(2021) The Selecter - Too Much Pressure [Deluxe Edition]


Review:
Of the many bands that charged out of the gate after the Specials launched the British Ska Revival in 1979, the Selecter were one of the strongest, and one that had a musical mind of their own. Though the Specials’ hot-rodded take on the vintage Jamaican sound was a clear influence, the deeper grooves of roots reggae were a significant part of their formula, and with lead vocalist Pauline Black, their music had a subtle but clear feminist undertow that was a welcome alternative to the boy’s club perspective of their peers. Like many of their fellow 2 Tone groups, the Selecter’s initial run was short, resulting in just two albums (though they would have a long and productive life after reuniting in the ’90s); however, their debut, 1980’s Too Much Pressure, was one of the best LPs to arrive in the wake of the Specials’s breakthrough. The vocal interplay between Pauline Black and Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson was inspired, with the rougher, more aggressive tone of his voice adding ballast to Black’s more flexible instrument, and the group’s political broadsides were more effective for their unified report. Songs like “Three Minute Hero,” “They Make Me Mad,” “Murder” and the title cut are taut, nervy, and pack a welcome punch. Elsewhere, the dubwise reworking of “James Bond” splits the difference between Jamaican ska and early reggae and works on both levels, and “My Collie (Not a Dog)” is an amusing homage to recreational marijuana use. Bassist Charley Anderson and drummer Charley “H” Bembridge were a potent rhythm section who could gracefully turn on a dime, Desmond Brown’s keyboards add abundant color and texture to the arrangements, and the guitar work from Neol Davies and Compton Amanor is sharp and concise. The Selecter never won the larger audience that the Specials, Madness, or the (English) Beat would command, but Too Much Pressure confirms it was never because they lacked the talent, and this remains one of the most satisfying LPs from the first salvo of British ska.





Tracklist:
Disc 1
01 - Three Minute Hero
02 - Everyday
03 - They Make Me Mad
04 - Missing Words
05 - Danger
06 - Street Feeling
07 - My Collie (Not a Dog)
08 - Too Much Pressure
09 - Murder
10 - Out On the Streets
11 - Carry Go Bring Come
12 - Black and Blue
13 - James Bond

Disc 2
01 - The Selecter
02 - On My Radio
03 - Too Much Pressure (B-Side Version)
04 - Street Feeling (Early Version)
05 - They Make Me Mad (John Peel Session, 9/10/79)
06 - Carry Go Bring Home (John Peel Session, 9/10/79)
07 - Danger (John Peel Session, 9/10/79)
08 - Street Feeling (John Peel Session, 9/10/79)
09 - Three Minute Hero (Alt Version)
10 - Missing Words (Single Version)
11 - Carry Go Bring Come (Live at Tiffany's / B Side)
12 - A Live Injection / Mony Mony / Too Much Pressure (Soundcheck)
13 - The Whisper
14 - Train to Skaville
15 - Cool Blue Lady (Early Version)
16 - Train to Skaville (Extended Version)
17 - On My Radio (Ready Mix Radio)

Disc 3
01 - Out On the Streets (Live at Tiffany's, Coventry, 29/11/79)
02 - Out On the Streets (Live at Tiffany's, Coventry, 29/11/79)
03 - James Bond (Live at Tiffany's, Coventry, 29/11/79)
04 - Sweet Collie (Live at Tiffany's, Coventry, 29/11/79)
05 - Street Feeling (Live at Tiffany's, Coventry, 29/11/79)
06 - Everyday (Live at Tiffany's, Coventry, 29/11/79)
07 - The Selecter (Live at Tiffany's, Coventry, 29/11/79)
08 - Danger (Live at Tiffany's, Coventry, 29/11/79)
09 - They Make Me Mad (Live at Tiffany's, Coventry, 29/11/79)
10 - Carry Go Bring Come (Live at Tiffany's, Coventry, 29/11/79)
11 - On My Radio (Live at Tiffany's, Coventry, 29/11/79)
12 - A Live Injection / Too Much Pressure (Live at Tiffany's, Coventry, 29/11/79)
13 - Three Minute Hero (Live in Hemel Hempstead, 28/2/80)
14 - Black and Blue (Live in Hemel Hempstead, 28/2/80)
15 - Missing Words (Live in Hemel Hempstead, 28/2/80)
16 - Train to Skaville (Live in Hemel Hempstead, 28/2/80)


Media Report:
Genre: new wave, ska
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits