''Too Much Pressure'' is the debut studio album by English
2 tone
Two-tone, two tone, or 2 tone, etc., may refer to:
Audio and sound
* Two-tone analysis, in nonlinear system measurement
* Two-tone attention signal
* Two-tone chime, such as the "ding dong" sound of a doorbell
* Two-tone sequential paging, sel ...
ska
Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
revival band
the Selecter
The Selecter are an English 2 tone ska revival band, formed in Coventry, England, in 1979.
The Selecter featured a diverse line-up, both in terms of race and gender, initially consisting of Arthur 'Gaps' Hendrickson and Pauline Black on lead vo ...
. After the band's official formation in 1979 in
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
, following the release of a song entitled "The Selecter" by an unofficial incarnation of the band, the band's hit single "
On My Radio" prompted their labels
2 Tone
Two-tone, two tone, or 2 tone, etc., may refer to:
Audio and sound
* Two-tone analysis, in nonlinear system measurement
* Two-tone attention signal
* Two-tone chime, such as the "ding dong" sound of a doorbell
* Two-tone sequential paging, sel ...
and
Chrysalis
A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...
to ask the band to record their debut album. Working with producer Errol Ross, the Selecter recorded the album at Horizon Studios over two months. The album contains original material, mostly composed by band founder and guitarist
Neol Davies, as well as numerous ska and
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
cover versions, in a similar fashion to
the Specials
The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English Two-tone (music genre), 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall (singer), Terr ...
'
debut album.
The album was released in February 1980 on
2 Tone
Two-tone, two tone, or 2 tone, etc., may refer to:
Audio and sound
* Two-tone analysis, in nonlinear system measurement
* Two-tone attention signal
* Two-tone chime, such as the "ding dong" sound of a doorbell
* Two-tone sequential paging, sel ...
records. The record was commercially successful, charting at number 5 in the United Kingdom. The record's singles, "
Three Minute Hero
"Three Minute Hero" is a song and single written by Neol Davies and performed by English 2 tone ska revival band the Selecter
The Selecter are an English 2 tone ska revival band, formed in Coventry, England, in 1979.
The Selecter featured ...
" and "Missing Words", made the top 25 of the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. The album was also critically successful, and has had lasting praise in the ensuing years. Although the band's accompanying 2 On 2 Tour with several other 2 Tone acts was fraught with violence, it also helped achieve, in part, the album's commercial success. The band performed the album live for the first time as part of its 35th anniversary tour in 2014.
Background
![Pauline Black](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Pauline_Black.jpg)
In 1977,
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
-based musicians
Neol Davies (guitar), Barry Jones (trombone) and
John Bradbury (drums) recorded a
rocksteady
Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica for nearly two years, performed by many of the artists who helped establish ...
instrumental together named "The Kingston Affair". In 1979, when
2 tone
Two-tone, two tone, or 2 tone, etc., may refer to:
Audio and sound
* Two-tone analysis, in nonlinear system measurement
* Two-tone attention signal
* Two-tone chime, such as the "ding dong" sound of a doorbell
* Two-tone sequential paging, sel ...
initiators
the Specials
The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English Two-tone (music genre), 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall (singer), Terr ...
, for which Bradbury had become drummer, had spent their entire recording budget (allegedly £700) for their debut single "
Gangsters
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and r ...
", the band were still requiring a B-side for the song, Bradbury suggested "The Kingston Affair", which at that point had remained unreleased; it became the song's B-side with the new name "The Selecter", and was credited to the band name the Selecter too.
"Gangsters" had become a national hit by July 1979, and had prompted interest in the Selecter, so Davies chose to create an actual band with the name, with a sound similar to the Specials.
One biography stated that, "at the time Coventry had various
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
,
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
and
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
bands on the go, which proved to be rich pickings for anyone wishing to create the 2 Tone sound."
Davies recruited his friends keyboardist Desmond Brown and bassist Charley Anderson, and "filled out the lineup with guitarist Compton Amanor, Charley 'H' Bembridge on drums, and vocalist Arthur 'Gaps' Hendrickson; when Davies met
Pauline Black
Belinda Magnus (born 23 October 1953), better known as Pauline Black (), is an English singer, actress and author.
In a music career spanning over 40 years, Black came to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead singer of the 2 Tone ska reviva ...
, he promptly gave her an audition, and she was added to the lineup as lead singer."
According to one biography,
After only a few weeks, the band had played live, both in Coventry and supporting the Specials in London, and signed to
2 Tone Records
2 Tone Records was an English independent record label that mostly released ska and reggae-influenced music with a punk rock and pop music overtone. It was founded by Jerry Dammers of the Specials and backed by Chrysalis Records.
History
...
. Recording their first single, "
On My Radio", on a £1,000 budget in Coventry's Horizon Studios with production from Roger Lomas, was the Selecter's first move.
Backed with the B-side "Too Much Pressure", the single was an unprecedented success, reaching number 8 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
in October 1979, and ultimately selling almost 250,000 copies; ironically, although the song criticises radio's neglect of new music, it was a major radio success too.
That same month, the band toured with
Madness and the Specials as part of the first, sell-out "2 Tone Tour;" and all three bands debuted on ''
Top of the Pops
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
'' on 8 November 1979 playing their latest hits, "leaving no one in any doubt that 2 Tone had well and truly arrived."
The band and 2 tone were now regulars in the music press, and keen to lean in on the 2 tone phenomenon,
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records () is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright Ag ...
, the owner of 2 Tone Records, "rushed the band" into recording their debut album.
Recording and music
''Too Much Pressure'' was recorded over two months from December 1979 to January 1980 in Horizon Studios, Coventry, the same place the band's debut single was recorded, with producer Errol Ross.
Guest musicians
Rico Rodriguez and
Dick Cuthell
Dick Cuthell is a British musician and record producer. He plays flugelhorn, cornet, and trumpet, amongst a range of other brass instruments, including tenor horn and valve trombone. Cuthell is best known for his work with The SpecialsStrong, Ma ...
of the Specials were drafted in to contribute the "necessary
brass section
The brass section of the orchestra, concert band, and jazz ensemble consist of brass instruments, and is one of the main sections in all three ensembles. The British-style brass band contains only brass and percussion instruments.
They contain ...
s" to the album.
Kim Templeman-Holmes engineered the sessions.
''Too Much Pressure'' is largely a studio recording of the Selecter's live set list at the time, and while largely consisting of original material (mostly written by Davies), it also contains
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s of numerous old ska and
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
tracks.
This template is similar to the Specials' debut studio album ''
The Specials
The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English Two-tone (music genre), 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall (singer), Terr ...
'', which was based on that band's live set and featured ska and reggae covers among its many original songs. The 2-tone.info article on the band, comparing the cover versions on ''Too Much Pressure'' to those on ''The Specials'', felt that "The Selecter were somewhat less obvious in their choice of covers and opted for the likes of
Justin Hinds
Justin Hinds (7 May 1942 – 16 March 2005) was a Jamaican ska vocalist, with his backing singers the Dominoes.
He is best known for his work with Duke Reid's Treasure Isle Records, where his most notable song, "Carry Go Bring Come" recorded ...
' 'Carry Go Bring Come' and
The Pioneers' 'Time Hard'."
Two cover versions from the band's live sets which were not recorded for the record, "
Train to Skaville
In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often know ...
" by
the Ethiopians
The Ethiopians were one of Jamaica's best-loved harmony groups during the late ska, rocksteady and early reggae periods. Responsible for a significant number of hits between the mid-1960s and early 1970s, the group was also one of the first ...
and "Soulful I" by
the Upsetters
The Upsetters was the name given to the house band for Jamaican reggae producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. The name of the band comes from Perry's nickname of Upsetter, after his song "I Am the Upsetter", a musical dismissal of his former boss Cox ...
, were later recorded by the band following their departure from 2 Tone Records.
The band also played a cover version of
Prince Buster
Cecil Bustamente Campbell (24 May 1938 – 8 September 2016), known professionally as Prince Buster, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer. The records he released in the 1960s influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary ...
's "Madness", but this also did not make the album.
Overall, the album is tense and trebly, and displays a mix of
punk rock,
ska
Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
and
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
with raw vocals and
politically conscious lyrics.
The album's ska beats and "distinctive bouncy organ" contribute to the album's musical impact.
According to ''
Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...
'', although Davies composed the majority of the album, the record's "contributions from other sources — within and without the lineup — add further variety."
The magazine stated that the playing "hops along," especially with the sporadic
horn section
A horn section is a group of musicians playing horns. In an orchestra or concert band, it refers to the musicians who play the "French" horn, and in a British-style brass band it is the tenor horn players. In many popular music genres, the te ...
, and wrote that it is Black, "shining with enormous vocal talent," who "continually provides the spark."
Black later recalled that she was happy with the two songs she contributed, "Black and Blue" and "They Make Me Mad." The album's title song directly references "what was going on socially at that time," while "They Make Me Mad" attacks "the divisive rhetoric of the privileged."
Release and promotion
''Too Much Pressure'' was released on 15 February 1980 by
2 Tone Records
2 Tone Records was an English independent record label that mostly released ska and reggae-influenced music with a punk rock and pop music overtone. It was founded by Jerry Dammers of the Specials and backed by Chrysalis Records.
History
...
and
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records () is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright Ag ...
. With the help of the 2 One 2 Tour, and the album's singles, ''Too Much Pressure'' ultimately reached number 5 in the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
, the band's highest peak on the chart to date, and stayed on the chart for thirteen weeks. The album was later certified Gold by the
British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...
(BPI) for sales of over 100,000.
In the United States, where the album was released by Chrysalis alone, "On My Radio" was added as the first track. The album cover design is credited to "Teflon" Sims and David Storey, with photography by Rick Mann, and depicts Steve Eaton.
"
Three Minute Hero
"Three Minute Hero" is a song and single written by Neol Davies and performed by English 2 tone ska revival band the Selecter
The Selecter are an English 2 tone ska revival band, formed in Coventry, England, in 1979.
The Selecter featured ...
" was released as the first single from the album prior to the album's release so it could act "as a teaser of what to come." However, at the time, it was treated indifferently by music critics, and peaking at number 16 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, it matched
Madness' "
The Prince
''The Prince'' ( it, Il Principe ; la, De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The general theme of ''The ...
" as the lowest chart position at that point reached by a 2 Tone single.
The record was then surpassed by the album's second single, "Missing Words", remixed for the single release by Roger Lomas with a live rendition of "Carry Go Bring Home" on the B-side, only reached number 23 on the charts; however, both singles were still seen as successes.
According to one author, "the chart position was no reflection on the work of Roger Lomas, who prior to 2 Tone had no experience with ska but had since on to work with
Bad Manners
Bad Manners are an English two-tone and ska band led by frontman Buster Bloodvessel. Early appearances included ''Top of the Pops'' and the live film documentary, ''Dance Craze'' (1981).
They were at their most popular during the early 1980 ...
and the Bodysnatchers, but was perhaps a sign of things to come for the band and 2 Tone."
Touring
![The Selecter Berlin 1980](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/The_Selecter_Berlin_1980.jpg)
To promote the record, 2 Tone Records organized the "2 One 2 Tour" tour for the Selecter,
the Beat and
the Bodysnatchers, the latter band of which was the latest signing by the label. However, the Beat opted out, as they could not focus on the tour having just started
Go-Feet Records
Go-Feet Records was an English record label founded by, and predominantly used to release recordings by, the ska revival band the Beat (known as the English Beat in North America). The band had some chart success in the United Kingdom in the 1 ...
. American band
Holly and the Italians
Holly Beth Vincent (born Holly Beth Cernuto in 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer.
In her youth Vincent sang and played drums and guitar in several bands and took part in the Los Angeles punk scen ...
replaced the Beat, but they were poorly received by audiences and were replaced by future 2 Tone signees the Swinging Cats after some time.
During the tour, the band witnessed the racism and violence that had started to become more prominent in audiences for 2 Tone performances; 2-tone.info states that "there was matter of racists attending the gigs. Like all bands on 2 Tone, The Selecter had their share of 'fans' who had
rightwing
Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authori ...
sympathies and would make their presence known at gigs. Why racists would listen to ska or reggae is a mystery in itself and is all the more bizarre that they should attend a Selecter gig where, of the 7 members of the band, only Neol Davis was white."
Although the crowd was often indifferent to Holly and the Italians, several audience members took great exception to the group, whose
pop punk
Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...
sound differed greatly from 2 Tone, and would incite violence.
As was also the case for the Specials, Chrysalis, 2-Tone's parent company, were hoping to give the band some success in the United States, organising a coast-to-coast tour, preceding with a re-release of "On My Radio". However, audiences were mostly unaware of the band; and Black later stated "There were small groups of people on the west and east coast who knew who we were but there was this huge big bit in the middle
f the US
F, or f, is the sixth Letter (alphabet), letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is English alphabet#Let ...
who were completely gob-smacked by us".
The tour "did little to expand the popularity in the US and they were to suffer the same as The Specials, with their material confined to the
college radio
Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...
circuit."
Critical reception
Critical reception to ''Too Much Pressure'' was positive.
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
of ''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'' awarded the album a score of "A−". He commented how, "except for songwriter-guitarist Neol Davies, these two-toners are black, reassuring in a movement that calls up fears of folkie patronization. Lead singer's a woman, too, a refreshing piece of progress no matter how self-consciously progressive its motives." He advised listeners to "play loud."
Red Starr of ''
Smash Hits
''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...
'' rated the album seven out of ten. He felt that, while most of the strongest tracks are cover versions, the album relies on its ska beat, bouncy organ and Black's vocals to provide the impact, and called the album a "very healthy debut with plenty of life."
Garry Bushell
Garry Bushell (born 13 May 1955) is an English newspaper columnist, rock music journalist, television presenter, author, musician and political activist. Bushell also sings in the Cockney Oi! bands GBX and the Gonads. He managed the New York Ci ...
of ''
Sounds
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
'' rated the album five stars out of five, noting the vitality of the album and complimenting the catchiness of "Three Minute Hero."
In a retrospective review,
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
highlighted the album as an "Album Pick" and rated it four stars out of five. ''
Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...
'' singled out Black as "continually
rovidingthe spark" and stated the album is "bursting with great songs."
''
Louder Than War
''Louder Than War'' is a music and culture website and magazine focusing on mainly alternative arts news, reviews, and features. The site is an editorially independent publication that was started by journalist John Robb in 2010 and is now ru ...
'' referred to the album as an "iconic" and "seminal debut album."
In the ''
Spin Alternative Record Guide
The ''Spin Alternative Record Guide'' is a music reference book compiled by the American music magazine '' Spin'' and published in 1995 by Vintage Books. It was edited by rock critic Eric Weisbard and Craig Marks, who was the magazine's editor-i ...
'', it is commented that, although the album contained "requisite cover tunes," the album was "much more celebrated for unorthodox originals like 'Three Minute Hero' and 'My Collie (Not a Dog)'." In ''
The Great Rock Discography
Martin Charles Strong (born 1960 in Musselburgh) is a Scottish music historian known for compiling discography, discographies of popular music including ''The Great Rock Discography''. Strong has been described in broadsheet newspaper profiles as ...
'',
Martin C. Strong called the album an "effervescent companion piece to The Specials' more radical debut" and singling out the cover versions as the best tracks.
Helen G of ''
The F-Word'' praised the album for "having everything," complimenting the "heady brew of
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
, ska and reggae music, politically conscious lyrics and the raw, passionate vocals."
The album has featured in several critics' lists;
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
, in his "Dean's List" of the year's best albums, a list curated for the annual
Pazz & Jop
Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...
poll, named the album the 60th best of 1980. Music journalist
Simon Reynolds
Simon Reynolds (born 19 June 1963) is an English music journalist and author who began his professional career on the staff of ''Melody Maker'' in the mid-1980s. He has since gone on to freelance and publish a number of full-length books on music ...
lists it as one of the five most important albums of "2-Tone and the Ska Resurrection" in his 2005 book ''
Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984''.
Legacy and aftermath
Following the release of the album, Black became dubbed the "Queen of British Ska."
Helen G of ''
The F-Word'' considers Black's contributions to the album to be the first notable example of a woman "working in the reggae idiom" during the punk scene.
The Selecter were the only band aside from the Specials to record a full album for 2 Tone Records, as many of its artists only released one single on the label; Black, speaking to ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' magazine in 2009, recalled: "We didn't just do one single, we did an album, we did tours. Is that a point of pride? Yeah, absolutely. We believed in it. And I think we fully embodied the whole ethos of 2 Tone much more maybe than some of the other bands. For a start, there were six black people, one white person, and a female in the band." A poster for the album was known to hang in Chrysalis' head offices for a long time following its release. The Selecter explored similar themes to ''Too Much Pressure'' on their twelfth studio album ''
Made in Britain
''Made in Britain'' is a 1983 British television play written by David Leland and directed by Alan Clarke. It follows a 16-year-old racist skinhead and his constant confrontations with authority figures. It was broadcast on ITV on 10 July 198 ...
'' (2012),
which contains a re-recording of "They Make Me Mad", whose lyrics were said by Helen G to "remain relevant" in 2012.
"Too Much Pressure" featured in the film ''
The Abyss
''The Abyss'' is a 1989 American science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron and starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn. When an American submarine sinks in the Caribbean, a US search and recovery team ...
'' (1989).
Despite the critical and commercial success of ''Too Much Pressure'', the aftermath of its release was fraught with problems for the band. Their relationship with 2 Tone Records was disintegrating, who were publishing merchandise without the band's consent (Davies once commented: "There is a hell of a lot of money being made, supposedly in our names, but where's it all going?"), and also felt "there were not enough avenues for them to broaden their musical horizons again this was due to the huge success of 2 Tone."
The band left the label and signed a direct deal with its parent label Chrysalis to record their more eclectic second studio album ''
Celebrate the Bullet
''Celebrate the Bullet'' is the second studio album by English 2 tone ska revival band the Selecter, released on 27 February 1981 by Chrysalis Records after the band had left the 2 Tone label. The album was recorded with producer Roger Lomas, who ...
'' (1981), but not before Brown and Anderson left the band, with replacements in the band personnel therefore being made.
The Selecter were also unsatisfied with the production of ''Too Much Pressure'', considering the album to be the product of what Black recalled was "a life-span
..telescoped down into a very short space of time".
In her autobiography ''Black by Design'', Black said Ross "somehow wrecked" the album, and said it would have "sounded better" had it been produced by Lomas instead: "I thought that it was very unfortunate that the man who had produced 'On My Radio' as our first single didn’t get the chance to produce the first album. But that was due to political fighting in the band, and a question who had control of it and who didn’t. But that’s all water under the bridge." However, Black remains happy with the album's themes, reflecting in 2016 that the Selecter's intents never changed in the ensuing years "because no tectonic plates have really moved as far as we’re concerned. Maybe they’ve moved in other areas. But as far as that whole black-white thing going on in society, those tectonic plates have moved but there hasn’t been any real seismic kind of alleviation of the pressure. It’s too much pressure then, and it’s still too much pressure now.”
Re-releases and anniversary tour
''Too Much Pressure'' has been re-released several times; in 1988, Chrysalis re-released the LP in Germany, and Captain Mod has remastered and re-released the album on CD twice, on 18 June 2001 and 19 May 2014, both times with three
bonus track
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...
s: "The Selecter", "On My Radio" and the single version of "Too Much Pressure."
Re-issue label Obscure Alternatives have also re-released the album on LP in the United States in both 2012 and 2016; the 2012 edition was pressed variantly on black and grey vinyl, whilst the 2016 edition, which was limited to 589 copies, features a white vinyl with black effects and markings.
From February–April 2014, the band celebrated the album's 35th anniversary with the national "Too Much Pressure 35th Anniversary Tour," where, for the first time, they played the album in its entirety. In addition to performing the full record, the group also played "an extended encore of hits and live favourites from across The Selecter’s extensive 35-year spanning back catalogue," including "On My Radio" and material from their latest, critically successful album ''String Theory'' (2013).
The tour was well-received by such publications as ''
GQ'' and ''Rock City''.
Track listing
All tracks composed by
Neol Davies except where noted.
Side one
# "
Three Minute Hero
"Three Minute Hero" is a song and single written by Neol Davies and performed by English 2 tone ska revival band the Selecter
The Selecter are an English 2 tone ska revival band, formed in Coventry, England, in 1979.
The Selecter featured ...
" – 3:00
# "Time Hard" (aka "Everyday") (
Sydney Crooks
Sydney Crooks, also known as Luddy Pioneer, Norris Cole, Luddy Crooks, Frankie Diamond and Brother Cole, is a founder and original member of the classic Jamaican vocal trio The Pioneers.
Biography
Sydney Crooks, born 24 February 1945 in Westmor ...
,
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...
, George Agard) – 3:10
# "They Make Me Mad" (
Pauline Black
Belinda Magnus (born 23 October 1953), better known as Pauline Black (), is an English singer, actress and author.
In a music career spanning over 40 years, Black came to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead singer of the 2 Tone ska reviva ...
, Desmond Brown) – 2:47
# "
Missing Words" – 3:22
# "Danger" (Selecter) – 2:38
# "Street Feeling" – 3:11
# "My Collie (Not a Dog)" (Robert Spencer, Johnny Roberts) – 2:45
Side two
# "Too Much Pressure" – 3:48
# "Murder" (
Leon & Owen) – 2:39
# "Out on the Streets" – 4:28 – mistakenly listed as 3:28 on the vast majority of releases
# "Carry Go Bring Come" (
Justin Hinds
Justin Hinds (7 May 1942 – 16 March 2005) was a Jamaican ska vocalist, with his backing singers the Dominoes.
He is best known for his work with Duke Reid's Treasure Isle Records, where his most notable song, "Carry Go Bring Come" recorded ...
) – 3:02
# "Black and Blue" (Pauline Black) – 3:17
# "
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
" (
Monty Norman
Monty Norman (''né'' Noserovitch; 4 April 1928 – 11 July 2022) was a British composer, musician and singer. A contributor to West End musicals in the 1950s and 1960s, he is best known for composing the "James Bond Theme", first heard in th ...
) – 2:16
Notes
*In many territories UK stand-alone single "
On My Radio" was included on the album: either as track 1, side one (with "Three Minute Hero" moved to track 7, side one and "They Make Me Mad" moved to track 3, side two) or added to side 2 as the first track.
*The album was reissued on CD by Captain Mod in 2001 and 2014 with the three bonus tracks: "The Selecter" (Neol Davies,
John Bradbury)
:00 "On My Radio" (Davies)
:06 "Too Much Pressure"
-side version(Davies)
:51
*Five tracks on this album are
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s: "My Collie (Not a Dog)" is a version of
Millie
Millie is a feminine given name or diminutive form of various other given names, such as Emily, Millicent, Mildred, Camilla or sometimes Amelia.
People with the given name
Notable people with the given name include:
* Millie Bailey (1918–20 ...
's "
My Boy Lollipop
"My Boy Lollipop" (originally "My Girl Lollypop") is a song written in the mid-1950s by Robert Spencer of the doo-wop group The Cadillacs, and usually credited to Spencer, Morris Levy, and Johnny Roberts. It was first recorded in 1956 by American s ...
" rewritten to be about
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
; "Murder" was originally recorded by Leon and
Owen
Owen may refer to:
Origin: The name Owen is of Irish and Welsh origin.
Its meanings range from noble, youthful, and well-born.
Gender: Owen is historically the masculine form of the name. Popular feminine variations include Eowyn and Owena. ...
; "Carry Go Bring Come" was a hit record for
Justin Hinds
Justin Hinds (7 May 1942 – 16 March 2005) was a Jamaican ska vocalist, with his backing singers the Dominoes.
He is best known for his work with Duke Reid's Treasure Isle Records, where his most notable song, "Carry Go Bring Come" recorded ...
; "Time Hard" was originally recorded by
the Pioneers; "James Bond" is a recording of the classic
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
theme by
Monty Norman
Monty Norman (''né'' Noserovitch; 4 April 1928 – 11 July 2022) was a British composer, musician and singer. A contributor to West End musicals in the 1950s and 1960s, he is best known for composing the "James Bond Theme", first heard in th ...
, first done in a
ska
Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
style by
Roland Alphonso
Roland Alphonso OD or Rolando Alphonso "The Chief Musician" (12 January 1931 – 20 November 1998)Thompson, p. 262 was a Jamaican tenor saxophonist, and one of the founding members of the Skatalites.
Biography
Born in Havana, Cuba, Alphonso c ...
.
Personnel
The Selecter
*
Pauline Black
Belinda Magnus (born 23 October 1953), better known as Pauline Black (), is an English singer, actress and author.
In a music career spanning over 40 years, Black came to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead singer of the 2 Tone ska reviva ...
–
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
* Arthur "Gaps" Hendrickson –
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
*
Neol Davies –
guitars
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
* Compton Amanor –
guitars
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
* Desmond Brown –
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
* Charley Anderson –
bass
* Charley "H" Bembridge –
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
Additional musicians
* Joe Reynolds –
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...
(1)
*
Dick Cuthell
Dick Cuthell is a British musician and record producer. He plays flugelhorn, cornet, and trumpet, amongst a range of other brass instruments, including tenor horn and valve trombone. Cuthell is best known for his work with The SpecialsStrong, Ma ...
–
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
(11)
*
Rico Rodriguez –
trombone
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...
(11, 12)
Production and artwork
*Kim Templeman-Holmes - engineer
*David Storey, John "Teflon" Sims - sleeve design
"Special thanks to:
Lynval,
The Specials
The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English Two-tone (music genre), 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall (singer), Terr ...
,
Madness, Sarah Wills, Rick Rogers, Steve Allen, Chesterfield Audio, Bob, Mark 'Smuts' and all those who didn't."
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1980 debut albums
The Selecter albums
Chrysalis Records albums
2 Tone Records albums