From Tape to Wax. A Collector’s Journey

From Tape to Wax - A Collector's Journey

By Jason Needham

Many 2 Tone collectors like myself caught the bug when they heard the beginning of Gangsters at the youth club or on the school bus radio. From that day forward all I was interested in was that sound and that black and white label. Within 2 years it had exploded then imploded leaving very little behind. I refused to let it go so easily and spent every weekend on the hunt for different copies of UK releases.

I would go to every record fair in town, and I soon added Jamaican ska and reggae to my collection. It was the same deal. Look for the label. Be it Bluebeat, RIO, Island, Pama and buy it. I would buy anything on those labels as I knew the label had its own sound. My 2 Tone collection has a bit of everything but today my focus is on interesting items that by their nature are rare and seldom seen but also might go under the radar of many collectors.

 

What to Collect…

Many people will focus on the UK paper label singles and albums first then move onto the 12″ singles. Some will want to buy everything they can and not worry about condition. Others will focus on rarities only. Some collectors may move onto collecting picture sleeves or even focus on one country at a time. For a label with such a short history there really is a lot to collect and one thing I will promise you is there is no such thing as a complete 2 Tone collection. We really don’t know what else could be out there when it comes to the rarities.

My own collection started out with UK paper labels and test presses of a few albums and 12″ releases then I moved on to anything UK I didn’t already own followed by the odd European picture sleeve that showed up at record fairs. Everything changed in the mid-nineties with eBay. I started refining my collection offloading hundreds of ska and reggae singles of lower condition but keeping the best. I started buying European 2 Tone releases and focused on condition and rarity. I bought all my UK rarities as they were released, and I managed to buy many European rarities like the Dutch Concrete Jungle in excellent condition before the rarity value was added.

The downside was I sold off all my UK injection moulded presses as the rarity value at the time was unknown. Gangsters on silver injection moulded, The Prince and Ghost Town with blue labels. I sold them all only to buy them all back later. The good news is rarities can still be found at bargain prices today if you know what you’re looking for and are in the right place at the right time.

 

Acetates, Proofs & Test Presses

The journey from master tape to the wax of a commercial release goes through a few stages and this offers the collector another area to focus on. Acetates, test presses, mailouts, proof sleeves and promos were a natural next step of focus for me once I’d exhausted the commercial release area of collecting. Below is a brief explanation of these formats with some examples of items from the collection.

Acetate (Master Lacquer)

An acetate is cut by the mastering engineer. It’s the result of transferring the recorded sound on tape to the master lacquer (cutting the lacquer) the acetate can be played on a normal record player but will wear out much quicker than a vinyl record. They can be destroyed from the weight of a turntable’s needle arm in very few plays. Acetates come in a few sizes and 2 Tone records can be found on 7”, 8”, 10” and 12” from what I’ve seen and some are single sided, others double sided. It’s rare they are available to the public so they can be highly prized especially if they contain unreleased versions or unpublished tracks.

Elvis Costello, I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down Acetate

This is the original Acetate prior to the 2 Tone singles being pressed. Note these photos were sent to me by the previous owner and the acetate has since been sold on. The note that was sent out is of interest to 2 Tone collectors. It talks about a test press, but I presume this was being played on radio straight from the acetate as one came from Mike Reid’s collection when it went to auction. There seem to be a few acetates for this release but how many are pre 2 Tone press is debatable.

My Acetates in the archive:

Title Country Format Artist Cat.No. Label
Too Much Too Young UK 7" vinyl The Specials Trident
I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down UK 10" vinyl Elvis Costello CBS
Rat Race UK 10" vinyl The Specials Trident
Results: 3

Proof Copy

Proof artwork of picture sleeves are highly collectable and very rare items. Some were mocked up with a test press and given to the rep to take around to all the dealers. As with acetates or test presses anything different from the released version increases the collector’s interest so different artwork that was never used (rejected) on the commercial release is also highly prized. Note that some proof sleeves might just be the front cover but most are not glued and open out like a card.

More Specials – Proof Sleeve

More Specials (rejected) Proof Sleeve with Pre-Release Matrix Test Press, mailout and poster with centre fold. This came from the west country Polydor rep. The rep would have a boot load of upcoming releases and drive around all the record shops using the proofs to get orders. The letter spacing being the difference and reason for rejecting.  

Dance Craze – Proof Sleeve

Dance Craze (rejected) Proof Sleeve with Test Press. This came from a different Polydor rep. The back cover is missing track 4 (razor blade alley) and also the commercial release has Songs Featured In The Film Dance Craze written at the top.

This Are Two Tone – Proof Sleeve

This Are Two Tone (rejected) Proof with Test Press. This sleeve was rejected due to the centre spindle having a printing error.

My Proof Sleeves in the archive:

Title Country Format Artist Cat.No. Label
Dance Craze UK Vinyl LP Various
More Specials UK Vinyl LP The Specials
This Are Two Tone UK Vinyl LP Various

Results: 3

Test Press

Some test presses will have been pressed using different stampers containing different track listings or mixes. Anything different will add to the rarity of a test press. My copy of In The Studio has a different track listing on the first test press. This was rejected so probably around up to 5 could exist. The Gangsters single has a fade out ending on the first press and was later remastered by George Porky Peckham with a different abrupt ending. It was also mastered by Noel Summerville at PYE and this is why there are multiple test presses for this release out there.

My Test Pressings in the Archive:

Title Country Format Artist Cat.No. Label
Ghost Town UK 12" vinyl The Specials White label
In The Studio UK Vinyl LP The Special AKA
Dance Craze UK Vinyl LP Various
More Specials UK Vinyl LP The Specials
This Are Two Tone UK Vinyl LP Various

Results: 5

Test Press Mailouts

Chrysalis Records used Rush Release to promote many of their artists and Rush Release mailouts are available with all the 2 Tone 12” test presses with the only question mark being “Window Shopping” by The Friday Club as It’s never been seen to my knowledge. I asked Andrew Brooks from the band if he had received a test press and he said he hadn’t.

Archive items with mailouts:

Title Country Format Artist Cat.No. Label
Racist Friend UK 12" vinyl The Special AKA Chrysalis
Ghost Town UK 12" vinyl The Specials White label
Jungle Music UK 12" vinyl Rico White label
What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend UK 12" vinyl The Special AKA CHS TT 1227 2 Tone
The Alphabet Army UK 12" vinyl JB's Allstars
The Feeling's Gone UK 12" vinyl The Apollinaires White Label
Run Me Down UK 12" vinyl The Higsons Chrysalis
Envy The Love UK 12" vinyl The Apollinaires / The Higsons CHS TTS 1
Nelson Mandela UK 12" vinyl The Specials Chrysalis
War Crimes UK 10" vinyl The Special AKA CHS TT 10 23 2 Tone
More Specials UK Vinyl LP The Specials
Results: 11

Promotional Copies

Promos come in many forms. Some will be a white label like a test press and others will have promo stamps on labels or sleeves. On rare occasions an injection moulded record will have a promo label moulded into the record. Some releases will have double A sides containing mono and stereo versions. Promos were sent out during the production run to get airplay ahead or the release date. Most would be sent out with press packs.

My promo copy of A Message To You Rudy from Panama is of particular interest having a previously unreleased B side on 7” format.

My Promos in the archive:

Title Country Format ▾ Artist Cat.No. Label
Racist Friend UK 12" vinyl The Special AKA Chrysalis
Ghost Town UK 12" vinyl The Specials White label
Jungle Music UK 12" vinyl Rico White label
What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend UK 12" vinyl The Special AKA CHS TT 1227 2 Tone
The Alphabet Army UK 12" vinyl JB's Allstars
The Feeling's Gone UK 12" vinyl The Apollinaires White Label
Run Me Down UK 12" vinyl The Higsons Chrysalis
Envy The Love UK 12" vinyl The Apollinaires / The Higsons CHS TTS 1
Nelson Mandela UK 12" vinyl The Specials Chrysalis
Too Much Too Young UK 7" vinyl The Specials Trident
A Message To You Rudy Panama 7" vinyl The Specials CHS TT5 2 Tone

Results: 11

The Festival Records Beat Box Promo Box Set

This is an extremely rare item as it was only sent out to media outlets in Australia. I knew of its existence for many years and even tried to hunt a copy out in Australia on numerous trips but in the end my copy came from a festival reps estate at auction.

 

Under The Covers

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)

Bootlegs

Bootlegs

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.

Live in Manchester

A fine soundboard recording of a pre-Rico and Dick Cuthell version of The Specials. The gigography included in Paul Williams’s detailed account of the band, You’re Wondering Now’, lists Russell Club, 15th June 1979 as a possible location and date for this recording. Neville plugging the new release of ‘Gangsters’ would certainly go someway in confirming this.

Live at the Moonlight Club 1979

The Moonlight Club, West Hampstead London 2 May 1979 saw Terry Hall offering some sound advice to potential voters on the eve of a UK general election. It’s a professional recording which was given an official release on 2 Tone in 1992. It’s shame that the official recording removed a lot of the between song banter which was included on the bootleg version.

Niteklubbing Monkey Men

A good quality recording of a gig at the MarketHall, Hamburg, Germany on 16th January 1980. It’s a fairly bland release and the rather lacklustre sleeve does little to add to its appeal.

Gangsters

The first of two outings for this recording sourced from a gig at Boston Paradise on 30th January 1980. Given that the bootleggers had an FM radio broadcast at their disposal it’s perhaps a bit surprising that this recording suffers from so much distortion. Terry Hall’s bizarre Jimmy Cagney intro to Rat Race doesn’t help matters either.

Rude Boys Out Of Jail

A second release of the Boston Paradise gig. This time on Centrifugal Records who also released the Madness bootleg ‘Mistakes’ recorded at the same venue. It was mastered at the wrong speed which results in Terry’s vocal pitch dropping by a few tones. Not the most essential of bootlegs.

Gangsters

Don’t let the high quality sleeve and super heavyweight vinyl fool you. This release offers very little to the dedicated fan. It’s only salvation is the inclusion of five live tracks recorded for the US College radio show ‘The King Biscuit Flower Hour’ and broadcast 25th May 1980 as part of a double bill with The Boomtown Rats. The remainder of the tracks have all been officially released in some form or other.

UK Discography

The complete UK Discography of the label from 1979 through to 1985, plus the subsequent compilation releases and box sets containing 2 Tone catalogue numbers.

Clicking on any of the releases below will take you to the release page which will outline ‘also available’ & ‘related’ releases.

Please use the Artists or Search pages to locate non-official UK items or releases.

The Search page functionality has been expanded to allow more accurate searches and the sorting of search results by column.

Singles

TitleArtistCat.No.Year
GangstersThe Special AKA Vs The SelecterTT1/TT21979
The PrinceMadnessCHS TT31979
On My RadioThe SelecterCHS TT41979
A Message To You RudyThe Specials (Featuring Rico)CHS TT51979
Tears Of A ClownThe BeatCHS TT61979
I Can’t Stand Up For Falling DownElvis CostelloCHS TT71980
Too Much Too YoungThe Special AKACHS TT71980
Three Minute HeroThe SelecterCHS TT81980
Lets Do Rock SteadyThe BodysnatchersCHS TT91980
Missing WordsThe SelecterCHS TT101980
Rat RaceThe SpecialsCHS TT111980
Easy LifeThe BodysnatchersCHS TT121980
StereotypeThe SpecialsCHS TT131980
MantovaniThe Swinging CatsCHS TT141980
Sea CruiseRicoCHS TT151980
Do NothingThe SpecialsCHS TT161980
Ghost TownThe SpecialsCHS TT171981
The BoilerRhoda with The Special AKACHS TT181982
Jungle MusicRico & The Special AKACHS TT191982
The Feeling’s GoneThe ApollinairesCHS TT201982
Tear The Whole Thing DownThe HigsonsCHS TT211982
Envy The LoveThe ApollinairesCHS TT221982
War CrimesThe Special AKACHS TT231982
Run Me DownThe HigsonsCHS TT241983
Racist FriendThe Special AKACHS TT251983
Nelson MandelaThe Special AKACHS TT261984
What I Like Most About You Is Your GirlfriendThe Special AKACHS TT271984
Window ShoppingThe Friday ClubCHS TT281985
The Alphabet ArmyJB’s AllstarsCHS TT291985
Ghost Town (revisited)The Specials / Special ProductionsCHS TT301991
The 2 Tone EPVariousCHS TT311993
Sock It To ‘Em J.B. (DUB)The SpecialsCHS TT322014
Gangsters (DUB)The SpecialsCHS TT332020
At The Home Organ: Demos 1980-1982Jerry DammersCHS TT342021
Works In Progress Versions The Specials CHS TT35 2022

Albums & Box Sets

TitleArtistCat.No.Year
Specials The Specials CDL TT 5001 1979
Too Much Pressure The Selecter CDL TT 5002 1980
More Specials The Specials CHR TT 5003 1980
Dance Craze Various CHR TT 5004 1981
That Man Is Forward Rico CHR TT 5005 1981
Jama Rico Rico CHR TT 5006 1982
This Are Two Tone Various CHR TT 5007 1983
In The Studio The Special AKA CHR TT 5008 1984
The 2 Tone Story Various CHR TT 5009 1989
The Specials Singles The Specials CHR TT 5010 1991
Live At The Moonlight Club The Specials CHR TT 5011 1992
The Best Of 2 Tone Various CHR TT 5012 1993
The Compact 2 Tone Story Various CHR TT 5013 1993
7 inch Treasures Various CHS TT 5014 2019
Two Tone: The Albums Various CHS TT 5016 2020
Live In Coventry ’79 The Selecter CDL TTL 5002 2021

Press Ads & Promos

Press ads & Promos

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 Two Tone Label

The Two Tone Label

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.