Under The Covers

We take an in-depth look at the tunes behind the tunes, the stories behind the tracks that were dusted down and polished up to be covered on the 2 Tone label…

The Specials

Gangsters (an interpretation of):
Al Capone – Prince Buster
A Message To You Rudy – Dandy Livingstone
Too Much Too Young (an interpretation of):
Birth Control – Lloyd Charmers
Guns of Navarone – The Skatalites
Longshot Kick De Bucket – The Pioneers
Liquidator – Harry J Allstars
Skinhead Moonstomp – Symarip
Rude Buoys Outa Jail (an interpretation of):
Rude Boy Gone A Jail – Desmond Baker & The Clarendonians
Maggies Farm – Bob Dylan
Do The Dog (an interpretation of):
The Dog – Rufus Thomas
Too Hot – Prince Buster
Monkey Man – Toots & The Maytals
Stupid Marriage (an interpretation of):
Judge Dread – Prince Buster
You’re Wondering Now – Andy and Joey
Enjoy Yourself – Prince Buster
Sock It To ‘Em JB – Rex Garvin and The Mighty Cravers
Maggie’s Farm – Bob Dylan

The Selecter

James Bond – John Barry
Everyday – (Time Hard) – The Pioneers
My Collie (Not A Dog) (an interpretation of):
My Boy Lollypop – Barbie Gaye
Carry Go Bring Come – Justin Hinds
Murder – Leon & Owen

The Bodysnatchers

(People Get Ready) Lets Do Rocksteady – Dandy Livingstone
Too Experienced – Bob Andy
007 – Desmond Dekker

Madness

The Prince (an interpretation of):
Earthquake – Prince Buster
Madness – Prince Buster
One Step Beyond – Prince Buster

The Beat

Tears Of A Clown – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Ranking Full Stop (an interpretation of):
Pussy Price – Laurel Aitken

The Swinging Cats

Mantovani (an interpretation of):
Hear my song Violetta – Mantovani
Mantovani (an interpretation of):
Speak to me of Love – Lucienne Boyer

Elvis Costello

I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down – Sam and Dave
Girls Talk – Dave Edmunds

Rico

Sea Cruise – Frankie Ford
Oh Carolina – The Folkes Brothers
Easy Snappin’ – Theophilus Beckford
Do The Reload (an interpretation of):
Green Island – Don Drummond
Easter Island (an interpretation of):
Morning Island – Sadao Watanabe
Red Top – Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra
Fiesta – Charlie Parker
Don’t Stay Out Late – Lord Creator
That Man Is Forward (an interpretation of):
Joker – The Duke Reid Group

Prince Buster – Al Capone

Cecil Bustamente Campbell, better known as Prince Buster and less known by his muslim name Muhammed Yusef Ali, is a musician from Kingston, Jamaica and regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of ska and rocksteady music. The records he made on Blue Beat and his own Prince Buster/Voice Of The People label in the 1960s were an inspiration to many reggae and ska artists.

The Al Capone session featured: Dennis Campbell and Val Bennett on tenor saxes, Raymond Harper and Baba Brooks on trumpets, Junior Nelson on trombone, Ernest Ranglin on guitar and bass, Jah Jerry (Jerome Hinds) on guitar, Gladstone Anderson on piano, Drumbago on drums. Prince Buster/Voice Of The People single. UK single (Blue Beat 324) 1965, with One Step Beyond on the b-side both by Buster.

The Specials – Gangsters was a cheeky reworking of this Buster instrumental. Buster of all the covered artists on 2 Tone probably needs least introduction and his music was covered no less than 7 times on the label (8 if you side with Buster on the disputed rights to Oh Carolina, more on that later…).

Al Capone was a UK top twenty hit in 1967 and is available on Prince Buster Fabulous Greatest Hits (Melodisc Records). Buster recorded a second studio version that appeard on his album The Outlaw, 1969.

Prince Buster – Earthquake

The second release on 2 Tone further cemented the labels debt to Buster with the ‘a’ side both a direct tribute and a subtle reworking of his Earthquake and the flip a straight cover of Madness.

The Prince lyrically mirrors the wordplay on Busters Earthquake and musically uses a similar 12-bar riff. On Earthquake, Buster recounts the virtues of the boxer “The Prince” (himself) Original release b-side Ghost Dance.

Andrew Clayden contacted us to say:
While it is correct that “The Prince” is partly inspired by Buster’s own “Earthquake,” the origns can be traced back further to “Blues In The Night” by Johnnie Taylor on Atlantic Records, which is the original arrangement that Buster ‘adopted’ for “Earthquake.”

There is also another cut to “Blues In The Night” by Patsy [Todd] with Lynn Taitt & The Jets on Doctor Bird Records [DB 1113-B] under the title “A Man Is Two Faced”

Earthquake is available on Prince Buster Fabulous Greatest Hits (Melodisc Records)

Prince Buster – Madness

Buster’s Madness gave The ex-North London Invaders a smarter moniker. The track was part of their live set (as it was for The Specials & The Selecter)

The original a.k.a. ‘Madness Is Gladness’ was released in the UK in 1963 and appeared on the album ‘I Feel The Spirit’. Prince Buster/Voice Of The People single and Blue Beat 170 b/w Toothache. Produced by Buster.

Dandy Livingstone – A Message To You Rudy

One of a long list of songs on the ‘Rude Boy’ theme that was released in the late 60’s. Voicing concern for the unruly youth of Jamaica this track sought to warn those who broke the law that they would suffer the consequence of their actions. There were also records released which sought to glamorise the life style of the rude boy, such as The Pioneers Rudies Are The Greatest. This was the first of 2 Dandy Lingstone tracks to appear on 2 Tone, although in previous years he had produced future 2 Tone artist Rico, when he recorded as Rico and the Rudies.

A Message To You Rudy is available on Suzanne Beware Of The Devil – The Best Of Dandy Livingstone (Trojan Records)

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – Tears Of A Clown

Originally recorded in 1966 this track wasn’t released until 3 years later at a time when Smokey (real name William Robinson) was in the process of leaving the group. The track was a major hit, reaching number one in both the US and UK and convinced Smokey to remain with the band for another 2 years.

In his long career Smokey Robinson has become one of music most prolific songwriters with a huge catalogue of material to his credit. The Beat felt confident enough with their version of the track to released it as their debut single, plus it also allowed them to side step what the band thought was a less than impressive deal with 2 Tone parent company, Chrysalis Records.

Tears of a Clown is available on Smokey Robinson: The Ultimate Collection (Motown Records)

Laurel Aitken – Pussy Price

Laural Aitken made an uncharacteristic move into the rude reggae market with this 1969 single on the Nu-Beat label, which was a subsidiary of the famous Pama label. Pama also included the track in their rude reggae compilation, Birth Control.

Musically it formed the foundation of The Beat’s Ranking Full Stop although the band also performed a cover of the track in their early live sets. Why a band that highlighted the pitfalls of male jealousy and overt sexism in tracks such Hands Off…She’s Mine covered a track like this remains a mystery.

Pussy Price is available on the ‘Woppi King’ Laurel Aitken collection on Trybute.

Rufus Thomas – The Dog

Something of an excentric, Rufus Thomas had a long and extremely varied carried until his death in 2001. He recorded many genres of music such as gospel, blues, funk and soul. Having previously recorded for the legendary Sun Records, it was with Stax Records that he had most success, releasing a string of songs on the ‘Do the’ theme, such as Do the Funky Chicken and Do the Funky Penguin.

Thankfully Jerry Dammers sought inspiration in The Dog though the Specials cover may have more in common with Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames version from 1964.

The Dog is available on The Very Best of Rufus Thomas (Stax Records)

Prince Buster – Too Hot

Yet another Prince Buster rude boy themed record. This time Buster takes a much more ambivalent stance towards the rude boy lifestyle with lines like:

‘Now they calling in for the guns
About to spoil the rude boys fun
The rude boys never give up their guns’

The laid back tempo of the track was replicated perfectly by the Specials on the closing track on the first side of their debut album.

Too Hot is available of Prince Buster Fabulous Greatest Hits (Melodisc Records)

Toots & The Maytals – Monkey Man

This track first appeared on the 1968 album Sweet and Dandy, and was also the title of a 1970 album. Frederick “Toots” Hibbert had on of the most distinctive voices in Jamaican music and although the band originally recorded as The Maytals it was after Toots’ released from jail on a drugs charge that they officially became Toots and The Maytals.

This lyrically nonsensical track was the groups first international hit in 1970, although the band is better known for previous tracks such as Pressure Drop and 54-46 That’s My Number. Monkey Man musically was very similar to The Pioneers’ “Mama Look Deh” but there seems some dispute as to which track was penned first.

Monkey Man is available on Pressure Drop: the Definitive Collection (Trojan Records)

Prince Buster – Judge Dread

One of Busters many Rude Boy themed records, which also spawned numerous ‘response’, records, such as Honeyboy Martin and The Voices Dreader than Dread and follow up records such as Busters own Barrister Pardon. The mythical and ruthless Dread was re-christened Judge Roughneck for the intro of Stupid Marriage.

Judge Dread is available of Prince Buster Fabulous Greatest Hits (Melodisc Records)

Andy and Joey – You’re Wondering Now

Little is known about the vocal pairing of Andy and Joey (any details would be greatly appreciated) but they are just 2 of many vocalist who used the impressive talents of The Skatalites as their backing band.

You’re Wondering Now is available on Studio One Ska (Soul Jazz Records)

The Pioneers – Time Hard

One of the lesser known Pioneers tracks, this was a protest song of the time which The Selecter felt had relevance to the state of late 70’s Britain. Also known as Every Day. The interchange of the songs title was something that passed on to the The Selecter who retiled the track Everyday on some versions of the debut album.

Time Hard is available on Let Your Yeah Be Yeah: Anthology 1966-1986 (Trojan Records)

Barbie Gaye – My Boy Lollypop

Although Millie Small had a major hit with this record in 1964 (with a slight alteration of the spelling i.e. Lollipop) the track was first recorded by teenage R’n’B singer Barbie Gaye in 1957. Lyrically it may have been very basic, but musically it is a very interesting record indeed. It is among the handful of records that bridged the cap between R’n’B and early ska. The Selecter quickly removed any trace of twee innocence there may have been in the original with their reworking of the track as My Collie (Not a dog).

My Boy Lollypop is available on Early Girls Vol.2 (Ace Records)

Leon & Owen – Murder

Although best know for his more slower tempo tacks, this 1962 Blue Beat recording by Owen Gray is much more mento in style. His early recordings read like a who’s who of JA music having worked with producers such as Leslie Kong, Prince Buster, Duke Reid and Coxson Dodd. The Selecter totally revamped this track for their debut album and proved that when it came to the 2 Tone tradition of cover versions they had would opt for the less obvious choices.

Many thanks to Kees for helping us track this one down.

Not yet available on CD.

Justin Hinds & The Dominos – Carry Go Bring Come

The original ska version was recorded in late 1963 at Federal Studios, backed by the Treasure Isle studio band led by Tommy McCook and Herman Marquis and is said to have been recorded in one take. It was released as a single on the Treasure Isle label, backed with a tune called Hill And Gully Ride credited to L. Reid’s Group.

It stayed at the top of the Jamaican charts for eight consecutive weeks in 1963 and also sold considerably well in Great Britain where it was for a long time after its release, one of the most common second-hand Island label records after Guns Of Naverone. Produced by Duke Reid.

A rocksteady version was recorded in 1966-67. Produced by Duke Reid.

John Barry – The James Bond Theme

A dispute over who exactly composed this track has ended up in court on two occasions. The dispute has involved the person who orchestrated the track, John Barry, claiming that he also wrote the track. The court has ruled twice in favour of Monty Norman, who is listed as the original composer and has received royalties on the track since 1962’s Dr No.

The wonderfully named Vic Flick played the famous guitar riff on the original recording, a riff that was ably reproduced by Neol Davies on the closing track of The Selecter’s debut album.

The James Bond Theme is available on The Best of Bond …James Bond (Capitol Records)

Sam and Dave – I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down

The singing duo of Sam Moore and Dave Prater were best known for their soul stompers such as Hold On, I’m Comin and Soul Man but proved that they were equally adapt at ballads as this b-side of the 1967 single, Soothe Me, proves. I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down is also the title of a 1984 Sam and Dave compilation album. The track was totally reworked by Elvis Costello for the 2 Tone single that never was.

I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down is available on Sam and Dave: The Definitive Soul Collection (Rhino Records)

Dave Edmunds – Girls Talk

Here we have a cover version in reverse so to speak. The track ‘Girls Talk’ was the flip to Elvis Costellos’ withdrawn ‘I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down’ single, and although the song was written by Costello, it had already been a top ten single for Welsh rocker Dave Edmunds in 1979.

Dave Edmunds (born 15 April 1944 in Cardiff, Wales) is a British singer, guitarist and record producer. Although he was primarily associated with pub rock and New Wave, and had numerous popular hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has always been towards 1950s style rock and roll music from the pre-Beatles era. Edmunds is best known for his 1970 hit ‘I Hear You Knocking’ which went to number 1 in UK and number 4 in US.

Lloyd Terell – Birth Control

One of many ‘Rude Reggae’ tracks, which were popular for a period among Jamaican artists. As a rule they contained some rather none too subtle sexual innuendo, although more often than not it was just pure smut. Max Romeo’s Wet Dream is perhaps the best-known rude reggae track and managed to score a respectable number 10 in the UK national chart with its release.

Sometimes listed as Lloyd Tyrell or Lloyd Charmers and The Lowbites, the single provided the foundation for Too Much Too Young, although thankfully the lyrical influence from it was minimal.

Birth Control is available on Trojan X Rated Box Set (Trojan Records)

The Skatalites – Guns Of Navarone

This theme tune from the film of the same name was a top 40 UK hit for The Skatalites on Island Records in 1965. In their mere 18 month recording career the band may have recorded some of the most famous ska instrumentals of all time they had very little chart success, although tracks such as this did find favour among Britain’s developing mod scene.

Guns of Navarone is available on Guns of Navarone: the Best of The Skatalites (Trojan Records)

The Pioneers – Longshot Kick The Bucket

Musically this song is a good example of the slowing down of the rocksteady tempo to the even more laid back reggae beat, however, it’s the songs lyrics which have always been of interest. The song is about a legendary race horse in Jamaica called Long Shot which had a less than impressive track record but through sheer determination managed to win the hearts and minds of large sections of the population. The opening lines of the song ‘What a weeping and a wailing down at Caymanas Park’ sum up the atmosphere rather melodramatically at Jamaica’s only racetrack, Caymanas Park, that fateful day of Long Shots untimely demise.

Released on 3 different labels: Trojan, Big Shot and Attack, The song was a Top 30 hit in 1969 and was also the opening track of the legendary Tighten Up Volume 2 compilation.

Long Shot Kick the Bucket is available on Let Your Yeah Be Yeah: Anthology 1966-1986 (Trojan Records).

Harry J Allstars – Liquidator

Reaching a very respectable number 9 in the UK charts when it was released in 1967, this instrumental by session keyboard player, Winnie Wright, became something of a skinhead reggae classic. The name given to the group of session men who played on the track came from producer Harry Johnson, who carried on a long tradition of reggae producers trying their best to outshine the musicians involved.

Liquidator is available on Liquidator: The Best Of The Harry J. All Stars (Trojan Records)

Symarip – Skinhead Moonstomp

Symarip were a UK ska/reggae group who at various times went under the names The Pyramids, Seven Letters, The Bees & Zubaba. Symarip is an approximate anagram of the word Pyramids.

Aware of the growing Skinhead movement in the UK in the late 60’s, the band began to produce skinhead anthems such as ‘Skinhead Moonstomp’, ‘Skinhead Girl’ and ‘Skinhead Jamboree’. Skinhead Moonstomp (which was based on the Derrick Morgan’s ‘Moon Hop’) was released in 1969 on the Treasure Isle label (Skinhead Moonstomp / Must Catch A Train – Treasure Isle TI-7050) and was issued again on Trojan in 1979, (Skinhead Moonstomp / Skinhead Jamboree – Trojan TR-9062)

In 1971 the band moved to Germany performing reggae and Afro-rock under the name Zubaba. In light of the success of 2 Tone, Trojan issued the Skinhead Moonstomp album in 1980, and Symarip found themselves in the UK charts for the first time. The band split in 1983.

Dandy Livingstone – (People Get Ready) Lets Do Rock Steady

Dandy Livingston(e) aka Robert Livingston Thompson was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1944. He moved to the UK when he was 15 and would later become a regular vocalist for Sonny Roberts pioneering UK ‘Orbitone’ label, and recorded with Tito Simone as Sugar & Dandy and also as Dandy, Brother Dan Allstars and Dandy & The Superboys.

Best known for his 1972 hit, ‘Suzanne Beware of the Devil’ which reached number 14 in the UK charts, and of course for ‘Rudy, A Message to You’ where Dandy recorded with Rico and would later produce a number of singles for the trombonist as Rico & the Rudies.

(People Get Ready) Let’s Do Rocksteady was released as the flip side of the 1967 single ‘We Are Still Rude’ on the Giant label (GN 7), it was also available on the the 1967 Giant album ‘Rock Steady With Dandy’ (GNL 1000).

Desmond Baker & The Clarendonians – Rude Boy Gone A Jail

The Clarendonians were formed in 1965 by Ernest Wilson & Peter Austin (also of The Soul Lads). They were later joined by a young Freddie McGregor, and there seems to be much speculation as to who indeed Desmond Baker is, or if he exists at all…, perhaps a pseudonym for the young McGregor.

The track was released on the Coxsone label as ‘Rude Boy Gone A Jail’ by The Clarendonians and later in the UK in 1966 on Island (Island WI 295) with ‘Don’t Fool Me’ by The Sharks on the flip.

Bob Andy – Too Experienced

Although first recorded and released by Bob Andy in 1968 it is the 1969 version by Winston Francis which is by far the most recognised version of this song. 

Francis was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1948. He moved to Miami with his family at sixteen and attended music school where he was spotted by the well known writer/arranger Chuck Bird, who likened his voice to that of Nat King Cole.

Bird got gigs for Francis in Miami form around 1965 and thereafter Francis began travelling regularly to Jamaica and made some recordings in Coxsone’s Studio One.

He scored a hit in the UK with his album ‘Mr Fix It’ whose cover of the Mamas and the Papas’ ‘California Dreamin’ was Tony Blackburn’s ‘Hit Pick of the Week’ on Radio One for two weeks straight…

Too Experienced was released on both the album and the flip side to the California Dreamin’ single, and features falsetto backing vocals from Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer no less.

Too Experienced would go on to be covered by many more artists than just The Bodysnatchers, the list includes, Owen Gray, Eddie Lovette, Miss Dynamite, Shalene, Barrington Levy, Shola Lewis, The Bonedaddys, Byron Lee & The Dragonaires and Jackie Edwards.

Prince Buster – Enjoy Yourself

Obviously not a Buster original, but certainly Busters’ recording was the touchstone for The Specials version. Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think) is something of a popular standard, published in 1948, with music by Carl Sigman & lyrics by Herb Magidson (both since inaugurated into the American Songwriting Hall Of Fame).

The most famous version of the song, by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians, was recorded in 1949 (Decca 24825), charting in January 1950, it spent 19 weeks on the US chart peaking at no.10. It was quickly followed by Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra (RCA Victor 20-3375) and Doris Day (Columbia 38709).

Enjoy Yourself has been covered by a multitude of artists including: Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians, Tommy Dorsey, Doris Day, Donald Peers, Jack Smith, Louis Prima & His Orchestra, Paul Reece, The Sound Sifters, Jools Holland (with Prince Buster), Bing Crosby and Mrs. Mills.

Buster released his version as ‘Enjoy It’ in 1963, and it appeared on the flip-side of the ‘Open Up Bartender’ 45 on Blue Beat (Open Up Bartender / Enjoy It – BB 158)

Rex Garvin and The Mighty Cravers – Sock It To ‘Em JB

Rex Garvin is a fairly elusive character, and it’s tough going digging up any info on him. He was born in the Bronx, New York around 1937. Involved with doowop group The Hearts and Johnnie and Joe with his neighbour Zelma “Zell” Sanders.

He released a number of records with the Mighty Cravers in the early to mid 60’s for a variety of labels like Okeh, Like, Tower, Uptown, and Atlantic, but never really broke through into the charts.

The Specials’ version is surprisingly faithful to the original a semi-instrumental which was themed around the James Bond movies and was a big Manchester soul club hit.

The song was released on Like & Atlantic as Rex Garvin & the Mighty Cravers – Sock It To Em JB Part1 (aka What’s In a Name) backed with Part2 an almost dub version if you like, of the A-side.

The track was also covered by Sandy Nelson in 1966.

Mantovani – Hear My Song Violetta

In researching this article it was The Swinging Cats and Rico that really took us further afield than the shores of Jamaica. And with Mantovani the Cats sent us to Italy and France respectively as in one song they borrowed from both Hear My Song Violetta & Speak To Me Of Love.

Annunzio Paolo Mantovani was born in Venice, Italy in 1905 and passed away in 1980 in Tunbridge Wells in England. A violinist, pianist, musical director, conductor, composer and arranger, Mantovani was one of the most successful orchestra leaders and album sellers in the history of popular music.

After the family moved to England in 1912, he made his professional debut at the age of 16. He recorded for UK Decca and while experimenting with various arrangements he, came up with what has been variously called the ‘cascading strings’, ‘cascading violins’, or ‘tumbling strings’ effect, it became, the orchestra’s trademark sound.

He is said to have been the first to sell over a million stereo units, aided by the superb quality of sound obtained by Decca. Between 1955 and 1966 he had 28 albums in the US Top 30. He was awarded a special Ivor Novello Award in 1956 for services to popular music.

Hear My Song, Violetta has been recorded many times by different artists, most famously by Josef Locke in 1947 but also by David Whitfield, Tommy Dorsey, Jorgen Ingmann, Tony Martin, Glenn Miller, Victor Sylvester and Frank Sinatra.

Lucienne Boyer – Parlez-Moi D’Amour

“Parlez-moi d’amour” or “Speak to me of love” was written by film composer Jean Lenoir in 1930. It was first recorded by Lucienne Boyer and has become a popular music standard with a host of (mostly French) cover versions from the likes of: Jean Lumière, Ray Ventura, Anny Gould – Lina Margy, Colette Renard, Sacha Distel, Dalida, Suzy Delair, Petula Clark, Juliette Gréco, Yvette Giraud, Patachou, Tino Rossi, Marie Laforêt, Jacqueline Boyer, Patrick Bruel, Duke Ellington.

Lucienne Boyer (1903 – 1983), was a French singer, born Émilienne-Henriette Boyer in Montparnasse Quarter of Paris. While working as a part-time model, she was given a chance to sing in the cabarets of Montparnasse. In 1927 she got the chance to spend nine months in New York, returning to perform there and to South America numerous times throughout the 1930s. By 1933 she had made a large number of recordings for Columbia Records in France including her signature song, ” Parlez-moi d’amour”. the song won the first-ever Grand Prix du Disque of the Charles Cros Academy.

In 1939, she married the cabaret singer Jacques Pills of the popular duo ‘Pills et Tabet’. Their daughter Jacqueline, born on April 23, 1941, followed in their footsteps, becoming a successful singer who won the 1960 Eurovision Song Contest for France singing “Tom Pillibi”.

Frankie Ford – Sea Cruise

Huey “Piano” Smith (born January 1934 in New Orleans) is an American rhythm and blues pianist whose influence on New Orleans music in the mid 1950s was profound.

In 1959, Ace Records producer Johnny Vincent erased Huey’s voice from the now classic single he composed, arranged and performed entitled “Sea Cruise”, and replaced it with a more energetic vocal track by white singer Frankie Ford. The tune was a huge hit for Ford.

Ford recorded several singles for the Ace label in the late ’50s that featured top New Orleans players like Smith and saxophonist Red Tyler, but none were to eclipse the success of “Sea Cruise,” which made the Top 20 in 1959 and remains one of the hits most identified with the classic New Orleans R&B sound.

The Folkes Brothers – Oh Carolina

The Folkes Brothers were a Jamaican mento group, composed of John, Mico, and Junior Folkes. Their 1960 single “Oh Carolina” was the first hit song produced by Prince Buster and is regarded as a landmark in the history of ska and reggae music. In 1994, John Folkes and Buster were involved in a legal dispute over the authorship of the song, after a cover version by Shaggy became an international hit. It was eventually ruled that Folkes held the copyright.

Oh Carolina b/w I Met A Man
Buster Wild Bells ZSP 52834-1A 1961 / Blue Beat BB 30 /UK 1961

This track was cut at Prince Buster’s first ever recording session at RJR studios in Kingston. Buster was the first to bring Rastafarian drummer Count Ossie & His Wareikas (some sources suggest that included Rico Rodriguez) into the studio. He thus created a new sound on record with huge influence for the roots music of the 1970s.

Bob Dylan – Maggie’s Farm

This was an update of Dylan’s 1961 song “Hard Times in the Country,” which was adapted from The Bentley Brothers “Penny’s Farm,” a 1920s musical complaint about a rural landlord. He recorded the track at one of his first Rock sessions on January 14, 1965 backed by 2 electric guitarists, piano, bass, and drums.

Dylan performed it live for the first time in 1965 at the Newport Folk Festival. He provoked an adverse reaction by playing Rock at the said Folk festival, and this opened his set. Some feel that Dylan was using Maggie’s Farm as a metaphor for the Folk Singer Industry. He wasn’t going to work for the Folk Factory anymore… he was going to go electric and cover new ground.

The track appeared on The album ‘Bringing It All Back Home’ and was released as a single: Maggie’s Farm / On The Road Again – 1965 UK CBS 45 201781

Theo Beckford – Easy Snappin’

Born Theophilus Beckford in 1935, Kingston, Jamaica, Theo was a piano player influenced by American shuffle, boogie, & R&B. He was a part of the group Clue J & The Blues Blasters who recorded for Studio One in the late 50’s. Along with Ernie Ranglin, there are some who credit Beckford with inventing the Jamaican strand of shuffle or boogie music which later became knwon as ska.

Easy Snappin’ was first released in 1959 with Beckford on vocal and piano. Cluett Johnson on bass, Ian Pearson on drums, Ken Richards on guitar, Roland Alphonso on tenor sax and Rico Rodriguez on solo trombone (his first recording session). UK single (Blue Beat 15) with Goin’ Home on the b-side. Produced by Clement S. Dodd.

Beckford died March 20, 2001 murdered at the age of 65, stabbed by a man with whom he had a dispute.

Charlie Parker – Fiesta

Charlie Parker is widely considered one of the most influential of jazz musicians of all time. He acquired the nickname “Yardbird” early in his career, and the shortened form “Bird” remained Parker’s alias for the rest of his life, inspiring the titles of a number of Parker compositions, such as “Yardbird Suite” and “Ornithology.”

Parker played a leading role in the development of bebop, a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuoso technique, and improvisation based on harmonic structure. Parker’s innovative approaches to melody, rhythm, and harmony exercised enormous influence on his contemporaries. Several of Parker’s songs have become standards, including “Billie’s Bounce,” “Anthropology,” “Ornithology,” and “Confirmation”.

Parker also became an icon for the hipster subculture and later the Beat generation, personifying the conception of the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist and intellectual, rather than just a popular entertainer.

The Album Fiesta was first released on Verve MG V-8008 in 1951. mono. Fiesta 45 rpm: Clef EPC 337, 12″ LP: Verve MGV 8008, MGV 8126. Charlie Parker (as); Walter Bishop, Jr. (p); Teddy Kotick (b); Roy Haynes (d); Luis Miranda (cga); Jose Mangual (bgo). A Norman Granz-produced session putting Parker in a Latin setting.

Lord Creator – Don’t Stay Out Late

Alongside Cuban born Rolando Alphonso, Barbadian Jackie Opel and fellow Trinidadians Lynn Taitt and Lord Bryner, Lord Creator was an important and positive ‘outside’ influence during the early development of the Jamaican music scene. Born Kentrick Patrick in San Fernando Trinidad, Lord Creator moved to Jamaica in 1962 due to the huge popularity he had achieved with the Caribbean smash hit song ‘Evening News’. When it came to singing smooth ballads or letting loose over Calypso or Ska arrangements he was a ‘cut above’ and Lord Creator became a much loved performer all over Jamaica…and beyond.

In 1962, he recorded “Independent Jamaica”, which became the official song marking Jamaica’s independence from the British Empire on 6 August 1962. That song was also the first record on Chris Blackwell’s newly founded Island Records label in the United Kingdom (Island 001). In 1963, “Don’t Stay Out Late”, produced by Vincent Chin, became a huge hit in Jamaica.

In 1964, he had a further hit with “Big Bamboo”, produced by Coxsone Dodd with Tommy McCook on saxophone. His biggest hit was “Kingston Town”, a tune he recorded for producer Clancy Eccles in 1970 which would go on to become a huge hit for UB40 in 1989.

Lionel Hampton and His Orchetra – Red Top

Lionel Leo Hampton, was an American jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first real jazz vibraphone players. “Hamp” ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who’s who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy Rich to Charlie Parker and Quincy Jones.

He was born April 20, 1908 in Louisville, Kentucky. His father, Charles Hampton, a promising pianist and singer, was reported missing and later declared killed in World War I. Lionel and his mother, Gertrude, first moved to Birmingham, Alabama, to be with her family, then settled in Chicago.

He attended the Holy Rosary Academy, near Kenosha, Wisconsin, where a Dominican sister give him his first drum lessons. Hampton was only 15 when he graduated from high school and joined Les Hite’s band. Benny Goodman broke the color barrier in jazz when he asked Hampton, Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa to became members of his Quartet.

While playing with Goodman, Hampton recorded a number of records under his own name. He formed trios, quartets, quintets, sextets, septets, octets and nontets, as well as his own big band to cut dozens of records between 1937 and 1941.

LIONEL HAMPTON Decca 78 25281 Red Top b/w Giddy Up.

The Duke Reid Group – Joker

Duke Reid was born in Jamaica as Arthur Reid around 1915. As a young man he served in the Police Force for about ten years. He had a love of American R & B music and owned a Liquor Store on Bond Street, with his wife, the Duchess. The shop was called Treasure Isle. He had a record program on Jamaica radio called “Treasure Isle Time” playing R & B 78’s. Leading USA Jazz artist like Lester Young, Colman Hawkins, Tab Smith and Illinois Jaquet could be heard.

By the mid fifties Duke Reid had his own sound system. This comprised of large speakers and a record playing deck together with a powerful amplifier. He used a large van to transport this equipment around Jamaica to dance halls and open air events. Due to the nature of the van it became known as the Trojan. Clemont Seymore Dodd also had a sound system called Sir Coxone Downbeat after the Yorkshire cricketer Coxone. They had many a ” Battle of the sound Systems” and towards the end of the fifties Duke Reid the Trojan was crowned king.

His record production career began in 1959 on the “Trojan ” record label, these were on 78’s, such as Duke’s Cookies and Chuck and Dobby “Cool School”. On the Duke Reid label due to demand he issued home made recordings of the USA R & B style music. He formed his own backing band the Duke Reid Group who backed young singers like Derrick Morgan and the Jiving Juniors. Around this time the Jamaican R & B gave way to Ska, the guitar and piano played on every beat whilst the drummer reversed the offbeat, the bass played a powerful ‘walking’ rhythm.

Don Drummond – Green Island

Duke Reid built his own recording studio, of wood, above the ‘Treasure Isle Liquor Store’. Now he could with his engineer, Bryon Smith, achieve a high quality production and experiment with new sounds and rhythms.

The Duke Reid Group would have had a changeable line-up inclding at various stages ex-members of The Skatalities, Tommy McCook sax and flute, Herman Marquis alto sax, Lennox Brown sax, Vin Gordon trombone, Baba Brooks trumpet, Jackie Jackson bass, Ernest Ranglin and Lyn Taitt on guitar, Winston Wright organ, Gladstone “Gladdy” Anderson piano, Lloyd Knibb or Hugh Malcolm on drums.

Don Drummond was a part-time music teacher at Alpha School, a Catholic school for boys who were nearly all from poor, underprivileged backgrounds. Alpha veered towards the European musical tradition of marching and classical music. Drummond graduated from being one of the schools top seniors, to its main tutor.

In 1964, under Coxsone Dodd’s supervision, keyboardist and musical director Jackie Mittoo began to assemble the best musicians in Jamaica to create a sound that would dominate the music scene for years to come. The seeds for the Skatalites were sown while Mittoo played in the Sheiks, alongside Johnny Moore (trumpet) and Lloyd Knibbs on drums. After guitarist Lynn Taitt and Tommy McCook declined to join the band, Drummond was the man Mittoo turned to, and he quickly became the most prolific composer and musician in the band.

The Skatalites as a group came to an end in 1965. Don Drummond was arrested on New Years Eve 1965, accused of murdering his girlfriend Marguerita. He died in Bellevue, a mental institution in 1969. The Skatalites last gig was a Police Dance at the Runaway Bay Hotel. Roland Alphonso went on to form the Soul Brothers then later the Soul Vendors. Tommy McCook and the Supersonics became Duke Reids session band at Treasure Isle recording studio.

The track Green Island appears on many releases and is variously credited as Don Drummond or as The Skatalites. Rico previously recorded a version as ‘Rainbow Into The Rio Mino’ (aka Green Island) for his Trombone Man, and here on That Man Is Forward he records it as ‘Do The Reload’

Sadao Watanabe – Morning Island

Sadao Watanabe is a Japanese jazz musician. He learned clarinet and alto in high school, and in the 1950s he moved to Tokyo, joining Toshiko Akiyoshi’s bop-oriented group in 1953. When the pianist moved to the U.S. in 1956, Watanabe took over the band. He attended Berklee during 1962-1965 and had the opportunity to work with Gary McFarland, Chico Hamilton, and Gabor Szabo.

However, Watanabe has remained mostly based in Japan throughout his career where he is a major influence on younger players. He has recorded steadily through the years, most notably with Chick Corea in New York (1970) and with the Galaxy All-Stars (1978).

Watanabe is also known as a talented photographer and has published six picture books. As an executive producer of the Japanese Government Exhibition Project for the 2005 in Japan, he advocates the message “World Peace” through music.

Prince Buster – One Step Beyond

The former amateur boxer Cecil Busamente Campbell worked as a bouncer for legendary JA producer Clement Dodd before trying his hand at the music business. Although he pioneered the semi-spoken word vocal style he also left his mark as both a producer and musical arranger.

His most famous instrumental track, Al Capone, was reworked for the debut release on 2 Tone and as an added bonus the single’s b-side, One Step Beyond, provided North London’s finest with a track that would become synonymous with the band.

One Step Beyond is available on Prince Buster Fabulous Greatest Hits (Melodisc Records)

Desmond Dekker – 007 (Shanty Town)

Former apprentice tailor Desmond Adolphus Dacres recorded a string of tracks on the Rude Boy theme but the 1967 UK chart hit ‘007’ is perhaps his best known. JA producers such as Coxsone Dodd and Duke Reid were less than impressed with the talents of the young Desmond Dekker and it wasn’t until he enlisted the help of Derrick Morgan (who later went on to have something of a recording spat with Prince Buster) that he found success with producer Leslie Kong.

Dekker was a firm favourite amongst both the 60s mods and original skinheads and managed to achieve a major chart hit on both sides of the Atlantic with his most famous track ‘Israelites’. Given his high profile in the early reggae scene in the UK it is perhaps surprising that the only ever cover version of a Dekker song on 2 Tone came via a previously unreleased Bodysnatchers track on the Compact 2 Tone Story.

007(Shanty Town) is available on Israelites: The Best Of Desmond Dekker (Trojan)

There are many bootlegs of 2 Tone bands flying around these days online, but we’ve decided to focus here on mainly vinyl bootlegs that were produced back in the day or those with original content.

The contrast of black and white, the deadpan and the playful were all elements that made the look of 2 Tone so memorable. As many of the label’s single releases were in standard die-cut sleeves, the 2 Tone press ads were where Walt Jabsco often had scope for a little playful mischief…

The actual imagery of 2 Tone has become almost as famous as the music itself. The famous black and white chequered design has become synonymous with ska while Walt Jabsco has graced as many badges, poster and T-shirts as any human music icon ever has. While the concept of Walt was simply a label design for the first 2 Tone single he went on to sell vast quantities of (often illegal) merchandise which the label received no royalties from, as the legal side and hence the merchandising of 2 Tone was virtually non existent.

It’s not just among the 2 Tone faithful that Walt Jabsco is held in such high esteem. The die cut 2 Tone sleeve is listed among the most memorable record sleeves of all time, taking its place along side the likes of Jamie Reid’s artwork for the Sex Pistols and The Beatles Sergeant Pepper sleeve. Like all great design, the artwork captured the idea simply & perfectly.

Dammers loosely based the design of Jabsco on a picture of Peter Tosh from the cover of ‘The Wailing Wailers’ album, he liked the look that Tosh cut, describing it as ‘Defiant & Jamaican & Hard’. Walt Jabsco got his name from an old American bowling shirt that Dammers owned.

Walts’ first outing was on the Gangsters 7″ label, which was initially distributed by Rough Trade. These copies didn’t come with the famous die cut sleeve, instead they were issued in plain white sleeves stamped (by the band themselves) with the words “The Special AKA Vs The Selecter. Once the deal was signed with Chrysalis, Walt made his way onto the die cut sleeve. The deal with Chrysalis also meant that after initial copies of a single were pressed with paper labels all other remaining copies would appear with the rather bland grey ‘text-only’ plastic label, which doubtlessly cut back on the expense at the pressing plant.

The labels first UK picture sleeve was Too Much Too Young. Prior to this all singles were issued in the die cut sleeve and another UK picture sleeve wouldn’t appear until the bands’ penultimate single Do Nothing. However, almost all non-UK singles were issued with a picture sleeve and most had a common black and white Walt Jabsco theme, exceptions included the Spanish issues of A Message To You Rudy & Three Minute Hero, which feature full colour group shots.

There were also a few times when the sleeve designers seem to have completely lost the plot like the 2 dreadful German Rat Race sleeves, the first featuring cartoon rats running across a zebra crossing, and the second which uses a half-arsed imitation Jabsco. I would say this sleeve more than any other irked Dammers, given his annoyance with the flood of crap imitaion merchandise; for his own record company to issue a sleeve like this, was unforgivable.

While Chrysalis continued with the paper label/grey label combination in the UK in the rest of the world things seemed to be a bit more disorganised. Germany and Holland seemed to enjoy a consistent release of 2 Tone material while other countries seemed to be offered only a sporadic release of singles.

A closer examination of non-UK releases reveals that the sleeve and/or label will simply state ‘2 Tone’ or ‘A 2 Tone Record’. This is because non-UK releases were handled directly by Chrysalis and as a result were given a Chrysalis catalogue number instead of the standard 2 Tone CHSTT identity. However, as with all aspects of 2 Tone, there are exceptions. The Irish paper labels are almost identical to the UK versions complete with CHSTT catalogue numbers and are only distinguishable by the ‘Chrysalis Records Ltd’, which appears above the song title along with their usually crap typography.

And just to confuse matters even more, the Spanish promotional singles contain the CHSTT catalogue number even though they are handled directly by Chrysalis. The confusion doesn’t end there either, both the Dutch and German issues of Stereotype not only share the same sleeve design but they also have the same catalogue number. Rat Race was also issued with the same sleeve design in both countries but this time with different catalogue numbers.

As Chrysalis continued their rather confused pressing and distribution programme throughout the rest of the world the UK operation was not without fault. For instance some copies of The Selecter’s single On My Radio mysteriously appear on a blue instead of a grey label and The Bodysnatchers debut was retiled People Do Rocksteady during one print run. For more examples see the Mispressings article.

Walt Jabscos famous hand in pocket stance had served the record buying public well during the period 79-80. In 1981 trombome legend Rico released his debut album for 2 Tone, That Man is Forward, and Walt marked the occasion by appearing on the LPs labels complete with trombone.

While this was the only time Jabsco held a different pose on a UK label, the Canadian label of Too Much Pressure & US pressing of More Specials, had him listening to a transistor radio. He did of course take on numerous poses in 2 Tone release advertisements, which we hope to feature in the near future.

1982 saw the release of Rico’s second album for the label, Jama, and this time the little man was conspicuous by his absence, and he made his (UK) exit on the Jungle Music single by Rico and The Special AKA.

However, 11 years later in 1993 he would make a welcome return to grace the label of the 2 Tone EP. Although no longer used in the UK several non-UK post Jungle Music singles by The Special AKA were issued with Walt Jabsco labels, most notably the Irish War Crimes 7″ and the Australian Nelson Mandela 7″.

With the Specials splitting and 2 Tone no longer the musical force it once was, it was time for a change in musical direction for the label. Along with this change in sound came a change in image. The ska sound, which made the label famous worldwide, gave way for new bands with a jazz/funk influence and the famous black and white checks were laid to rest.

Jerry Dammers didn’t ditch the old image entirely; he did hold on to the famous chequered design but switched it to a less striking brown and gold colour scheme.

As before, the old paper label/plastic label combination was still in use. This time the later pressings were issued on a gold plastic label with black text. Since Do Nothing, all singles on the label were released in a picture sleeve and the 24th single on the label, Racist Friend by The Special AKA, was issued in the now standard 7″ and 12″ formats plus a 7″ picture disc, the first of only 2 to ever appear on the label.

The follow up to Nelson Mandela was What I like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend and it was time for yet another change in label design. Again a paper label, this time the ‘2 Tone’ logo appeared in large light blue text on a black background complete with a strip of silver checks. The plastic label was also still in use only this time it had reverted back to a grey background with black text. The Girlfriend single also saw the second and last picture disc issued on the label.

The Friday Club’s Window Shopping was issued on the grey plastic label while the last release proper on the label was JB’s Allstars Alphabet Army, whose label was similar to that of Girlfriend & In The Studio, except in a gray monotone.

The change in label design however did nothing to change the labels fortunes. 2 Tone was no longer a profit-making venture and in 1985 parent company Chrysalis pulled the plug, ending what indeed was a very chequered career…

The only other UK 2 Tone labels of note are the 1990’s labels for Ghost Town revisited & The Specials Singles LP.

John Collins – A Producer’s Story

One of the most enigmatic names in the story of 2 Tone, John Collins was drafted in to produce the label’s finest moment, Ghost Town, after Jerry Dammers lauded his production on Victor Romero Evan’s ‘At The Club’. Below is an interview with John plus excerpts from ‘Ghost Town – The Producers Story’ from Johns’ LocalRecords.com website.

What was your background up to 1981, how did you get involved in writing and producing? And why reggae and dub?

I was born in 1950, grew up in Tottenham and had an interest in records from an early age. In the 60’s I had a Saturday job in a record shop in Tottenham High Road which had a special section for West Indian customers, so I got to hear a lot of Jamaican records. Around this time I got a tape recorder for Christmas and started to experiment with my own recordings. I had a basic acoustic guitar that I was learning to play and attached a pick-up and built a volume and tone control circuit from “Practical Electronics”.

In 1969 I went to University College London and graduated in 1972 with a degree in electronics and got a job at a research laboratory in Battersea. I was there for over six years and during that time I continued buying and building equipment and making recordings. I also got married and moved into my own house in Tottenham.

My wife was a teacher at a local school and ran a dance group which consisted of students from West Indian families. I helped out with the sound for performances and got to meet Victor (Romero) Evans and Nat Augustin who were in the dance group and started writing and recording reggae tracks with them.

The laboratory where I worked closed in 1979 and I decided to try being a full time record producer and began putting out records on my own label aiming at the reggae market. There was a network of reggae shops and distributors like Dub Vendor, Third World, Hawkeye, Arawak and Jetstar. I would take the records round myself, they would play one and, if they liked it, they might buy some. If a record started selling you would start getting more orders . Doing this was daunting at first but I got a lot of encouragement and advice. The shops all had sound systems playing the latest hits which helped me keep up with the latest developments in reggae. “At The Club” was recorded and released in 1980.

What did you know of The Specials before working with them and what were your expectations prior to meeting them?

I’d heard all their records on the radio and had seen a TV documentary about them. I even sent a demo tape to 2 Tone after seeing the programme. There seemed to be a lot of black/white cooperation in music at the time with Rock Against Racism and bands like The Specials and UB40. The Specials fans appeared to be mainly teenagers, I was in my late twenties at the time and was listening to records by people like Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs. I also had the “Man From Wareika” album by Rico and went to see a couple of his gigs. I was a bit in awe of meeting him and Dick Cuthell.

What did they say they were trying to achieve with the songs particularly Ghost Town?

My understanding was that Ghost Town was about the decline of industry and the rise of unemployment in Coventry and Why? was written in response to a racist attack on Lynval. I think they were writing about what was going on around them, but the main motive was to make a hit record! The decision about which of the three tracks should be the A side was made on which one sounded the best.

How long in total did the Ghost Town sessions last at Woodbine Studios in Leamington?

My recollection is two weeks.

Friday Night, Saturday Morning was made available on a BBC archive CD of Peel Sessions with that session marked as date unknown, but it is a slightly edited version of the one you produced, any idea how the BBC would have this and think it’s one of their sessions?

I do recall being asked to do this radio friendly edit for Chrysalis (cutting “piss stains”) to give to John Peel. This was before the record was released and was on tape. This might explain why it was regarded as a “session”.

Jerry has said that every part of Ghost Town was worked out, that there were little or no rehearsals so to speak, how prepared was the track, and what elements were improvised or found in the studio?

When I had my first meeting with The Specials they were rehearsing in a room in a pub in Coventry and they played the three tracks for me. Rico and Dick weren’t there so there was no brass but all the other musical elements were there. There were no sound effects at the start or end (I added that later during mixdown in Tottenham). Brad was playing his full kit so the drumming was busier than on the record.

During the sessions at Woodbine I remember waiting for Jerry to finish off the lyrics before the vocals could be recorded but this wasn’t a problem. From the outset I got Brad to set up just snare, hi-hat and kick to get a less busy, heavier groove.

Jerry had a home entertainment type organ which was ok for comic cheesy sounds but Woodbine had a Hammond which was just the thing for reggae. I got Jerry to over-dub a two handed organ shuffle on it. It wasn’t what he was used to doing and after a few drop-ins nearly gave up in frustration saying that it felt like the tempo was varying and maybe this wasn’t a good way to work after all. The engineer, John Rivers, checked the tempo with a stop watch and found it to be solid and Jerry carried on, but it nearly all ended there!

The band played and sung right to the end of the track where Jerry played a falling organ figure that sounded a bit like laughing (I left it in on the 12″ edit, just before Rico’s solo). I think Jerry had a fade finish in mind but I did the the dub style ending during mixdown by muting various parts and fading up the sound effect.

Rico’s solo was obviously improvised and laid down on a track alongside the vocals and other parts so this had to be mixed separately, with the unwanted parts muted, and edited into the 12″ version.

Terry’s toast was over-dubbed later in Tottenham as he came up with the idea after the Woodbine sessions.

There have been stories of Terry wanting Friday Night, Saturday Morning to be a vocal and piano only recording but being overridden by Jerry, do you have any knowledge of this, also the demo version of Why? has been doing the rounds on the internet for a while, again was Jerry the one who dictated the direction of the final recorded arrangements etc?

Terry was professional and cooperative but didn’t say very much to me. Friday Night, Saturday Morning was pretty much Jerry’s arrangement. I suggested the descending semi-tones and double tracking on the chorus. I liked this track a lot particularly Terry’s vocal and all the keyboard parts that Jerry played.

The drumming on the internet version of Why? is much busier than on the record for the reasons given earlier. I suggested that the bass line go down rather than up at the end of each phrase. Horace did this but had to tune his E string down a tone to get the low D – I still think it sounds better. It was left up to me to dub up the mix.

Were there any specific musical reference points for the Ghost Town track, either by you or by Dammers & The Specials?

I took a 12″ of “What A Feeling” by Gregory Isaacs to Woodbine to test the sound of the monitors. It’s a Sly and Robbie rhythm similar to Gregory Isaacs’ “Night Nurse”. I think this influenced Brad’s playing, it certainly influenced me in getting the drum sound.. Also I had used the idea of fading up a track through a sound effect on “Lift Off”, the B-side of “At The Club”, and the idea of fading out under a sound effect on “Working Dub”, which I had put out on Local Records previously.

You mention that you left out a toasting recording of Terry, we’re there any other elements tried or recorded that were not used on the finished versions?

Just some congas on Ghost Town.

Much has been made of the tensions within the group at this stage and during these recording sessions, how did it feel for you as an outsider trying to work within that? Did you have dealings with some members more than others? Did you socialise with the band outside the recording sessions?

There were clearly tensions in the band but they were all cooperative and professional with me. I think it helped that they weren’t all in the studio at the same time. I was invited to the pub but as I commuted from Tottenham by car each day I was unable to go. Jerry was my main point of contact with the band – he was the one who phoned me in the first place.

Do you have personal keepsakes from the sessions? any photos or any alternate takes that would get us collectors excited about..?

I did get a signed publicity photo for my cousin’s daughter who was a big Specials fan…

Excerpts from ‘Ghost Town – The Producers Story’ from Johns’ Local Records website.

It started in March 1981 with a phone call from Jerry Dammers. He had heard a reggae record I had made at home in Tottenham, At The Club by Victor Romero Evans, and asked if I would be interested in producing The Specials. Suspicious that it was some sort of joke, I nevertheless agreed to travel up to Coventry a couple of days later to meet the band and was surprised to find that they were serious. They were surprised to find that I was white.

There were clearly tensions in the band, they needed somebody to unite around and they seemed keen to work with me. Jerry was disillusioned with high tech, expensive studios and liked my homemade approach and reggae credentials. He had found a small 8-track studio in Leamington and although it was a step down for The Specials, it was a step up from my 4-track home studio. It was decided to go there to record three songs for the band’s next single. I was given a producer’s contract for 2 points and an advance of Ł1500 which was a good deal for an unknown producer.

And so the experiment began. On the first day in the studio I wanted the rhythm tracks to be recorded: drums, bass, rhythm guitar and guide organ. The Specials usually recorded by all playing together live, but I was used to building a backing track bit by bit. They wouldn’t have all fitted in the studio anyway. I got drummer John Bradbury to set up just his bass drum, snare and hi hat; and bass player Horace Panter to plug directly into the mixer, going for a Sly and Robbie sound. The other songs for the single: Friday Night Saturday Morning and Why? were also begun in the same way.

The drums were mixed down (bounced) to one track (mono) as were the rhythm guitar and shuffle organ, freeing up tracks for more overdubs. The track laying and bouncing continued for a couple of weeks. Time wasn’t a problem, the studio was relatively cheap and I was told by The Specials’ manager, Rick Rogers, to “take as long as it takes”.

When the backing vocals were added it still hadn’t been decided exactly where they would be used so, to keep the options open, I got Jerry, Neville, Lynval and Terry to sing throughout the track – this was before samplers. This turned out to be very useful for the ending; by the time they got to the end of the track, “this town is coming like a ghost town” had become an hypnotic chant.

After the tracks were laid, I spent the following three weeks at my house in Tottenham mixing and editing. I had to get an eight track tape machine to play the multi-track tape but continued to use my home-made equaliser and compressor units along with MicMix Master Room XL-305 spring reverb and DeltaLab DL-4 echo units going through two Teac mixers onto a Teac A3300SX 1/4 inch tape recorder.

Since there was no automated desk, I mixed each section of Ghost Town separately and spliced the sections of 1/4 inch tape together manually. To keep the 7 inch version close to three minutes long I decided to leave Rico’s trombone solo for the 12 inch version. Other things I decided to leave out altogether including a “toasting” (reggae rapping) Terry Hall section – I thought the middle section (“Do you remember the good old days…”) featuring Terry worked brilliantly and for me it was a case of “less is more”.

It was at this stage I sorted out the beginning and end of Ghost Town by using my kit-built Transcendent 2000 synthesiser to make the ghost sound effect at the start of the final mix, fading up The Specials from Brad’s drum count-in and fading down the synthesiser under Jerry’s chromatic diminished chord sequence. At the end, I muted everything apart from bass, drums and backing vocals, dub style, and faded the ghost synth back up just before The Specials come to a halt, leaving the synth on its own again for a few seconds before the final fade.

Click here to visit Johns’ Local Records website at www.localrecords.com

Not that 2 Tone is an especially collectable label, but many releases have maintained a modest market value and some sometimes change hands for exorbitant prices. Here is a selection of some of the more interesting and hard-to-come-by releases on the label.

Nispressings

2 Tone at its peak (’79 – ’81) released 17 singles and all but 2 of them made the national charts. It was not uncommon for singles on the label to reach sales figures in excess of 250,000. Given such numbers it’s maybe not that surprising that there were a few mishaps at the pressing plants. The anomalies and general pressing mistakes which occurred are listed below. The jury is still out on whether incorrect labels should be considered mispressings or misprints. Most collectors seem to identify them as mispressings while typeographic or colour errors are identified as misprints. Although many of these may seem trivial, they do make things interesting for the collector. For the more dedicated fans there are a few minor variations in the layout of various plastic labels pressings, but the following list contains the more obvious and interesting UK releases plus one Dutch pressing of note. As always, we welcome any corrections or additional items not listed.

Gangsters – The Selecter TT1/TT2

The first release on the label has a few mispresses to its credit. Most significantly a Dutch pressing which had completely the wrong track and artist pressed instead of Gangsters. In addition, some UK copies were pressed with the ‘Gangsters’ labels on both sides as well some copies with ‘The Selecter’ labels on both sides. There are also reports of some copies with the labels missing completely.

The Prince CHS TT3

Camden’s finest debut release saw the first of the mysterious blue plastic labels. There have been suggestions that these blue plastic labels are promotional copies, but since to our knowledge, only three other singles have surfaced in this format (On My Radio, Ghost Town & Girlfriend), and in various shades of blue; it does suggested that the pressing plant rather than the promotional department was responsible.

On My Radio CHS TT4

The second single on the label to appear on a blue plastic label. A batch was also pressed with one side grey and the other blue.

A Message to you Rudy CHS TT5

A double A-side on the label but a small number of pressings list both sides incorrectly as ‘Nite Klub’.

Too Much Too Young CHS TT7

Although this was the label’s first EP and is marked on the paper label pressing as such, some paper label pressings omitted this fact. The catalogue number is also displayed within the white section paper label on some of these pressings.

Three Minute Hero CHS TT8

The UK paper label pressings list this as an EP. It appears that they used the previous single’s label as the template for the next single, so this having followed TMTY, it carried the EXTENDED PLAY text, either by error or by mischief. Some copies also have the ‘James Bond’ labels on both sides. It’s also worth noting the change to the ‘James Bond’ writing credits on some pressings. They can alternate between Monty Norman and John Barry. A few of the plastic label pressings commit the cardinal sin of referring to the band as ‘The Selector’.

Lets do Rocksteady CHS TT9

The Bodysnatchers first release for the label is listed incorrectly as ‘People do Rocksteady’ on some of the grey labels. Also the reissue grey labels marked Made in France list the band simply as Bodysnatchers. NOTE. These 2 Tone grey labels, which are marked Made in French, are NOT the French issues of the singles. They are in fact the reissues that were available in the early 80s. All non UK 2 Tone releases were handled directly by Chrysalis. Some of the paper label pressings have the ‘Ruder Than You’ labels on both sides.

Missing Words CHS TT10

The Selecter’s last single for the label was listed as ‘Nissing Words’ on the grey plastic reissue and the writing credit is to N. Davis rather than N. Davies.

Easy Life CHS TT12

Yet another release that appears to have caught the pressing plant totally off-guard, with copies produced with the ‘Easy Life’ labels as well as the ‘Too Experienced’ labels printed on both sides.

Do Nothing CHS TT16

The grey plastic re-issue of The Specials’ penultimate single includes the ‘ Ice Rirk Strirg Sourds’.

Ghost Town CHS TT17

Some paper labels display the catalogue number in the white section of the label. Blue plastic label number three in some cases.

Braggin and trying not to lie CHS TT999

Included with the first issue of More Specials LP as a free single because of lack of space on the album, the single clearly states Free Single Not For Sale. However pressings appeared which failed to include this text.

Sock it To ‘Em J.B.(DUB)/Rat Race (DUB) CHS TT32

It’s difficult to image what could go wrong with this limited pressing, but somehow a small amount were pressed with ‘Sock it To ‘Em J.B.(DUB)’ labels on both sides.

Thanks to Paul Rogers, the ever resourceful Paul Flanagan and ‘Pritch’ from the 2-tone.info forum for their input to this article.

Much has been written about 2 Tone and its ongoing resonance both political and musical. Below we list all of the books/magazines in the archive plus a small selection of some of our favourites…