The 2 Tone EP (1993) Toni Tye- 2Tone Archive (1980)

Released in 1993 to promote a Best of 2 Tone compilation this EP brought together the début singles from 4 of the label's leading acts:
The Special AKA- Gangsters
Madness- The Prince
The Selecter- On My Radio
The Beat- Tears of a Clown
In the case of Madness and The Beat these were their only releases on the label.

Photographer Toni Tye documented the 2Tone scene in early 1980, when it was having a massive impact on British pop music. Her archives can be viewed here.

The Specials- Specials (1979)

Obviously no feature on Skinhead culture would be complete without an acknowledgement of the role that the 2-Tone label/ movement played in bringing the sounds of ska and the fashions of the Skinhead era to a new generation.

I thought that posting this LP might be viewed as something of a cliché, and I was sure that it was available in loads of other places. Not so, apparently.

So I dug out my 31 year old vinyl copy, bought in Boots for about £2.50 in November 1979. It's an absolute belter. Amazingly the next record that I invested my pocket money in was London Calling by The Clash. What a great time to be 14!

Here's some info on the record.
And here are some other posts on The Specials.

The Special AKA / The Selecter- Gangsters/ The Selecter 7” (1979).

Good time music from Coventry.
This was the first release on 2 Tone records.
Information on the record can be found here.
This is a rip of the original single.

The Coventry Automatics Aka The Specials- Dawning Of A New Era (recorded 1978)

Line up:
Jerry Dammers - keyboards,
Terry Hall - vocals,
Lynval Golding - guitar , vocals,
Roddy 'Radiation' Byers - guitar,
'Sir' Horace Gentleman/ Panter - bass,
Silverton Hutchinson - drums
Neville Staples appears on the cover but at the time the recording was made he was still the roadie.
This is a 1978 demo (good sound quality) by the band that went on to become The Specials/ The Special AKA. Familiar tunes, slightly unfamiliar arrangements. An interesting listen for all those who have fond memories of this, the thinking man’s ska band.

The Special AKA- Live! (1980)

The Specials were the punkiest of the new wave of ska bands, thanks in part to the edgy guitar of Roddy Byers and also the social consciousness of their original songs. Their early records launched my enduring passion for ska and rocksteady, leading me to explore the history of Jamaican music and track down the originals that inspired the 2 Tone movement.
2 Tone was commercially successful in a way that punk had never been. In 79-80-81 The Specials / Special AKA scored 7 consecutive top ten hits, including 2 number ones, ...
the music and image had mass appeal, particularly with younger kids. The porkpie hats, the sta pressed, the braces, the dances, the shades- it was all there on a plate and served up by numberless market stalls. This EP went to number one in the UK charts in January 1980. The lead number, a breakneck version of a track off the band's debut LP, was a reworking of Lloyd Charmers' Birth Control . The remaining tracks are covers of 60's Jamaican classics that would pepper generations of ska compilations.
Terry Hall - vocals
Jerry Dammers - keyboards
Lynval Golding - rhythm guitar, vocals
Neville Staple - toasting, backing vocals, percussion
Roddy Byers (Roddy Radiation) - lead guitar
Horace Panter (Sir Horace Gentleman)- bass guitar
John Bradbury (Brad) - drums
with
Rico Rodriguez - trombone
Dick Cuthell - flugel horn