Handsworth Revolution

Steel Pulse: David Hinds (vocals, guitar); Basil Gabbidon (guitar, vocals), Selwyn Brown (keyboards, vocals, percussion); Ronnie McQueen (bass, percussion); Steve Nisbett (drums); Alphonso Martin, Michael Riley (vocals, percussion). Producers: Karl Pitterson, Karl Pitterson, Godwin Logie, Steve Lillywhite. British reggae has always been a bit more polished than that of its Jamaican cousins. The recording studios might be more sophisticated; or perhaps the British music scene is less chaotic; then again, maybe British listeners just have different tastes in music. In any event, you can hear the contrast most clearly on the 70's recordings of reggae's most famous artists, Bob Marley & The Wailers: the music is impeccably arranged, less bass-heavy and more cleanly produced. The Wailers influence filtered down in England, and eventually crept into late period acts such as Steel Pulse. The first Steel Pulse album, HANDSWORTH REVOLUTION, was released in 1978, and is constructed along the lines of such Marley masterpieces as CATCH A FIRE and BURNING. Terse, lyrical declarations of dread politics and Rastafarian beliefs are given a lush harmonic treatment over reggae riddims as tight as a burra drum. Singer/songwriter David Hinds wraps his melodious hooks around phrases like "Doesn't justice stand for all?" ("Handsworth Revolution") and "Give I back I witch doctor, give I back I black ruler" ("Soldiers"), giving a clarion voice to the struggle of the black underclass in England. And while "Ku Klux Klan" stands as one of the definitive send-ups of racist sentiments, Steel Pulse's other songs belie their political intensity, and provide a lyrical, celebratory contrast. Thus you have "Soundcheck," which praises Jah and music (in that order), and "Macka Splaff," a piquant ode to Ganja. HANDSWORTH REVOLUTION is such a beautifully realized album, it renders debates about the relative merits of differing reggae styles irrelevant.