Don't Knock The Baldhead! - Exclusive: Interview with Winston Blisset About His Days in UK Ska Pop Sensation Headline

One of the joys of writing this blog has been the opportunity to discover and pay respects to all the bands that contributed to the entire canon of 2-Tone era ska. One such band that caught my eye and ears was Headline. They were a 6-piece ska-pop band signed to Virgin Records who released several singles, including the catchy "Don't Knock The Baldhead/Highway Hassle" and a self-titled album in 1980. Based on their sound and their look, Headline quickly became UK media darlings, who were noteworthy for their sense of fun as well as their wild stage entrances. Here is a wonderful description of the band from a support slot they played with The Stranglers in July of 1980 that appears on Strangled.com, a great fan web site devoted to band:


IT’S JULY 1980 – and rammed at the Rainbow. Spirited, devoted black leather bomber jackets are rightly omnipresent and correct, ready for The Stranglers’ first night of the ‘Who Wants The World tour’. Nervy, expectant excitement is in the air: It’s just ten days from their release from French jail following the Nice University riot. A swirl of dope flits across the front of the audience. The house lights fade. Support band Headline step onstage, unknown, unloved - and face to face with the headliner’s audience; you can almost hear a smart silver tie-pin drop in the quiet hiatus. Suited and booted, Headline come on from the left side of the stage, strutting linear, like a black version of Madness in Nutty Boy fashion. Headline march, march, march, chanting a deep baritone mantra: ‘Don’t knock the Baldhead - Don’t knock the Baldhead! Boongy boong boongy woongy! Don’t knock the Baldhead!’ It’s an unforgettable entrance. They hit centre stage, and suddenly scram in all directions to grab guitars, microphones and drumsticks. Acappella out, in comes their schizoid mesh of pop-tinged Ska. Black suits, black ties, white shirts, skanking natty dread – five black baldheads and one white guy. Lean lead singer Michael holds onto the mic stand as bassist Winston bobs about, tugging at his black Music Man bass, with Kevin skanking on guitar and synth-player Richard leering at the mob, playing bubblegum synth riffs, with knees-ups and Ska ‘chikka-chiks’ a-plenty. The crowd’s earlier coolness thoroughly thaws as "Rudi Don’t Fear" and "Highway Hassle" fill the theatre with infectious, insistent Ska - followed by "Bald Head Revolution", and a return to their single, "Don’t Knock The Bald Head".

According to Strangled.com, Headline had its roots in a southeast London funk band called Raw Funk who were quite popular in the funk and soul clubs in that part of the city. Then one day as 2-Tone was taking the UK by storm, the band decided to switch from funk to ska. As the children of Jamaican-born parents, they had all grown up on ska. Within the space of just two hours they shaved off their big Afros and Headline was born. The band soon found some luck with the help of promoter Keith Altham’s publicist, Claudine. Her husband, musician Michael Riley had just left Steel Pulse and joined the band as their vocalist. The band's first gig was at the Nashville and they quickly booked support slots that got them positive vibes from the music press.

Even though they got the gigs, Headline never got that big break, like so many bands. By August, Riley and bassist Winston Blissett left the band in search of something more politically weighty and musically challenging. They formed Bumble and the Beez with John Martyn, with a gig at Hammersmith Palais supporting Siouxsie & The Banshees in 1981. After replacing the duo, Headline continued and follow-up with, the Folkes Brothers cover, 'Oh Carolina'. But the ska category was already ably filled with the likes of various 2-Toners and rudies, such as Madness, The Specials, The Selecter, Bad Manners and The Beat.


I was able to connect with Headline's bassist Winston Blissett, and he was kind enough to take time while on tour with The New Beautiful South to answer some interview questions for me. Blissett, who is also the bassist for Massive Attack, shared his experiences growing up in London, his musical education as a bass player and memories of what it was like for Headline to support The Stranglers on their 1980 'Who Want's The World' UK tour.

What was it like growing up in London in the 70's?
Lewisham & Deptford weren't as developed as today but we had fun as kids being able to play/hang out on the streets more than what you'd notice now with the today's youngsters. I spent some of my weekends, Fri & Sat nights going to Blues party's held in friends of friends homes. You got wind of a party & gate crashed. Sometimes it was an "edge" to get in (Edge = 50 pence). This became a First Later (1 pound)... inflation. Most of my partying was during my school days before going to college. Going to gigs was something I loved to do when I had enough money. I saw bands such as the Ohio Players, Fatback Band, Kool & The Gang, James Brown, Toots & the Maytals & other Reggae & Soul artists mainly. Later I spent most of my time being broke as a student so not too much partying & clubbing by then.

Politics... mum & dad were always moaning about the cost of living, taxes, rates etc, a bit like me moaning these days.... Ask my kids. The politics of the day was always something everyone complained about. In 1979, Mrs Thatchers party were voted in which gave us plenty more to moan about after a few months in power... a turning point in our history in my eyes anyway. Dad was a bus driver & mum worked part time in a Hospital so they were not in the high income bracket. Being a black kid was always an issue as racism was more upfront & in your face then so me & some of my friends always felt unwelcome as we were all seen as immigrants (I was born in Greenwich Hospital).

Choosing a musical direction was a challenge but being keen & determined at that age made you blind to most of the challenges. I remember there being more places for up coming musicians to jam at i.e. pubs & clubs & getting gigs seemed easier. Also getting to the gigs I remember being easier as fared weren't as expensive as they are today (relatively of course).

Did you grow up listening to ska and reggae music? Did you get caught up in punk?
I was brought up listening to Blue Beat, Ska & Reggae music (with only Jim Reeves on Sunday) & later discovered Funk & Soul music. I wasn't a Punk fan but during the late 70's & early 80's had much contact with that scene as "Rock Against Racism" kinda fused the two genres which was weird as the two groups seemed so far apart socially, but also I don't remember there being that much confrontation with the two groups as, I suppose, the Anti racism message united the two. That's my view which may be a bit romantic but that's how I recall it. Trouble came a bit later when Skinheads got involved... not saying it was perfect before....

When did you discover that you could play the bass?
At the age of about 14,15 a friend invited me to his Pentecostal Church where most of the kids could play an instrument or sing. I suppose a bit of peer pressure/pride made decide to take up an instrument, the bass, as it had less strings. Within a few months I felt this was a natural thing for me to do.

What kind of bands did you play in before Headline? How did 2-Tone effect your decision to start Headline?
My first band's were a local reggae group, Friction, a Calypso band and then onto a Funk band called Raw Funk Band. RFB gigged for a couple of years till we decided to disband then reform as Headline. We felt as we were all of Jamaican origin, we could blow all the other bands away by playing ska music which we grew up on. The band members were: Lascelles Forest - Guitar; Tony (Jegger) Read - Drums; Richard Read - Keyboards; Kevin - Guitar; Paul Pryce - Guitar; Mike Riley - Vox;Winston Blissett - Bass


How did you end up choosing to name the band Headline?
The name was chosen as we all shaved our heads & when lined up in some photo shoots it seemed like a good idea and also to make a statement to say "Don't Knock The Baldhead". "Bald Head" being a non Rastafarian in the Reggae community and we weren't Rastas.

How did you meet Michael Riley who had been in Steel Pulse?
Mike knew Raw Funk as he had business with the manager of RFB so we'd see him at the management office from time to time. Mike helped with the concept of Headline & later his wife, Claudine, gave valuable help with press exposure & advice on creating interest in the band.

As a predominantly black band playing ska/pop during the height of 2-Tone, what kind of reception did you get from audiences? How did skinheads respond to the band?
Everybody really loved the music, even the skinheads who hated the band at times due to the colour thing. Unfortunately on a couple of occasions, violence did break out as we were an obvious target for the racists, especially when we were the support act, but on the whole I remember a positive response.

Can you share any unusual stories about any shows that were particularly memorable? You opened for a variety of bands from The Stranglers to Killing Joke and Bad Manners?
Supporting the Stranglers was an honour even though it was a revival for their band, we'd all grown up with the music & knew some of the tunes. On one occasion, we were literally the support as the whole venue was shaking with the crowd going wild & us lot plus bouncers were keeping the PA stacks from falling over. People were passing out & carried backstage to be revived (Slapped around the face a few times with a christening of water). Great vibe though,,, health & safety would have went crazy ( I think that was at Birmingham Odeon, not a gig venue anymore.)

The Bad Manners tour was good fun as we often travelled together in our vehicles and had a few laughs at motor-way stops. Douggie, Bad Manners lead singer, definitely loved his grub as he'd demonstrate at these stops. Didn't he have the record for the most eaten Big Macs in one session in the UK ?


You were signed by Richard Branson to his Virgin Records label fairly quickly after starting the band. What was that like? Did he have big plans for the band?
It was quick compared to how long it usually takes. Virgin/Mr Branson was really committed as the response or feedback about the band was positive from all areas, gigs, press reviews etc. There was definitely a lot of commitment from Virgin as Mr Branson personally signed the band to the label.

What are your fondest memories of recording the 'Don't Knock The Baldhead" LP? Do you have a favorite song from the record?
We did have fun recording the album. Bob Seargent produced it. He was great to work with & produced a few other pop acts of the day. We did like to take the Mick out of him & I remember we mentioned him in Highway Hassle. Bob used me as a session musician on projects he was working on after Headline. I think "Highway Hassle" was my favorite but "Don't Knock The Bald Head" always if not equally was on par with 'Highway Hassle.'


You and the lead singer Michael Riley left the band shortly after the album came out in 1980. Why did you leave? Tell me about Bumble and The Beez?
Mike & I left due to creative & some personal differences but the band continued... not sure why it came to a halt later on. We formed Bumble & The Beez as a fusion project, mainly Reggae, Classical & Rock styles to try something different. We gained some interest from crowds & eventually got signed to EMI. Apart from Mike & myself, we had Dan Lee on Reggae guitar, Simon Walker on Violin & Keyboards & Nick Page on Rock/classical guitar. We started out with a drummer, Tony Hawkins, a good player but not quite the style we needed who later became a music journo. Apart from what we were playing, we gained some interest in the way we played. Even though we were looking for the right type of drummer, in the meantime Mike the lead singer, played bass drum & Cowbell which made an interesting sound with Violin doing Reggae chops, funky dub bass lines & no drummer.

We were blackmailed (In the nicest possible way) by Siouxsie from Siouxsie & the Banshees to play in this format as her support act at the Hammersmith Palais which was a great but nerve racking first gig. Things went on for a while but as with many bands we ended up going our separate ways but still remaining friends. Mike launched the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra with some of the Bumble & The Beez tunes. Nick went on to form "The Rain Gods" then "Transglobal Underground" and then went on to form "The Temple Of Sound". He now works as a producer/ songwriter sometimes from the Real World studios & calls on Mike & me to help out on his music every now & then.

You've gone on to become a professional bass player and have recorded with Massive Attack, Robbie Williams and are currently touring with The New Beautiful South. How do you look back on your days in Headline?
We had some great times performing the Ska tunes as we had it in our blood, so to speak, & the punters knew it was authentic as the vibe was electric.... audiences always pick up on this & get a feeling of excitement from connecting with the band.... sounds corny but it is true. This does give me a feeling of regret that we didn't stick it out & work on the differences that divided the band. When I left, the other members continued after which I lost touch with them.

What do you think of the Bad Manners cover of 'Don't Knock The Baldhead"?
To be honest, I wasn't aware that Bad Manners had covered the tune. I listened to it on You Tube & looked on their web site but saw no mention of a credit to Headline for the composition of the track. Weird as it's done exactly as we performed it. It was great to hear them play it & play it so well.

You can catch Blissett live in action touring with The New Beautiful South who have two shows on Saturday May 30th at Britannia Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent and later that night in Sunderland at the Campus Academy. You can also see Blissett with Massive Attack, who have announced ten dates for their UK tour this fall. The tour will kick off with two nights at the O2 Academy in Brixton, London, on September 17 and 18.

Will Jerry Dammers Make An Appearance At The Specials Shows In London?

As The Specials reunion tour of sold out shows continues to barrel across the UK, the one member of the band who has not joined in sent fans into a flurry of speculation with a vaguely worded post on a Twitter account over the weekend.

Yes, Mr. Jerry Dammers (or someone who is acting on his behalf) has once again fueled rumor and conjecture, by suggesting that he may make an appearance at The Specials' Brixton Academy shows in London in early May. Dammers (or someone who is acting on his behalf) posted the following short message 'Reconcillation abound, see you at Brixton' on his Twitter account (have a look for yourself at the Twitter post)

Fans have exchanged both hopeful and disbelieving exchanges on the band's fan forum as well as a separate board started by Dammers supporters. The band have replaced Dammers with keyboardist Nik Torp who according to reports has filled his shoes admirably. Dammers was in the audience for the band's first reunion performance last summer at Bestival and it is not outside the realm of possibility that he could be planning to make an appearance (officially or unofficially) to mark the tour's arrival in London where he lives.

I'll continue to follow this as it develops and will post more in the next few days. In the meantime, here is a short montage of Jerry doing his DJ thing. Perhaps the band have invited him to DJ during the show? Time will tell.....

Marco On The Bass Podcast Series: 2-Tone Era Peel Sessions Featuring The Selecter, The Beat, The Specials, Laurel Aitken & Unitone and Madness

This week's podcast changes things up a bit and pays homage to John Peel and the live sessions he recorded with the cream of the 2-Tone crop including The Specials, The Selecter, The Beat, Madness and Laurel Aitken & The Unitone (which was The Ruts in disguise)for his BBC radio show.

Before we get to the music, here is a video interview with Peel. His influence on the culture of the UK and the world can't be overstated. At BBC’s Radio 1, Peel helmed his own show from 1968 until his death in 2004, and first introduced UK listeners to reggae, punk, and hip-hop. T-Rex, David Bowie, the Faces, the Sex Pistols, Fairport Convention, Pink Floyd, the Clash, the Buzzcocks, the Cure, Joy Division, the Wedding Present, Def Leppard, Pulp, the Smiths, and the White Stripes have all credited Peel as a major boost to their careers. He championed thousands of bands, but also had much to do with bringing the sound of 2-Tone and reggae to the masses and for that he is owed and unmeasurable debt.



Here are highlights about the bands and performers in this week's podcast:

The Selecter recorded two Peel session. This is the first of the two and it features songs from their first album. It was recorded on October 9, 1979 at Maida Vale Studios and was produced by John Sparrow and engineered by Mike Robinson.

The Beat recorded three Peel sessions. He was a big fan of the band and trumpeted their music regularly on his show. The songs in this podcast were recorded September 3. 1980 at Maida Vale and featured tracks from their overlooked second album 'Whappen' including 'Psychedlic Rockers', 'Monkey Murders' and 'Walk Away' which are personal favorites of mine. The session was produced by Bob Sargeant (who worked with the band on all three of their albums) and was engineered by Mike Engles.

The Specials session was recorded on October 29, 1980 at the Maida Vale Studios and was produced by Bob Sargeant and engineered by Nick Gromm. I quite like this session because it features 3 songs that were not part of the band's regular set list including one their earliest sonngs 'Raquel' from their days as The Coventry Automatics as well as Rico's 'Sea Cruise'.

Laurel Aitken & The Unitone is one of my favorite Peel sessions. I love the unlikely pairing of Aitken with The Ruts. The session was recorded on April 28, 1980and was produced by Tony Wilson and engineer by Dave Dade

Surprisingly, Madness only recorded one session for John Peel on August 14, 1980 and it featured songs from their first Stiff Records release including 'Bed & Breakfast Man' and 'The Prince'. The Session was produced by Bon Sargeant and engineered by Mike Robinson.

Here is the podcast track list:

The Selecter - They Make Me Mad
The Beat - Psychedelic Rockers
The Specials - Raquel
Laurel Aitken & The Unintone - Rudi Got Married
Madness - Land Of Hope & Glory
The Selecter - Danger
The Beat - Monkey Murders
The Specials - Sea Cruise (with Rico Rodriguez)
Laurel Aitken & The Unitone - Big Fat Man
Madness - Bed & Breakfast Man
The Selecter - Carry Go Bring Come
The Beat - Walk Away
The Specials - Stereotype
Laurel Aitken & Unitone - Rock Me Baby/Caledonia
Madness - The Prince

Marco On The Bass Podcast #9

The Specials Launch 30th Anniversary UK Tour In Newcastle

The Specials played their first official show of their UK tour last night at the Newcastle Academy. The band opened with 'Do The Dog'. Highlights of the set included 'Little Bitch', 'Gangsters', a cracking version of 'Ghost Town', 'Doesn't Make It Alright' and the set closer 'Enjoy Yourself'.

UK newspaper reviews of the band's performance have all been very positive. The Guardian commenting the songs written 30 years ago were still relevant: "Picking any song at random from their glorious 1979-81 run of seven consecutive hit singles gives a running commentary on 2009 Britain, from binge drinking (Stereotype), teenage pregnancy (Too Much Too Young) to knife crime (Why?)." While The Shields Gazette put the acrimony over Jerry Dammer's decision not to participate in perspective: "Many of the headlines surrounding the tour have been about founder member Jerry Dammers' refusal to take part: well, it's his loss. This wasn't so much a reunion as a celebration of a band rightly regarded as one of the best and most influential British groups of all time. The Two Tone legends were so good, and so tight, it's hard to believe it's 28 years since the original line-up disintegrated in acrimony."



Here is the full set list from the show:

'Do The Dog'
'Dawning Of A New Era'
'Gangsters'
'It's Up To You'
'Rat Race'
'Monkey Man'
'Blank Expression'
'Too Hot'
'Doesn't Make It Alright'
'Concrete Jungle'
'Friday Night Saturday Morning'
'Stereotype'
'Man At C&A'
'A Message To You Rudy'
'Do Nothing'
'Hey Little Rich Girl'
'Nite Klub'
'You're Wondering Now'
'Ghost Town'
'Too Much Too Young'
'Skinhead Moonstomp'
'Enjoy Yourself'


Here is footage taken from a camera phone of the band's opening song 'Do The Dog' followed by 'Dawning Of A New Era'. It definitely has a 'you are there' vibe!:



Here is footage shot by Paul 'Willo' Williams of the band performing 'Too Hot':



Here is footage taken from a camera phone of the band ripping through 'Nite Klub'.



Here is footage (also taken from a camera phone) of the band performing 'Ghost Town'. The sound quality is poor, but you get a good sense of the show and the crowd.



The band also officially launched their web site yesterday to coincide with the kick-off of the tour (there are some pretty amazing tour t-shirts for sale on the site). You can still visit the ever vibrant and entertaining fan community site here to read about fan reaction to the show last night and throughout the tour.

Exclusive: Interview with JC Carroll of The Members on the Band's Early Embrace of Reggae & 2009 Reunion Tour of The UK

JC Carroll is best known as the guitarist and songwriter for The Members. Along with the band vocalist Nicky Tesco he formed a partnership repsonsible for a number of great songs that are part of the canon of UK punk. Carroll co-wrote punk classic 'Sound of the Suburbs' and reggae classic 'Offshore Banking Business' as well as early 80s MTV smash hit 'Working Girl'. He has variously worked with many luminaries in the punk scene, including Johnny Thunders, Glen Matlock, Dee Dee Ramone, Rat Scabies, Joe Strummer and Frank Tovey. For me though, he is a link between the liberating power of punk and the powerful storytelling inherent in reggae. Carroll and Tesco (who was a huge reggae fan) were able to mine both genres to write a number of great songs that deserved a wider audience.

Like The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers and The Ruts, The Members were one of the first UK guitar bands to assimilate reggae into their song writing and sound. Their first reggae-inluenced singles and albums were released in 1978 and 1979 and pre-date The Specials, Madness and The Police and other bands that went on to incorporate the sound successfully into their songs. In fact, Jerry Dammers was quoted as saying The Members were an influence on The Specials. Indeed, The Members incorporated reggae to a greater degree than even The Clash, who are often seen as the true punk/reggae pioneers.

Though they started life as a punk band, The Members pulled in influences across many music boundaries, particularly reggae. Neil Spencer wrote in the NME in 1978: “Of the many rock bands co-opting reggae into their act, few do so with as much love and style as the The Members.” The band's guitarist JC told NME’s Thrills, “My rhythm guitar playing is definitely reggae-based,” 'It's not the same as blasting an audience with full-on rock riffs. It gets them moving in a different way. But, having said that, we're trying to play reggae in our own style. We're not singing about Jah Love. We're singing about living in Britain.”

What made me a fan of the band as a young and impressionable suburban dwelling reggae and ska fanatic was The Members prophectic and iconic track 'Offshore Banking Business'. My introduction to the song came during a screening of 'Urgh - A Music War' while I was at University in the early 80's. My initial introduction to the band had been through their big U.S. hit 'Working Girl' which was a staple on MTV in 1982. Therefore I was unprepared for the brass and bass-driven skank of the song that featured singer Nicky Tesco toasting “a lesson in home economics.” The song was a searing condemnation of global financial corruption, based on Carroll's working experience of merchant banking. Bahrain and the Bahamas banned it, the latter’s parliament calling the band “hop heads singing horse manure.”

After The Members split, Carroll stayed active in music. Most recently he has been playing out with his own band called JC & The Disciples. Carroll recently played a short soloo tour of the US on his own in late 2008. The shows were his first in the US in 25 years. The journey back to the States has reinvigorated him and he and his bandmates in The Memebers have reformed for a series of their own reunion shows across the UK this Spring. While he was in New York City late last fall, Carroll conducted an interview with Rant & Rave TV which is a great prelude to my written interview with him below:



Carroll was kind enough to take time out from rehearsing The Members reunion tour which kicks off this weekend in Leamington Spa to answer my questions about growing up in the suburbs of London, his interest and passion for reggae music and his experiences playing in The Members.

What was it like growing up in the London suburbs? How did the experience of growing up in Camberley inform your world view and song writing? You worked in a bank right?
There was nothing to do no cinemas no nothing so all us young lads played guitars the whole time. I left school and got a job in the City of London in the Bond department of a big bank. A lot of my songs from this period were very autobiograpical. We wanted to get away from the idea that all punk banks were inner city kids. Actually a lot of really cool bands came from the burbs like The Banshees, The Jam, Tom Robinson Band and Sham 69.

Did you grow up listening to ska and reggae music? When did your interest in reggae music start?
Reggae and ska were very big in the early seventies amongst the skinheads. I wasn't a skinhead at the time but I dug the sound. A guy I worked at the bank with was a cool guy and a DJ. He said I should check out Bob Marley. I saw him the night he recorded 'No Woman No Cry' It blew me away. Then I was listening to the early toasting I Roy's "Welding" made a big impact on me then. I bought 'Screaming Target' by Big Youth....that was it, I was sold.

When did you pick up the guitar? When did you make the conscious decision to be a musician?
All the boys in the neighborhood played the guitar. My brothers, everybody.

What kind of bands did you play in before joining The Members?
I had a School Band that did Velvet Underground Covers and we all loved Bowie Ziggy Stardust Period... then I met a guy in the local pub called Graham Parker. I recorded some demos for him and he went off and became famous. He would help me later.

What did you learn from working with noted music producer Steve Lillywhite on the 'Sound Of The Suburbs' record? What are your fondest memories of recording the "Sound Of The Suburbs" LP? Do you have a favorite song from the record?
Steve Lillywhite was a tape operater or engineer when we met him he got us some free studio time... he learned the old school way of recording... secrets tips of a sealed Surrey brotherhood that I am not allowed to reveal under pain of death. He was just taking off as a producer then.... he worked as an engineer or tape op at Phonogram and Island Records. We recorded 'Suburbs' in two days then for some silly reason we re-recorded it for the album, a vastly inferior version. For many years the only version you could get on all the main Members compilations was that inferior version. The original seven inch mix was locked like the man in the iron mask in the basement of Abbey Road Studios.

The Members had a reputation as a great live band. Can you share any unusual stories about any live shows that were particularly memorable?
We did a lot of Shows and were still are a great live band.. we love to talk to the audience.... one time on the USA Tour I decided that it was getting a bit hot on stage so I used to go on stage dressed in a bath towel and a turban... the girls at the front spent all night trying to grab it off me...

The Members were noteworthy as one of the first British guitar bands to fully incorporate reggae into their music. What influenced this decision?
We were well ahead of our time... groups like The Police used to come and check out our chops. We were there very early and we sensed the punk had to slow down to survive. Check out 'Offshore Banking'. It was very early. but even our very first record for Stiff Records had a reggae B side (Rat Up a Drainpipe). Chris Payne wrote that and it was written in 1977 and recorded in '78. Its dirty reggae like... Judge Dread... like Max Romeo.

Your guitar playing and your guitar sound is very unique. You were quoted once as saying 'My rhythm guitar playing is definitely reggae-based', Tell me more about about this and your approach to using reggae to tell uniquely British stories.
The reggae vibe lends itself to didactic songwriting more... simple as that its better to tell stories to..... If you listen to some of the songs on my 'Rock Is In The Lapt0p' albums or 'New English Blues' albums, you will hear very english storytelling. I think its very important to sing about your surroundings and not pretend that you are living in some USA styled R & R theme park.

The song 'Offshore Banking Business" was amazingly prophetic. Tell me about the genesis of this song from the music to the lyrics. It was quite a detailed look at a financial practice very few people were aware of until very recently. What was it like to work with Rico Rodriguez who recorded a fantastic solo for the song?
I was sitting in the bank one day and I wrote the lyrics and I phoned Nick Tesco and he was incredibly supportive. He said we should record it. Everybody else was 'No man its commercial suicide they want another punk song!' Well Steve Lillywhite worked a lot at the old St Peters Square Island Studios. Lots of the old school reggae guys hung out there, it was his idea to have Rico play on the track. We were blown away to have him on the track. Chris was a big fan as he already had the 'Man From Warika' album. My (later) Canadian drummer (Lucky) Peter Lambert also played in Rico's band for a while. Anyway we recorded it at Island cause it was a reggae studio and they had this young engineer there called Paul "Groucho" Smykle. He mixed it with us as Lillywhite was already getting busy. He went on to do all the Black Uhuru stuff, back then he was a young buoy.

Here is a video of the band performing 'Offshore Banking Business' from the movie 'Urgh!':



Here is the 12" mix of 'Offshore Banking Business' featuring Rico Rodriguez on trombone that was mixed by noted reggae producer Paul Smykle:



Tell me about your musical journey after The Members split in 1983. You played a series of solo shows here in the US last fall right?
I gave up music for a while then I took up the accordian. I had a Balkan Band with Chris Payne for a while and played in a folk band called the Wise Monkeys(for ten years). The accordian started getting me lots of film work and I was running a clothing business and raising a family and I was too busy. I kept my hand in here and there doing odd jobs like musical director of Christmas Panto Shows. During this period I recorded with Johnny Thunders and a Guy called Frank Tovey (Both sadly dead). Then I had a Roads to Damascus moment. My mate Mark Mellor told be to buy an Apple Mac computer and start recording. He taught me how to use it and we started working on music for commercials. And then all these songs started falling out of my head onto the hard drive. Nick Cash started playing drums with me and we made 'The Rock is in the Lapt0p' and 'Modern Folk' albums. Then I began collabbing on the net with musicians all round the world and I made the 'Stangers and Fiction Album'(look it up on iTunes). Then I got back together with Nigel from The Members and he cut some tracks on 'New English Blues volume 1' (Volume 2 and three are in the works). I am very busy right now finishing off three albums and putting The Members back on the road. And yes hopefully, we will visit the States soon.

The Members have reformed and you are slated to play only your 3rd show in 25 years this weekend. What prompted the reunion, the recording of 'International Financial Crisis' and the upcoming UK Tour?
It was time to do it again. The World is in a mess we are here to save it. By the way I have a reggae tune that I am stuck on. Do any of your readers have any ideas for lyrics for this likkle riddim? Its called 'Leaving London' Its part of a project called King Dubby:

http://www.jccarroll.com/music3/leavionglondon%20backing%20mast.mp3 (featuring Nigel Bennet of the Members).

Also if anybody wants to do a mashup dub of 'Offshore' there is a version here:
http://www.jccarroll.com/music3/offshore%20dub.mp3

Oh, and here is another riddim here:
http://www.jccarroll.com/music/kingdubby_dub.mp3

The touring band consists of JC, Chris Payne, Nigel Bennet, Phill Legg and Nick Cash. Nicky Tesco is unavailable to tour for health reasons but is involved with recording projects and will make guest appearances at the occasional show.

UK 2009 TOUR DATES

April 26th Leamington Spa, The Assembley
May 15th Harlow, Square Essex
May 16th Sheffield, Broadwalk
May 23rd Blackburn, North Bar
May 24th Crewe
May 29th Southampton, Talking Heads
May 30th Brighton, Engine Room
June 5th Swindon, 12 Bar June 6th Bournemouth,Key West.
June 12th London Underworld
June 13th Weston, Hobbits

More information is available at The Members web site.

Marco On The Bass Podcast Series: More Obscure UK Ska Gems Of The 2-Tone Era

The response to last week's podcast suggests that there are a lot of you out there who also enjoy obscure ska songs by UK bands from the 2-Tone era. As a follow-up here is one more podcast of those obscure gems.

This podcast includes more UK-based ska and reggae bands that you probably have not heard of before (Sax Maniax, Rimshots and The Plugs) as well as a few that made a dent but did not get the attention they deserved like The Ska-Dows. Of particular note are two bands The Mexicano and Graduate fronted by musicians who either previously had or went on to have significant careers.

Here are highlights about the bands and performers in this week's podcast:

The Ska-Dows - The Ska-Dows 'Skas on 45' is a very rare 7" that features the band performing a medley of early 2-Tone hits (a la the popular 'Stars on 45' track of the early 80's)including the The Specials version of "Monkey Man", The Beat's "Ranking Fullstop" and "One Step Beyond" and "Baggy Trousers" by Madness and more. This song is not available on The Ska-Dows anthology "Ska'd for Life."

Graduate - Graduate was not a ska band but they wrote one pretty good ska pop song. They released only one album in 1980 before breaking up and becoming a trivia question(the band featured Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith who went on to chart success with Tears For Fears). The single 'Elvis Should Play Ska' was in response to Elvis Costello complaining about how everybody seemed to be hopping on the ska bandwagon and nobody cared much for his sound at that time.

21 Guns - The band 21 Guns had connections to The Specials as their lead singer Gus Chambers had been the singer with the Coventry punk band Squad replacing Terry Hall when he left to join the Specials. By 1981 he was fronting 21 Guns who recorded the single 'Ambition Rock' for Neville Staples' label Shack Records.

The Mexicano - The Mexicano was actually Rudy Grant, younger brother of Eddy Grant. Grant's career as The Mexicano took off in 1977, when with the help of his brother, he recorded a tribute to the popular television series Starsky And Hutch, entitled "Move Up Starsky" ( which was a DJ version of Bob Marley's "I'm Still Waiting"). The single topped the UK reggae chart. By 1981 Mexicano's career changed direction when he decided to sing as Rudy Grant. He recorded reggae versions of John Lennon's "Woman" and Stevie Wonder's "Lately" for Ensign Records, which entered the UK pop chart. The success of the single led to a contract with Stiff Records, who released "Trial By Television" under his earlier name. While the single failed to generate interest, it is one of the most unusual and unique ska songs you will ever hear. It sounds like an Eddy Grant cast-off mixed with some Devo-like sound-effects.

Judge Dread - Alex Hughes (who took his recording name from one of the characters in a Prince Buster song) was a huge influence on 2-Tone era bands particularly Madness and Bad Manners. Indeed, it was Judge Dread who first recorded a cover of Prince Buster's "Al Capone" (later to be recorded as "Gangsters" by The Specials"), a version of Dandy Livingstone's "A Message To You (Rudy) and a ska take of "Swan Lake" long before Madness had a go of it. Judge Dread even wrote a song for Madness called "One Eye Lodger" which they turned down and he released as a B-side in 1981. The song 'Lovers Rock' is a classic example of his X-rated song style which resulted in him having the most songs banned by the BBC, 11 in all, which is also the same number of singles he placed in the charts.

The Gangsters - A band who fashioned themselves as a poor man's version of The Specials. They recorded a 7" single featuring a cover of 'Wooly Bully' of the A side Rare and this very catchy number 'We Are The Gangsters' on the B side.

Boss - Very little information actually exists about Boss other than the fact that they were The Gangsters (see above) with a different name. The song 'Rude Boys Are Back In Town' is a great slice of 2-Tone ska that was produced by Shel Talmy who was best known for his work with The Who and The Kinks.

The Rimshots - Bristol-based pop/reggae band. They released two singles one for Shoc-Wave and another on Spectro Records. Their song 'I Was Wrong' is an umemployed man's lament about the lack of opportunity in early 80's Bristol.

The Tigers - London-based band formed in the autumn of 1979 that released a collection of catchy pop/reggae/ska nuggets that would be fine-tuned into the album 'Savage Music'. With their second single, 'Kidding Stops', the music press took notice. In the 1979 pre-Christmas edition of the New Musical Express made it 'Record of the week'. The band signed to A&M Records and toured the U.S. during 1980 where the garnered good reviews but did not enjoy the success of The Police who they were most often compared to.

Sax Maniax - A side-band featuring all the members of The Ska-Dows minus their lead singer Tony Sibthorpe. The band supported The Ska-Dows at all their gigs and released the single 'Never Gonna Lose Me' on Chas Chandler's Cheapskate Records.

The Plugs - I can find very little information about this band who question the growth of mindless consumer culture brought on by indoor shopping centres in the UK (what we call a 'Mall' in the U.S.).

The Ska-Dows - Ska's on 45 (1981)
Graduate - Elvis Should Play Ska (1980)
21 Guns - Ambition Rock (1981)
The Mexicano - Trial By Television (1981)
Judge Dread - Lovers Rock (1979)
Gangster - We Are The Gangsters (1980)
Boss - Rude Boys Back In Town (1980)
Rimshots - I Was Wrong (1980)
Tigers - Kidding Stops (1979)
Sax Maniax - Never Gonna Lose Me (1980)
The Plugs - Indoor Shopping Centre (1980)

Marco On The Bass Podcast #8

Exclusive: Roddy Byers of The Specials shares his thoughts as the band prepares to kick-off UK Tour

While fans of The Specials count down the days until the reunion tour kicks-off in Newcastle next Friday April 24th, the band members themselves are busy making last minute preparations before they head out on the road.

Roddy Byers took time out of getting ready for the tour to share his thoughts about the upcoming tour with me and to confirm that he will be singing lead on the band classic 'Concrete Jungle'. Below is a version of 'Concrete Jungle' recorded during band rehearsal sessions in early 2009. Roddy takes lead vocals as he did on the original recording and this recording provides a sneak peek of what to expect from the band live next week:



Roddy also shared that he is getting over a chest infection but that he is ready for the tour to start. When I asked him how he planned to spend the night before the opening show in Newcastle he said, "Day before is a rehearsal day- decent dinner, couple of beers and an early night if possible."

I'll be checking in with Roddy over the course of the UK tour to get his impressions and thoughts as the band mark their 30th anniversary. Check back for regular tour updates.