Elvis and The Specials
Q magazine have another one of their special issues
out , this time all about the 2 Tone Ska movement in
1979/1980.
Elvis produced The Specials first album , and is
quoted in a few places. As you can read some of his
comments echo his recent words about the U.K. cultural
scene .
'I saw The Specials’ early shows, in the days when
they’d have bonfires on the beach after gigs with
their traveling gang of mates. I wanted to produce
them the way they sounded best before someone
professionally fucked them up. We used a basic
24-track studio to get the right sound but you could
only stay in it for a limited time because it shared
an airvent with a laundromat and the smell kept coming
in.
All the crew and the band’s mates were in and out the
studio, so we shoved them all into the cubicle one
day, turned out the lights and recorded Nightclub. One
day, Neville let off this replica gun in the control
room, as a gag, which no one realised would deafen
you. We had to go home after that. They were a proper
band, know what I mean?
The Specials sung about things that sounded obvious
but which were direct. Terry sounded like he was
singing to someone as opposed to on a cloud, and
sometimes you have to state the obvious about racism
and stuff because of who’s listening. If you want a
sophisticated, jaded view of life go to The Groucho
Club in London, but if you want to do it to dance
music, then be direct. Stevie Wonder knew this when he
wrote songs like Living In The City. '
Q magazine have another one of their special issues
out , this time all about the 2 Tone Ska movement in
1979/1980.
Elvis produced The Specials first album , and is
quoted in a few places. As you can read some of his
comments echo his recent words about the U.K. cultural
scene .
'I saw The Specials’ early shows, in the days when
they’d have bonfires on the beach after gigs with
their traveling gang of mates. I wanted to produce
them the way they sounded best before someone
professionally fucked them up. We used a basic
24-track studio to get the right sound but you could
only stay in it for a limited time because it shared
an airvent with a laundromat and the smell kept coming
in.
All the crew and the band’s mates were in and out the
studio, so we shoved them all into the cubicle one
day, turned out the lights and recorded Nightclub. One
day, Neville let off this replica gun in the control
room, as a gag, which no one realised would deafen
you. We had to go home after that. They were a proper
band, know what I mean?
The Specials sung about things that sounded obvious
but which were direct. Terry sounded like he was
singing to someone as opposed to on a cloud, and
sometimes you have to state the obvious about racism
and stuff because of who’s listening. If you want a
sophisticated, jaded view of life go to The Groucho
Club in London, but if you want to do it to dance
music, then be direct. Stevie Wonder knew this when he
wrote songs like Living In The City. '