Santana with Eric Clapton - Jam At Wally's Place (1970)

In October 1970 Eric Clapton and the Dominoes arrived in Berkeley for some concerts at the Community Theatre, and while they were there Clapton decided to check out a young teenage kid called Neil Schon, who was creating quite a stir on the local scene. He was recording with Santana down at the Village Recorder in San Francisco, so Clapton and some of the Dominoes went down to check him out, and before long the Santana band and Eric and co were jamming away, although Santana himself has admitted that he was suffering from a particularly bad acid trip at the time and so was unable to participate. Eric was certainly impressed and invited Schon to play with him and the Dominoes at the Berkeley shows, and the results were so good that Clapton asked him to join the band. Schon declined the offer, going on to become a key member of Santana, and when he eventually left he formed the enormously successful Journey. The jam sessions at the recording studio were taped, and are made up of a few Santana songs with Clapton playing along, and a couple of loose jams, all of which feature some excellent playing from all participants, and so are well worth hearing.  

Track listing

01 Just Like You
02 Everything Is Coming Our Way
03 Batuka
04 Jamtana
05 Blues Shuffle Jam
06 Try To Make It Real Compared To What

Aphrodite's Child - Magic Mirror (1970)

By 1967 Vangelis Papathanassiou and Demis Roussos had already been successful in Greece, playing in the bands The Forminx and The Idols respectively, and when they decided to form a band together they invited drummer Loukas Sideras and guitarist Silver Koulouris to join them. The first recording by the as yet un-named band was for George Romanos' 1968 album 'In Concert And In Studio', where they played on four songs and were credited as 'Vangelis And His Orchestra', and in the same year they recorded a two-song demo and submitted it to Philips Records, who released it as the band's first single. It was probably Vangelis's idea that the band should relocate to London, which would be a more suitable environment for their music, as their country had entered a right-wing dictatorship in 1967. This decision, however, was not problem-free, as Koulouris had to stay in Greece to fulfill his military service, and while on their way to London the band got stuck in Paris, partly because they did not have the correct work permits and partly because of the strikes associated with the May 1968 riots. While in Paris the band signed to Mercury Records and were christened Aphrodite's Child by Lou Reizner, who released their second single 'Rain And Tears', and which resulted in them becoming an overnight sensation in France and several other European countries in which the single charted well. In October 1968 the band released their first album 'End Of The World', containing a mixture of psychedelic pop songs and ballads in the vein of Procol Harum or The Moody Blues. The band began touring around Europe, and in January 1969 they recorded a single in Italian for the Sanremo Festival, even though they didn't participate in it, and they then traveled to London to record their second album at Trident Studios, with 'It's Five O'Clock' appearing in January 1970. The band began touring again to promote it, but this time Vangelis wanted to stay in Paris to record the music for Henry Chapier's film 'Sex Power', and so he was replaced on stage by Harris Halkitis. 

In late 1970, with Vangelis back in the fold and Koulouris rejoining after his military service, the band started work on their next album, which was to be a musical adaptation of the biblical Book of Revelation, entitled '666'. Relations between the band members were declining by this point, and things continued to worsen during the methodically slow recording process. This wasn't helped by the other members of the band resenting the fact that Vangelis had taken charge of the concept of the album, bringing in an outside lyricist, Costas Ferris, to help him compose it, and that the music was much more psychedelic and progressive rock oriented than anything they'd ever done, whereas the rest of the band wanted to continue in the pop direction that had brought them success. Recording was further delayed while Roussos released a solo single and an album, while Vangelis was working on the score for the 1970 French TV documentary 'L'Apocalypse Des Animaux', as well as issuing a single with his then-girlfriend Vilma Ladopoulou, performing with Koulouris under the pseudonym 'Alpha Beta'. When the album was finally completed, Mercury had reservations about its content and so shifted it over to the their Vertigo imprint for release in June 1972, nearly two years after recording had started, and by which time the band had already split up. Despite some positive reviews it didn't sell that well at the time, but over the ensuing 50 years it has become rightly recognised as a classic of progressive rock. Both Vangelis and Roussos had significant solo success following the split, with Roussos pursuing a career in pop music, and Vangelis becoming a highly regarded electronic music artist and movie soundtrack composer. This collection from their first band together takes in that first Phillips single, the 1969 Italian recordings, a couple of non-album singles and their b-sides, as well as one track from their very first session with George Romanos, and a stunning, previously unreleased sixteen-minute instrumental, which should never have stayed hidden away for this long.   

Track listing

01 Otan Moupes (with George Romanos 1968)
01 Plastics Nevermore (single 1968)
02 The Other People (b-side of 'Plastics Nevermore')
03 I Want To Live (single 1969)
04 Magic Mirror (b-side of 'I Want To Live')
05 Quando L'Amore Diventa Poesia (Italian single 1969)   
06 Lontano Dagli Occhi (b-side of 'Quando L'Amore Diventa Poesia') 
07 Chakachak (previously unreleased 1969)
08 Spring, Summer, Winter And Fall (single 1970)
09 Air (b-side of 'Spring, Summer, Winter And Fall')

Dodgy - Speaking In Tongues (1998)

Dodgy's third album 'Free Peace Sweet' was released in 1996, and was a solid record containing some memorable songs, such as 'You've Gotta Look Up' (with shades of the Ad Libs' 'The Boy From New York City') and 'Good Enough', which cracked the top 5 of the UK singles chart in the summer, yet overall the critics felt that it fell short of the greatness that many had expected, with Paul Moody of the New Musical Express summing it up with 'A fine pop album then, but not a great Dodgy album'. With rumours of personality clashes flying around, Clark left the band in June 1998, and the trio’s final single 'Every Single Day' was released in September. Miller and Priest returned in summer 1999 with new singer David Bassey, keyboard player Chris Hallam and bass player Nick Abnett, but the Dodgy that I'd loved was no more, and so I left them to it until the original line-up re-united in 2007 for the live 'So Far On 3 Wheels – Dodgy On The Radio'. In the summer of 2007, they announced a reunion tour featuring the entire original line-up, but these plans were abandoned when Miller fell out of bed and chipped a bone in his arm, with the rescheduled tour taking place in March 2008. Further tours followed, and the band started recording again in 2008, with the fruits of their labours finally appearing in 2012 as the excellent 'Stand Upright In A Cool Place' album. To round off this series we have the b-sides of a couple of singles from 'Free Peace Sweet'. as well as that final single 'Every Single Day', and also their contributions to the HELP charity single, and a Small Faces tribute album. I hope these five albums bring back memories of one of the very best indie-pop bands of the 90's, and don't write them off as they are still producing great music to this day.  

Track listing

01 Is It Me (from the 'Come Together' charity single by the Smokin' Mojo Filters 1995) 
02 Pebblemilljam (b-side of 'If You're Thinking Of Me' 1996)
03 Forever Remain (b-side of 'If You're Thinking Of Me' 1996)
04 Grateful Moon (bonus track on early vinyl copies of 'Free Peace Sweet' 1996)
05 Self Doubt (b-side of 'In A Room' 1996) 
06 Speaking In Tongues  (b-side of 'Good Enough' 1996)
07 I Can't Make It (from 'Worlds Apart: A Tribute To The Small Faces' 1997)
08 Every Single Day (single 1998)
09 The Bridge (b-side of 'Every Single Day')

10 Revolution (b-side of 'Found You' 1997)

John Bongiovi - All Talk No Action (1983)

In the early 80's John Bongiovi recorded a number of songs at the Power Station recording studios, where he worked as a janitor, with guitarist Bill Frank, Mick Seeley on bass and drummers Jim McGrath and Charlie Mills, and they remained hidden away in the vaults for many years until he became famous following a name change to Jon Bon Jovi, and forming the hard rock band that shared his name. They were eventually released in 1998 by his father's first cousin Tony Bongiovi, who had also produced the tracks, and they've been reissued a number of times, usually on short-lived foreign labels, with each new re-issue adding more recordings to the track listing, with the most recent now amounting to 20 songs. Despite these numerous different issues of the album, the recordings are still mostly unknown to all but the most avid Bon Jovi fans, and alongside the single 'More Than We Bargained For', which was released as a promotional item for the album, most issues of this music are still hard to find. The only track to appear on an actual Bon Jovi album is the final instrumental, which with added lyrics became the opening track on their debut album, so whether you're a long-time fan of the band or just appreciate good hard rock, this collection certainly contains some rocking tunes.     

Track listing 

01 Who Said It Would Last Forever
02 Open Your Heart
03 Stringin' A Line
04 Don't Leave Me Tonight
05 More Than We Bargained For
06 For You
07 Hollywood Dreams
08 All Talk, No Action
09 Don't Keep Me Wondering
10 Head Over Heels
11 No One Does It Like You
12 What You Want
13 Don't You Believe Him
14 Talkin' In Your Sleep
15 Bobby's Girl
16 Gimme Some Lovin' Charlene
17 Don't Do That To Me Anymore
18 This Woman Is Dangerous
19 Maybe Tomorrow
20 Runaway (Instrumental Demo) 

Sue & Sunny - The Show Must Go On (1972)

Yvonne (Sue) and Heather (Sunny) Wheatman were born in Madras (now Chennai) in India, and after moving to Britain they eventually settled in Camberley, Surrey, where they set their sights on a career in pop. In November 1962 they signed to the Oriole label, and their first single 'Just Let Me Cry' was issued the following year under the name The Myrtelles. The song had originally been recorded by Italian singer Mina, though the version by Lesley Gore remains the best known. After quitting Oriole they signed to Columbia as Sue and Sunshine, and the Spector-esque 'A Little Love (Will Go A Long, Long Way)' was released in November 1964, with backing on the record by The Breakaways. One further 45 followed, with 'We’re In Love' backed with Sue's own composition 'Don’t Look Behind', but for future releases they adopted the name of Sue and Sunny, with their first single under the new name being a cover of the Carla Thomas song 'Every Ounce Of Strength'. This 1965 record marked the beginning of the more soulful style that the sisters would become known for, with their next single, a cover of Willie Kendrick's 'You Can't Bypass Love' being even better than the last one. With their career in the UK proving a bit of a slog, the pair jumped at the opportunity to play the US air bases in Germany, and while there they cut some records for the lucrative German market, which were issued there in 1967 and 1968, with better songs on the b-side of both releases. They returned to the UK in 1968 and were signed by CBS, but they were becoming much better known for their superlative backing vocals for many of the top performers of the day, including appearances on Joe Cocker's 'With A Little Help From My Friends', and backing Lulu at the 1969 Eurovision song contest in Madrid. They continued to release singles when they could, like 1968's 'The Show Must Go On', with ithe great Kenny Lynch-penned Motown-esque 'Little Black Book' on the flip, as well as recording as The Stockingtops. In 1969 they were finally given the opportunity to record an album, which they filled with original gospel-styled tracks and a nice selection of covers, including Curtis Mayfield's 'People Get ready', Joni Mitchell's 'Michael From Mountains', and Ike and Tina Turner's 'River Deep, Mountain High'. Later that year the sisters joined session group Brotherhood Of Man and scored a top ten UK hit with 'United We Stand in 1970. They stayed with Brotherhood Of Man for a couple of years, and in 1974 Sunny scored a UK top ten hit with 'Doctor's Orders' under her own name. Although they will always be better known in the music industry for their backing vocal work, they did release a number of great singles in their early days as a duo, so enjoy the vocal stylings of the much under-rated Sue And Sunny.  

Track listing

01 Every Ounce Of Strength (single 1965) 
02 You Can't By Pass Love (single 1965)   
03 Hans Und Franz In Germany (single 1967)
04 Shame On You (b-side of 'Hans Und Franz In Germany')
05 Wir Dummen Mädchen Sind Ja Selber Schuld (single 1968)  
06 Spielt Mir Noch Einmal Die Bye Bye Melodie (b-side of 'Wir Dummen Madchen.....)

07 The Show Must Go On (single 1968)
08 Little Black Book (b-side of 'The Show Must Go On')
09 Stop Messing Around With My Heart (b-side of 'Let Us Break Bread Together' 1969)
10 Running Round In Circles (single 1969)
11 Ain't That Tellin' You People (single 1970)
12 Didn't I Blow Your Mind (b-side of 'Ain't That Telling You People')
13 Freedom (single 1971)
14 Break Up (b-side of 'Freedom')
15 I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (single 1972) 
16 High On The Thought Of You (b-side of 'I'm Gonna Make You Love Me')

The Desert - Disappearing Act (2020)

The Desert is headed by frontwoman Gina Leonard, alongside guitarist and producer Tom Fryer, who met her five years ago at the Cambridge Folk Festival, plus fellow band members Jonny and Ryan. Merging the contemplative folky, yet velvet melodies of Leonard with oozing, impassioned progressions, lurching beats and slight electronica, it generates a nostalgia for the trip-hop scene of their native Bristol. A couple of Fryer's favourite albums growing up were 'Mezzanine' and 'Dummy', and this was in part the reason that he moved to Bristol, to immerse himself in that music scene, and you can definitely hear the Portishead influences in the music that they produce today. They've been posting songs to Soundcloud since 2018, with the most recent being an EP last October, and there is now enough material available for an album length release, which would include their impressive take on Kate Bush's 'Cloudbusting', so as it hasn't appeared yet, here's what it would sound like if it was released today.  

Track listing

01 Half Hearted
02 Soulmates
03 Playing Dead
04 Just Get High
05 Gone
06 Winning You Back
07 Distract Me
08 Bitterness
09 Cloudbusting
10 Disappearing Act
11 Cut Out
12 All I Know

XTC - From The Drunktank (1981)

These drunken sessions from XTC happened after a visit to the local pub in Shipton-on-Cherwell, during the last days of mixing 'English Settlement' in November 1981. After mixing 'Punch and Judy', and only having 'No Thugs' left to do, the band retired to the pub to celebrate early. On their return to the studio they spotted that their instruments were still set up, and so in a somewhat boisterous mood they decided to make a noise, and Hugh Padgham opened up a couple of ambient mics in the room and recorded the whole thing direct to 2-track. It's just the band having a ball, doing irreverent cover versions of some of their favourite songs, and some stream-of-consciousness jamming, but even when drunk these guys make a great noise. 

Track listing

01 Shaving Brush Boogie 
02 Pupil Haze 
03 Community Worker Breakdown
04 Whole Lotta Age
05 Orange Dust
06 Orange Dust (Slight Return)
07 Silver Sewing Machine
08 Do The Dwarf

Canned Heat - Blues (1970)

When I put together my recent Canned Heat post, I wasn't trying to find rare recordings or non-album singles, as what I wanted to hear was an authentic blues album from the band, who were primarily known as the foremost exponents of blues/boogie. They did do straight-forward blues on their albums, but these were usually limited to just one song per record, and so it was actually quite difficult to find enough music to make up a blues album from them. By delving further back into their recordings I found that their aborted 1966 album contained some good stuff, so I was able to complete my project, and the result is a great pure blues album from Canned Heat, with nary a hint of the boogie.   

Track listing

01 Louise 
02 Nine Below Zero
03 TV Mama 
04 Going Down Slow 
05 Story Of My Life 
06 Marie Laveau
07 Mean Old World 
08 Terraplane Blues 
09 Sandy's Blues
10 Down In The Gutter, But Free 
11 London Blues 

Dodgy - Colour Me With Paints (1995)

1994 was Dodgy's breakthrough year, with their 'Homegrown' producing two memorable singles in 'Staying Out For The Summer' (a hit when reissued in 1995) and 'So Let Me Go Far', and despite lacking any discernible image, aside from that of three wide-eyed and unspoiled souls with a fondness for dressing down, their eminently hummable songs meant that they were now welcome guests in both the charts and the pop press. The third post from the band contains b-sides from 1994 and 1995, taken from the singles that were extracted from 'Homegrown', and once again it's astonishing at how many exclusive tracks were gifted to their fans on the b-sides of the many and various editions of their singles.

Track listing

01 A Summer's Day In Mid January (b-side of 'Staying Out For The Summer' 1994)
02 Don't You Think (b-side of 'Staying Out For The Summer' 1994)
03 Back To Life (b-side of 'Staying Out For The Summer' 1994)
04 Colour Me With Paints (b-side of 'Staying Out For The Summer' 1994)
05 The Snake (b-side of 'Melodies Haunt You' 1994)
06 Watch Out Watcha Doin' (b-side of 'Making The Most Of (New Version)' 1995)
07 This Is Ours (b-side of 'Making The Most Of (New Version)' 1995)
08 (Get Off Your) High Horse (b-side of 'Making The Most Of (New Version)' 1995)
09 Spent All My Time Running (b-side of 'Making The Most Of (New Version)' 1995)
10 All The Time In The World (b-side of 'Making The Most Of (New Version)' 1995)
11 (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher (b-side of 'Staying Out For The Summer '95' 1995)

Clifford T. Ward - Intends To Please (1968)

Clifford Thomas Ward was born on 10 February 1944 in Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, and was the fifth child in his family, with one older sister and three older brothers. In 1962, shortly after leaving school and supporting himself with a series of clerical jobs, Ward formed a beat band called Cliff Ward And The Cruisers, which won the 1963 Midland Band of the Year contest in Birmingham. They were popular in Birmingham and also in demand at American Army bases in France, and it was during this time away from his family that Ward wrote 'Home Thoughts From Abroad, which would later appear on his second solo album in the 70's. The Cruisers recorded one single before they opted for a name change to Martin Raynor And The Secrets, with Ward in the role of the elusive Raynor. Another single was released under this name, before the fictitious name was dropped and the band continued on as Raynor's Secrets, Simon's Secrets, or just The Secrets, and they went on to tour around Britain and France, achieving moderate success. More singles followed, with three from The Secrets and two from Simon's Secrets, with Ward penning most of the songs himself. In 1967, following the demise of The Secrets, Ward decided he needed to get a real job, and enrolled at Worcester Teacher Training College, subsequently teaching English and Drama at North Bromsgrove High School. In his spare time he continued songwriting, and under the pseudonym of Pat Rollings (using his wife's maiden name) he wrote 'Path Through The Forest', which was later recorded by The Factory, and is now regarded as one of the best UK psychedelic singles of all time. In 1972 he recorded his first solo album 'Singer Songwriter', which was released on John Peel's Dandelion Records just before it went into liquidation. It was exactly as the title stated, and the r'n'b of his early bands had been replaced by a collection of introspective and personal songs, one of which, 'Gaye', went on to sell over a million copies worldwide when released as a single, and reached number 8 in the UK chart in July 1973. 

Ward's second album followed the success of the single, and 'Home Thoughts' was named after the song that he'd written while on tour in Europe in the early 60's. At this point he gave up teaching so that he could concentrate on music full-time, and he released a further nine albums over the next 25 years. He remained a very private person, consistently refusing to tour and perform live gigs, while interviews, photograph sessions, and television appearances were made only when absolutely necessary. In 1984 Ward was diagnosed as suffering from multiple sclerosis, which he kept from his fans for a number of years, until the symptoms could no longer be disguised. In 1992 a stage musical, 'Shattered World', was produced as a tribute to him, based on his life and his battle against MS, with half the songs being his own, and the rest being numbers written by others about him. In November 2001 Ward contracted pneumonia, and died in Tenbury Community Hospital a few weeks later on 18 December. He was a gifted songwriter from the very beginning, which is often overlooked as people tend to think that he only started writing in the early 70's for his solo albums, but this collection shows that the talent was there from the start, and includes all the singles from his various bands, plus his own demo of 'Path Through The Forest'. 

Track listing

Cliff Ward And The Cruisers

01 Rachel (single 1964)

02 No Money Down (b-side of 'Rachel')

03 Ooh Wee Baby (previously unreleased)

Martin Raynor And The Secrets

04 Candy To Me (single 1965)

05 You're A Wonderful One (b-side of 'Candy To Me')

The Secrets

06 I Suppose (single 1966)

07 Such A Pity (b-side of 'I Suppose')

08 Infatuation (single 19670

09 She's Dangerous (b-side of 'Infatuation') 

10 I Intend To Please (single 1967)

11 I Think I Need The Cash (b-side of 'I Intend To Please')

12 Coathanger (demo)

Simon's Secrets

13 Naughty Boy (single 1968)

14 Sympathy (b-side of 'Naughty Boy')

15 I Know What Her Name Is (single 1968)

16 Keeping My Head Above Water (b-side of 'I Know What Her Name Is')

Pat Rollings

17 Path Through The Forest (demo) 

P. P. Arnold - First Cuts (1970)

Patricia Cole was born in Los Angeles, California, on 3 October 1946, and grew up singing gospel songs in the local church. At 15 she became pregnant and went on to marry the child’s father, but the marriage was not a happy one and after being offered an audition to become a member of the Ikettes in 1964, she won a place in the girl group and promptly left her abusive husband and began touring the US with Ike and Tina Tuner. When Ike and Tina Turner's now-classic 'River Deep, Mountain High' flopped in the States but became a top-three hit in the UK in the summer of 1966, the band and their backing group were offered a slot as support act for the Rolling Stones in Britain. During the tour Pat (as she was then known) became friendly with Mick Jagger, who arranged a meeting with his manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, who had just set up a record label with Tony Calder. Cole was signed up with little delay, and it was at this point that she was given the stage name P.P. Arnold. Her first duties at Immediate included supplying backing vocals for Chris Farlowe, but she also went into the studio to cut her own material, and 'Everything's Gonna Be Alright' became her debut solo single in February 1967. Written by Oldham and David Skinner, the song was a soul gem, and though it failed to chart its pounding beat has subsequently made it a favourite on the Northern soul dance scene. While on tour in a package that included Roy Orbison and the Small Faces, her second single was released in April 1967, and the Cat Stevens-penned 'The First Cut Is The Deepest' became her first hit, reaching number 18 in the UK charts.

For promotional appearances she enlisted the backing of another Immediate signing, and so The Nice were her backing band until their success meant that they needed to focus their own efforts, and they were replaced by TNT. 'The Time Has Come' was selected as the follow up single, but if fared less well that its predecessor, just scraping into the UK top 50 charts. In 1968 '(If You Think You’re) Groovy' was issued as her next single, being written by The Small Faces' Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane, and the group also performed the musical backing, but it didn't help propel the record into the charts, not being helped by distribution problems with Immediate. Three months later her first album was released, the prophetically titled 'The First Lady Of Immediate', which included her singles to date and a few new tracks, including several that she'd written herself. In July 1968 her version of 'Angel Of The Morning' saw her return to the UK charts, but once again Immediate's distributions problems meant that it only reached number 29, whereas it should have registered much higher. Nonetheless, a second album 'Kafunta' was released in August 1968 on the back of the single’s success, with this one being more ambitious than its predecessor, but perhaps including a few too many cover versions, plus one notable self-penned song 'Dreamin''. Following a surprising decision to re-issue 'The First Cut Is The Deepest' in 1969, Immediate folded the following year, after which Arnold signed to Polydor, where Barry Gibb took over production on 'Bury Me Down By The River' and 'Give A Hand, Take A Hand'. She spent much of the 70's as a backing singer, and in the early 80's she appeared in a number of TV series, including Dallas spin-off 'Knot's Landing', as well as performing in the musical 'Starlight Express', but for fans of a certain age she will always be remembered as 'the first lady of Immediate'.

Track listing

01 Everything's Gonna Be Alright (single 1967)
02 Life Is But Nothing (b-side of 'Everything's Gonna Be Alright')
03 The First Cut Is The Deepest (single 1967)
04 Speak To Me (b-side of 'The First Cut Is The Deepest')
05 The Time Has Come (single 1967)
06 If You See What I Mean (b-side of 'The Time Has Come')
07 (If You Think You're) Groovy (single 1967)
08 Though It Hurts Me Badly (b-side of '(If You Think You're) Groovy')
09 Angel Of The Morning (single 1969)
10 Bury Me Down By The River (single 1969)
11 Give A Hand, Take A Hand (b-side of 'Bury Me Down By The River')
12 Would You Believe (single 1969)
13 Am I Still Dreaming (b-side of 'Would You Believe')
14 A Likely Piece Of Work (single 1970)

Strangers - The Last Glimpse Of Sunlight (2020)

Strangers are a three-piece alternative indie band from Cheshire, who formed in 2017 and have been developing their unique sound ever since. Following the release of 'The Demo Tape' on Soundcloud in 2017, which was where I first heard their great heavy indie rock sound, two further self-produced singles followed over the next two years, where you can hear the band maturing and honing their sound. These were collected onto a mixtape in 2019 and offered on Bandcamp, and this disc adds a further four songs to stretch that out to album length, so that we can hear what an full record from this fine indie rock band could sound like.

Track listing

01 The Last Glimpse Of Sunlight
02 Hibernate
03 Nocturnal
04 Icarus
05 Big Sleep
06 2am
07 Cry Baby
08 Apollo
09 Morning
10 You And I
11 Jaded
12 Hollows/Highways
13 Lonely Animals

The Specials - Rat Race (1984)

To help celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of the classic 'Ghost Town' single, here is a collection of some of The Specials' rare tracks from the first five years of their existence, bookending all three songs from the 'Ghost Town' 12" single. The band, also known as The Special AKA, formed in 1977 in Coventry, and after some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, Lynval Golding and Roddy Radiation on guitars, Horace Panter on bass, Jerry Dammers on keyboards, John Bradbury on drums, and Dick Cuthell and Rico Rodriguez on horns. The band began around the same time as Rock Against Racism, which was first organised in 1978, and Dammers' vision was that this was intrinsic to the formation of The Specials, with the goal of integrating black and white musicians. They were first called the Automatics, then the Coventry Automatics, and finally settled on The Special AKA, under which name they released their first single 'Gansters', on their own 2 Tone Records label.  After 'Gangsters' became a top 10 hit in the summer of 1979, the band dropped the 'AKA' to become The Specials, and they recorded their eponymous debut album in 1979, produced by Elvis Costello. As well as containing original material, the album also featured covers of classic ska tunes, such as Dandy Livingstone's 'Rudy, A Message To You' (slightly altering the title to 'A Message To You, Rudy'), and songs by Prince Buster and Toots & the Maytals. In 1980, the 'Too Much Too Young' EP was released under the name of The Special A.K.A., and was a No. 1 hit in the UK singles chart, despite controversy over the song's lyrics, which referenced teen pregnancy and promoted contraception. Reverting once again to the name of The Specials for their second album, 'More Specials' was not as commercially successful, and was recorded at a time when conflicts had developed within the band. In the first few months of 1981, the band took a break from recording and touring, and then released 'Ghost Town', which again topped the singles chart, although despite this success, relationships had become so strained within the group that Staple, Hall and Golding announced they were leaving the band, later forming The Funboy Three. For the next few years, the group was in a seemingly constant state of flux, and in 1982 they released 'The Boiler' with Rhoda Dakar on vocals, Dammers on keyboards, Bradbury on drums, John Shipley (from the Swinging Cats) on guitar, Cuthell on brass and Nicky Summers on bass. The single was credited to Rhoda With The Special AKA, and the track describes an incident of date rape, with its frank and harrowing depiction meaning that airplay was severely limited. After going on tour with Rodriguez, the band recorded 'Jungle Music' as Rico And The Special AKA, although this failed to chart when released. After two further mildly successful singles, in 1984 the band finally issued a new full-length album 'In the Studio', once again reverting back to the name The Special AKA. The record was both critically and commercially less successful than previous efforts, although the single 'Free Nelson Mandela' was a No. 9 UK hit, and helped contribute to making Mandela's imprisonment a cause célèbre in the UK, but it wasn't enough to hold the group together, and Dammers dissolved the band to pursue political activism. The Specials were without doubt at the forefront of the whole ska/bluebeat resurgence of the late 70's, and helped bands such as Madness, The Beat, The Bodysnatchers, The Selecter, and even Bad Manners onto their own chart success, and for that they fully deserve this retrospective.   

Track listing

01 Rat Race (single 1980)

02 Rude Boys Outta Jail (b-side of 'Rat Race')

03 Maggie's Farm (b-side of 'Do Nothing')

04 Sea Cruise (John Peel session 1980)

05 Ghost Town (single 1981)

06 Why? (b-side of 'Ghost Town')

07 Friday Night, Saturday Morning (b-side of 'Ghost Town')

08 Raquel (from the free NME cassette 'C81' 1981)

09 Jungle Music (single by Rico And The Special A.K.A. 1982)

10 Rasta Call You (b-side of 'Jungle Music')

11 Easter Island (b-side of 'Jungle Music')

12 Theme From The Boiler (b-side of 'The Boiler' by Rhoda With The Special A.K.A. 1982)

13 Can't Get A Break (b-side of 'What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend' 1984)