And I was thinking why doesn't anyone produce something equally as strong for Assange today? Operation Ivy tribute LP on the way; Catbites cover of Healthy Body streaming now, Type O Negative and Crowbar members form new band Eye Am, Elvis Costello played 10 show at Gramercy Theatre (setlists & video for whole residency), Elvis Costello wrapped his NYC residency with The Imposters (pics, setlist, video), The National share New Order T-Shirt from new LP, selling an actual New Order t-shirt, When We Were Young 2023 adds second day with same lineup. Television coverage of the riots painted them clearly as battles between residents and the police force, although what they really did was create even more racial tension between blacks and whites on the street, between neighbours of different ethnic backgrounds, between people who knew each other and of course those who didnt. She was, though, when she claimed that money couldnt buy either trust or racial harmony. London wouldnt experience riots again for another 26 years, when the looters couldnt even be bothered to swathe their frustration with their own plight with anything tangible; the looting in 2011 was simply an excuse to steal some new trainers. He also suggested the two-handed shuffle rhythm played by Dammers on the Hammond organ throughout the song. [2] The song spent three weeks at number one and 11 weeks in total in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. Completely. To check the availability of The Specials tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/GIGS now, or call 0871 230 1094. The same applied to the brass: John [Rivers] put one mic in the middle of the room, placed Dick [Cuthell] and Rico [Rodriguez] in diagonal corners, and when we listened in the control room it sounded great. You couldn't quite believe that things would ever return to normal, what with the broken glass, the boarded-up windows, the dozens of overturned cars, the smoke billowing from the shops in the market like some trashy post-apocalyptic movie. He was butchered to death. Jerry Dammers. Everything was based on cash, as there was no other currency. It is arguably one of the most effective political songs in pop history. To me, Dammers was the Lennon and McCartney of ska and one of the most important voices of the post-punk generation, a man who always appeared to be carrying his generations hopes and dreams on his shoulders, as well as his own. He has hours of material in the can, as he says, but needs time to get it into shape. Wrong! and The Spatial AKA Orchestra. Free Nelson Mandela feat. The flat was right behind the Ritzy cinema, just off Coldharbour Lane, a first-floor, two-bedroomed housing association flat that backed on to a small courtyard and faced Brixtons Front Line. "What made 2-Tone different to everything else at that time was that Jerry directed all the visuals," confirms Storey. Dammers recalls: "Terry was given to performing with his back to the audience. Enigmatic, certainly. His contribution to the world of music can not be understated and he will much missed by family, friends and fans alike.. Works . [15][16] "Friday Night, Saturday Morning" was written by lead singer Terry Hall and describes a mundane night out in Coventry. He was a lovely, sensitive, talented and unique person. Terry Hall and Jerry Dammers, musicians with the New Wave/Ska band The Specials, are shown seated behind a microphone, wearing suits. I looked through the vast, seven-foot-wide venetian blind that faced the street and I saw dozens of local residents almost exclusively young black men running by my window carrying record players, televisions, CD players, radios, amplifiers, microwaves, small fridges, speaker systems, anything they could carry. They didnt need to say anything, as it was implicit. I found myself being transfixed by the silence, alone in the vast city, padding around my own private video game. St Pauls was the first riot, so I was aware of the situation, he says today. During his formulative years Jerry was a mod, hippie and skinhead. Especially as she was the one who had withdrawn them. George Clinton, Funkadelic, Jerry Dammers Spatial AKA Orchestra, Os Mutantes, Devendra Banhart, Bassekou Kouyate, Ngoni Ba, The Phenomenal Hand Clap Band, Brother Ali, Troy Ellis And The Longshots . It certainly didnt feel empowering, as the sensation of being alone was intensified by being in the city. Evoking themes of urban decay, deindustrialisation, unemployment and violence in inner cities, the song is remembered for being a hit at the same time as riots were occurring in British cities. The first thing I felt was guilt, being outside when I probably should have been indoors, but as I was completely alone this was a pretty futile emotion. Then, a few weeks later, in Toxteth, came the predictable sequel, followed by copycat riots in Southall, Moss Side, St Pauls, Handsworth and Chapeltown, in Leeds. Surrounded by a burgeoning new romantic movement, two-tone felt very council estate, very rough and very monochromatic. When I rang my friend Robin, who lived up the road on Brixton Hill, and told him about the dozens and dozens of people still running by my window with enough stereo equipment to start their own branch of Currys, he laughed and rather unhelpfully suggested that I nip out and find something for myself (Dont you need a new stereo?). Intelligent, observant and with a deadpan delivery second to none. They turned up with supermarket trolleys, safe in the knowledge they would never be caught. English Ska musician Jerry Dammers, of the group the Specials, during the Red Wedge Re-launch at Ronnie Scott's, London, 7/6/1987. Our extremely brief romance resulted in the song Our Lips Are Sealed, which will forever tie us together in music history. Whatcha Talking 'Bout by Musical Youth (1983) Fine Style by Dr. Echo and DJ Reverend (1994) was covered in. It was Tambo's son Dali, the founder of Artists Against Apartheid, who asked Dammers to start a British branch of the movement, which demonstrated against Paul Simon at the Royal Albert Hall during his Graceland tour for breaking the cultural boycott. "He'd say, run the checkerboard pattern right across, move this figure . [Terry] Halls chirpy memories of the good old days, Rico Rodriguezs long elegiac trombone solo and that ghastly chorus of taunting wraiths. I'm begging you, free Nelson Mandela. As the streets of London go into lockdown, The Specials Ghost Town and the feverish social background against which the song was written feels more resonant than ever. The forgotten riot is the one in Brixton that started on 28 September 1985. They were greeted with open arms by the critics and public alike, only they werent really The Specials at all, because the most important member, Jerry Dammers, the man who invented them, who gave the band their political edge, who wrote most of their songs and who was responsible for making them truly memorable, was not encouraged to participate in the reunion (I founded The Specials and now they've excluded me, said Dammers when the band first reunited, in 2008). Who is Jerry Danvers? Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? He wanted to do one date, in (the bands native) Coventry, in front of 30,000 people, at the football stadium [The Ricoh Arena], added Hall. These were domestic experiences, the kind that visitors to the UK just wouldnt understand. Dammers, who is not touring as part of the band's 30th anniversary shows, has issued . You know the brass bit is kind of jazzy, it has a dischord? Originally, the lead part was done on Jerry's guide organ before the flute was dropped in on the brass track. C'est le genre de miracles que sont capables de raliser les Gorillaz. And its sense of melancholy spoke clearly: there was the sus laws [the informal term for the stop and search law that enabled the police to stop, search andpotentially arrest suspects], inner cities not functioning, racism dividing the working class. Police ran into our building, but by then most of the looters had run off in the direction of Railton Road and safe havens. Its only the most extreme people who appear to still be out there. What many forgot about the peace process in Northern Ireland was that it was as much to do with prosperity as political and sectarian will. Cars blazing, people running everywhere, while another said it was like Beirut, not London. In the days after the first riot, Brixton was a binary postcode: furious and violent at night and completely empty and silent during the day. "[21] The song created resentment in Coventry where residents angrily rejected the characterisation of the city as a town in decline. Of course large-scale investments would have helped Brixton, although the more disquiet there was, the more unlikely any investment seemed. Turns out when he opened it up to do some repairs on the 1966 organ, he discovered service notes from 30+ years ago that led him to believe that he might indeed be in possession of Dammers iconic instrument. and The Spatial AKA Orchestra. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. Oct 18 2019. Jerry Dammers at Rock Against Racism, Leeds, in 1981. Jerry Dammers - Biography Biography Dammers was born in Ootacamund, Tamil Nadu, South India, the son of a clergyman who went on to become Dean of Bristol Cathedral, he attended King Henry VIII School, Coventry. I told him, philately will get you nowhere!" The writer: Ghost Town was written by Jerry Dammers. [14] During this period Hall, Staple, Golding and Dammers all turned up at the house at various times to add further vocals. The record does not so much end as lose the will to go on, sinking back into the fog. My thoughts are with all his family.. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. "Hearing of Brad's death has been a . I can remember walking out of a rehearsal in total despair because Neville would not try the ideas. [2] Jerry Dammers attended King Henry VIII School, Coventry. A well-known musician, Jerry Dammers, is a founder and keyboardist who has been active in the musical world for over four decades. I could see them then trying to form the words that would make me understand what they had just asked me. Not only was this one of the most important records of the early 1980s, it remains one of the most evocative, provocative singles of all time, a prime piece of agitprop that still has the power to shock. The shots of the band in the car were achieved by attaching a camera to the bonnet using a rubber sucker: Panter recalled that at one point the camera fell off (briefly seen in the finished video at 1:18) and scratched the car's paintwork, to the displeasure of the car's owner. I couldnt see it, couldnt smell it, but I just knew it was coming. That weird little band from 1983 whose only hit you once devoured as though it were the essence of life itself? (Photo by Getty Images) Album. Jeremy David Hounsell Dammers (born 22 May 1955) is a British musician who is a founder, keyboard player and primary songwriter of the Coventry, England, based ska revival band The Specials, The Special A.K.A. Wicked meaning evil, bruv. Cryptic, droll, a heart of gold, and he could tackle like a donkey! However, I also thought he might turn out to be our generations John Barry, scoring important movies with solemn yet iconic orchestral themes, balancing Jacques Derrida with Francis Lai, Scott Walker with Dr John. It was a boys jolly., In Toxteth, eye-witnesses recalled the brazen calmness of the looters, In Toxteth, eye-witnesses recalled the brazen calmness of the looters, who were almost using the rioters as a human shield. Brads drumming was the powerhouse behind the Specials, and it was seen as a key part to the 2 Tone sound. Special events are being held at the weekend to mark Freedom Day, the 20th anniversary of South Africa's first democratic elections, in which Mandela was elected president. and The Spatial AKA Orchestra. Ghost Town. That he didnt turn into John Barry was a disappointment to me, but probably not to him. Dammers was born in Ootacamund, Tamil Nadu, South India, the son of Horace Dammers who was later Dean of Bristol Cathedral from 1973 to 1987. [3], In the 1990s the song was featured in an episode of the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted. The Specials & 2 Tone Records founder Jerry Dammers, who didn't take part in band's reunion, wrote, "Terrys death is very shocking, horrible and tragic news," continuing, "Terry was so young and I feel very sad. Its quite spooky walking about at night. This was urban decay writ large, accompanied by a kick drum and a muted horn. Its one of the most baleful records to ever make No1. Around the same time, if you had been reading the small ads in the arts pages of your favourite national newspaper, you would have seen that revival tours were all the rage. There had been internal fights within the group almost from the off, as Dammers was always trying to push the band in an experimental fashion. Apart from penning the song, Dammers also stopped seeing this "friend" - an approach echoed in the song's chorus: "If you have a racist friend/ Now is the time, now is the time/ For your friendship to end." But for Dammers, who confesses he is "not a confrontational person", the song was substitute for a . 5th September 2015. [12] Tensions were high during the recording of the single, with little communication between the band members, and at one point a frustrated Roddy Byers kicked a hole in the studio door, angering Rivers. [12], As it had not been decided where exactly the backing vocals would be used, Terry Hall, Staple, Golding and Dammers sang a full backing vocal track throughout the song, which Collins used to his advantage as the lyric "this town is coming like a ghost town" had become like a "hypnotic chant" by the end of the song. The aural landscape is so vast that each member sounds disconnected from the next, says Dorian Lynskey, in his history of protest songs, 33 Revolutions Per Minute. She gives the civil servants hell, said one observer soon after she became prime minister. He also founded 2 Tone Records. My condolences to his family and friends. Head to GQ's Vero channel for exclusive music content and commentary, all the latest music lifestyle news and insider access into the GQ world, from behind-the-scenes insight to recommendations from our editors and high-profile talent. His initial music influences were 60's . 00073107204 15 works 00073107302 17 works. But a wicked sense of humour. Born on May 22, 1955, Ootacamund, Tamil Nadu, India, Dammers had been in The Cissy Stone Soul Band, and later graduated from Coventry University. Dammers was always a genuine bohemian and in a way it was no surprise to me the way his career panned out (DJing, production, forming various esoteric dance orchestras). Now Dammers is being honoured in South Africa, a country that he has never visited before. Subscribe to Uncut today and never miss an issue. Quotation Biography. He also founded 2 Tone Records. Yes, there was a royal wedding, in sharp juxtaposition to inner-city decay, a wedding that would produce a genuine royal superstar, yet the riots the worst for a century would resonate throughout the country for years. But it's important to remember that I did what any decent person would do in my position. Sites: jerrydammers.com, Wikipedia In Groups: Jerry Dammers' Spatial A.K.A Orchestra, Starvation, The Coventry Automatics, The Special AKA, The Specials, Tone Productions, Visionistics Variations: Viewing All | Jerry Dammers An appreciation by Jerry Dammers, founder of The Specials and 2 Tone records. "[10] The club referred to in the song was the Locarno (run by the Mecca Leisure Group and later renamed Tiffanys), a regular haunt of Neville Staple and Lynval Golding,[3] and which is also named as the club in "Friday Night, Saturday Morning", one of the songs on the B-side. [23], In December 2021, a commemorative plaque was affixed to the house where the former Woodbine Street recording studio was located. Not a well-known name to many. There were 45 injuries to members of the public and nearly 300 to the police; more than 5,000 rioters were involved, many of who had simply come out to fight, as they had nothing better to do and nowhere better to do it. The band announced the news of Bradburys death via Twitter earlier today [December 29, 2015]. Realism? Jerry Dammers will be given the Order of the Companions of OR Tambo, at a ceremony in Pretoria on Sunday. They were approved. To the outside world it looked as though rioting was what any youth cult worth their salt did when theyd grown tired of posing for style magazines or making bad pop records. As the studio was so small, each band member recorded their part separately, adding to the sense of separateness; and when they were together, there was bickering, scowling. I knew the enemy was out there, just as it had been nearly 40 years ago. I assumed that my dyed hair, red bandana and Chinese slippers had probably caused my shorn-haired friends to think I was a lily-livered liberal with a penchant for Afro-Caribbean culture, so as soon as I saw one of them reach into his pocket for his knife as he mentioned something I was meant to have said to his sister, I turned on my slippered heels and ran. Is it just me or is there a bit of distortion on the vocals on the "Too much pressure" side? It was sparked by the shooting of Dorothy Cherry Groce by the police, while they were looking for her son Michael Croce in relation to a suspected firearms offence. The mixed racial make-up of The Specials - and most of the other bands on the 2 Tone label - was a deliberate and provocative . And the faster I started to walk, the slower I became. Your economy is destroyed and, to me, thats what Ghost Town is all about.. Bristol Beacon. Motivated by racial tension, a perception of inner city deprivation and heat, the defining factor was the ongoing war of attrition between the black community and the police. We had almost been written off and then Ghost Town came out of the blue.. I saw the reformed Specials support Blur at their gig in Hyde park in 2012 and the band looked like a bunch of fiftysomething cab drivers and sounded like the musical equivalent of a Sunday morning football match. You've got to, you've got to. Although there were only 80 arrests during the first riot, more than 5,000 people were involved, a massive groundswell of anger. ", Fellow 2 Tone band Madness wrote, "A terrible loss to all of us, way too young," while The English Beat's Dave Wakeling wrote, "Sad to hear that Terry will not be joining us for another season. Well, I had to put a piece of tissue under my chin because sweat was dripping off my face due to it being so scary one mistake and that would have been it! To me, Dammers was the Lennon and McCartney of ska, one of the most important voices of the postpunk movement, a man who always appeared to be carrying his generation's hopes and dreams on his. The looters concentrated on the electrical shops, on the ghetto blasters, television sets and radios. There is a suggestion that his real name was Gerald Danki but this seems unsubstantiated. He also founded 2 Tone Records. Aug 26 2019. But he wrote and produced an incredibly strong song and video in the last days that Nelson Mandela was still in captivity. Born in India, but raised in . From 2001 to 2012, the Afro-Caribbean population of Lambeth, the borough that houses Brixton, fell by eight per cent. - Jerry Dammers/The Specials (1984) It was a simple song that packed a mighty punch, a masterstroke of music and politics, wrapped up in four glorious minutes of ska-infused beats from the pen of Jerry Dammers, of the UK group The Specials. He was in a little band in Coventry and I wanted to show. RICO RODRIGUEZ Deceased 4th September 2015. The Specials ' founder Jerry Dammers has revealed to Uncut that he recorded new Specials material with original members Horace Painter and Lynval Golding in 2003. He felt that there was something very, very wrong affecting the country. Into shape the looters concentrated on the vocals on the Hammond organ throughout the song featured... Episode of the blue thinking why doesn & # x27 ; t anyone produce something as... In an episode of the Companions of or Tambo, at a ceremony in Pretoria Sunday... My own private video game cookies and other technologies and Jerry Dammers attended King Henry VIII School,.! One observer soon after she became prime minister romance resulted in the days! Not to him buy either trust or racial harmony Dammers at Rock Against Racism, Leeds, in.... 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