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Post by roddy byers on Dec 2, 2008 8:40:40 GMT
Brotherly love*
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Post by mrclaypole on Jun 16, 2009 12:49:22 GMT
My experience at the Leeds gig with a couple of Skinheads wanting to give my head a squashing made me want to pass this info on.
I have to say this has been a fascinating thread to read and was waiting for my approval to this board so I could add my 2 pennys worth (about all Ive got in my wallet). I am 31 years old and ever since I started buying records in late 1986 I have never liked the contempary music of the day, I was brought up in a house where my Dad liked the beatles, stones, kinks and Led Zepplin and my mum was a Jim Reeves, Irish rebel song and opera fan so I never got to listen to anything new apart from the odd Human league record when growing up. I was mad Beatles fan for years until I bought Divine Madness in 1992, about the same time some of my older brothers friends were lsitening to 2tone music and lots of the old ska. I was still only about 15 and quite open to new genres of music so liked going around to soem of their houses and having a wee smoke of herb and filling my head with these new sounds, I had no idea at the time that Madness were anyway connected with Walt Jabsco. Of course over time I read magazines and got hold of books and put 2 and 2 together and really embraced 2 tone music in general buying as many singles, albums and cds I could get my hands on from 2nd hand shops and market stalls. I even got myself a crombie, a crop and a pork pie hat that I used to parade around Birmingham in on a Saturday this lead to much derision from ym fellow peers as everyone else was wearing baggy stuff as was the fashion back in 1992. Slowly as the years went on and as I read more about what music the members of each group were into I started to buy into that also, bands like , Sly and the family Stone, James Brown, Ian dury and the blockheads and all, untill I reached abit of a dead end in about 1999, out went the mod gear and in came a mish match of all the stuff I liked, I would go out in a Kraftwerk jacket with a Blockheads Tee on underneath and the pork pie hat was replaced by a Madness beanie hat, I no longer had any uniform that I had had a few years earlier. It was quite liberating. I was also a big punk fan about the time and did a bit of unpaid roadying for the Desperate Daned on one of their tours, they were quite crazy days but again it was band I had respected as a friend of mine from school got me into them. So fast forward to Xmas 2007 and Terry Hall is djing at a local pub and I go along and having read about his musical tastes I was so glad that he didnt play wall to wall SKA and instead gave us some real exotic treats, stuff you wouldnt hear anywhere else, Im so sick of D.Js playing the tried and tested and not taking any chances, same with modern day bands really. So now Im so glad that thanks to my original love of 2 tone music and reading about all the individual people involved I now have a very varied record collection. I never really thought the Specials were all about SKA anyway, I mean even the 2nd single was more rocksteady, its only because of the labels the music press place on bands that put them in that catergory. The specials are the Specials that is the only label they need.
Im currently listening to lots of Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly and oh yes I got hold of Jim Reeves greatest hits the other day (thanks mum), and I still like a good bit of heavy skanking when the mood takes me and I can be often found pogoing at my local punk nights.
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Post by roddy byers on Jun 16, 2009 17:12:35 GMT
Listen to all sorts yer never know what you might like*
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Post by mrclaypole on Jun 16, 2009 18:11:13 GMT
Its amazing what seeps into the old brainbox.
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Post by roddy byers on Jun 17, 2009 7:26:29 GMT
Yep i can even listen to a bit of Jazz now,a,days!
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shan
Senior Skab
Posts: 219
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Post by shan on Jun 17, 2009 21:32:35 GMT
I have been known to listen to Al Bowly before now, I even like the old Colliery bands, Charlie Parker style toons and can even appreciate Glenn Campbell! Al Green and Billie Holliday are the most relaxing though. I have also been known to partake in a bit of 2tone ska & billy
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Post by TTN on Jun 18, 2009 0:07:51 GMT
I guess I am sort of guilty of letting it all go when the Special split, although up to a point I did follow each of the seperate strands but I am afraid to say that I just lost my focus.
I just played all my old stuff every now and then and left it at that - I now thing I was wrong to take that course but you can't change what you did.
I am now just waiting for my chance to see the Scabs live, I had intended to go to Harlow but I was otherwise detained that night.
When I do get to see 'em I won't be expecting to see the Specials.
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Post by roddy byers on Jun 19, 2009 7:44:14 GMT
Nice one twotonenutter* but yould be amazed how many people expect us all in our individual projects to be ,n, sound like a Specials jukebox! The versions i do lean towards my tastes in music so expect them to sound more punky/rock,n,roll than the Shells originals*
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Post by mrclaypole on Jun 19, 2009 8:57:35 GMT
Ive seen Nevilles band live a few times and hes more true to the Specials sound he still tweaks the tracks to his own style, I was actually disapointed when I saw him at the Adam and Eve pub in Birmingham and I met him before the show and asked him if he was to play any of his solo stuff as I always liked his solo albums which arent wall to wall SKA or reggae, his reply was "Im just doing the hits, its what people want", I was going to say that not all the people want the "hits" some wouldnt mind hearing your different stuff. But that was pretty futile as I saw the parade of skins coming in through the door, plus Nev seemed abit distant that night and not up for chatting (nerves or adrenaline kicking in?), I was pleasantly surprised by his version of Ghost Town as it was more reggeafied and funkier, I gather Neville was never happy with da mans chord choices originally?. I will get too se the Skabs one day, Ive been on the cusp afew times but finances and cirBanana Milkshakestances have always conspired against me but when I do I cant wait to hear roddys versions of the shells stuff and of course it will be even nicer to hear his new stuff. One question Roddy, when you wrote the songs that ended up being recorded by the Shells did you write them in a style that you thought was befitting to the sound of the band or were they arranged so that they came out to fit the Specials style?. I think it was Horaces book where its mentioned that when you were wrting Rat race that you took some inspiration from the chord changes in Linton Kwesi Johnstons "me wan fi go for rave" as a template, was that a conscious effort to get a reggae/ ska feel?. Back to my original post on this thread, I have been in a couple of bands over the years but always hated the rigidness of the style of music that I was forced to play by the "leader", so have tried to start afew bands myself, but after placing adverts I havent had much luck recruiting people as I find it very hard to explain what music influences I have as I find it all too restircting. How can I say that I love music from the softest ballad through to the industrial dirges of Aphex Twin and everything inbetween?. How do you get people to join with such a loose brief?. I would love to just get in a room with people who are open minded with whatever instrument they play and see what happens, find the style afterwards or if we cant find one, make one.
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Post by roddy byers on Jun 19, 2009 12:49:07 GMT
I tended to write them sorta punky/rock,n,roll then the band would play them how they play things* Dont know where Horace got that Linton idear from? i never heard it or heard Dammers say that.. Jerry tried to change Conrete Jungle to Asphaly Jungle because og the Bob Marley song of that name- the only album i didnt have at the time was the one with Rat Race ,n, Concrete on!! But think of a good Strawberry Saucetle and its always been used before, i dont do it intentionally.
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