Another nice looking flyer. They look even better up on the big, bright screen. If I keep on thinking “I’ll put some of these up on me walls” , I’ll have to move to a bigger flat! I went to Saxon at The Russell one time; they were a big deal; I wouldn’t know/couldn’t see who was on the mike but Smiley Culture & Maxi Priest may well have been there; early outing for the young Sound. They were a phenomenon really; brand new style, originators and home grown; sending the creative flow back to J.A. for a change. It was really the pace and the references of chats that set them apart. “Mi God Mi King”;the 12” on the Level Vibes label, with the versions, is still an almighty track and set a benchmark to this day. Daddy Freddy was quicker as he proved on “Record Breaker” but that was more for the sake of it ,rather than content. (Incidentally Roy Castle used to pop into The White Horse in Hulme on occasion, for a swift ‘alf...The Zion Building next door ,besides being used for The Halle’ Orchestra to rehearse their bangin’ new choons , was also used for filming I think.....Oh yeah and the building was used in the film “Reds “ with Warren Beatty . Also I do recall the Socialist Worker’s Party representative for Moss Side, the one, the only, Vanessa Redgrave of thespian royalty fame, turning up in The Moss Side Centre one afternoon and pretty much getting ignored/heckled off....worra joke! ....N.B. all of the above bits are true, except for all of the above bits that aren’t....
Soooo, yeah ...Aswad did a particular track with Dennis Brown called “The Promised Land” round the same time, and that also registered big in the British innovative stakes, although I thought “your Love’s Gotta Hold On Me “ was a better track.......ooh I’m quite the music critic all of a sudden...
Another visiting Sound at an earlier time was ,I think Fatman Hi Fi , and I’m probably mixing it up, but Raymond Napthali and Roy Ranking were also on the line up. They’d had a track called “New Cross Fire” ,a highly charged ,scathing attack on that particular event , for anyone who might recall it; b/w. “Brixton Incident” about that and the whole Summer of riots throughout the U.K. in ’81. There was also another in a similar vein “Bristol Incident” by Lion Youth and of course, “Dem A Sus” by true locals Harlem Spirit; total Manchester classic for the time...”on my way out to the front, just passed The Russell....” eeh it were grand....
And as squirrels are wont to say...that’s it in a nutshell....