[Trippiest Bands/Album?]

Some of the 60s SF bands were really trippy.  Anyone remember Section 43 by Country Joe and the Fish?

yep.....one of the fishes` first instumentals......

Section 43

Instrumental

Recorded at Sierra Sound Laboratories, Berkeley, June 06, 1966

Producer: Ed Denson

Engineer: Robert di Souza

Joe McDonald: vocals, electric guitar, harmonica

Barry Melton: vocals, electric guitar

David Cohen: electric guitar, Farfisa organ

Bruce Barthol: bass, harmonica

John Francis Gunning: drums

Paul Armstrong: tambourine, maracas

A History

Country Joe and the Fish came about as part political device, part necessity, and part entertainment. In the Fall of 1965, the remnants of the FSM (Free Speech Movement) on the Berkeley Campus were organizing a series of demonstrations against the war in Vietnam at the Oakland Induction Center. Drawing on the experience of the Civil Rights Movement, the anti-war organizers always provided entertainment either before or after the march -- to hold people's attention. This was the era of the Folk revival starting to turn into the San Francisco Rock Scene and "bands" were starting to appear all over the place. Joe McDonald had been editing a magazine he had founded, "Rag Baby," and, as the story goes, ran out of material. He got the idea of doing a talking issue and through various devices and favors wound up having an EP pressed; it was an extended-play disc with four songs on it: two by a group which included Joe, guitarist Barry Melton, singer Mike Beardslee, washboard player Carl Schrager and bassist Richard Saunders and called "Country Joe and the Fish" and two songs by another local folk singer, Peter Krug. This disc is considered to be the first self-produced recording to be used by a band as a form of promotion. It contained the original recorded version of the so-called anthem of the sixties "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag" and Joe's satire of President Lyndon Johnson, "Superbird".

After a brief period of performing as a folk duo under the name Country Joe and the Fish, Joe and Barry earnestly put together a rock band under the same name. The new lineup consisted of Paul Armstrong on bass, tambourine and other percussion instruments, Bruce Barthol on bass, David Cohen on guitar and keyboards, and John Francis Gunning on drums.

The origin of the name appears to have come from the band's manager, ED Denson, who coined the phrase drawing from Mao's saying about "the fish who swim in the sea of the people;" the Country Joe part refers to Joseph Stalin, whose nickname during World War II was "Country Joe."

The band worked regularly in Berkeley at The Jabberwock coffee house on Telegraph, and became familiar faces at the two San Francisco ballrooms, the Avalon and The Fillmore Auditorium. They also had a penchant for self-promotion and printed up posters and calendars using the style of the times. Tom Weller, "artist in residence," created these images. ED, who also wrote for the weekly Berkeley Barb, concocted with Joe the idea of letting the audience know what was happening at all times; so they took out a 52 week 1/4 page ad in the Barb informing their audience where they were going to be in the coming week -- even if it was in Canada. The band's popularity was further enhanced by the release in the summer of that year of a second EP -- called the "white EP" -- which contained three songs: "Bass Strings," "Section 43" and "(Thing Called) Love." "Bass Strings" became one of the most popular songs played on the new up-and-coming radio format then simply called "progressive" radio. Billboard magazine in 1967 referred to the Country Joe EP as "unique," and the airplay it received brought them to the attention of New York City in general and the music business in particular.

The band had signed a recording contract with Vanguard Records in December of '66 and, having recorded it at Sierra Sound in Berkeley, were unaware of and more or less free from the watchful eyes of a record company. Paul Armstrong left the group to complete a two-year alternative service as a conscientious objector to the draft, and John Francis Gunning was replaced on drums by "Chicken" Hirsh. Sam Charters, noted blues writer, producer and poet, was in charge of the record which was entitled Electric Music For The Mind and Body. It was to have contained Joe's most topical song "Fixin' to Die Rag" but it was left off at the urging of the Vanguard's president Maynard Solomon who felt that it would become a "thorn in their side and prevent the band from getting any single play on the radio." An unusual move by the company that staged the Weavers' reunion concert at Carnegie hall during the height of anti-left sentiment in the United States. "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine," released as the band's first 45, only made it to #98 on Billboard's "Top 100," but became a staple of American college radio. It, along with "Masked Marauder" and the other instrumental added to the album "Section 43," were notable in that they were instrumentals and were not only played on the radio, but played in performance as well. This was unusual in an era of short three-minute singles. Radio and the way music was performed was changing and the band was helping to change it.

Electric Music and the follow-up LP, I Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die, remained on Billboard's album charts around #32 for about two years, while the group increasingly toured the "ballroom" circuit and colleges around America. They appeared at and in the film of the Monterey Pop Festival and the film Revolution. In the summer of 1967, they were offered a series of gigs on the East Coast. They accepted and took with them a "light show," that curious by-product of the ballroom scene. It consisted of rear-screen projections of images, slides and liquids, containing colors swirled in water and oil producing paisley patterns on a screen suspended behind the band and creating a uniquely "psychedelic" experience. The New York City show, at the Cafe Au Go-Go was the first time a light show had been brought to New York. By 1968 they had released a third album Together and were touring successfully around the world. They toured Europe in the fall of 1968 and recorded a fourth LP, Here We Are Again, in the late spring of 1969. The "we" of Country Joe and the Fish had changed: Bruce Barthol had departed the band prior to the recording, and David Cohen and "Chicken" Hirsh left the band about halfway through the album. Along with the ever-present Joe and Barry are performances by bassists Mark Ryan, Jack Casady of the Jefferson Airplane and Peter Albin of Big Brother and the Holding Company, Big Brother's drummer David Getz and keyboardist Mark Kapner. Both LPs contained novel approaches to music -- the first, "Rock and Soul Music" Joe's paean to James Brown and the second, a dry, cutting, almost minstrel-show-like song about Harlem, "The Harlem Song." The second broke new ground in its use of horns and strings as "sweetening," a common device in standard pop, but until this record, not used at all in new "progressive" rock. Ironically two records released later that year -- The Doors' 45, "Touch Me," and the Rolling Stones' LP Let It Bleed, also made use of horns and strings.

An event at the end of the summer of 1969, the Woodstock Festival in upstate New York, became a milestone that forever changed the band's career and to a certain extent the direction it then took. After much haggling due to last minute cancellations, Country Joe and Fish were scheduled to play the festival. As is now common knowledge, the roads were clogged, the weather was terrible and due to the estimated 500,000 souls in attendance, it was almost impossible for the artists to get to the site, let alone appear at their intended time. The first show day, Friday, found most performers either trapped at their hotel in a surrounding village, or trying to get to the stage area. Joe, who had come down to see what was going on, happened to be onstage at the exact moment Richie Havens was finishing his set. A guitar was found, a set was organized and after four or five songs, he decided to "do the Rag," which he had intended to perform with the band later in the festival. Now, as a piece of background, it is necessary to add that as an introduction to the "Rag" on the second LP, the band shouts in high school cheerleader fashion, "Gimmie an F, gimmie an I ..." then "What's that spell? What's that spell?" etc. and the audience yells "FISH." All very innocent; but in the Summer of 1968, at the Shaefer Summer Festival in Woilman Rink in New York's Central Park before about 10,000 people inside and about 10,000 people outside the fence, drummer Chicken Hirsh suggested altering the cheer to "gimmie an F-U-C-K". Some writers have claimed that this act was one of true defiance, outrage toward the system and statement of how youth felt at the time; no one, so far as we know ever asked "why" the Cheer was changed -- it just was and it stuck. Also at Central Park that night were a number of executives from the Ed Sullivan Show; they had asked the band to appear near Christmas time that year. The following week they signed the contract, and sent in the agreed upon performance payment in full with a request: please don't appear on the show -- keep the money. They were also never invited back to the Shaefer Beer Festival. Back at Woodstock, when Joe yelled "Gimme an F!" at the end of the cheer the sound of all these people yelling "fuck" was astounding or better yet, hard to believe; it was as if a rather large cross-section of America's youth was telling the world "get stuffed." Things were never the same, in more ways than one.

The film of the Woodstock Festival was prepared for release in the spring of 1970, and almost coincided with The Fish's last LP for Vanguard C. J. Fish which was produced by Tom Wilson. This incarnation of the band featured Joe and Barry, along with Mark Kapner on keyboards, Doug Metzler on bass and Greg Dewey on drums. They appeared in and performed music for underground cult film Zachariah where Joe is the leader of a band of outlaws in the old west, carrying amplifiers on their horses and calling themselves "The Crackers."

When Woodstock, the movie hit the theaters, "Fixin' To Die Rag" was in the middle of the film, with its lyrics spelled out, highlighted with a bouncing ball, including the "Cheer" and copious remarks about how many people seemed to be in the audience. So what a recording, some airplay and countless performance could not do, the film did instantly. It brought the band's anti-war message and the "get stuffed," we-don't-like-what-you're-doing-ness of the "Cheer" into movie theaters all over the world. In short, all of a sudden 5 years after its debut at a demonstration in Oakland it became an anthem.

Shortly after, Joe and Barry embarked on solo careers and have only occasionally reunited to perform as Country Joe and the Fish over the years. Though relatively short-lived, Country Joe and the Fish proved to have a major influence on a whole generation of singer-songwriters and bands, notably due to their insistence on mixing music with politics, satire, and irreverence in an unprecedented way.

[What's the best 60's Rolling Stones album?]

ahhhh...the stones. saw keith richards holding forth about the blues on a rerun of the series " walk don`t run - the history of the popular song " the other day...he looked like he`d been pickled in embalming fluid.....what a very cool dude and guitarist and songwriter and drugtaker and rock survivor...he has my utmost admiration for just still being alive!!!

fav stones album?..." let it bleed "

fav stones track?....." midnight rambler "......one of the greatest opening riffs....very menacing...guaranteed to make the establishment collectively crap their pants when they heard the lyrics of this little gem.

MIDNIGHT RAMBLER (m. jagger/k. richards)

Did you hear about the midnight rambler

Everybody got to go

Did you hear about the midnight rambler

The one that shut the kitchen door

He don’t give a hoot of warning

Wrapped up in a black cat cloak

He don’t go in the light of the morning

He split the time the cock’rel crows

Talkin’ about the midnight gambler

The one you never seen before

Talkin’ about the midnight gambler

Did you see him jump the garden wall

Sighin’ down the wind so sadly

Listen and you’ll hear him moan

Talkin’ about the midnight gambler

Everybody got to go

Did you hear about the midnight rambler

Well, honey, it’s no rock ’n’ roll show

Well, I’m talkin’ about the midnight gambler

Yeah, everybody got to go

Well did ya hear about the midnight gambler?

Well honey it’s no rock-in’ roll show

Well I’m talking about the midnight gambler

The one you never seen before

Oh don’t do that, oh don’t do that, oh don’t do that

Don’t you do that, don’t you do that (repeat)

Oh don’t do that, oh don’t do that

Well you heard about the boston...

It’s not one of those

Well, talkin’ ’bout the midnight...sh...

The one that closed the bedroom door

I’m called the hit-and-run raper in anger

The knife-sharpened tippie-toe...

Or just the shoot ’em dead, brainbell jangler

You know, the one you never seen before

So if you ever meet the midnight rambler

Coming down your marble hall

Well he’s pouncing like proud black panther

Well, you can say i, I told you so

Well, don’t you listen for the midnight rambler

Play it easy, as you go

I’m gonna smash down all your plate glass windows

Put a fist, put a fist through your steel-plated door

Did you hear about the midnight rambler

He’ll leave his footprints up and down your hall

And did you hear about the midnight gambler

And did you see me make my midnight call

And if you ever catch the midnight rambler

I’ll steal your mistress from under your nose

I’ll go easy with your cold fanged anger

I’ll stick my knife right down your throat, baby

And it hurts!

intro to Midnight Rambler by the

Rolling Stones. This version is in standard tuning.

/ = slide up

Midnight Rambler(intro) - Rolling Stones

B A E E

----|----------------------------|------------------------|

----|---------------14-----------|------------------------|

----|---------------14--16-------|------------------------|

--8/|9---9---9--9---14--14-----9-|-9--9-11--9--9--9-11--8/| repeat

--8/|9---9--11 -9---12--12-----7-|-7--7--7--7--7--7--7--8/|

--6/|7---7---7--7---12--12-----7-|-7--7--7--7--7--7--7--6/|

& 1 2 3 4 & 1 2 3 4 &

[Moore Says He Has Footage Of Berg Interview]

Maybe I'm dense. This is to say America faked the video to respark outrage toward Muslims/Iraq?

that, apparently, is what they are trying to say....i don`t know what the kodak technicians are trying to say....draw your own conclusions.....it`s a battle for " hearts and minds ".

[Moore Says He Has Footage Of Berg Interview]

Michael Moore says he has obtained 20 minutes worth of footage where Nick Berg is interviewed by the people who captured him. He says the footage was not put in the beheading video they released on the internet.

Moore says: We are not releasing it to the media. It is not in the film. "We are dealing privately with the family." Neither Moore nor his representatives would describe the nature or contents of the interview with Berg, who held staunch pro-war views.

Source

it seems that the berg video may turn out to have been a fraud.....moore and the berg family are obviously now aware of this fact

"Today new pictures were released of prison torture at Abu Ghraib prison. But not just still pictures. Today video was released showing prisoners being tortured by Americans. Apparently Kodak film experts at Kodak Park in Rochester New York have compared the digital watermarks of the turture video and the beheading video and have determined that one of the cameras used in the Nick Berg beheading is THE SAME CAMERA that took the prison torture video."

http://vancouver.indymedia.org/news/2004/05/136833.php

http://aztlan.net/berg_abu_ghraib_video.htm

http://www.theangrytruth.com/postview_2564.asp

http://prisonplanet.tv/articles/may2004/05...lwatermarks.htm

http://www.prisonplanet.tv/articles/may200...suscivilian.htm

[where does everyone go?]

And who could forget this one

http://zeropaid.com/

Now that a lot of the problems have been solved, it's a good site again!!

i could.......some of the threads on zp last nite :

" I`m glad krell left "

" do you think that k-lite is a spammer? "

for god`s sake, the place is full of juvenile delinquents and anti-social morons...beatking has a much more adult-type, constructive, pleasant ambience and atmosphere......it`s good not to see unsuspecting posters torn to bits or abused with foul language when they have an opinion that doesn`t appear to tie in with the mainstream...on whatever subject!!!!

[Is Eric Clapton a god of his instrument?]

I admit he's always been a great guitar player but there are others that run rings around him.

ahem.....cough.....

[Stereolab dropped by label]

WMG head Lyor Cohen said, "Artists deserve a deep commitment from their labels.  "If that commitment doesn't exist, they should be given the freedom to pursue it elsewhere. The goal is to nurture artistic creativity and create successful careers."

Ok - but what if you dont recognize artistic excellence when it's sitting there right under your nose? Then what are you nurturing?

your corporate bank balance.......

[For RainbowDemon - Smoke on This]

Well, isn't it?

:wha':

yep...it`s fun....and if anybody knew that, freddie mercury did....he also knew that it was fun if you smoked pot at the same time as you drank large amounts of Vodka Stolichnaja... which was freddie`s favourite tipple....

However, Freddie loved drinking other tipples as well.......

Moët et Chandon, Krug, Crystal...

"She keeps Moët et Chandon

in her pretty cabinet..."

" It's really easy to get distracted by the flamboyant outfits, poofy disposition and savage buck teeth, but behind all the theatre that was Freddie Mercury, there existed an amazing vocalist. He had all the strength and range of an opera singer, but elected rock music instead. His diversity and intensity was a calling card. The horrifically overplayed (thanks, "Wayne's World") "Bohemian Rhapsody" encapsulates everything in one song. The individual examples like the searing "Seven Seas of Rhye," "Tie Your Mother Down" and "Stone Cold Crazy" are rock outs to the nth degree. But it was Mercury's novelty and tongue-in-cheek tunes like "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Bicycle Race" that really showcased his diversity. They don't make 'em like Mercury anymore. He is sorely missed along with ability to belt out songs and actually PERFORM them."

"And so we grace another table

And raise our glasses one more time

There's a face at the window

And I ain't never, never sayin' goodbye..."

[Rock Band Creed Breaks Up After 3 Albums]

thank god......

[Stones Bassist Gets Guitar Back]

ahhh.....those kiwis..as honest as the day is long.....rick sceats is very well known in the nz music community...nice thing for him to do...

" Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman lost a bass in New Zealand and has gotten in back 38 years after the fact. The Age of Melbourne, Australia, reports New Zealand musician Nick Sceats had the Vox bass for 15 years but never knew it was Wyman's. He had heard rumors about it, and it did say "Wyman Bass" on its head. Sceats had the guitar because a fellow musician gave it to him for payment for a recording session in the '80s. Sceats did some investigating and found out it really did belong to Wyman. The bass had been stolen when the Rolling Stones played in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1966. Sceats found Wyman through a fan site and told him about the bass. Wyman wrote back saying he was delighted to hear about his "long-lost but not forgotten" instrument. Considering Vox only made a few hundred of the Wyman Basses and this one was actually owned by Wyman, it's worth a lot of money, but Sceats sent it back to Wyman. "

________________________________________________

"How Bill Wyman got his bass back

By Tom Cardy

April 12, 2004

For more than 15 years, a teardrop-shaped guitar hung on the bedroom wall of New Zealand musician Nick Sceats.

Its strings had been replaced several times, there was a scratch on the back of its body and a couple of nicks on its sides, but it still sounded good.

But this was no ordinary bass. For years Sceats had heard stories from other musicians in Wellington about the guitar, but he had no idea if any were true.

The words "Wyman Bass" adorned its head. Guitar manufacturer Vox made a few hundred of the bass guitars in the 1960s and the story went that one had been endorsed by Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman.

Legend had it that the guitar had been stolen from Wyman when the Stones played in Wellington in 1966. Now, after some investigative work, a stunned Sceats has discovered the truth. Last week, a letter from Wyman confirmed the guitar really did belong to the millionaire rock musician. "I was so delighted to read your email regarding my long-lost, but not forgotten, Vox bass guitar," Wyman wrote.

"I just couldn't believe it had turned up and that you were trying to make contact to return it to me - my profound thanks to you."

With the guitar's history confirmed, it could be of considerable value. But Sceats air-freighted the bass back to Wyman on Thursday. He expects nothing in return.

"I'm just kind of doing the right thing in closing the loop," he said. "I don't see why he should pay for something that was stolen from him."

The guitar's previous owner, Shane Tibby, a member of the Wellington band The Bluetts along with Sceats, gave the instrument in lieu of cash to Sceats who was owed $NZ400 for a recording session in the 1980s.

Tibby had acquired it from a flatmate who owed him money. Tibby knew nothing of its history until he walked into a practice room and a drummer for The Bluetts, Tim Robinson, recognised it, saying: "Ah, you've got the Wyman bass then."

It had apparently changed hands several times when its owners were short of cash.

Most of the time it stayed in Wellington, but one story says it spent a brief interlude in Rotorua.

Sceats said: "I wondered, 'Is this really Bill Wyman's bass?' How do you get a hold of Bill Wyman?"

Sceats eventually discovered a Bill Wyman fan club on the internet and was able to contact the man himself.

The fact that Wyman could remember the bass did not surprise him. Wyman kept detailed diaries and is meticulous about dates.

" Keith Richards would never have remembered. "

[Patti Smith - Trampin']

my fav patti smith album...." horses "........nuff said...

[Original Black Sabbath Will Play at Ozzfest]

saw the original line-up live at the ngaruawahia music festival in nz in `73...i was 23 and on acid...it was very cool.....

1/7/73 Ngaruawahia Music Festival - Waikato River Ngaruawahia-New Zealand

Tune Up -> Intro, Tomorrow's Dream, Sweet Leaf, War Pigs, Snowblind, Iron Man, Changes, Cornucopia, Wicked World / Guitar Solo / Orchid / Guitar Solo II / Wicked World (reprise), Embryo / Children of the Grave / Closing Intro, Curtain Call / Paranoid,

Notes: This interesting audience recording from Sabbath’s January ’73 Australian tour was once quite sought after, since it was initially kept fairly rare by a small number of collectors. Only this recording and another uncirculated tape from Sydney (1/16/73) are able document this particular tour. But over the past year, the Ngaruawahia show has quickly seeped into wider circulation, as evidenced by a new Japanese bootleg (Going Through Changes) released on October 3, 2003 through Lost And Found Records.

" The main point of interest for both this and the Sydney show are the only known live recordings of “Changes” done by the original lineup. Tony Iommi played piano, as he did on the record, while Geezer Butler added some mellotron bits. Sabbath weren’t especially keen on the idea of performing “Changes” live, but made exception during the Aussie shows due to the popularity of that song down under. In retrospect, it’s rather cool to hear the band pushing their boundaries a bit by performing such a mellow piece, even if much of the crowd used it as an opportunity to chat!

"Changes" was later resurrected in November '95 for the last shows of the FORBIDDEN world tour (with a different lineup) and was played as the outro music for their 2001 U.S. tour (and at Graspop Fest in '98). Ozzy himself performed the song on his NO MORE TEARS tour, even recording it for LIVE AND LOUD.

While Ngaruawahia is a cool show to hear (especially with the raw version of "Cornucopia" featured in the show), don't expect anything as stunning as Asbury Park '75. At best, it's a very good audience recording with lots of amusing sounds from the crowd throughout. The original source tape played fast, but I believe there is now a speed corrected (and noise reduced) version out there as well. "

[Volunteer for America]

I'd vote for him.

Just kidding.

so would i....an excellent musican and an american rock icon...might make a good president. he could pick jack casady as his running mate and they could call it the " jorma and jack show "...this would tie in with their current tour schedule and would, therefore, be very good business and a great way to raise campaign funds as well........

All shows are Jorma & Jack, The Original Acoustic Hot Tuna

[Eric Clapton Guitars]

wow...i can practically hear the lead solos from here....

Question:

When and where did the phrase “Clapton is God” originate?

Answer:

The phrase “Clapton is God” originated during Clapton’s tenure with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (1964 / 1965) when Clapton first rose to prominence in the burgeoning British Blues scene. The phrase was spray painted on a wall in the Underground station in Islington in the mid-60s. Islington is one of the many boroughs of the greater London Area. The graffiti was captured in a now-famous photograph. Helped along by the photo, the legend grew. It is now commonly believed that graffiti proclaiming “Clapton is God” could be seen all over the walls of the London Underground system during the mid- to late-60s. This was definitely not the case.

[Introduction to Sean Paul]

lol you guyz rok!

people on this forum are so nice, i just wana give you all a hug.. pitty nealy all of you are in america and im on the gold coast australia.. :good job:

party hard guyz,

oh btw: i wonder if BF realizez i gots tha hots 4 him... hrmmm??

are you in oz...i`m in nz...used to live on the gold coast at miami and down at burleigh heads.....worked for the gold coast city council.....

[Introduction to Sean Paul]

lol, hey thanx kiwibank and shawn..and yes, its my boody.. but i kinda got my eye out for .::BeatFactory::., he's sum mitey fine dude.

thanx ne way mwa

wow...love on the airwaves...isn`t technology great!!!

[It was 37 years ago today]

just listening to hot tuna doing a song called " whining boy blues "....seems appropriate that sir peter blake is sent a copy..

[Introduction to Sean Paul]

hi xbrodie...nice avatar..

[Bush mounts Saddam's sidearm]

Oops, sorry............

JOKE ALREADY TAKEN KIWI!!!!!!!!!!

I shalt devour your pancreas for this.

oops...sorry ken...i guess that the joke`s on me

[Bush mounts Saddam's sidearm]

oops!! sorry...i thought the title of this thread was " bush mounts saddam ".....

[Oasis top best album poll]

you must be joking!!!!!!!

a highly overrated band.......

MEET Christian Wess, alias The Powderkeg — the American football-playing hulk who punched out Liam Gallagher’s two front teeth.

Christian, 6ft 5in and 19st, was enjoying a quiet night out with pals when they ran into Liam and the lads from Oasis on a drunken binge. When trouble flared loud-mouth Liam decided to throw a few punches. Unfortunately for him he threw one at Christian. In seconds he was flat on his back in the Munich nightclub, covered in blood and minus his gnashers.

A pal of Christian said: “He’s known as The Powderkeg because when he does blow he goes off like a volcano.” Gridiron linebacker Christian, 32, and Liam, 31, face charges over the brawl.

[Overrated or Underrated?]

overrated...oasis

underrated....ben harper`s guitar playing

[Allman Brothers Band]

allman brothers band and zakk wylde....listen to zakk`s lead breaks in :" whipping post " and " in memory of elizabeth reed ".........it`ll blow your mind....

http://zebro.everperfect.com/allman/players/addtl/zakk.html

[Which Reggae Band do you like?]

I was about to say Steel Pulse. Possibly the best. They play live in a few days here and I might check them out

sounds like it would be a good concert...

http://cambodia.e-files.dk/sphist.html

[Which Reggae Band do you like?]

steel pulse... i like my reggae to have a clear political and social message....

Probably the UK's most highly-regarded roots reggae outfit, Steel Pulse originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, Birmingham, and comprised David Hinds (lead vocals, guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar, vocals) and Ronnie McQueen (bass).

However, it is Hinds who, as songwriter, has always been the engine behind Steel Pulse, from their early days establishing themselves in the Birmingham club scene onwards. Formed in 1975, their debut release, 'Kibudu, Mansetta And Abuku" arrived on the small independent label Dip, and linked the plight of urban black youth with the image of a greater African homeland. They followed it with 'Nyah Love' for Anchor.

Surprisingly, they were initially refused live dates in Caribbean venues in the Midlands because of their Rastafarian beliefs. Aligning themselves closely with the Rock Against Racism 1 organisation, they chose to tour instead with sympathetic elements of the punk movement, including the Stranglers, XTC etc.: "Punks had a way of enjoying themselves - throw hordes at you, beer, spit at you, that kind of thing".

Eventually they found a more natural home in support slots for Burning Spear, which brought them to the attention of Island Records. Their first release for Island was the 'Ku Klux Klan' 45 rpm, a considered tilt at the evils of racism, and one often accompanied by a visual parody of the sect on stage.

By this time their ranks had swelled to include Selwyn 'Bumbo' Brown (keyboards), Steve 'Grizzly' Nesbitt (drums), Fonso Martin (vocals, percussion) and Michael Riley (vocals). Handsworth Revolution was an accomplished long playing debut and one of the major landmarks in the evolution of British reggae.

However, despite critical and moderate commercial success over three albums, the relationship with Island had soured by the advent of Caught You (released in the US as Reggae Fever). They switched to Elektra, and unveiled their most consistent collection of songs since their debut with True Democracy, distinguished by the Garveyeulogising 'Rally Around' cut.

A further definitive set arrived in Earth Crisis. Unfortunately, Elektra chose to take a leaf out of Island's book in trying to coerce Steel Pulse into a more mainstream vein, asking them to emulate the pop-reggae stance of Eddy Grant. Babylon Bandit was consequently weakened, but did contain the anthemic 'Not King james Version', which was a powerful indictment on the omission of black people and history from certain versions of the Bible.

Their next move was id Hinds of Steel Pulse to MCA for State Of Emergency, which retained some of the synthesized dance elements of its predecessor. Though it was a significantly happier compromise, it still paled before any of their earlier albums.

Rastafari Centennial was recorded live at the Elysee Montmarte in Paris, and dedicated to the hundred year anniversary of the birth of Haile Selassie. It was the first recording since the defection of Fonso Martin, leaving the trio of David Hinds, Steve Nisbett and Selwyn Brown.

While they still faced inverted snobbery at the hands of British reggae fans, in America their reputation was growing, becoming the first ever reggae band to appear on the Tonight television show. Their profile was raised further when, in 1992, Hinds challenged the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission in the Supreme High Court, asserting that their cab drivers discriminated against black people in general and Rastas in particular.

Reggae Greats (Island, 1984)

Steel Pulse is possibly the best -- and certainly one of the most popular -- reggae act to come out of England. Their style is accessible to both reggae purists and mainstream listeners, allowing them to win a Grammy for best reggae album in 1986 (for Babylon the Bandit). A typically concise Reggae Greats collection, this one groups together 10 tracks from Steel Pulse's first 3 albums. It is a tribute to the greatness of their Handsworth Revolution album that half of the tracks come from this debut set. Of these five, four are the cream of the crop of this compilation. "Soldiers," a wonderful tribute to their African heritage, featuring the inspired line, "Give I back I witch doctor." The classic "Ku Klux Klan" skillfully comines a playful, parable-like tone with dead-serious subject matter. "Macka Splaff" (AKA "Macka Spliff") meanwhile is pure fun throughout, a party jam that will get you "feeling high, high, high." The group's signature tune here, though, is "Handsworth Revolution," a well-written song featuring a slightly Latin-esque rhythm and a superbly meandering structure that is simply one of the best reggae songs of all time......