by Horace Panter
|
by Richard Eddington
|
~ The Beat
|
by Pete Chambers
|
~ The Specials
|
See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.
Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links(What is this?) |
The Specials Tickets
Double8Tickets.com/020-88-88-88-88
Tickets for The Specials at Brixton + Their Local Town Wolverhampton!
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
Book Description
Coming on the back of punk and radical new wavers like Tom Robinson and The Ruts, and taking its roots from Caribbean Ska, Rock Steady and Reggae, the 2-Tone sound was honed into a modern urban multi-racial sound by bands such as The Specials and The Selecter. The Specials' 2-Tone record label gave the movement its name and gave a home to many of the groups of the time. For a new indie lable, 2-Tone was remarkably successful: The Specials themselves notched up classic number one singles like Too Much Too Young and Ghost Town, the latter sounding eerily prophetic against a backdrop of a Britain beset by unemployment, racial tension and largescale rioting … Other 2-Tone bands such as The Beat and The Selecter enjoyed strings of chart hits with instantly memorable and infectious 45s and other groups born out of the same scene, such as Madness and UB40, defined their own distinctive appeal and forged their early success.
Coming on the back of punk and radical new wavers like Tom Robinson and The Ruts, and taking its roots from Caribbean Ska, Rock Steady and Reggae, the 2-Tone sound was honed into a modern urban multi-racial sound by bands such as The Specials and The Selecter. The Specials' 2-Tone record label gave the movement its name and gave a home to many of the groups of the time. For a new indie lable, 2-Tone was remarkably successful: The Specials themselves notched up classic number one singles like Too Much Too Young and Ghost Town, the latter sounding eerily prophetic against a backdrop of a Britain beset by unemployment, racial tension and largescale rioting … Other 2-Tone bands such as The Beat and The Selecter enjoyed strings of chart hits with instantly memorable and infectious 45s and other groups born out of the same scene, such as Madness and UB40, defined their own distinctive appeal and forged their early success.
Wheels Out of Gear is also a vivid portrait of Margaret Thatcher's Britain at the turn of the decade, when the National Front and the Anti Nazi League regularly fought pitch battles in the streets, suspects where regularly injured in police custody, Blair Peach was died at the hands of Special Patrol Group police officers and rioters set light to the urban ghettos of Brixton, Toxteth and Handsworth. An era when the 2-Tone Sound - good time music with often darkly political lyrics - created the double-edged musical backdrop to cities that were truly becoming Ghost Towns and a world that appeared to be in flame.
About the Author
Dave Thompson is an acclaimed and prolific author of many rock books including bestselling biographies of Nirvana and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers as well as genre works such as Industrial Evolution. He has been a long time fan of 2-Tone and ska.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?
 |
51% buy Ska'd for Life: A Personal Journey with the "Specials" £5.99 |
 |
27% buy the item featured on this page: 2 Tone, The Specials and a World in Flame - Wheels Out of Gear: 2 Tone, the "Specials" and a World in Flame |
 |
10% buy Original Rude Boy: From Borstal to the "Specials"- A Life in Crime and Music £11.89 |
 |
6% buy You Just Can't Beat It: The Best of the Beat £3.98 |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
 |
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Music > Scores, Songbooks & Lyrics > Rock & Pop
- Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Music > Styles > Rock & Pop > Styles > Bestsellers
- Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Music > Styles > Rock & Pop > Styles > Punk
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
Fun for Everyone |
Up to 50% off Dental Care |
Treat Someone
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). |
||||||||
| |||||
Your Recent History
(What's this?)|
You have no recently viewed items or searches.
After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session. |
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
| ||||
Amazon Home | |
| International Sites: United States | Germany | France | Japan | Canada | China | |
| Business Programs: Sell on Amazon | Fulfilment by Amazon | Join Associates | Join Advantage | |
| Customer Service | Help | View Basket | Your Account | |
| About Amazon.co.uk | Careers at Amazon | |
| Conditions of Use & Sale | Privacy Notice © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates |