This are Two tone(sorting out the vinyl#5)

I have chosen this track to represent the whole 'we are two tone' album which was another car boot sale as on-one has yet ripped this track and truth be told this track is so harrowing and unpleasant in subject matter I doubt it got played much in it's hey day and I wouldn't have thought it does now neither.

It does do what two tone did so well mind you and covered a serious subject within a pop(albeit spikey) framework.

The 2-tone label came to represent the music on the whole though we are generally talking Ska and this compilation does a good job of giving an overview of the label and artists..track listing is as follows



The Special A.K.A gangsters

Madness Madness

The Selecter on my radio

The Beat tears of a clown

The Specials Rudi a message to you

The Selecter too much pressure

The Bodysnatchers too experienced

The Beat rankin full stop

The Specials too much time

 side 2

The Selecter The Selecter

The Specials stereotype

The Swinging cats Mantovani

The Specials do nothing

Rico Jungle music

Rhoda Dakar The Boiler

The Specials Ghost town



So truth be told a lot of music for your vinyl on this as it captures early Specials to their last single with Ghost Town, it's pretty representative of an era, many of the bands on here are worth exploring I have stand alone albums by the Beat, the Specials and the Selecter and all are great fun mixing ska beats with political and street comment that you suspect we could use much more of today really.

This compilation was released in 1983 but the Two Tone label came to the fore in 1979 which was the post punk era...post Disco too I guess...as such I was 9 when all this was happening so would be a fraud to say I understood the sea change before me on Top of the Pops and in truth it is only much later I gained an appreciation of the Two Tone acts and this generation of Ska artists.

It was a multi cultural music in a time of a divided Britain, A music that acted as a soundtrack and a warning in regard to the Thatcher years with songs covering things such as the recession, unemployment, teen pregnancy  and as the above track showed sexual abuse..not always happy subjects then but maybe that was the punk influence or maybe just the times we lived in.

I get nostalgic for this kind of politically driven music more when I get older...on the fringes of music it is still offered but the mainstream seem to play it safe hoping for tea at Downing Street when their favourite coloured tie gets elected.

Anyhow a good comp, a nice right up by Adrian Thrills which tells you all you need to know and well worth grabbing if you see a copy around.