Hey You Rude Boy! It's the Two Tone and related thread (release by release).

I don't think I have ever heard that before and I am a massive Bowie fan, I don't suppose you can remember when it was said?

 

OK, time for the real CHS TT7!

Can you believe we have had all these releases yet the Specials had so far had only released 2 singles? It's their label, you would think they would have been slamming them out. Anyway, it is January 11 1980, and entering the charts is the SPECIAL AKA LIVE!. The first release of them, or their peers to hit that coveted number one spot, and stayed in the charts for 10 weeks.
An EP of live music, the first live single to hit number one since Chuck Berry's My Ding A Ling, in 1972.
The main track was a spirited live version of Too Much Too Young, abandoning the dub second half, and performed at a much faster tempo. Too Much Too Young by the way was inspired by the song Birth Control by Lloyd Chalmers, hence his writing credit.


The other tracks were all Ska classics, Guns Of Navarone, Long Shot Kick The Bucket, Liquidator and Skinhead Moonstomp. You can find all the original versions easily on Youtube.



I think this release coincided with Two Tone being at the beginning of its' peak of popularity, which is why this got to the top rather than any of the other tracks, deservedly, but nevertheless surprising for a live EP. Great way to start the new year though.

 

Guns Of Navarone.

 

Skinhead Symphony
Longshot Kick The Bucket, Liquidator, Skinhead Moonstomp.

 

I love that last video, really shows the fun that went on at their concerts with them all up on stage at the end.

 

The story has been around for years, and I don't know where I first heard it - However, reaching for my copy of Terry Edwards book on One Step Beyond, page 31 tells us that David Bowie admitted this factoid to producer Clive Langer "a few years later."

 

That "Longshot" clip really is awesome. I was always so bummed that I never had a chance to see them in their heyday, and when they reunited I was super skeptical (as I am about almost all reunited bands), but my wife convinced me that we should go. It was the most fun I have had at a show since I was a teenager. That was the initial reunion tour when they had everyone except Jerry, and the entire place was dancing just like the video. I'm sure they are still fun now, but I don't think I want to see them without Roddy, John, and Neville too.

 

So true! Although, it shows that they were trying to give a 'leg up' to others who had the same intentions as them, and not just musically. They certainly succeeded in allowing the other signings a very fair chance and the hits did come for them of course.

Until I got another copy of this around 15 years ago, I didn't even know it was released in a picture sleeve... thinking that it was some sort of rarity! But then my copy was one I acquired via usual means (a swap, trade or otherwise from one of my brothers) so I might not even have seen any copies of it in the shops at the time. There was SO much good stuff out there - as you said a few pages back - it was easy to miss something - great LPs and singles were almost flying out, almost to an overwhelming extent.

At the risk of repeating my thoughts on the live version of TMTY, it certainly wasn't something I was used to heard being played at breakneck speed - know the LP like the back of my hand. Room for both versions though, I now say!

Best thing for me here was not only having a taster of them playing live but these other 'new' tracks into the bargain. Just something extra, to play and play... and play again.

 

I remember watching/recording their appearance at Glastonbury 2009 - thinking at first "I might as well... could be ok..." OK?? I played it back dozens of times.

When they started up songs like Rat Race (which has always been a very favourite single of theirs) my face must have been a right picture! And all I could think to myself was "What are they going to do now? It's like they've never been gone... They have to keep this going somehow..."

I don't think I could have been more pleased, after seeing them include this in the set.



And I've still not seen them, live. Missed a couple of chances...

 

CHS TT8 is another really strong classic, Three Minute Hero by The Selector. Backed by James Bond. This single got to number 16, in the charts for only 6 weeks, entering the chart on 2 Feb 1980. Quite a disappointing chart position, considering the last few releases by the movement got top 10. Should have been a bigger hit, a storming single which keeps strictly to the timing in the title. The Bside is a version of the James Bond theme. Not sure what it was about James Bond, but so many songs from the Ska movement mention him, there's this one, Sock It To Them JB which the Specials Covered and then there's 007, which was covered by the Bodysnatchers (who we are still waiting to hear from.

 

James Bond

 

Three weeks later on Feb 23, The Selecter release their debut album, Too Much Pressure, 2 Tone CDL TT 5002 and the album got to number 8 in the charts.
In The US, On My Radio was added to the album too.



Side One

1. "Three Minute Hero" [3:00]
2. "Time Hard" (aka "Everyday") (Derrick Crooks, Jackie Robinson, George Agard) [3:10]
3. "They Make Me Mad" (Pauline Black, Desmond Brown) [2:47]
4. "Missing Words" [3:22]
5. "Danger" (Selecter) [2:38]
6. "Street Feeling" [3:11]
7. "My Collie (Not A Dog)" (Robert Spencer, Johnny Roberts) [2:45]

Side Two

1. "Too Much Pressure" [3:48]
2. "Murder" (Leon & Owen) [2:39]
3. "Out On The Streets" [4:28] – mistakenly listed as 3:28 on the vast majority of releases
4. "Carry Go Bring Home" (Justin Hinds) [3:02]
5. "Black and Blue" (Pauline Black) [3:17]
6. "James Bond" (Monty Norman) [2:16]
   
   

 

I was amused to notice the time of this track - it didn't register at first, you could say! But oddly, I've seen it noted at 2.59 somewhere - that must have been someone's sense of humour, I assume...

It does sound like they are trying to cram everything in to the allotted time - which is no bad thing IMO; gives it a sense of urgency and almost anxiety as some of the lyrics explain. Very effective and sticks in the mind.

 

I like this as much as the 'a-side'... the so-well-known guitar 'riff' (perhaps the most used and well know, ever) was almost made for a ska beat.

As you mentioned it was a theme (literally) that was revisited in a few tunes of this nature, I think that between this and the Specials Sock It To 'Em JB... I'd easily chose this one.

Never really been a fan of the films (where's that hiding under a chair emoticon? ) but this track is ultra-cool, IMO!

 

The two track "juke box" version 7" Too Much Too Young/Skinhead Moonstomp was also easily available, I bought it in Boots or Woolworths IIRC

 

Bought this on cassette, not long after release. Interestingly (I think) the 'shell' was white plastic on one side and black on the other. Never seen another like that and would dearly love to find another copy one day.

Then years later I got a copy of the LP - which like many of these things is constantly escalating in price and not that easy to find in the places I visit. So what I did, was to buy a recent reissue of it - signed by Pauline and 'Gaps'. It's on white/black splatter vinyl which doesn't concern me too much but is something a bit different for the collection, I suppose. And it's the US tracklisting.



I'd say this is far less quirky than the releases (so far) by The Specials & Madness - as mentioned some way back, they were more straightforward ska.

That's not to say that it's not really varied... I think it is. Quite a few tracks ended up on singles as either A or B sides but that wasn't an uncommon thing to do, especially a few years later. So I don't think it dilutes the album at all.

The track Out On The Streets is always in my head for days, every time I hear it again. I will have to play this album again, very soon!

 

I clearly forgot about that one:

The Specials - Too Much Too Young

Yet another for me to find!

 

Yes it lacks the humourous observational lyrics of Madness and the chaotic vitality of The Specials but is great because it does have that air of authenticity about it. The Selecter seemed a lot more serious but that’s to their benefit. As I mentioned before all of the main players brought their own style and attitude to the movement. None of the acts so far mentioned were bandwagon jumpers, they meant it. Got to love that.

 

The late 70s and early 80s were great times for new music in the UK. Two-Tone was just one of many trends that lasted a year or two then sputtered. No problem, something else was always coming along and there was always John Peel on the radio, The Old Grey Whistle Test and The Tube on TV to fall back on, wonderful times.

If you want to hear the Specials at their best I highly recommend the BBC John Peel recordings, those sessions have a bit more bounce than the studio recordings, unfortunately I see the used CD is going for $200 at Amazon, I suppose that's a sign of how good it is.

We went on honeymoon to Turks & Caicos in 95, the Caribbean bartender at the pool bar had never heard of the Specials, so off I went to my room to retrieve my Specials CDs. The bartender played them poolside while we were eating lunch each afternoon, everyone luvved it.

 

Great mention of John Peel Show.
Who remembers this tune?


There are great BBC SESSIONS out by all the major Two Tone acts, shame some of them aren’t more accessible to people, the Specials, as you say is very expensive now.

Um did you play “Stupid Marriage” on your honeymoon?

 

Following on from above. 10pm on a weekdays in the 70s and 80s were the best. A place where you would hear songs and bands you wouldn’t hear elsewhere for the main part. It wasn’t always great but it was always interesting.
Raise a glass to John Peel!

 

I've just been playing the album again and was reminded of something that always strikes me - how melodic the songs are... the backing/harmony vocals help in that respect and of course, people do like to hear a good tune and singing too. Not every song was deadly serious of course... the big exceptions are the obvious James Bond which has already come up and My Collie, which on a.. err... recreational subject that naturally crops up in a lot of reggae and ska - not that rock music avoids it at all. For those who don't know what in the world I'm harping on about here:

So I think they could have a bit of fun with the listener and not have it sound 'forced'...

 

I could never forget it - or at least the first few seconds we got to hear without it fading behind John's voice. I did not know who it was by though and never did think to look! At one time I thought it was a version on Bill Dogett's Honky Tonk (which we had the single of at home when I was little.) It was great to hear that intro start after the hourly 'pips' time-signal and see the time flip over to 22:00 on the clock radio by my bed. Boring old Radio 2 was relegated to Medium Wave (AM) where it belonged*, for a couple of hours with Radio 1 borrowing their VHF (FM) frequencies until midnight. If I was lucky, I could get to hear it somewhere in stereo and a few years down the line, I could record some of it onto a blank C90 cassette on my 'ghetto blaster'! This is the sort of thing that a lot of us over here did and it certainly stays with you.

I'm sure that they released the Radio 1 broadcast of a Madness gig I recorded to cassette in the very early 80s is the one that appears on disc two of the 2010 Salvo issue of their second album, which we're not far off getting to. And then there are four Peel Session tracks on the 2009 Salvo of OSB. I don't have any of the 'deluxes' following those (I keep meaning to change that...) But I know the 2CDer of the next (Madness 7) has session tracks as well and likely later ones will too.

YES. Everything sessions-wise (and broadcast live recordings) should be readily available of all these acts!!


*Totally different these days - I'd not go near R1 but now R2 plays a load of 70s, 80s & 90s...

 

Not just in the UK/US but with tv going digital and so many different 'platforms' to choose from, a lot of tv is now made as cheaply as possible... it does seem to me like it's too much trouble to go to, to have music shows on other than talent contests. And channels that invite people to text to chose from a sort of video jukebox. I know talent shows are popular and always have been since tv was in its earlyish days so I'm not hoping to start off a discussion there... However, where has the 'variety' gone? Too much of the same now I fear... things so 'generic' that I only watch DVDs and You Tube now - going to the cinema occasionally. I feel that these shows dying off has played a part in music being seen ever moreso as 'soundbites' and even of a minority interest to some. I tell people my record collecting and enthusiasm is a hobby - not that I care too much but it goes deeper than that and it's about the only way for the vast majority of people to understand it. But then I DID grow up with all the shows you mention - and a lot more.

 

I can imagine them going down well - especially the More Specials album... thinking Holiday Fortnight and Enjoy Yourself.