Ska/Two Tone

Where did it all begin?

Ska/Two Tone music emerged from the backstreets of Coventry in the late 1970’s, taking elements from all different kinds of music. The beats of reggae, the anguish of punk, and the melodies of classic rock and roll.

Coventry at the time was fast becoming one of the worst cities in the Midlands, known for its poor quality housing and all round bad nightlife for the weekend. The city was still recovering from the damage caused by the Second World War. Almost forty years later, you could still see the city’s futile attempts at regeneration.

Who started it?

Seven Coventry boys decided they wanted a change and brought about a wave of ska/two tone music. They started a band called ‘The Specials’ and included every instrument they could think of; from guitars to trombones.

The band seemed to have three main objectives:

• To create a release for Coventry’s youth
• To fuse two growing cultures together
• To put Coventry back on the map.

When asked about the basic idea behind ska/two tone, Jerry Dammers, keyboardist for ‘The Specials’ said:

“We’ve got two cultures in this country now, so the obvious thing is to go back to the roots of reggae and the roots of rock, and to try and form a new dance music”.

How did it make such a big impact?

Ska/Two Tone was a completely different kind of music that combined simple beats that were easy to dance to, with hard hitting lyrics that perfectly summed up life at that time for thousands of teenagers.

Mainly, ska/two tone was about energy release. It was a simple outlet for teenagers who just wanted to know that there were other people out there who felt the same as they did. It was not over-complicated like most music had been in the past; punk for example, always had to have lyrics worthy of poetry but a sound that would shock the government and older generations of the time.

To over-complicate ska/two tone would mean burying the original point and message so deep, that listeners wouldn’t be able to find it if they tried.

Essentials

Essential bands/tracks for any ska collection:

The Specials - Ghost town / Gangsters / Too Much Too Young

Madness - Baggy Trousers / One Step Beyond / House Of Fun

The Beat - Tears Of A Clown / Mirror In The Bathroom

The Selecter - Too Much Pressure / On My Radio