The Lambrettas - Mod Revival Band Embraces 2-Tone Sound and Scores Hit

While 1979 was when 2-Tone exploded on the UK music scene, that summer also saw the resurrection of another musical tribe: The Mods. The 2-Tone and Mod movements had many similarities. While 2-Tone looked to the rude boys of Jamaica and the early ska, rocksteady and reggae for inspiration, the mods of the late 70's worshipped The Who and The Jam. The release of the movie "Quadrophenia" in the summer of 1979 set off a mod band revival which mirrored the 2-Tone bands in many ways. The bands who followed in the wake of The Jam included Secret Affair, The Chords, The Purple Hearts and The Lambrettas.

Out of all the mod revival bands, The Lambrettas were contenders for the British mod-pop-ska title, throwing down with groups like the Beat, The Selecter and Madness. The Lambrettas were formed near Brighton by Jez Bird (vocals/guitar), Doug Sanders (guitar/vocals), Mark Ellis (bass), and Paul Wincer (drums). The band first performed on June 9, 1979, playing at an all-day Mod concert. Their biggest hit was in 1980, with a ska cover version (complete with horns) of the 1950s Leiber and Stoller song, "Poison Ivy", which reached #7 in the UK Singles Chart (in a nod to the popularity of 2-Tone at the time, the band released the single for Poison Ivy in a sleeve with a look alike knockoff of Walt Jabsco dressed as a Mod). They also scored a #12 hit with the follow-up, "Da-a-a-nce". In the same year, they released the album "Beat Boys in the Jet Age", which reached #28 on the UK Albums Chart, and another charting single, "Another Day (Another Girl)".

Towards the end of 1980, with Beat Boys doing well (#28 in the British album charts), the band embarked on a European tour, opening for Madness which established them further within ska circles but moved them further away from Mod circles. During 1981 they recorded their second album, "Ambience", which included two tracks featuring the saxophone playing of Wesley Magoogan of The Beat (who had replaced Saxa). Despite the album’s fine production values, and a more solid sound that included a variety of genres, it was not a success. The Lambrettas had tried to move on from their Mod image to reach a larger audience, but failed to do so as the public moved on from ska and mod power pop.

Here are some videos of the band including their UK Top 10 hit "Poison Ivy" and "Da-a-a-nce"





Unfortunately founding member and guitarist Jez Bird died of cancer on August 27, 2008, at the age of 50.

Here is the track list for "Beat Boys In The Jet Age"

D-a-a-ance

Cortina MK II

London Calling

Poison Ivy

Leap Before You Look

Beat Boys In The Jet Age

Page Three

Living For Today

Watch Out I'm Back

Don't Push Me

Runaround

Face To Face

The Lambrettas - Beat Boys In The Jet Age

The Ammonites - Brighton's Ska/Pop Answer to 2-Tone

Brighton has always been a source of some of the best bands and music in the UK. During the late 70's and early 80's in particular, Attrix Records was both a record store and a record label that sought to capture and record the bands that made up the local scene at the time. The label was best known for a series of compilation LP's (Vaultage 78, Vaultage 79 and Vaultage 80), made up of local bands. One night John Peel played three tracks off Vaultage 78 by Brighton's ska band The Piranhas and suddenly all of the UK were aware of the band and Brighton's music scene. The Piranha's used the exposure to sign a major label deal and tour the UK with other 2-Tone era bands.

During the very early days of my band I was able to borrow a copy of Vaultage 80 from a friend at Rutgers University. I was immediately taken with a magical ska/pop track called "Blue Lagoon" by an outfit called The Ammonites. I taped the song on to a cassette tape with other ska and reggae songs and played that tape regularly until I lost it somewhere. Though it only clocked in at 2:18 it was a simple, catchy soulful 2-Tone like ska song featuring great guitar and the best sax solos I had heard this side of Saxa of The Beat. The Ammonites proved there was a ska scene in Brighton that went beyond The Piranhas.

I was lucky enough to stumble upon a fantastic quality rehearsal tape that the band recorded in 1980-81. You can listen to each song and/or download each track individually from The Ammonites section of the Punk Brighton Web Site. Take my advice and download all fifteen songs as I think you will agree with me that The Ammonites might have given any of the more established 2-Tone bands (particularly The Beat who they sound a lot like) a run for their money. Of note is their cover of Clancy Eccles "Fatty Fatty" which Bad Manners went on to record. In 1981 The Ammonites recorded a single "Big Eaters" b/w "Dressed To Kill". While the single is hard to find the two songs are part of the rehearsal recordings below. If you want to learn more about the band, click this link (courtesy of the Punk Brighton Web site) to read an article that appeared in Bright Times fanzine in 1980.

Below is the track listing for Vaultage 80 which includes "Blue Lagoon" as well as great songs by other punk and rock bands from Brighton.

VAULTAGE 80

BIRDS WITH EARS-Head in my bag
The OBJEKS-Negative conversation
EMMA SHARPE & THE FEATURES-Motorway
The REWARD SYSTEM-Extradition
THE HOLLOW MEN-Never Again
IDRENES-Red gold and green
DICK DAMAGE and the DILEMMA-Do the Winklepicker
The RED SQUARES-The Russians are coming
The MOCKINGBIRDS-Money
The EXCLUSIVES-Sinking gondola
APRIL and the FOOLS-You I do
The AMMONITES-Blue Lagoon
BRIGHT GIRLS-Hidden from history
LIFE SIZE MODELS-Have you seen my friend


Here is the album download

Vaultage 80

15-16-17 - Late 70's Teen Trio Help Establish Lovers Rock in the UK

A counterpoint to the explosion of punk and ska in the UK in the late 70's was the emergence of Lovers Rock. Short lived UK reggae girl trio 15-16-17, so named after their ages at the time, cut a sweet sounding 'lovers rock' album called "Magic Touch" in 1978 under the watchful production eye of Dennis Brown. Brown relocated to London from Jamaica and while there he linked up with Castro Brown (no relation) and started the DEB label. This occurred right at the same time a new style of Reggae called Lover's Rock was being popularized in the UK. Dennis and Castro smelled a good thing (along with other producers like Lloyd Coxsone and Dennis Bovell) and put together three teenage girls from London, Sonia Williams (15), Christine McNabb (16), and Wraydene McNabb (17) and had them record 10 tracks (including a number of covers) that ended up on the "Magic Touch" L.P.

15-16-17's sound ranges from fun, and youthful -- sort of like an earlier version of Musical Youth -- on "Girls Imagination" (a clever remake of The Temptations' "Just My Imagination" from the girl's point of view), "I've Been Watching You," and their take on The Supremes' "Baby Love" to a sultriness that exceeds their ages on "Someone Special," the ethereal "The Weather," and a lovely cover of The Bee Gees' "Emotions".

For the uninitiated, Lovers Rock sounds like a Philly Soul ballad played over a fat reggae bassline, it usually has a soulful kind of intro, not just a straight riddim like "rub-a-dub". Also as a generalization, the majority if not all Lovers releases come out of the UK, for reasons that I am not clear on, Lovers just never took hold in JA or NYC.

Here are videos of two of the songs on Magic Touch:

Black Skin Boy


The Weather

TRACKLIST:
1-Girls Imagination
2-Funny Feeling
3-I'm Hurt
4-The Weather
5-Emotion
6-Magic Touch
7-Someone Special
8-Baby Love
9-I've Been Watching You
10-Black Skin Boys

Here is the download:

15-16-17-Magic Touch

Nick Harrison - A marriage of ska and indie-pop with ‘Oi Rude Boy’

The UK seems to be chock full of young singer/songwriters who are writing great songs that combine ska and indie rock. The newest kid on the block is Nick Harrison and his entry "Oi Rude Boy". The song is written as a tribute to the 2-Tone ska sound of the late 70s early and 80s and it's fans who continue to support the movement today. The song is well-developed, heavily ska-influenced pop, sporting colorful swatches of trumpet, laid back backing vocals and lilting rhythms. Hugely likeable and almost eerily familiar-sounding (early XTC? Ted Leo & The Pharmacists?), the only thing that’s really missing from "Oi Rude Boy" are the hiss and crackles of a late 70s/early 80s ska record.

The single was released as a limited edition 7" and download only on August 25th 2008 with the album 'One Drop' to follow in early 2009. Nick is a 23-year-old from Folkestone who has just signed to A&M amid much expectation/speculation that he's going to repeat the success of Duffy except rather than retro-soul, he is reviving the ska revival, only with a contemporary indie-rock twist. There is something distinctly Sting-like about his clean, clear singing style while his songs are remarkably Police-sounding. You can check out his website here to listen to more of his songs and download another.

Here is the video for the song:

Oi Rude Boy

Happy 50th Buster Bloodvessel of Bad Manners!

Buster Bloodvessel (Doug Trendle) celebrated his 50th birthday on September 6th. The ska legend, famous for his bald head, big belly and one of the largest tongues in the music business plans a 50-city UK tour to celebrate his birthday. He's quoted in the Manchester Evening News as saying, ""Most people only have the one party when they turn 50, but me? I've decided to go for 20 parties in September with 30 more on either side."

Buster is much thinner which is the result of gastric bypass surgery a few years ago. According to an article in the Essex Echo, Buster has gone from 32 stone (448 lbs) to 14 stone (196 lbs). Buster says of the weight loss: “A few years ago I had to undergo gastric bypass surgery and they cut out two thirds of my stomach. “I had an inoperable hernia, which the doctors couldn’t get to through all the fat, and if they didn’t do something about it, I could have had a heart attack. “But the surgeon, or God as I like to call him, did a great job and now I’m in even better shape than ever before. “I was always a wildman on stage when I was really fat, but I think our shows are even better now as I can move around even more. “The crowd don’t seem to mind my new slim line look. They still shout ‘you fat b**tard’ at me during the gigs – so everybody’s happy!”

Buster and Bad Manners had 9 Top 40 UK hits in the early 80's including "Lip Up Fatty", "My Girl Lollipop", "The Can Can", "Special Brew" and "That'll Do Nicely" and gave Madness a run for their money as the Kings of Ska comedy. My band had the pleasure of performing with Buster and Bad Manners this past March and he proved once again what a down-to-earth gentleman he is. I was also able to witness his pre-gig routine of head shaving that he has done since the early days of the band and compared tongue size with him. It was no contest.




Thanks to Steve From Moon at the Duff Guide To Ska for the heads-up on Buster's 50th.

The Specials Live @ Bestival: September 6, 2008

Following up on news of The Specials first show in 27 years, below are live videos of the set they performed at Bestival on Saturday Septmber 6, 2008.

Taking the stage at 5.30 pm, the band played a greatest hits set, including 'A Message To You, Rudy' and 'Too Much Too Young', as well as their cover of Toots And The Maytals' 1969 hit 'Monkey Man'.

Frontman Terry Hall announced in April 2008 that The Specials would be reforming for an autumn tour and possibly recording. It remains to be seen if this show was a one-off or a warm-up for a much anticipated fall tour of the UK.

A Message To You Rudy


Gangsters/Dawning Of A New Era/Do The Dog


It's Up To You


Monkey Man/Blank Expression


Too Hot


Rat Race

Pictures of The Specials @ Bestival: The Reunion Moves Forward without Jerry Dammers

Word out of the UK is that "Terry Hall & Friends" (essentially The Specials without Jerry Dammers) played a bouncy and rapturously received greatest hits set at Bestival on the Isle Of Wight yesterday. I've included pictures from the show which were taken by Mike Cornwell the admin of The Specials.com community pages who attended the show.

The other side of this story that is still developing and has caused fault lines between the band members, their management, band insiders and hardcore fans is the exclusion of Dammers from the show yesterday and the reunion moving forward. In particular, hardcore fans of the band are upset that the first reunion of the band since Hall, Golding and Staple left following the release of "Ghost Town" took place as an unannounced "surprise" gig and that they were unable to make plans to attend. There is some discussion that the band of 6 decided this was the best way to play their first show together, away from the media crush and scrutiny that would have accompanied a high profile reunion show.

From what I can gather, Dammers was not told about the show yesterday and was not invited to secret rehearsals the other 6 members of the band held to prepare for it. This follows a war of words between Dammers and Terry Hall's manager that I posted about in July. In fact, its possible that Dammers took his complaints about being left out to The Specials.com community pages over the last few days and posted under a variety of aliases. I was able to read a few of the posts before they were deleted by the moderators. All in all they struck me as very angry and bitter and seemed to focus their vitriol at Terry Hall and his manager in particular with an emphasis on greed driving the reunion and that 6 alone without Jerry were not The Specials. That is likely why the band will not perform as The Specials if the reunion moves forward as expected.

According to fans who attended the show, it opened with a minute long video introduction. They performed during a rain storm to a sea of multicoloured umbrellas bouncing up and down to songs including 'A Message To You' 'Gangsters' and 'Nite Club', Lynval introduced "A Message To You" with a strong message about when he was stabbed 25 yrs ago, '...I will never pick up a knife' said Lynval. One broken guitar string and broken organ key later it was all over.



The set consisted of songs from the first album, starting with "Gangsters" and ending with "You're Wondering Now". There was a brass section and someone who filled in for Dammers on keyboards. Apparently Neville had to rush off to another gig but the rest of the band spent the evening celebrating with their families, except for Lynval who hung around in the thick of the crowds (and mud) to watch Amy Winehouse.

I'm thrilled the band have decided to reform. While I'm saddened that Jerry will not be a part of the band, I can also empathize with the decision to move on without him. My conversation with Lynval earlier this summer suggested that the band would not be put off by Jerry's attempts to slow down, delay or postpone the reunion and that fact that all 6 have decided to work together without Jerry would indicate solidarity on that position. After nearly 30 years its time to music above personality conflict (see The Police) and get on with it. I for one can't wait to see them.