George Marshal's `The Two Tone Story' is essential reading for anyone interested in the good ship Two Tone and all who sailed on her, not just for the accuracy of the story as told by George but also because it is written with the love and perfect understanding of a true fan rather than a journalist giving us a story. The Two Tone Story is not just the story of the bands but also of the badge covered Harrington and Sta' Pressed wearing fans of whom both George and I could claim to be amongst.
Reading this book gives me two stories, the story of a record label ran by a maverick set of musicians on co-operative lines (at least at first; cocaine lines may have eventually de-railed it) but also the story of myself and the gang of friends who hung around the Halton youth club in the early eighties.
The Specials, Madness and The Beat definitely left me Ska'd for life and this book celebrates those heavy days in a way no one whom never wore a black and white cheque button badge could ever understand. The good people at Chrysalis were as impressed as me and included the book in `The Compact Two Tone Story' box set when they first made these beautiful 7" discs of plastic first available on CD. This Are Two Tone; This our Two Tone.
