Steel Pulse
are a roots reggae musical band. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, in Birmingham, England, composed of David Hinds (lead vocals, guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar, vocals), and Ronald McQueen (bass). Hinds, as songwriter, has always been the engine behind Steel Pulse, from their early days establishing themselves in the Birmingham club scene onwards.Originally produced by Pete King
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STEEL PULSE TICKETS
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History
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 organisation and featuring in its first music festival in the spring of 1978, they chose to tour 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, 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' Nisbett (drums),
Alphonso Martin (vocals, percussion) and
Mykaell Riley (vocals).
Handsworth Revolution
was an accomplished long playing debut and one of the major landmarks in the evolution of
British Reggae(Executive Producer Pete King). However, despite critical and moderate commercial success over three albums, the relationship with
Island Records had soured by the advent of Caught You (released in the US as Reggae Fever).
Tom Terrell, who would later serve as their manager, was instrumental in masterminding the U.S. premiere of Steel Pulse on the night of
Bob Marley's funeral, which was broadcast live around the world from the
9:30 Club, 930 F Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. on
May 21,
1981.
They switched to
Elektra Records, and unveiled their most consistent collection of songs since their debut with
True Democracy
, distinguished by the Garvey-eulogising 'Rally Round' 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 The 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 of 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.
Centennial
was recorded live at the
Elysee Montmartre in
Paris, and dedicated to the hundred year anniversary of the birth of
Haile Selassie. It was the first recording since the defection of
Alphonso Martin, leaving the trio of Hinds, Nisbett and Selwyn. While they still faced stern criticism at the hands of
British Reggae fans, in the
United States 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 City Taxi & Limousine Commission in the
Supreme Court, asserting that their cab drivers discriminated against black people in general and Rastafarians in particular.
The Steel Pulse message of hope, education and activism has struck a chord with music lovers worldwide. Their international success has resulted in a
Grammy award for their 1986 classic
Babylon The Bandit
, and nominations for subsequent albums
Victims
(1991) and
Rastafari Centennial
(1992). In 1989, the group contributed
I Can't Stand it
to the soundtrack of
Spike Lee's film
Do The Right Thing
.
In 1994, the group headlined some of the world's biggest
reggae festivals including
Reggae Sunsplash USA,
Jamaican Sunsplash,
Japan Splash and
Northern California annual Reggae on the River Festival. In 1986, Steel Pulse contributed an ethereal version of
Franklin's Tower
on Pow Wow Records'
Fire on the Mountain: Reggae Celebrates the Grateful Dead
compilation. They recently covered
The Police's
Can't Stand Losing You
for a reggae compilation of Police tunes that will appear on the Ark 21 label. The band is particularly proud of "Rastanthology," a 17-song collection of Steel Pulse classics (the 1996 compilation was released on the band's own Wise Man Doctrine label).
"We're not here to start a physical revolution, we're just here to open everybody's eyes and let them check themselves and continue in a very educational mode to change things on that tip", Hinds explains. "We're losing ourselves and I think it's very important for us to realize that. Too many of our youths have been lost to
drugs, or by the
gun, or not having the education needed to persevere and move in an upward direction. I think RAGE & FURY will contribute to their enlightenment."
In 2007, The band released their music video for 'Door Of No Return', a track taken from their latest studio album "African Holocaust", which explores themes of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Shot on location in Senegal and New York City by Driftwood Pictures Ltd.
Steel Pulse played Friday night on the Jazz World Stage at the 2009
Glastonbury Festival.
Steel Pulse are collaborating with Driftwood Pictures to create a definitive feature length documentary on the band's thirty year history. The film is due to launch in early 2010.
Discography
Studio albums
- Handsworth Revolution
(1978)
- Tribute to the Martyrs
(1979)
- Caught You
(1980)
- True Democracy
(1982)
- Earth Crisis
(1984)
- Babylon the Bandit
(1986) Grammy Award Winner - Best Reggae Band
- State of Emergency
(1988)
- Victims
(1991)
- Vex
(1994)
- Rage and Fury
(1997)
- African Holocaust
(2004)
Live album
- Rastafari Centennial - Live In Paris (Elysee Montmartre)
(1992)
- Living Legacy
(1998)
Compilations
- Short Circuit - Live at the Electric Circus
(1977) (one track - Makka Splaff)
- Urgh! A Music War
(1981)
- Reggae Greats
(1984)
- Smash Hits
(1993)
- Rastanthology
(1996)
- Sound System: The Island Anthology
(1997)
- Ultimate Collection
(2000)
- 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Steel Pulse
(2004)