Two Tone Britain

[A Passing Turk Slipper]

There's a program tonight on Channel 4 at eleven that might interest any two tone fans here:

Twenty-five years ago a new music burst dramatically into the lives of a generation. Born into a turbulent time of strikes, unemployment and race riots, the music was synonymous with one record label - Two Tone. In two years it had become not just a new music, but a movement. This is the story of how Two Tone, in drawing its musical influences from Jamaican ska and reggae, provided multi-cultural Britain with a soundtrack and an identity for the first time. Along with the stories of band members of The Specials, Madness and The Selecter, Two Tone Britain hears from people whose lives were changed by their contact with this music, including film director Gurinder Chadha and TV presenter Rajan Dattar. Writer/ Prod: Dave Rimmer; Dir: Jason Collier; Exec Prods: Mike Christie, Mike Smith; Prod Co: Carbon Media, Princess Productions

Looks alright. I'm a big Specials and Madness fan as well as liking a few less obvious ska bands (well, in comparison to Madness) so I'm looking forward to the footage in this.
Edit: (Are we allowed to do 'heads up' or should this be in the Verbwhore radio times thread? I thought it might go here but just remembered that GD thread, please lock this if I've been an idiot.)

[The Mumbler]

Dave Rimmer used to be a writer for Smash Hits and The Face in the early 80s.  He also wrote a book about Culture Club and the New Romantic wave, the title of which escapes me now.  Hadn't heard of his whereabouts for many years.

Hope it's good, although Dammers isn't involved, apparently.  I wonder if Terry Hall is - he didn't talk about The Specials for years until Q did their overpriced 2-Tone special a few months back.  Quite a good interview, though.

I'll be watching.  If it's good, it'll break Princess Productions' duck for making a decent programme.

[petercussing]

Yay. I set a reminder on this a couple of days ago.

Terry Hall best be on it, the reclusive, but fantastic and excellently pricipled bastard.

I'm going to put on a really tight suit and say i hate Madness to celebrate.

[Divnee Gan]

Everyone's talking about the great times they had at the gigs but Garry Bushells just talking so matter of fact about it. The cunt.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

He also wrote a book about Culture Club and the New Romantic wave, the title of which escapes me now.  

'When Cameras Go Crazy' wasn't it?

I always get very jealous of the participants in docs like this - I'd love to discover and be excited by  a whole new genre of music which 'really spoke for my generation'. What do I have - fucking Franz Ferdinand?

[The Mumbler]

Bushell was a fairly early 2-Tone enthusiast when he was at Sounds in the late 70s.  Although Adrian Thrills at the NME, say, was a huge fan, and never saw Oi! or The Sun as an obvious step, so he might have been better.

Disappointingly thin, I felt.  It tried to tackle both race and music and an hour was nothing like enough to try and do one, let alone both.  While the reminiscences of the director of Bend It Like Beckham may have seemed interesting before the final cut was compiled, I wasn't convinced that she demanded more screen time than, say, Neville Staples or Rhoda Dakar (both of whose names were misspelt for some reason).  It was a shame that Dakar's upsetting, brilliant single "The Boiler" wasn't mentioned  - a late-period 2-Tone milestone.  

Dammers and Hall's absence was missed greatly by this viewer.  I'm not sure the reality of what The Specials were came across in this.

[Divnee Gan]

Aww ELLW10. Do the punk thing and make a new scene then. :)

I was going to post a link for an old Overseer track that samples Too Much Too Young by The Specials but Yahoo Breifcase is being a twat. Never mind it's not exactly an amazing track anyway.

[The Mumbler]

He also wrote a book about Culture Club and the New Romantic wave, the title of which escapes me now.  

'When Cameras Go Crazy' wasn't it?

I always get very jealous of the participants in docs like this - I'd love to discover and be excited by  a whole new genre of music which 'really spoke for my generation'. What do I have - fucking Franz Ferdinand?

I think that was it!  Although he wrote another one a little bit later - phrased a bit like that Frankie one - "...And Suddenly There Came A Bang!".  Can't think.

Obviously I was too young to go to 2-Tone gigs, but I was spoiled by all the bands being in the top twenty.  In early 1980, Madness, The Specials, The Selecter and The Beat were all there, and all were great.  The Beat may be one of the most underrated bands of that era.  

The Specials even seemed to have big hits with the most unlikely material, regardless of how little the radio played them.  I'm not sure whether "Stereotype" was actually banned by Radio 1 - I never heard it at the time - but this compelling tale of alcohol, violence and VD somehow got to number six in the singles charts.  Seems incredible now.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Is the lyric of Ghost Town 'This town is 'coming like a ghost town' (ie, 'becoming like', as in turning into) or is 'coming like' (without the apostrophe) as in 'hurtling towards me'? Always wondered.

It's unquestionably better to live in a world of downloads and Google and instant information and DVD extras and all the rest of it, but does anyone else feel vaguely envious of/nostalgic for a time when life was so stifling and grey that a bunch of 7" singles could change your whole world? Or am I just buying into a Disney version of Thatcher's Britain there, based on too many documentaries like this?

Could you create a refreshing new type of music nowadays? Or is there too much STUFF out there for it to get through/make sense? Is the whole idea of a 'scene' an obsolete one now, since people can just grab what they want off the net and dismiss the chaff?

[Ghost of Troubled Joe]

Maybe we just need another oppressive Tory government in order for England's art scene to get interesting again.

[another Mr. Lizard]

I'm not sure whether "Stereotype" was actually banned by Radio 1

No it wasn't. I still vividly recall the excitement over hearing the word "pissed" being broadcast on daytime radio. Times were very different then.

Haven't watched the documentary yet, but will hopefully do so tonight. The Beat, underachievers on record, remain possibly the best live band I've ever seen - I think I'm still dancing to their set from the occasion I saw them play in Derby in 1980...

[The Man With Brass Eyes]

Maybe we just need another oppressive Tory government in order for England's art scene to get interesting again.

I get the impression these days aren't much different to the Late 70s or 1980's.  It's just the voices don't get the chance to be heard.  Everything on the surface is so beautifully packaged and flawlessly presented that it just results in this very bland, obedient paste.  Politics is going to struggle in popular music as it's so heavily setup to be a commercial machine.  It effectively suppresses and gags any controversial thought and substitutes it for the soulless apathy you see in the top forty.

I think the creativity is in the underground... from the ones who aren't really concerned with the money or the bullshit presentation.

[Tommy Trumpet]

I found this very interesting as someone who doesn't know a lot about the circumstances of the time (being a 17 year old). I didn't realise how closely linked and hugely popular those bands were... and for that matter didn't realise how much rioting/racism problems were around at the time.
I thought the bit where they talked about how two tone/ska has influenced modern music was pretty weak though... they basically just mentioned that band from Worthing, a Specials cover band, and the Streets... i.e. completely missign out all the ska-influenced music that's been around in the 20 years or so in between, e.g. the hugely popular american ska-punk bands. not to mention that there's still a lot of small British bands on the scene that have some ska sound to them...

[Tommy Trumpet]

sorry double post

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

completely missign out all the ska-influenced music that's been around in the 20 years or so in between, e.g. the hugely popular american ska-punk bands.

But, they're all shit.

[Mr Colossal]

ah shit, checked a day too late. Does anybody know if this will get a repeat?

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

ah shit, checked a day too late. Does anybody know if this will get a repeat?

Probably at 4 in the morning in a few weeks.

[Mr Colossal]

ah shit, checked a day too late. Does anybody know if this will get a repeat?

Probably at 4 in the morning in a few weeks.

ill have to check the listings... If only you could go backwards on sky listings and set a reminder for future repeats of stuff you've missed. Ive just noticed they've got added a  series reminder on there.

[Tommy Trumpet]

completely missign out all the ska-influenced music that's been around in the 20 years or so in between, e.g. the hugely popular american ska-punk bands.

But, they're all shit.

Well... that's debateable (Sublime? Operation Ivy? Catch 22? ) but anyway, surely it's something that should be mentioned as probably the most popular 'wave' of ska since two tone? They kind of gave the impression that ska had just died completely.
also, there's a pretty diverse current UK ska-punk 'scene' even if it's not very popular, I see bands with ska influences playing small venues all the time, even though they're quite a long way from the two tone sound. I dunno if anyone knows of bands like Capdown, Howard's Alias, Sonic Boom Six, Farse, Workin' Lunch...

[The Man With Brass Eyes]

also, there's a pretty diverse current UK ska-punk 'scene' even if it's not very popular..

Yeah, and others like the Four Foot Fingers, Spunge and Skankt.