Two-Tone and Ska’s HUGE Influence on Music
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- čas přidán 20. 06. 2024
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Timestamps:
00:00 - Overview
01:39 - Roots
10:07 - The Specials by The Specials
12:15 - Too Much Pressure by The Selecter
14:24 - One Step Beyond… by Madness
17:12 - Comments from Warren
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What period of music had a huge influence on you? Let me know below!
The selector - die happy .
"Ghost town" - it so accurately describes some of the UK's towns at that time. Also, regarding skinheads: Don Letts has a fantastic documentary about the Skinhead culture and how it started as kids into Reggae and then became right wing. It's on CZcams and well worth a watch.
Probably 'Gangsters' by the Specials
OMD - Enola Gay
Oh man, you break my heart. Nostalgic period for me. I was 18 in 1980, trying to survive out on my own. I had a car, a sleeping bag, an acoustic and an electric and with my first construction job paycheck bought a high quality JVC portable stereo/cassette recorder with AM/FM/short wave and was able to discover Maddness. (all from the blandness of the Canadian praries where there just wern't a lot of punk clubs. When I bought vinyl I'd have to crash at a friends place who had a stereo so I could transfer newly acquired treasures to cassette. I didn't know what was Ska or TwoTone or Rock Steady, I just thought it was all amped up Reggae. Had to learn some British words though. The Specials taught me the word "Nappie". I remember not knowing what a nappie was but figured it out because of their lyrics. Wonderful piece man.
Two-tone was genuinely inclusive and musically vibrant. In so many ways, we need more two-tone right now.
Very well said!
Ska (and specifically Two-Tone) is alive and well. We could always use more, but a little digging and you’ll find a ton of bands in this genre.
Fucking x factor wankers put a stop to all this. There's no free licence for bands nowadays.
Lots of offbeat/upbeat ‘skank’ in some house/techno too. Another era where there was a lot of diversity and inclusivity in the scene. Maybe the skank is magical that way? It does encourage a bounce that’s for sure!
I'd recommend Bad Operation from New Orleans, Catbite from Philly, and Jer from Gainesville Florida.
Terry Hall has to be one of the most underrated British vocalists, his ability to transition from barking social comment, to cynical put down and then to fragile sensitivity is amazing.
Also he collaborated with so many other artists, from Colourfield to Lightning Seeds, Sinead O'Connor, Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Gorillaz and of course Amy Winehouse.
I was truly saddened to hear of Terry's passing because he and the Specials were such a big influence on both my youth and my musical journey.
Well said. R.I.P. Terry Hall
It was an attitude, full of social comment, downbeat in his personal style. It worked very well with Golding and Staple there too, both for the vocal contrast but also the differences and juxtaposition of stage personas.
I'm a huge Specials and Terry Hall fan. For my birthday my wife got me a signed photo of the band, I will treasure it as I treasure every memory I have of them! Incredible music.
@@johnfowler4820 Yes, R.I.P Terry Hall
@@wbertie2604 yes, agreed 100%
I've been a lifetime fan. I was 16 in 1979 and one day I dropped into "Sam the Record Man" music store in Calgary Alberta. The manager there was from Manchester UK and living in Calgary at the time. The manager had brought in many "UK imports and had copies playing while we were shopping in the store. It was because of this store manager that I became a huge fan of the 2nd wave ska sound and also fell in love with punk and the waves coming across the pond. To this day I still listen to the Specials and many others and know how special this music was and still is today. RIP Terry Hall.
Same age. I was in Toronto, though. Sams was the best for great music.
Ghost Town is for me the greatest breakthrough song of ska. It defined what was happening. The haunting echoey Trumpet solo just defines urban decay of the early 1980s. Shite explanation but it was just THAT good! I still listen to it 40 years later so it shows how good it is.
By the time Ghost Town came out 2 Tone genre had already peaked.
@@JC-zw9vs No, the peak came with Nelson Mandela. Jerry Dammers changed the world with his musical arrangements.... I never did get my free Nelson Mandela though! I didn't have anywhere to put him anyway.
@@janedoe6350 nah Nelson Mandela can't be called ska.
@@JC-zw9vs OK, i'll give you that... it's Soca or soul calypso as some call it. Jamaica had Ska while Barbados had Soca... but this video is called "Two-Tone and Ska’s HUGE Influence" and ska revival was just one big melting pot anyhow. Still love it
I think it depends where you live. 2 Tone hit the UK like a well deserved bullet. Ghost Town was, I believe , the last single by the original Specials line up, so it was more like it's final death rattle. When I say that, I mean it was the Specials going out with bang, at the top of their game.
Well said Warren. You brought a smile to my face and a slight tear to my eye. I was black 15 year old kid back then, and I loved that period. Seeing black and white working class kids having so much fun together, making great music, touched a nerve with me. It was so empowering. Thank you ☺
Thanks ever so much for the great comment! I really appreciate hearing your experience of that period, it means a lot
As a Brit who was born in 1969, I was 10/11 when 2 Tone got big and it was a game changer for me. This was the first musical movement I fell in love with and still love it to this day. Like you, I tried my best to dress like a little rude boy and was so proud when I got a Harrington jacket
Me too, we are the same age. What I see around me in my west midlands city makes me realise how much we need a movement like two tone to "comment" on our "social" situation.
The clothes were important as they announced that you were for social solidarity and anti-racism.
Same! I was 11 when 2-Tone exploded in 79-80. It was a total game-changer.
I remember loving it.
I am Swedish but 2 Tone and Ska was clearly a thing here too.
I remember buying the albums and singles with their distinctive design.
I am 58 now and still listen to it now and again ( quite often actually ).
I was heartbroken hearing about Terry.
Such an iconic part of my early 80’s.
RIP Terry and thanks for all the music. 🎶
Oh dear... can I like this video multiple times.. like 100 times? This music is so important to me. My sister had Madness on a cassette. I listened... and that was it. I was hooked. Later we even had a ska-rock band with my friends! In some interview one of the band members of Madness said that they barely were able to play all the songs when recording the first album. They just did not have the skills yet. Doesn't really show.
Thanks ever so much! I really appreciate your wonderful comment!
Gotta love our parents for their efforts to make us happy when we were kids despite their purse, eh? Great vid as always, Warren and team.
Thanks ever so much Chris!
The thing I love about being a lifelong ska fan, that I feel you really nailed in this video, is the genuine love of how the music grounds you in the real world with love and positivity. Ska doesn’t have cynicism in it, which is why I think non-ska people give us fans so much sh*t. There is one love and watching this storytelling, after the succinct history of the genre, is how it felt at the time and how it bonded us together.❤❤❤
I expressed the same "Proud to be a Gen X:er" feelings almost verbatim (and probably with the same hand and body movements too) to my teenage daughter a few days ago, how there was so much amazing diversity in music at the time - even mentioned the same bands! Great time to get into music. Nice video - and timely tribute to Terry Hall.
Born and raised in So Cal. The English ska bands hit us like a ton of bricks. I gotta add Steel Pulse in there too. True Democracy in '82 was the butter frosting on top of the cake. Great era for music.
Yes! Steel Pulse was grest
Terry was a legend he will be missed.
Yes, he certainly will
all this revival music blew me up. I was 10 and the madness complete album enter at my home and it was the first album that all my family like at one. My mum included! So fresh and funny with an extra quality alternative style. Then came the others by specials and selecter, what a new sound!!Lov it.And it opened my mind, really. Fan till then, and still! Really . Lyrics, music and social involvement. It changes not just Britain, here in Barcelona it was a great push too for a lot of young people.
Thanks ever so much for sharing your experiences
Your unscripted commentary near the end was absolutely fantastic - I really learned a lot.
I’m a music teacher teaching in China and my students have been working on reggae and it’s history. They love love love ska and I’ll use this video to reinforce how important this period is. We’ve been playing “A message to Rudy” and even though they’re a bit shy they sang this while playing and then danced while singing a cappella - it was shocking and really powerful. When I told them about Terry’s death they were very emotional and we vowed to play this for our end of year performance. Thank you for this video!!
Thank you for honouring the genre and to Terry. It was an early music influence in my life. It was odd compared to the popular music of the day and I was odd compared the the popular kids of my day.
I was really moved by your passion for this period in our musical history. I was 13 in 79 and hugely influenced by Two Tone,ska and Reggae I remember going with my mum to Glasgow to by a suit with skinny trousers and lapels,a Two Tone tie and some black and white spats like Paul Weller wore;I felt like the Bees Knees,it was also an introduction in to Soul,Jazz and other Genres,which led me to becoming a Musician,I thank you for you honesty and passion
Thanks ever so much Jimmy! I really appreciate your wonderful comment
That light is still shining... and may it soon brighten - :-)
Tell them bout it Warren! These genres are my life. Thank you for shining a light on this whole story. Longtime fan here.
Maaaaan i love your songs. Huge influence on my keyboard playing. Cheers from Peru.
Roger, what an honour! I love your band! The Aggrolites Rule!
That monologue gave me goosebumps. Well done Warren, you summed it up perfectly. I'm a similar age to you and that time period was 'Special' (excuse the pun). SKA was the backdrop of music for me. I went for the whole skin head, braces, 14 hole boot look. Doc Martins were the boot of choice, but like you, my parents couldn't afford them, so I ended up with Sargeant Peppers, which were a cheaper version. I went to see The Specials in Wales in 2016 with my partner. She's only in her 30's and from Lithuania, but absolutely loves SKA. It was for her 30th birthday that we went. What a night! We stood off to the side for the first two tracks and then I looked at her and said, "this is not good enough, we need to be in the mosh pit". So off we went. When the night finished, I looked like I'd been swimming. I had to drive back to Yorkshire with no shirt on as it was absolutely drenched. It couldn't have been any better. RIP Terry Hall. he never really looked like he wanted to be on stage, but that dead pan persona just added to it.
Really enjoyable video. I was 15 in ‘79 and can relate to everything you say. Also, I was living just north of Cov at the time and so was immersed in the whole 2-Tone scene. As you mention, I think the most amazing aspect of that period from ‘76 to ‘80 was the speed in which all these genres of music started to appear. I saw Sparks as an 11 year old at Coventry Theatre in ‘75 (my first live gig) as I had my music education from listening to my older brother’s record collection at the time… Prog Rock, Rock and Glam… Then came Punk, then Ska, then New Wave and by the time I was 16 the New Romantics had arrived. An eclectic decade to be sure…
This bloke is absolutely spot on. This top class music will never be repeated. The music of today is not a patch on the music back then... That's why my jukebox is full of SKA 2TONE!! R. I. P. Terry❤.
Aw shucks! Thanks ever so much! I really appreciate it
When I was in my early teens I was introduced to MADNESS. That blew me away. We had a couple of bands here in Sweden too, with huge influences from british ska. Dag Vag is one of them.
It was a couple of years later I discovered Specials, Clash and others.
Thank you for yet another awesome video. One Love!
Terry’s solo albums are my faves. Working with Ian Broudie on ‘Home’, they created a pop masterpiece.
Terry was a force of nature, incredible talent!
It was the soundtrack to my child years. Still love the sound, energy and message it brings
I love how concise this was, yet in-depth enough to give a great sense of just how incredible it was at the time. I was born later but I can definitely say the resonance of the impact on my parents was felt by me!
I grew up in Coventry in the late 70s and early 80s. What an education. I would go to clubs where Punks, Skin Heads and Rastas would all hang out together. Wonderful days.
That’s amazing. Thanks ever so much for sharing
@@Producelikeapro"That's what my heart yearns for now. Love & Pride".
We had something very special back then... thanks for making this video, you had me in tears watching it. Very emotional. I sensed your passion.
BTW, you dun alf look like Lux Interior of The Cramps... Cool!
Love the personal story at the end!
I was in a band at the leading-edge of the 3rd wave of ska, maybe in '92 or '93. We got to open/support for first wave bands like The Skatalites and Desmond Dekker, and 2nd wave groups like The Selector and The Toasters. Now I'm getting to work with some of these legends like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Less Than Jake!
Tell me the name of your band...
Did you listen to Guilty till proven innocent by the Specials?
Christ, I'm usually not a 3rd wave guy but It's You, that's just a masterpiece....
@@JimmyBackbeat Hey Jimmy- We were mostly a regional CT band. No one has ever heard of us!! 😄
When I was 13, I spent part of summer working on the staff of a camp. My tent mate had a cassette. Side one was “The Clash” by The Clash, side two was “Absolutely” by Madness
Changed my life 😊
Good man, about time we had a 2Tone episode.
Thanks ever so much
@@Producelikeapro great video, but I’m wondering who Clive Longer is 😉 and guitarist John Bradbury?? 😂
The Selecter is way under appreciated
I went from trying to grow my hair long to getting a Crew Cut, Flat Top, while I was in High School. Man, my friends teased me to no end, until they heard SKA and finally got it. It was such a great time, and it felt great to have our moment in music. Miss those days. RIP Terry Hall, and thanks for the music!
Awwwww loved this … and you said it with passion and truth .. as a 55 yr old Cov kid i was there and it was such an exciting time .. and so was seeing them for the first time that was the best gig ever waited over thirty years to see them at it was AMAZING RIP Terry Hill 🙏🏾 from a old coventry Rude Girl
Amazing video. I was born 67 and this period was huge. I live in Australia now and one of my close friends here is also from the UK, born same year. When Terry died we spent a good hour just messaging each other in tears. No one here would know or understand just how important that time and period was, the social upheaval, race riots and general despair that filled the air. To hear you talk at the end brought more tears to me. Thank you so much for being so passionate and for expressing so well what I cannot.
My absolute favorite time in music history. I was gutted about Terry’s death. Thank you for the heartfelt video. All these seminal songs are the soundtrack of my life. Love this♥️!
When The Specials appeared on Saturday Night Live is when I became a fan. Rest Easy, Mr. Hall
Absolutely! I'm looking that up now!
I was so thrilled when I saw this on SNL live! My parents were amused at my excitement
Always loved "Mirror in the Bathroom" by The Beat - still can't figure out those guitar chords after all these years!
Open tuning
@@outtathyme5679 Now you tell me!
@@EdwardJamesCrockford DADAAD, most likely. Dave Wakeling was trying to discover DADGAD and failed. You can probably make DADGAD work.
I doubt Terry would have had any conception of how he'll be missed. ✌
That light be true, however, for many of us he was the voice of a generation
@@Producelikeapro Indeed,and I'm one of that generation. Your recalling of your desperate efforts to look Rude Boy cool rang so many bells. 😀
Thank you Warren: not just for honouring Terry Hall but also highlighting Two-Tone and ska. When the Pistols' "Never mind the Bollocks" came out I was 16; when Two-Tone happened I was 19. I came from what you might call a sheltered background and the advent of both punk and Two-Tone (not to mention New Wave) really did open my mind. Of all the music from the late 70s, Two-tone/ ska is still my favourite.
As Monty Python would say 'Luxury'! We were insanely lucky, and we all LOVED the ska bands. You forgot to mention - it was easy for the lads to dance to! We were all rubbish dancers!
Haha I hear you! I’m a terrible dancer
20:03 Just brought me right back to my youth, in 1979 I was always listening to my brothers reggae tunes and as an eight year old 2Tone was something we could call our own. Couldn’t get my head shaved at the local barbers because the barber feared the wrath of my mother 😂 so had to walk a couple of miles into Dublin city to get it done and the shoes, exactly the same story except at Christmas in 1981 I got fake docs because they were much cheaper. It was difficult to get good ska music here but eventually after saving money from a paper round in 1983 I was invited to go on a short holiday to England with an aunt. While there I wondered around on my own one day collecting great vinyls from all of the bands. Love the channel, great videos 👍🏻 RIP Terry ❤
This video is fantastic, it's refreshing to hear someone do a deep analysis of what defined two-tone ska and its influences (especially how the basslines derive more from reggae than they do 60s ska!) I love it.
So glad you brought this up. I'm gutted like so many people about Terry Hall's passing. I'm also so glad that he lived.
I'm about 5 or 6 years older than you Warren. This episode really resonates with me. Growing up in the UK in that explosion of music in the 70's was amazing. From Slade to Ska all brilliant.
There's a band I've never heard you mention. Slade, back in 73 were huge in the UK Cum on Feel the Noize. Squeeze Me, Please Me and the Christmas song of course. Happy days. 1976 the best summer ever. 🤩
Slade...the Sweet....but yeah....SLADE. 😍
I love how you put your heart on your sleeve talking about all this and your admiration of Terry Hall. This music really touched people worldwide.
Ghost Town was actually the first single I ever bought. Music really had something to say back then. It wasn't just entertainment, it was part of your way of live, your 'Weltanschauung'. Everyone was in sort of a tribe back then and you dressed accordingly which made for great people watching when you were in town. I miss those times especially when I listen to music that's popular now. I get the idea that the generation that are teens now don't experience music the same way we did back then. I feel blessed to have been young at that time. Great memories to look back on. :)
Really enjoyed this. Recently joined a Ska / 2-tone band (I play bass) and have been slowly learning the history.
I've been into Ska since High School days ,late 70s. I still love it and always will. Thanks for an excellent view.
Ayyy we've been waiting for ska to get some love! We're gonna have to go with the makers of that East Side Beat, The Toasters!
going to school in non frank wright loafers.....but polished cheap loafers.....memories!. luckily i've toured all my life in a punk band....but still get a warm homely feeling when i see someone at a gig with a trilby!
Thanks ever so much Glen for sharing that! Very cool
This episode, and Warren's end comments pretty much encapsulate the other part of my musical childhood. When I wasn't listening to Queen, Cheap trick, Crystal Gayle, or Rod Stewart, I was learning rhythm guitar from Lynval Goulding from The Specials, Dave Wakeling from the Beat, and Neol Davies from The Selecter....Many thankd for posting this, and a prayer for Specials front-man Terry Hall...Big Up!
Ghost Town has been, since its release, one of those songs that perfectly encapsulates the experience of living in Britain - the run down areas where the big money never gets spent - and it's remained brilliant and relevant ever since and has never sounded dated. Two Tone, Ska and Punk have never been my main sources of musical preference, but I've loved that song since I was a kid and still play it regularly. It's amazing.
What a passionate end! I remember some mates singing Baggy Trousers when I was in my last year at junior school. Hooked at that point. Just so much fun. The 80’s went bonkers. Stay press, grandad collars and Y cardigans…..all from the market!
Remember the impact of Frankie goes to Hollywood too. Listen to it now, pure classic with a killer bass
Gen x…..hard as nails and knows hue to party. Xx
3 seconds of The Gangster and my day is already made.
This was an honest well done vid, thanx for that and RIP Terry Hall !
Ghost Town, such a huge record in my life. My doorway to so much... RIP Terry Hall.
Thank you for this music lesson! 😎👍
Like you Warren 2 Tone was part of my youth and, certainly in the UK, it's importance as a label can not be over stated. Let's not forget other 2 Tone artists like The Beat, The Bodysnatchers and The Apollinaires. This is a wonderful and inciteful video and thank you for making it. RIP Terry Hall.
Roughly same age as you in neighbouring country; grown up with classical music, got to secondary school and discovered Madness and ska, loved it, loved the dancing that went along with it, got One Step Beyond from Santa. So many good memories (and then someone played me Motorhead and my life took a different turn entirely).
All of that resonates with me! Thanks ever so much for sharing
Best video that was from the heart. I was 8 in '79. I remember the time and it was the worst of times and it was the best of times. I feel sorry for anyone who passed through that time who had money, because saving up to buy a single was a right of passage. Then playing it to death on my parents record player. I wish I could return to 1979 and take it all in. RIP Terry. You were the commentry of a generation.
As ever,very informative and enjoyable.Although Concrete Jungle does mention being chased by NF,guitarist Roddy Radiation wrote it about,I believe,his experience of attracting hostile attention through his Punk attire.
Wow! Just amazing. Thanks so much for this video. It brings back a lot of wonderful memories. I've spent my teenage years completely captivated by the Two-Tone/Ska, Rude Boy music back in the 80s. I still got loads of albums, posters, magazine cuttings, badges etc. This genre of music made me who I am today. To be honest I never get tired of listening to ska and reggae. Sadly, we recently lost the vocalist from the Specials, Terry Hall, obviously, one of my idols. Thank you once again and happy new year.
Merci pour ce document qui brièvement montre cette cette période magique. Personnellement en France🇨🇵 à Paris j ai entendu le 1ere fois en début 79 le mot ska, que j écrivais sqa car l animateur n avait pas donné l écriture du mot. J ai rapidement acheté les 3 black and White albums, 1st The Selecter, the Specials and Madness. J ai été touché par la musique et les paroles immédiatement. Je devenais moi aussi un rude boy. Quelques mois après, un ami me parlait d'un 4e groupe...the Beat. Ce fut un autre choc et ce groupe devint mon favori. J ai fait ,par la suite des émissions de radios libres sur le ska, et j ai joué dans un groupe de ska 80' s francais "les Frelons." J ai maintenant 60 ans et la joie que tu communiques à la fin de ton documentaire, je l' ai toujours moi aussi. Mille fois merci pour ces commentaires. Je finirai en faisant un hommage aux disparus. Terry ,il y a quelques jours, Winston des Bad Manners il y a peu si proches des 2 Tone, Ranking Roger et Saxa de the Beat et Brad et Rico des Specials. Love and unity as said Roger.
HI Warren Although Bad Manners Weren't a part of the Two Tone scene They were a very successful band in their own Right They spent 111 weeks in the singles chart between 1980 1983 And were hugely popular on Tiswas They were a part of my childhood along with Madness
Too young to understand the specials I was 5 in 1980
Buster Bloodvessel showman, gentleman and legend ✊🏼♥️🕴 the undersea adventures of ivor the engine is one of my all time favourite skanking ska songs 🕴🕴 pick it up!
I saw bad manners just before Christmas in Nottingham. They were fantastic
I did my first of I hope many Radio Programming shows last night. I played songs for three hours. The Specials Ghost Town was part of the mix. With a RIP message also. Thank You for this one. The song I played was from This Is Two Tone.
Goosebumps. I'm your age, Warren and as you said this was a really unbelievable phase musically. For me the most important simply.
Whether you call it ska or two-tone or whatever, I absolutely love The Specials' "Ghost Town" and several of Mandess' tracks ("One Step Beyond", "Our House", "Shut Up", "House of Fun", "Night Boat to Cairo"). But yeah, the greatest thing about the late 70s/early 80s was the wide range of music styles which became popular, and I definitely got hooked on new wave.
Brought back some lovely memories. Growing up working class in NYC back in the late 70s was some tough love, but Two Tone really brought the passion out for kids like me. While the exact meaning of some of the messages weren't understood right away, the beat and the dancing were just so compelling. Once we understood the lyrics better, it became a statement for kids in the city to show their love for ska. So much going on in NY at the time. Rap and hip hop were just starting to go from local to mainstream too. Thanks for posting
Greetings from Tampa, Florida - grew up near Detroit, just shy of 15 I saw The Specials on Saturday Night Live & have been hooked ever since.
In general, 1979 was such a seminal year for music in the UK - such a wide variety of bands/genres, don't think we'll ever see anything like it again.
All the best to you in 2023!
I have been telling people for years that the best year in my living memory for music is 1979 - thank you for your affirmation! For me it was the year I started work, got a moped and first found my way in the World outside of home. Good times. RIP Terry!
What a fantastic video, captured my youth perfectly. It was the time in my life that I loved the most, and "A Message to You Rudy" was the one song that remains with me always, at my lowest point, whilst sitting in a prison cell serving time, my mind wandered back to a Thursday Night - Top of the Pops - Rico begins to play and the words " Stop your messin around, gotta think of your future" keep going around in my head. Those words stuck with me, and I managed to change my life around, I am now a vicar, who loves to DJ and play those songs that mean so much to me, I have become friends with many of my idols from those days, and I am so grateful that I have had the chance to play alongside them too. Music is life - thank you Warren for all the memories.
Grew up near Cov. The specials felt like our mates as kids. The lads will always be my hero's. Still in me Harrington at 47 😎
Thank you Warren you just retold a period of my life I will never forget,as a 10 year old in 79 the Ska revival and the the birth of Two Tone was so important to me in many ways it gave me an identity a sense of fashion,and accepting and embracing diversity.
Brilliant Video Warren! I'm 23 and love Ska so much I made a video like this on CZcams for University last term. This is definitely how I should have made mine. Brilliant work.
Wow! Thanks ever so much
Warren, Excellent content as usual. I have passed on your Kind works for Terry to my wife to pass on to the Family (She is his Cousin). I Loved the 70's growing up in Birmingham, Hard but Good Times. All the best Warren. Trev.
My dad got me into ska music when I was very young - maybe 10. How thankful I am for that
Great Father!
Grew up in Trinidad and Tobago and was a fan of reggae which was very popular there, got introduced to 2tone/ska in the 80's through listening to the charts and hearing bands like Madness, Specials, Beat/English Beat, General Public, Clash etc. Been a fan ever since. Brings back memories of sitting by the radio on Saturday eagerly waiting to hear what new came out of England.
For me the 80's is still the most diverse and exciting era for music.
Great piece Warren. Those who were there and knew about Two Tone will never forget it. Here in Canada, it wasn’t played on mainstream radio…but I was in high school at the time and my friends and I knew what was happening over in the UK. I consider myself lucky to live through this time.
Your heartfelt memories also really shone a light on just how much music and musicians can influence our lives in such tremendous ways.
I ABSOLUTELY Love Two-Tone Ska, thank you Warren for this wonderful wonderful episode!!!
I grew up in the same era, however I was one of the few young Canadian musicians that followed Ska and was influenced and moved by this amazing sound. Thank you my friend for a great tribute !
I love your passion about this. An excellent video about an underappreciated genre(s)
R.I.P Terry Hall he came to one of our gigs once when we played in Coventry we were supporting Carbon Silicon (Mick Jones Tony James etc.) he was very friendly and down to earth.
Phenomenal video. Thank you for digging into this!
Wow! Thanks ever so much
Aw absolutely loved this! I knew a lot about two tone already as it was the subject of my dissertation at uni! Well the evolution of ska from first to third wave but the main focus of it was on the two tone era as there was so much to discuss. Anyhoo this was brilliant and as you said what a time for music! All these bands had the biggest influence on one of my favourite bands of all time also No Doubt, that’s how my love for this music started. Just phenomenal 🖤🤍
What an era, music of my youth I still play today. ❤
Thanks ever so much for sharing
“Jesus boots” 🤣 That must have hurt at the time but it’s bloody funny now 🤣. Particularly loved the anecdotes and thoughts at the end. That’s the reason this music will live forever. Was thinking about XTC for example when you said post punk and then you mentioned them. I’d rather listen to “No Thugs in our House” a million times than the shite in the charts today. This music (all of the genres you mentioned) will live forever. Including the music of Terry Hall. RIP mate. What a musician, songwriter and most of all, gentleman.
Loved your description of “your look” spot on rude boy. This music had a massive influence on my life, I went to the Two Tone tour back in 79 and I’ve been hooked ever since. Great times, Great music.
I only spent a few years in the UK and was a teenager at the time.Those years were 1979-1982......god,was I lucky.
Thanks for considering my suggestion in a video. Ska had a big influence in my life. And a lot of my fellow mates too. When I was 8 years old, I had a great stash of reggae albums. So Ska was refreshing reggae in our part of the world. In this period there happened a lot in music genres, like you mentioned, The Clash etc. I think those times will never happen again, if I hear the "music" nowadays. Heck, I remember playing the drums of the song "On My radio" on everything that could be used as a drum. Hehe.
First gig I ever went to as a young 16 year old was at Tiffany's in Great Yarmouth. Dexy's midnight runners followed by the selecter and then the specials back in late 1979. Still remember it like it was yesterday, fabulous times 👍👍👍
Excellent, I'm a bit older than you, I was 17 at the time. How do you separate music and society?
Your description of the whole context of the time, united working class, absence of racism, common front in front of society, is absolutely incredible.
Great changes in music, but also in society.
(I learned to play bass by listening to "The Specials"! And other bands, let's be honest... This era was so dense!)
Cheers! I think we're about the same age. I didn't discover 2Tone until 1983 when I was 14. I've been a huge fan ever since. I cried for hours when I heard about Terry's passing. I've been in 5 ska bands since 1987 and one of them is celebrating our 30th anniversary! Hoping to play London in the coming year!
I grew up in Philadelphia and born in 73…started skateboarding amd listening to everything British punk ska reggae around 79…Philly had a very British feel to the city so it felt very natural to the punk scene as it progressed in the 80’s…some of the best years of my life!
Los Angeles, 1979-81. I first heard The Specials and Elvis Costello on late night FM radio and while hanging out in record stores. I can remember playing the first Specials album over & over while living in my first apartment at age 19. L.A. was a musically rich environment and I got to enjoy many genres of music performed live. But ska had a real energetic and even joyous feel to it that was absent in most other pop music.
When I heard Terry Hall had died, I cried.
Thank you for this wonderful summary of some great music & a very special sound that will remain with me for life.
🙏 Peace to all.
Loved this...the music. Of my schooldays. R.I.P Terry Hall
Thanks ever so much for sharing
Good to see you geeking out over this music and era of music. I bought the first English Beat album in a video arcade just because of the cover and have been a Two Tone fan for life. It took me years to find other Ska material and then I remembered hearing original ska from my mother when I was like 5 years old.
And then think about the explosion of music that occurred in the states…Times were hard but the music saw us through.
Thanks ever so much for sharing!!
Thankyou Warren. That really was a wonderful video full of great memories and commentary. RIP Terry Hall.
Asa Gen X'er, I absolutely loved the Ska sound! international Jet Set was my introduction to The Specials and I became a Ska convert! Madness, Bad Manners, Selector, etc... I loved it all then and I still do! R.I.P Terry and thank you for the music, your insight, and your brilliance!
We didn't hear a lot of this in the U.S. until the 1980s, both with the advent of MTV, local video shows, and of college radio. KROQ might have played the bigger songs in the late 70s, but it wasn't until a few years later when they started taking off that they would play more of this, more Specials/Selecter/early Madness...and not just the hits but deeper cuts as well.
There was a video show called MV3 in the early 80s out of L.A. Richard Blade and 2 others. This is where we got our New Wave and British music fix. In the mix of Duran Duran, Berlin, Culture Club, etc were videos of Ghost Town, Free Nelson Mandela, Message to Rudy, etc. The one that got me going from this genre was One Step Beyond. That used to get me moving. I still remember me and my friends yelling out the song's melody and walking in that formation lol. What a fun song! In later years, I wore out a cassette of The Specials' debut with Rudy, etc.
Thanks for this one, Mr. Warren.
Thank you so much for sharing! and for watching also.
You're so right about that few years being amazing musically, a great time to be a young lad. Some people rave on about the 90's music....yeah some of it is fantastic but oh man, the 80's was the best! R.I.P. Terry Hall 😔✌