Sailing The Seas Of Ska

8 out of 10 Specials' fans said they'd have preferred Jerry Dammers to be present, but it didn't stop the ska revival-revivalists from packing them in for five nights at the Brixton Academy. For some of the audience it was nostalgic, for others it was about having a great night out. Quality music provides the smokescreen that blocks out the treacherous stormy politics of internal band relationships. Much has been speculated regarding Dammers' absence from this particular reunion, and Kent's finest wrote "...Dammers sensibly doesn't want anything to do with it" and went on to write that this was "chicken-in-a-basket circuit" entertainment. That's a very fair description and one that I agree with. Dammers did turn up for two pre-tour get-together-see-how-things-go rehearsals which tells us he wanted to be part of it - as long as Captain Jerry had total control to steer his own vessel, that is. Sure, he was the founder and driving force behind 2-Tone and the band, but his authoritarian nature conflicted with a social democratic stance that fuelled the band's political idealism which, on this occasion, led to Dammers being out-voted by the other members. Any chance of a reconciliation between the organist and the rest of the band was hindered when Roddy Radiation's personal attacks towards their former band leader were published on his own forum. It seems that Radiation relished slagging Dammers off in public with any chance he got, an urge which should've been nipped in the bud at the start. A case of Roddy putting the "rude" into "rude boy" perhaps? According to one report, Dammers allegedly wanted to do a couple of London shows and a one-off 30th anniversary gig at Coventry's Ricoh Arena, perhaps not a lucrative proposition as a multi-date tour could be (it wasn't always about the money with Jerry), but it was potentially disastrous for the fans. A country-wide tour conveniently enables a nation of ska enthusiasts to be able to attend different, suitable dates in more intimate venues. Five nights at the Brixton Academy? There's no excuse for Dammers not to be there, he lives in the same area. Not to worry, when it comes to reproducing the live keyboard sound, they can simply get someone else in. Being expendable and finding yourself out of a job hurts, more so if it's the result of mutinous behaviour. Any more takers for the "chicken-in-a-basket" merry-go-round? Count me in but not because of Lily Allen's or Simon Jordan's involvement. Regular readers of this blog are well aware that I've written reviews for similar gigs. A Feargal-less Undertones knocking out "Teenage Kicks" to its middle-aged fans, a Hugh-less Stranglers firing "Tank" and "Nuclear Device" in Shepherd's Bush not to mention the many times I've seen The Damned. How those bleedin' comedy punx have the gall to play "New Rose" and "Neat Neat Neat" on stage without Brian James and Rat Scabies is beyond me. You could argue that they've had two singers (not including Gary Holton) if you compare Vanian's early vocal style to his faux Elvis crooner voice, the latter being far removed from the vibe of '76. Tut-tut. It's sacrilege. Well, is it? Not really, it's evolution, baby! Is the existence of such bands more justified if they release new material once in a blue moon like The Stones do? A big ass horn section complete with pretty female backing singers onstage will never replace Brian Jones (yes alright, I know he's dead, but you know what I'm getting at). Yet thousands will turn up to see Jagger posture all over a stadium's floorboards and love it, while others will stay at home to avoid any embarrassment. Most people who attend such gigs mainly do so to hear the old songs - it's not the same, but no one should expect it to be after 30+ years. On the other hand, one could also argue that if original line-ups aren't important to us we might as well go and see tribute bands, ticket prices are cheaper too. Anyone for AB/CD? You have a choice between a tribute Bon Scott or a tribute Brian Johnson...aren't we forgetting Dave Evans? No, I'm just being pedantic. So, to last night in south London. Was it the same without Dammers? I can only compare it musically with live film and video footage of the band in their heyday and to be honest, it didn't make any difference. The keyboard player that stood in danced about in the same manner, played all the right notes and even the "skating rink" keyboard sound on "Do Nothing" was there. Electro-mechanical organs aren't as emotionally responsive as other instruments - you press down on a key and a sine wave is emitted so it's a lot easier to copy someone's individual playing style. Back in the day, The Specials' energy came from the drums and bass and nothing's changed 27 years down the line. Terry Hall had a brief moan about Lockets being crap but his voice stood up the whole night and Lynval's rhythm playing was bang on. The only problem I had was with Roddy Radiation's guitar sound which was bathed in too much echo allowing the notes to get lost. In fact, Roddy's playing got lost during "Longshot Kick De Bucket", he just couldn't keep up to speed. Highlights of the night were a haunting "Man From C & A", "Friday Night, Saturday Morning" and an amazing "Too Much, Too Young", the opening drum roll of the latter sending the entire audience into a dancing frenzy. It was the biggest party in Brixton. After the gig, the venue lights came on and that's when I saw all the fat, middle-aged skins mopping their brows with their Fred Perry polo shirts which were already drenched in sweat to begin with. All of us were absolutely fucked from so much dancing but we all made our way home with silly, idiotic grins on our faces, the knowing type of grin that's displayed when you've had a fantastic time and you know you're alive. Scores on the doors for last night's entertainment? It has to be 6 out of 7, much better than watching them on Later With Jools which means I'll be boarding the good ship ska next week for another cruise to Nostalgialand. More chicken-in-a-basket band reviews coming soon including Faith No More, Anvil, Magazine and Cliff Richard and The Shadows (without Jet Harris). You think I'm joking, don't you?

Ska'd For Life...

...is the title of a recent Pan Macmillan published book. Essentially, it's a biography of Britain's best ska-revival band, The Specials, and it's written by Specials' bass player Horace Panter. Panter these days is a special needs teacher although he can still be found doing weekend gigs in and around the Coventry area. It's good to be close to your roots.

Lucky you, dear reader, if you're old and ugly enough to remember this lot. They had the best songs and (according to many reports) were the best live band going at the time. Being at primary school at the height of their fame, I never got to see them and I would've had to be accompanied by one of my parents had I went, which would not have been cool. They then split up in October 1981 leaving me more than pissed off.

This book is a must-have historical document for any fan of the band, ska and the 2-Tone movement. It's also a valuable wealth of information for pop culture historians. Not only does Panter give his version of events in an openly honest manner, he describes the frictional and often ugly political culture that was very much a part of British life back in the late seventies and early eighties. Run-ins with right-wing "fans" that seig-heiled the band at venues occured but sometimes these thugs went further. Panter describes the time when rhythm guitarist Lynval Golding got a race-related beating on leaving The Moonlight Club in London by three men. Golding's unfortunate experience eventually lead to the composition of the song "Why?" which ended up as a b-side of "Ghost Town" (Horace gets to drive the 1962 Vauxhall Cresta in the promo video of the latter).

Clothes fashions of the time are reflected on with fondness. The sharp suits, the loafers and Doc Martens, the pork pie hats are all remembered here. Oh, and let's not forget the ridiculous garish woollen jumpers that they wore for their mimed performance of "Do Nothing" on Top of the Pops (our Horace got away with not wearing one as David Steele, The Beat's bass player, stood in for him while Panter bass-mimed to The Beat's "Too Nice To Talk To" on the same show).

Well written with a unique style that's easy to get into, "Ska'd For Life" gives a funny, brutal and shocking insight into what life was really like as The Specials' bassist. The camaraderie, the friendships, the cliques, the arguments as well as the gigs, the tours, the drugs - it's all here along with insights of the band's origins and rise to their decline and inevitable split.

This Coventry rude boy wrote a book and he did well.

I hope all you die-hard Specials fans are ready for the following clip: