History - Discography - Winamp skin - Song listing

HISTORY

The Selecter began life in 1977, with a song written and performed by Neol Davies (guitar) and John ‘Prince Rimshot’ Bradbury (drums) and ably assisted by Barry Jones (then my local sweet-shop owner), on a truly glorious trombone solo.

This song was called The Selecter, a mournful ska/rocksteady track, which harked back to the Jamaican ska style of the sixties. This track had to wait on the shelf until 1979, when The Specials needed a ‘b-side’ for their debut single, Gangsters. Gerry Dammers, originator of all things 2-tone, decided that The Selecter would be ideal.

Neol Davies then thought it would be a good idea to form a band around the 2-tone idea pioneered by The Specials, but was unsure who to invite to join him. Members of local reggae band Hardtop 22, which was led by the dreadlocked and charismatic Charley Anderson, were interested in lending their services.

At that time, I was trying to form a band with Desmond Brown, ‘H’ and Lawton Brown and while we were rehearsing one evening up at The Wheatsheaf on Foleshill Road, Lynval Golding of The Specials turned up to listen. He must have liked what he heard, because I was invited round to Charley Anderson’s house in Hillfields, to meet Neol Davies.

Neol cut a very cool appearance in those days, mainly because he had a piece of vinyl with a song that he had written on it, which was roaring up the charts at the time. The Selecter was formed on that summer evening of 1979.

The original band members were Neol Davies (lead guitar), Compton Amanor (rhythm guitar), Desmond Brown (keyboards), Charley Anderson (bass), Charles ‘H’ Bembridge (drums), Arthur ’Gaps’ Hendrickson (vocals) and me, Pauline Black, (also on vocals).

Frantic rehearsals were started at the Golden Cup (among numerous other pubs in Coventry), songs were written or changed to fit a ska style and within a few weeks we did our first gig in Gloucester. That evening was not an auspicious event, because we were all over the place, the sound system was appalling and we all needed some serious re-styling.

A few more weeks went by, while we continued rehearsals and got our clothes in order, before we did our first ‘proper’ gig, supporting The Specials at a now defunct club in Leeds, called The F Club. That gig always sticks in my memory, because the audience were up for the new sounds of The Selecter and we could feel something was really going to happen. Elvis Costello was hanging out at the bar and The Specials tore the place down that night.

Numerous other gigs, up and down the country, followed and we steadily built up a big audience. Our debut London gig was on 21 July 1979 at the Electric Ballroom. If you’d been there that night, then you could have seen us, The Specials, Madness and The Bodysnatchers all for the princely sum of £3. It was filled to capacity and it was so hot that the sweat was dripping off the ceiling.

By this time The Specials’s 2-tone label was up and running and they offered us a deal to record our first single. The sum involved for the recording of three tracks was £1000. Out of that session came our first single, On My Radio/Too Much Pressure, which went Top Ten in November 1979.

A massive sell-out 2-Tone Tour of Britain was next on the agenda, before recording our first album Too Much Pressure, at the now sadly demolished Horizon Studios in Coventry. In hindsight, this album was definitely the musical autobiography of The Selecter.

By mid 1980, the 2-Tone movement, as it was now called, had reached its height. All of the bands who were, or had been connected with the label - The Selecter, The Specials, The Beat, Madness - had top 10 singles, sold out gigs and had a fanatical following.

The cult film Dance Craze highlights only too well how crazy things had become. We had achieved in a few short months what most bands take years to do. Things were happening way too fast and it was all becoming uncontrollable.

Our sudden success story, having to deal with constant touring schedules, clashes with racist fans, record company hassles from Chrysalis (who licensed the 2-tone label) and violence at the gigs. We managed to wade our way through the confusion somehow.

Meanwhile Too Much Pressure went gold, we sold out tours in Britain and Europe and had our first taste of the USA, during a hectic coast to coast two month tour in April 1980. But when we got back home the cracks had started to appear in 2-Tone. Gerry Dammers wanted to disband the label while it was still on top, because he thought it had become a monster. The Selecter decided to broaden its horizons. The difficult second album, still had to be recorded, so we left 2-tone in July 1980.

For us, it was the beginning of the end for The Selecter and 2-tone. Despite the themes of harmony and unity that filled our songs, we found it difficult to live that reality in the band. Desmond Brown and Charley Anderson left amid acrimonious scenes at Horizon Studios. They were replaced with James Mackie (keyboards) and Adam Williams (bass). This new line-up went into the studio to record the new second album, Celebrate The Bullet.

The title track Celebrate the Bullet is still my favourite song. But unfortunately due to bad timing on release Radio One banned it because a gunman had just shot Ronald Reagan and John Lennon had also recently been assassinated. Without airplay the album was doomed.

Despite a hard touring schedule, fans were becoming disinterested in 2-tone. Bands like Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran were now the national past-time and I decided that this new emerging scene had nothing to do with me or the music that I liked and I left The Selecter. Neol Davies valiantly carried the flag for a while longer, but finally realised it was time to call it a day.

Ten years went by until in late 1990, I got a phone call from Bad Manners members Nick Welsh and Martin Stewart, inviting myself and Neol Davies, to guest at a couple of their gigs.

At first I was very reluctant, not to mention sceptical, that there was anybody out there who still listened to ska music! By this time I had carved out a new career for myself in theatre and TV and I wasn’t prepared to throw all my hard-work down the drain, just for the chance to sing a few old songs again to a handful of balding 2-tone fans!

With much persuasion, Neol and I decided to give it a bash. Bad Manners played a gig at the Ritzy in Nottingham and the idea was that Neol and I would go on in the middle of their set and perform four songs, On My Radio, Missing Words, Three Minute Hero and Too Much Pressure. We were astounded to find that 2000 people turned up to the gig and skanked the night away as if we had never been away.

After the gig Nick and Martin took us aside and mentioned that they were thinking of leaving Bad Manners and why didn’t we team up with them and re-form The Selecter. No decision was made at the time but we agreed to think about it. Fortunately I was contracted to do two plays in London, which would take me away for five months, so I could bide my time.

After the plays ended Martin rang and said that he had booked a short four week tour in America. Neol and I agreed to go. We hired The Tic Toc in Coventry for a day and a half and began rehearsals with a new drummer, Perry Melius (now drumming for Tricky). Then we did a short sell-out club tour of England, before jetting off to the States.

We were amazed to find that in our absence a whole new generation had grown up and formed ska bands of their own, which were now called Third Wave Ska in America. These new ska bands treated us like legends and couldn’t get enough of the music. More tours followed in 1992 and 1993.

Neol Davies left in 1993 to pursue another musical project of his own. Gaps Hendrickson came back into the band for a while, and joined us on the Skavoovie tour of America, which included The Special Beat (members of The Beat and The Specials), The Toasters and ska veterans The Skatalites (the originators of all ska music).

When we re-formed the idea was never to just play the old songs. I always thought it was important to write and record new material. 1999 finds this current Selecter line-up with three new studio albums under our belt - The Happy Album (1994), Hairspray (1995) and Cruel Britannia (1998) - and numerous live recordings and compilations. We are all older and wiser now and we don’t play record company games any more. The Selecter now does things on its own terms. Suffice to say that we have ‘come of age’.

We regularly tour in the USA, Canada, Japan and throughout Europe. In 1997 we toured the USA on our headlining tour and supporting No Doubt around the stadium/arena circuit.


THE SELECTER - 1999 LINE-UP

Current Line-up:

Pauline Black - vocals

Nick Welsh - bass

Martin Stewart - keyboards

Paul Seacroft - guitar

Al Fletcher - drums

Dave Barker - vocals

Our new album Cruel Britannia was recently released on the Snapper label and also features reggae artist and legend Dave Barker, who had hit records in the 70’s (under the name of Dave and Ansil Collins) with Double Barrel and Monkey Spanner. Dave regularly performs live with us.

Our recent gig in Coventry at The Hare and Hounds, Keresley, was sold out and we and the audience had a brilliant night. We hadn’t played Coventry for five years, hopefully we won’t leave it so long next time.

Pauline Black 1998.

DISCOGRAPHY

Too much pressure
(1980 2-Tone/Chrysalis)

Celebrate the bullet
(1981 2-Tone)

Happy album
(1994 Demon/World beat)

Three Minute Hero
Everyday (Time Hard)
They Make Me Mad
Missing Words
Danger
Street Feeling
My Collie (Not A Dog)
Too Much Pressure
Murder
Out On The Streets
Carry Go Bring Come
Black & Blue
James Bond

Celebrate The Bullet
Red Reflections
Who Likes Facing Situations
Tell Me What's Wrong
Bomb Scare
Washed Up & Left For Dead
Selling Out Your Future
Deep Water
Cool Blue Lady
Their Dream Goes On
Bristol & Miami

Reselecterization
Whip Them Down
Sweet & Dandy
Neurotica
California Screaming
I Want Justice
Trout
Copasetic
Mother Knows Best
Ladders

Hairspray
(1995 Triple-X)

Pucker!
(1995 Dojo)

Cruel Brittania
(1998 Harry May)

My Perfect World
Hearsay
Die Happy
Sugar Town
Hairspray
Chocolate Whip
Not So Tall
Then She Did
Rainy Day Women
Vicky's Magic Garden

My Perfect World
Hearsay
Die Happy
Sugar Town
Hairspray
Chocolate Whip
Not So Tall
Then She Did
Rainy Day Women
Vicky's Magic Garden

Cruel Britannia
Respect Yourself
Musical Servant (Tribute To Tommy McCook 1927/1998)
How Can I Win?
Better Must Come
The Viper
Never Said I Love You
What A Confusion
Bad Dog
Lyrical Sniper
Blind Leading The Blind

SINGLES

COMPILATIONS/LIVE CD'S

SELECTED SELECTER SELECTIONS (1989-EMI)

(Studio tracks 1979-1981) Too Much Pressure - Missing Words - My Collie (Not A Dog) - Tell Me What's Wrong - Murder - James Bond - On My Radio - Celebrate The Bullet - Carry Go Bring Come - Three Minute Hero - Washed Up And Left For Dead - Out On The Streets - Cool Blue Lady - Their Dream Goes On

OUT ON THE STREETS (1992)

(Coventry 1991) Missing Words - Street Feeling - James Bond - Everyday (Time Hard) - Carry Go Bring Come - My Collie (Not A Dog) - Celebrate The Bullet - Train To Skaville - Three Minute Hero - Out On The Streets - The Selecter - Too Much Pressure - On My Radio

LIVE INJECTION (1994)

(Windsor 11/19/94) Three Minute Hero - California Screaming - Everyday (Time Hard) - I Want Justice - Missing Words - Neurotica - The Selecter - James Bond - Train To Skaville - On My Radio - Too Much Pressure - Murder - My Sweet Collie - Madness

OUT ON THE STREETS AGAIN (1994)

(Coventry 1991) Missing Words - Street Feeling - James Bond - Everyday (Time Hard) - Carry Go Bring Come - My Collie (Not A Dog) - Celebrate The Bullet - Train To Skaville - Three Minute Hero - Out On The Streets - The Selecter - Too Much Pressure - On My Radio

RARE (1994-DOJO)

(Rare and live) Madness (Single Mix) - Three Minute Hero (Live) - Train To Skaville (Live) - On My Radio (1991 Single Mix) - James Bond (Live) - Madness (Throwing Stones Mix) - The Selecter (1991) - Too Much Pressure (Live) - On My Radio (1991 Rad Mix) - Orange Street (Live) - Sweet Dreams (Live) - Madness (Tuff Mix)

RARE 2 (1995-DOJO)

(Rare and live) Deep Water (Radio Mix) - Celebrate The Bullet (Live) - Touissants Children (Pauline Black) - Washed Up And Left For Dead (Live) - Tell Me What The Others Do (Pauline Black) - Out On The Streets (Live) - Something's Burning (Pauline Black) - Madness (Live Feat. Prince Buster) - Coming Up (Pauline Black) - Rough Rider (Live Feat. Prince Buster) - Missing Words (Live) - Deep Water (Deep Mix)

RARE 3 (1995-DOJO)

(Rare and live) Shoorah Shoorah (Pauline Black) - Carry Go Bring Home (Live) - Murder (Live) - James Bond (Live) - Best Of Both Worlds (Pauline Black) - Madness (Live) - My Collie (Not A Dog) (Live) - Times Hard (Live) - I Want Justice (Live) - Copasetic (Live) - Reggae Beat (Live) - I Can See Clearly Now (Pauline Black)

BACK OUT ON THE STREETS (1996)

(live 1991-1996) California Screaming - Murder - My Perfect World - Other Side Of Love - Washed Up And Left For Dead - Trout - Die Happy - Trouble in Paradise - Whip Them Down - Whisper - Hairspray - Wet Dream

GREATEST HITS (1996-EMI)

(Studio tracks 1979-1981) Three Minute Hero - Too Much Pressure - Celebrate The Bullet - Bomb Scare - Deep Water - Time Hard - They Make Me Mad - Bristol And Miami - Missing Words - James Bond - On My Radio - The Whisper - Carry Go Bring Come - Murder - Washed Up And Left For Dead - Last Tango In Dub

ON MY RADIO (1996)

(Rare and live) On My Radio - Madness - The Selecter - I Can See Clearly Now - Something's Burning - Coming Up - Three Minute Hero (Live) - Too Much Pressure (Live) - Missing Words (Live) - Celebrate The Bullet (Live) - Out On The Streets (Live) - Train To Skaville (Live) - Rough Rider (Live) - Carry Go Bring Come (Live) - On My Radio (Rad Mix) - Madness (Tuff Mix)

ON MY RADIO (1997)

(Rare and live) Madness (Single Mix) - On My Radio (91 Single) - The Selecter - Missing Words - Three Minute Hero - Sweet & Dandy - Sugar Town - Too Much Pressure '96 - Coming Up - I Can See Clearly Now - Something's Burning - Die Happy - Hairspray - On My Radio (Rad Mix) - Madness (Tuff Mix) - Madness (featuring Prince Buster) - Rough Rider (featuring Prince Buster) - James Bond - Train To Skaville - Orange Street - Sweet Dreams - Celebrate The Bullet - Washed Up & Left For Dead - Out On The Streets - Carry Go Bring Come - Murder - My Collie (Not A Dog) - I Want Justice - Copasetic - Reggae Beat

GREATEST HITS LIVE (1997)

(Minneapolis 1994): Too Much Pressure - On My Radio - Missing Words - Murder - Three Minute Hero - Everyday (Time Hard) -Other Side of Love -The Whisper - Street Feeling - The Selecter - Washed Up And Left For Dead - Out on the Street Again - Train to Skaville - Trout - Whip Them Down - Ladders - Neurotica - California Screaming - Orange Street - My Sweet Collie

BEST OF THE SELECTER (1997-DISKY)

(Studio tracks 1979-1981) On My Radio - Celebrate The Bullet - Tell Me What's Wrong - Three Minute Hero - Out On The Streets - James Bond - Murder - Missing Words - Too Much Pressure - Carry Go Bring Come - Black & Blue - Danger - The Whisper - My Collie (Not A Dog) - Street Feeling - Time Hard

COLLECTION (1997)

(Rare and live) On My Radio ‘91 (Single Mix) - Madness (Single Mix) - The Selecter - Too Much Pressure (Live) - Best Of Both Worlds (Unreleased Studio) - Deep Water (Radio Mix) - James Bond (Live) - Something's Burning - On My Radio '91 (Rad Mix) - Coming Up - Street Feeling (Live) - Shoorah Shoorah (Unreleased Studio)

PRIME CUTS (1997)

(Rare and live) Something's Burning - Coming Up - Dial My Number - Woke up Laughing - Touissants Children - Whisper of the Rain - Nameless - Use Me Up - I Really Don't Have the Time - Clear Water - No Regrets - On My Radio

PRIME CUTS 2 (1997)

(Rare and live) On My Radio - Three Minute Hero - The Whisper - Shoorah, Shoorah - Celebrate The Bullet - Missing Word - Out On The Streets - Tell Me What The Others Do - Street Feeling - The Selecter - Best Of Both Worlds - Too Much Pressure

LIVE AT ROSKILDE (1997)

(Roskilde 1996) Three Minute Hero - California Screaming - I Want Justice - Missing Words - Neurotica - Selecter - Train to Skaville - Hairspray - Carry Go Bring - Murder - Madness - Orange Street - Madness - My Sweet Collie

VERY BEST OF (1997)

On My Radio - Madness (featuring Prince Buster) - Reselecterization (Instrumental) - Three Minute Hero - Die Happy - Missing Words - Whip Them Down - Sugar Town - Celebrate the Bullet - Selecter (Instrumental) - Ladders - Vicky's Magic Garden - Washed up and Left for Dead - Neurotica! - Madness (Tuff Mix) - Too Much Pressure - Out on the Streets Again - California Screaming - Hairspray - Radio Radical

SWEET SWEET SKA (1997-TRIPLE X)

Includes: On my radio 91 - Neurotica! - Dial my number (Pauline Black) - Sugar town (Sweetie mix) - Copasetic - Something's burning (Pauline Black) - Trout - Mother knows best - I want justice (live) - Clear water (Pauline Black) - Sweet and dandy

+ music by Laurel Aitken, Judge Dread, Bad manners, International beat, Big 5, Potato 5, Prince Nutty & SOS, King Hammond, Rico and Too many crooks

I WANT JUSTICE: LIVE (1998)

Al Capone - Orange Street - Madness - Rough Rider - Whip Them Down - Three Minute Hero - On My Radio - Orange Street (Version 2) - Sweet Dreams - Trout (What Should I Do Now) - I Want Justice - Murder - Other Side of Love - Whisper - Washed up & Left for Dead - Selecter

TOO MUCH PRESSURE (1999)

Three Minute Hero - Too Much Pressure - On My Radio '91 - Selecter - Musical Servant (1927-1998) - Bad Dog - Madness (Tuff Mix) - Out on the Streets (Live) - Times Hard (Live) - I Want Justice (Live) - Rough Rider (Live) - James Bond (Live) - Sweet Dreams (Live) - Carry Go Bring Come (Live) - Orange Street (Live) - Celebrate the Bullet (Live)

BBC SESSIONS (1999)

They Make Me Mad - Carry Go Bring Home - Street Feeling - Danger - Selling Out Your Future - Deep Water - Tell Me What's Wrong - Washed Up And Left For Dead - Bombscare - Who Likes Facing Situations - Cool Blue Lady - Murder - Out On The Streets Again - James Bond - Everyday (aka Things Are Getting Worse) - Too Much Pressure

Selecter Winamp Skin

Download this winamp skin

(c) 2000 Armand Wilhelm

Made with Quick-skin

Song Listing

1979
The Selecter
- released on Checkered Past - The 2-Tone Collection

BBC - Sessions:
Bombscare
Carry Go Bring Home
Cool Blue Lady
Danger
Deep Water
Everyday (aka Things Are Getting Worse)
James Bond
Murder
Out On The Streets Again
Selling Out Your Future
Street Feeling
Tell Me What's Wrong
They Make Me Mad
Too Much Pressure
Washed Up And Left For Dead
Who Likes Facing Situations