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Post by Bazza on Nov 27, 2004 9:33:32 GMT -5
On Monday 29th November Channel 4 will be showing Two Tone Britain which is all about the ska inspired Two Tone record label. The show is on at 11pm until midnight (see ad below).  |
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Post by Bazza on Nov 30, 2004 3:20:31 GMT -5
Did anyone see the show last night?
I thought It was ok, but why wasn't Jerry Dammers on there? After all he was the one who set the 2 Tone label up. I also thought that Suggs was on for far too long. Madness only ever put 1 single out on 2 Tone (and a few live tracks on the Dance Craze album) and only played on 1/2 of the dates on the first 2 Tone Tour.
Seeing the clips of Dance Craze last night it reminded me that this film still hasn't been released on DVD yet. You would have thought that since it is 25 years since 2 Tone it would have been a great time to release it. Also they should put out Dance Craze on CD as the American version misses out all of the tracks by Madness (they are replaced by The Special AKA live EP).
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Post by Bazza on Nov 30, 2004 3:25:34 GMT -5
If anyone would like more info on the 2 Tone tribute band Special Brew who were on Two Tone Britain last night, click on the following link - www.specialbrew.info/ |
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Post by VenusInFurs on Nov 30, 2004 6:26:58 GMT -5
Shame American TV shows mostly crap. Then again, The Specials and bands of the like never quite made it here, unfortunately.
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Post by Bazza on Nov 30, 2004 13:14:17 GMT -5
Shame American TV shows mostly crap. Then again, The Specials and bands of the like never quite made it here, unfortunately. I don't think The Specials were together long enough to break America. However, I think The Beat & Madness did quite well over there. Didn't Madness have a No.1 single in America with "Our House"? The Beat's third album "Special Beat Service" sold quite well in the States while it sold quite poorly back in England. The members of The Beat had greater success in America as General Public and Fine Young Cannibals. General Public's line up also included The Specials bassist Sir Horace Gentleman and Stoker and Mickey Billingham from Dexys Midnight Runners. Also The Special Beat - a band formed by members of The Specials, The Beat and The Loafers were very popular on the live circuit. America also had it own Ska scene in the late 80's with bands like The Toasters, The Untouchables and Bim Skala Bim who were all influenced by 2 Tone. The Untouchables also made the top 40 over here with "Free Yourself". |
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Post by VenusInFurs on Nov 30, 2004 13:46:54 GMT -5
Didn't Madness have a No.1 single in America with "Our House"? Correct. But Madness are considered a "one hit wonder" here(so are Dexys), while in the UK all their singles were in the charts. |
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Post by Bazza on Dec 2, 2004 15:43:43 GMT -5
City Hi-Fi is offering, for a limited time the chance to watch the recently aired 'Two Tone Britain' movie which documents the rise of the influential British record label 'Two Tone'. The movie is currently only available in the Real Media format. Click the following link to watch. Two Tone Britain |
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Post by Bazza on Dec 10, 2004 4:27:41 GMT -5
I've just found this 2 Tone book on Amazon. I'm not sure how long it's been out but it looks like a good read.  Book Description:Coming on the back of punk and radical new wavers like Tom Robinson and The Ruts, and taking its roots from Caribbean Ska, Rock Steady and Reggae, the 2-Tone sound was honed into a modern urban multi-racial sound by bands such as The Specials and The Selecter. The Specials' 2-Tone record label gave the movement its name and gave a home to many of the groups of the time. For a new indie lable, 2-Tone was remarkably successful: The Specials themselves notched up classic number one singles like Too Much Too Young and Ghost Town, the latter sounding eerily prophetic against a backdrop of a Britain beset by unemployment, racial tension and largescale rioting … Other 2-Tone bands such as The Beat and The Selecter enjoyed strings of chart hits with instantly memorable and infectious 45s and other groups born out of the same scene, such as Madness and UB40, defined their own distinctive appeal and forged their early success. Wheels Out of Gear is also a vivid portrait of Margaret Thatcher's Britain at the turn of the decade, when the National Front and the Anti Nazi League regularly fought pitch battles in the streets, suspects where regularly injured in police custody, Blair Peach was died at the hands of Special Patrol Group police officers and rioters set light to the urban ghettos of Brixton, Toxteth and Handsworth. An era when the 2-Tone Sound - good time music with often darkly political lyrics - created the double-edged musical backdrop to cities that were truly becoming Ghost Towns and a world that appeared to be in flame. Synopsis:When the punks embraced reggae it led to a late 1970s Ska revival that began in Coventry with Jerry Dammer's Two Tone record label and is band, The Specials. Original 60s rude boy fashions - mohair suits, dark glasses and the uniquitous pork pie hats - along with Dammer's black and white themed logo were emblems for a hugely popular scene that also comprised hitmaking groups such as Madness, The Beat and Selecter. |
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Post by VenusInFurs on Dec 10, 2004 6:20:35 GMT -5
I've just found this 2 Tone book on Amazon. I'm not sure how long it's been out but it looks like a good read Yeah, something I would definitely read. |
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Post by Bazza on Dec 11, 2004 4:07:21 GMT -5
I've been told on The Specials message board that the book focuses more in the poltics of the time rather than the music. The book doesn't just feature 2 Tone bands either. The Ruts, Angelic Upstarts and Tom Robinson all get a mention. I wonder if the Redskins are in there as well?
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Post by VenusInFurs on Dec 11, 2004 11:10:52 GMT -5
The Ruts, Angelic Upstarts and Tom Robinson all get a mention. I wonder if the Redskins are in there as well? They should be, if they're going to mention bands like the Upstarts. |
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