Label:
EMI Gold – 7243 8 52025 2 0, EMI Gold – 852 0252, EMI Gold – CD GOLD 1034
Series:
The Gold Collection – CD GOLD 1034
Format:

CD, Compilation
Country:
Europe
Released:
1996
Genre:
Rock
Style:
Ska
1 Three Minute Hero
Written-By – Noel Davies*
3:03
2 Too Much Pressure 3:50
3 Celebrate The Bullet 3:07
4 Bomb Scare 3:05
5 Deep Water 4:07
6 Time Hard
Written-By – Agard*, Jackie Robinson (2), Crooks*
3:04
7 They Make Me Mad
Written-By – Pauline Black
2:49
8 Bristol And Miami 4:44
9 Missing Words
Written-By – Noel Davies*
3:22
10 James Bond
Written-By – Norman*
2:18
11 On My Radio
Written-By – Noel Davies*
3:08
12 The Whisper 3:00
13 Carry Go Bring Home
Written-By – J. Hinds*
2:57
14 Murder
Written-By – Leon*, Owen*
2:41
15 Washed Up And Left For Dead 3:56
16 Last Tango In Dub 4:21

   Phonographic Copyright ℗ – EMI Records Ltd.
   Copyright © – EMI Records Ltd.
   Marketed By – EMI
   Distributed By – EMI
   Published By – Fairwood Music Ltd.
   Published By – EMI United Partnership Ltd.
   Published By – Island Music Ltd.
   Published By – Copyright Control
   Glass Mastered At – EMI Swindon
   Pressed By – EMI Uden

   Artwork, Design – P. Linard Marketing And Advertising Ltd
   Liner Notes – Chris White (15)
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The Selecter is 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 vocals, Neol Davies and Compton Amanor on guitar, Desmond Brown on Hammond organ, Charley 'Aitch' Bembridge on drums, and Charley Anderson on bass. The band's name comes from the original "The Selecter" track, which appeared on the flip side of The Special AKA's "Gangsters" single in 1979, and was written by Neol Davies and John Bradbury, produced by Roger Lomas and featured Barry Jones on trombone.

The band were one of the most successful ska bands of the 2 tone era, notching up several top forty singles in the UK Singles Chart. Having co-released the first 2 tone ska single with the Specials, they were one of the founding acts of the movement. Though influential, the original lineup only remained together for a year, and even with replacement players the band continued until breaking up in 1981.

The Selecter reformed in 1991 with original members Neol Davies and Pauline Black, along with Bad Manners members Martin Stewart, Nick Welsh and Perry Melius. Davies left the band in 1993, but lead vocalist Black continued to perform and release music under the Selecter name until 2006.

By 2011, another version of the band featuring Neol Davies was touring separately. In June 2011 Black applied for, and won, the Selecter trademark and the right to use the name herself.[1] The reformed, Pauline Black-led line-up still tours and releases albums under the Selecter name, most recently releasing Human Algebra, the band's 16th studio album, in 2022.
History

In 1977, Neol Davies and John Bradbury (who later became a member of the Specials), with the trombone player Barry Jones, recorded a track in a recording session in 1977–78 that resulted in "Kingston Affair", which was produced by Coventry producer Roger Lomas. It was initially credited to 'The Selecters' and although the record was touted around the industry, there were no takers and it remained on the shelf until 1979, when it was released as "The Selecter" as a double a-side with the Special AKA's recording "Gangsters", the first 2 Tone Records single.[2] It was released in March 1979, reaching 6 in the UK Singles Chart.[3] The track was written by Davies and Bradbury.

After the success of the single, Davies put a band together to capitalise on the success of the single. He had recently been playing in Transposed Men with keyboard player Desmond Brown and Brown joined the band, along with bass player Charley Anderson, guitarist Compton Amanor, drummer Aitch Bembridge and vocalist Gaps Hendrickson. All the musicians had played on the local scene in Coventry for a number of years with bands such as The Ray King Soul Band, Hard Top 22 and others. The seven piece line-up for the original band was completed when Pauline Black was spotted by Davies. Davies offered Pauline an audition with the Selecter – she joined along with other members in July 1979.[4]

The new band released the singles "On My Radio", "Three Minute Hero" and "Missing Words", written by Davies. The Selecter's debut studio album, Too Much Pressure, was recorded at the end of 1979 and beginning of the new year, and was released in February 1980 by 2 Tone Records and Chrysalis Records. Anderson and Brown left the Selecter in 1980 to form the People.[4] Their replacements were James Mackie and Adam Williams.[4] Their second studio album, Celebrate the Bullet was released in February 1981 and the title track has a music video that aired on MTV's first day of broadcast[citation needed], before Black left the band to pursue a solo career. A short time after, unsuccessfully having tried Stan Campbell as the singer, the rest of the members disbanded. The Selecter were featured in the 2 Tone film documentary and on the live compilation album Dance Craze (1981).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Selecter