In our
last installment, C
commented about everything special with the music scenes of 1979, from post-punk to the electronic, and then she mentioned 2 Tone. Like a bolt of lightning, I knew what should be featured next.
When I was in high school, I found the power of female persuasion overpowering. It was useless to fight it, and I would let girls borrow records at the drop of a hat. This came back to bite me three times. These experiences must have been traumatizing because more than 30 years later I still remember the girls who never returned my records, as well as the music they lifted. There was 'Wild Planet,' 'Meat Is Murder' and today's selection.
Later in life, all three of these unintended gaps would be filled. The "Too Much Too Young" EP from the Specials (credited to the Special A.K.A.) was repurchased while I lived in Japan in the '90s, and this is the only piece of vinyl I purchased during those two years overseas. What a travesty. Money was tight. My turntable was in storage back in Illinois. How would I get vinyl home? Lame excuses. Life rarely gives us do-overs, but this is how I will use one of my wishes if the genie ever comes out of the bottle.
1979. What a year for the Specials. Jerry Dammers founded the 2 Tone label. "Gangsters" and "A Message to You, Rudy" cracked the top 10 UK singles chart. Ska was officially a thing again. Elvis Costello produced the self-titled debut album, and it reached No. 4. The band hit 48 venues in the UK to raucous crowds. The "Too Much Too Young" EP came out in most places around the world in early January 1980, but these two performances were from 1979. The A-side was recorded at the Lyceum in London, and the flip side was recorded in front of 2,000 fans and the band's families at Tiffany's as they concluded the tour in their hometown of Coventry. On the back cover of the EP there is a reproduced article from the Coventry Evening Telegraph describing the show. It's a read that nearly brings a tear when Terry Hall's proud parents are quoted. The fact that Dexy's Midnight Runners and Coventry ska legends the Selecter were also on the bill makes me want to fire up the ol' time machine.
I had a part three of Sounds of '79 planned, but I'm going to end it here. I can do no better than this EP.
Side A
Too Much Too Young
Guns of Navarone
Side B
Skinhead Symphony: Longshot Kick The Bucket/Liquidator/Skinhead Moonstomp
7 comments:
The "Side B" link is just Guns of Navarone again...
Thanks, Dangold. All sorted.
Right on Brian. If you were paying attention, SKA was the sound of 1979! On My Radio, Message To You Rudy, The Prince, Tears Of A Clown, Gangsters which will turn 40 on 4, May 2019, all made me move my feet througout 1979! My local import record store made it ridiculously easy to collect 2-Tone. I have all the singles and albums through the Dance Craze LP. I also made a point of buying every 2-Tone related badge I could find back then. They remain part of my personal treasure.
Lovely to know the comment inspired this great instalment. (I apologise on behalf of my gender for the records you lost!) Here in the UK, everything felt very intertwined, at least that's how it seemed to me - no youth tribe conflict between 2-Tone, punk, post-punk, etc. just branches off the same tree. Fond memories of listening to Specials and Selecter sessions on John Peel that year.
Brian, you have reminded me of a trauma that happened to me back in 1992. I had been involved with a girl on and off since I was 17 that finally can to an end on the evening of Thursday 9th of April 1992, I remember the night as it was the UK General Election and I was in high spirits as I believed that this was the end of the "true blue meanies" as Billy Bragg had called the Tory Party, anyway xxx and I parted company for good that night.
A few months later on a Saturday night I saw her again in the pub and as I had deeply regretted our parting thought that I would try and re-ignite the flame, a course of action that I was told was not the best idea in the world by Stiff bit I did not listen. Everything seemed to be going well and I walked her home, she had moved house and now lived a couple of miles in the other direction from my house, no matter. To cut a long story short when we got there I was informed that even if I was the last person on earth she would not go back out with me, which was fair enough I thought and so asked if I could get all the records back that she had of mine, not least my original Loaded 12 and Cake by The Trash Can Sinatra's"? Not possible I was told as they had all been given to a charity shop some time previously! As you will understand this was akin to being punched extremely hard in the guts and I said my goodbyes and started the long trek home in an extremely distressed state "how could she, she knows what they records mean to me" I kept saying to myself and then it dawned on me and I understood and had to admire her actions.
I was broken hearted for quite a while and it still hurts thinking of what happened to those records.
C'est la vie as they say.
Hi Brian - Dropped by to see what you'd been writing about and was pleasantly surprised to see this post. I wrote about the 1979 2 Tone Tour in my first year of blogging so thought you might like to see how it turned out when they reached the far north of Scotland.
https://jukeboxtimemachine.com/2016/06/26/madness-the-prince-and-the-2-tone-label/
Drew, A sad tale on many levels, but girl schmirl. I feel much worse about the records.
Alyson, I'm so glad you checked in. Going to that post right now. Hey, I have been trying to reach you because I think my comments at your place are going into your junk file. I emailed you about it, but I imagine that went to junk as well. My last comment was on the Morrissey post. I bet if you move it out of junk it will take care of the problem. This has happened to me with wordpress blogs in the past, and that did the trick. At any rate, I'm still reading!
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