTE HERO - THE SELECTER - TT8

Three Minute Hero
The Selecter



UK
2 Tone
CHS TT8
7"
Released: 20 February 1980


A side
Three Minute Hero

B side
James Bond

This, the bands second single for the label was released to promote their debut album Too Much Pressure. The only 2 Tone band not to have a brass section used session sax player Joe Reynolds for a brief solo during the track, a track which by no coincidence clocked in at exactly three minutes long. It got an average review from the critics and had the lowest chart position for the label since The Prince with both reaching number 16 in the national chart. For the singles B side the band strayed away from the labels tradition of covering old ska and reggae tracks and opted for a version the James Bond theme.

TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG - THE SPECIAL AKA - TT7

Too Much Too Young
The Special AKA



UK
2 Tone
CHS TT7
7"
Released: 26 January 1980


A side
Too Much Too Young
Guns Of Navarone

B side
Longshot Kick The Bucket
Liquidator
Skinhead Moonstomp

Released at a time when 2 Tone could do no wrong, this 5 track EP became the labels first UK Number 1 single. Recorded at The Lyceum in London and Tiffanys in Coventry, it was also issued as the labels first picture sleeve and for some strange reason saw the band revert to their previous name of The Special A.K.A.. Why they reverted back to this title remains a mystery and the plot is only further complicated by the listing of the band as The Specials on the records labels. The sleeve has a photograph of an audience on the front and a favourable report from the Coventry Evening Telegraph on the band as its rear. . It was also the first 2 Tone release to fall foul of the censors. The final line of Too Much Too Young , "Try wearing a cap", proved too much for the nations moral guardians and the song was deliberately cut short before the offending word "cap" was broadcast.

The title is an arrangement of the Lloyd Charmers track Birth Control, with the line "Oh, no don't gimme no more pickney" lifted directly form it (pickney is JA slang for child) and is backed by further covers of Skatilites, Pioneers, Harry J Allstars and Symarip tracks. A few critics at the time where expressing some doubts about the originality of 2 Tone material and to a certain extent they had a point. Taking in to account this EP, 2 Tone had so far released a total of 15 tracks over 6 7" singles and an amazing 10 of these tracks were either arrangements, interpretations or straight covers of other artists material. And if you include the Elvis Costello single, which had the original catalogue number used for Too Much Too Young, then that total increases yet again. But at the end of the day its what the fans thought that counted and at the bargin price of £1.05 they put the EP at the Number One spot for 2 weeks and even bought reissues of the originals in sufficient quantities to place them at the lower end of the national charts.

The EP was also released in France as a 2 track single wth Guns Of Navarone on the b side and in both Germany and Japan as a 12" with the same track listing as the UK 7" release. The UK 7" Promo has only 2 tracks on it, Too Much Too Young on the A side and Skinhead Moonstomp on the B side.


The following is a piece which has kindly been submitted by audience member Simon Joyce who appeared in the photograph used for the sleeve. Simon is in the bottom left of the photo wearing a trilby hat.

"I think I can solve the mystery of where the photo was taken. It was at the Lyceum, taken by Jerry Dammers, but not at a Specials gig. I'm fairly certain it was actually at a Selecter show there (I think it was one with early supporting appearances by the Beat and UB40), because I remember Jerry D taking photos from the stage -- this must have been a few months before TMTY was released. Because I used to work in a very narrow record shop on weekends (I was still in school then) I was always good at finding my way to the front of the stage -- that's me with the hat on in the bottom left hand corner, while my best friend of the time, Chas, is about 12 rows back in the middle, so you can barely make him out. Somehow another friend of mine recognised my picture even before the single was released, from a small reproduction in the NME when it was "single of the week." And since then, I've bought and lost or given away far too many copies of the damned thing.

One regret, though, is that an enormous skinhead (at least, that's how I remember him) stole the hat I was wearing as soon as I got outside the gig, and I think it was the first and only time I ever got to wear it!."

I CAN'T STAND UP FOR FALLING DOWN - ELVIS COSTELLO - TT7

I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
Elvis Costello



UK
2 Tone
CHS TT7
7"


A side
I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down

B side
Girls Talk

According to Record Collector (No 91): " Costello had been signed to Radar in 1978, via a licensing deal from Riviera Global Productions. Radar collapsed towards the end of 1979, and so Elvis's manager Jake Riviera alighted upon the Specials' 2-Tone label as an ideal venue for a holding operation - a one-off single - until Elvis sorted out a deal for the Get Happy!! album. WEA, who had distributed Radar, were less than delighted: they felt they had a stake in Costello's career by virtue of the success of the records they had distributed for him, and so they obtained a court injunction to stop the 2-Tone single being sold.

By March '80, the situation was clarified: F-Beat was set up by Riviera as an independent company, but WEA continued to distribute their records. In the meantime, there were several thousand 2-Tone singles to dispose of. These were handed out free to the audience at a London's Rainbow Theatre gig. Several months later, Riviera pressed up a few thousand more of the 2-Tone singles, and these were given away at London and US gigs".

Of the 2 versions pressed one simply has CHSTT7 on the run out groove and the other has both the F-Beat number XX 1 and 2 separate 2 Tone numbers, CHSTT7 and CHSTT8. The latter (CHSTT8) is crossed out. Both versions are highly sought after and are the number 1 UK 2 Tone rarity, with either version commanding a high price. And in keeping with 2 Tone tradition the A side of the single was a cover version. This time it was the old Sam and Dave soul number that got the 2 Tone treatment.

TEARS OF A CLOWN - THE BEAT TT6

Tears Of A Clown
The Beat



UK
2 Tone
CHS TT6
7"
Released: 08 December 1979


A side
Tears Of A Clown

B side
Ranking Full Stop

This, The Beat's one and only single for the label, is a cover of the old Smokey Robison classic. The band had came to the attention of Jerry Dammers via a support slot for The Selecter. Dammers quickly spotted potential in the band and they agreed to release a single on the label. They were considering releasing a single for some time so they jumped at the chance of a deal with 2 Tone.

A recording session in Coventry produced an early version of the song which no one was entirely happy with it so they relocated to London to re-record the song. Mirror in The Bathroom was the original choice for a single but the band were less than impressed with contract with Chrysalis and didn't like the idea of handing 2 original songs over to the label so they opted for a cover and one original track* as the lesser of the 2 evils. Chrysalis soon lost interest in the band when they discovered that they had no plans to stay with 2 Tone and a scheduled appearance on Top Of The Pops was only brought to their attention by accident.

John Peel was so impressed by the band that he swapped his Djing fee for the bands performance fee when they play on the same bill at Birmingham’s Aston University. He also said of Ranking Full Stop that it was ‘a song guaranteed to fill any dance floor’.

The band later signed a deal with Asrtia Records , who give them a label with its own distinctive name and logo (Go-Feet). The deal also give them the option to release records by other bands and even went as far as pressing initial copies of singles on a paper label and later ones on a grey plastic label. Sound familiar?.

*Although Ranking Full Stop is credited as an original track, it's obvious that the band were quite generous with their interpretation of the Laurel Aitken 'rude reggae' classic, Pussy Price

A MESSAGE TO YOU RUDY - THE SPECIALS (Featuring RICO) - TT5

A Message To You Rudy
The Specials (Featuring Rico)




UK
2 Tone
CHS TT5
7"
Released: 27 October 1979


A side
A Message To You Rudy

B side
Nite Klub

Released to promote the bands first album this was a straight cover of the old Dandy Livingstone classic. This single saw the band expanded to a 9 piece with the addition of a brass section in the shape of Dick Cuthell and Jamaican trombone legend Rico Rodriguez. Rico was an ex pupil of the famous Alpha Cottage School in Jamaica. Among others who attended the school were Tommy McCook, Don Drummond and Lester Stirling.

This single was the one of the many double A sides released on the label. On the flip of the title track was the live favourite 'Nite Klub' which included backing vocals by Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, who a few years previously planned to marry Sid Vicious in an attempt to gain British citizenship!. Nite Klub was actually intended as the bands first single but the band "couldn't get the vibe quite right" and opted for Gangsters instead.

ON MY RADIO - THE SELECTER - TT4

On My Radio
The Selecter



UK
2 Tone
CHS TT4
7"
Released: 13 October 1979


A side
On My Radio

B side
Too Much Pressure

If yet another 2 Tone legend is to be believed Neol Davies put together a band in a mere 3 weeks with some help from Lynval Golding. Recruiting musicians from various reggae and soul bands he formed The Selecter, which up until then didn't actually exist as a band. Vocals were added in the form of ex radiographer, Pauline Vickers.

Pauline adopted the name Black to avoid any embarrassing situations when she sneaked off work to play gigs and has used the name ever since. This, their first of 3 singles for the label, got a welcome boost in sales by the success of the first Two Tone Tour, which played it's first date on October 19th 1979 at Brightons Top Rank.

The recording session for this single produced a third track, ‘Street Feeling’ which was to appear on the band's debut album.

THE PRINCE - MADNESS - TT3

The Prince
Madness



UK
2 Tone
CHS TT3
7"
Released: 01 September 1979


A side
The Prince

B side
Madness

Based loosely on Prince Busters 'Earthquake' this track was taken from a session recorded at the tiny Pathway Studios in Highbury, London. The other 2 tracks recorded were the b side, Madness, and a version of My Girl (with Barso on vocals) which was to remain under wraps until later in the bands career. Barso also performed vocals on a version of Bed and Breakfast Man recorded for the John Peel Show (broadcast 27 August 1979).

Jerry Dammers first became aware of the band via graffiti sprayed on walls in North London referring to "Chalky Suggs". They handed Jerry Dammers a demo tape and although he was impressed he said it "was a mess and that no other label would have signed them". Dammers, who affectionately called them a "bunch of chancers" gladly offered them a deal with the label for a one off single.

GANGSTERS -THE SPECIAL AKA vs THE SELECTER - TT1/TT2

Gangsters
The Special AKA Vs The Selecter



UK
2 Tone
TT1/TT2
7"
Released: 28 July 1979


A side
Gangsters

B side
The Selecter

Having been rejected by numerous record companies The Specials decided to release a self-financed single. If the legend is to be believed the single was recorded for a mere £700 financed by a ‘sort of’ local businessman by the name of ‘Jimbo’. It is said that a piano part on the track took up most of the studio time and as a result only one track, Gangsters, was recorded.

Needing a b-side the band turned to an instrumental track Noel Davis had recorded two years previously in 1977 with drummer John Bradbury and trombonist, Barry Jones. Originally titled ‘The Kingston Affair’ the track got a slight reworking and was re-titled The Selecter. The track also came complete with it's own unique catalogue number, which may seem unusual but was actually quite common with old ska and reggae singles.

The single was initially distributed via Rough Trade Records, who persuaded the band to produce 5000 copies, twice what the band had originally intended. The single was issued a plain white sleeve stamped by the band themselves with the words THE SPECIAL A.K.A 'Gangsters' Vs THE SELECTER. The band then signed to Chrysalis Records, who were more than happy to sign both The Specials and the 2 Tone label. Chrysalis pressed up more copies of the single in the now familiar 2 Tone sleeve resulting in a top 10 hit and the biggest selling independent single of the year.

Original Specials drummer Silverton Hutchinson had left the band just prior to the recording of Gangsters and was replaced by John Bradbury, and as a result Bradbury was the only person to play on both sides of the labels debut single

J Lo and Scooter

1950s LAMBRETTA LD

A stylistic icon of the scooter age



They started as cheap post-World War II transportation in Italy, became a youth fashion accessory in the 1960s, then died out in the 1970s.


We’re talking classic Italian scooters, of course, and the two biggest names were Vespa and Lambretta. But while they both sprouted from similar roots, the two companies took markedly different approaches to creating a scooter, as evidenced by this Lambretta LD 150.

Introduced in 1951-’52, six years after the company started producing scooters to provide basic transportation in post-war Europe, the LD line bridged Lambretta’s early form-follows-function years and its later success as a stylistic icon of the Jet Set age.

In contrast to Vespa’s pressed-steel monocoque frame design, Lambrettas were built around a single, large-diameter tube that started at the steering head, ran below the rider’s feet, then curved up to run above the rear-mounted motor.

The LD, the “lusso” or luxury version of the 125cc L, was among the first models to feature side-panel engine covers, which gave the scooter a more sculpted look. And that swoopy, stylish, all-encompassing bodywork quickly turned heads, becoming an instant classic.

Flowing cleanly from the wide front legshields to the stylized, kidney-shaped engine covers, the bodywork defined the Lambretta look. Though tweaked in the years that followed, the overall theme remained through the 1970s, and has become synonymous with the marque.

The LDs eventually grew to 150cc, like this 1957 model, and paved the way for the wildly popular TV, LI and SX models of the1960s. Through those years, the engine would grow, the vertical cylinder would turn horizontal, the engine covers would get more rounded, shaft drive would be replaced by chain, and scootering would become a full-on youth movement in Europe (as seen in the movie “Quadrophenia”).

By the early 1970s, though, style—however iconic—wasn’t enough. Faced with stiff competition from Japanese brands, full-on motorcycles and youth riders who had aged out of the scooter craze, the Lambretta factory ultimately shut its doors in 1972.

Scootergirls 4

PUBLIC WARNING - SOV'S IN TOWN!!

Only a few female MCs have ever broken through hip-hop's male-dominance. Missy Elliott managed to do it, so did Eve and more recently M.I.A., Lady Sovereign might be next.

The 19-year-old from Wembley, London is the first U.K. grime artist to be signed to Def Jam. As such, Sovereign's looking up to artists like Elliott, who paved the way for women in hip-hop to do whatever they want.

"She's always been doing her own thing," affirms Lady Sovereign. She sings, she raps, she produces, and she's got her own clothing line. I just think she's sick."

But Sovereign also owes a great deal to her parents, who she describes as "proper punks."

"There was always music around me growing up," Sovereign recalls. "My dad listened to punk rock, ska and reggae, and my mom listened to hip-hop and drum 'n' bass, so I picked up on every kind of music."

Because U.K. hip-hop wasn't popular when Sovereign was younger, she first fell in love with the infectious bass-driven beats of two-step garage. But that's not why she started MCing.

"Half of it was boredom, to be honest," Sovereign admits. "I wasn't going to school, I was staying home and that's when I could turn up the music and just try things out. One day I was just sitting there and it was like it just came out. I never tried to do anything. It's like I just got my voice, I got my flow and the confidence came with it."

Sovereign's confidence level is so high that she doesn't need to meticulously rehearse her flow. That would probably just screw everything up.

"I prefer to just go in the studio and do it there because I can just let it out the way the flow comes out," Sovereign says.

While Sovereign's Vertically Challenged EP � with songs like "Random," "Ch-Ching" and "9 To 5" � showcases her cheeky, quick-rhyming style, it's only a prelude to what you'll hear on her Def Jam album.

"The reason for putting that EP out is just to show people, you know, like this is how I started," Sovereign explains. "When the full-length comes out I just want them to see how I've evolved."

The Basement Jaxx-produced single, "Hoodie," is probably the most lyrically tight song on Vertically Challenged. But since Sovereign wrote it to, as she says, "stick up for the hoodie," it's also the most controversial.

"That song is about my fashion sense, what I like, and how people look at me the wrong way. But it's also about what I don't like and how I look at people," Sovereign says.

While hoodies are no big deal in Canada, that's not the case in England. Kids who wear them are labeled and banned from shopping malls. Naturally, the hoodie-wearing Lady Sovereign is a little pissed off about this.

"The hoodie ain't going to come alive overnight and strangle some person," Sovereign argues. "I've always worn a hoodie all my life... I don't care what anyone says, everyone owns a hoodie and they're trying to criminalize it just to make it associated with crime, but that's not the case."

Lady Sovereign's campaign to "save the hoodie," proves that she's one feisty teenager who's not about to let anyone categorize her as just another cliche disaffected youth.

"I don't really care what people say as long as it's not way off the mark," Sovereign says. "I'm just Sovereign. I'm doing what I'm doing... I'm willing to do anything as long as it's different and weird and quirky. That's me."