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The Selecter
Too Much Pressure [Bonus Tracks]
Release Date: 2002
Label: Captain Mod

They had a hit before the group had even formed, when the Selecter's eponymous song was paired with the Specials' "Gangsters" on the 2 Tone label's single. The double A-sided disc shot its way straight into the U.K. Top Five, at which point guitarist Neol Davies decided it was time to get his own band rather than relying on the Specials to back him. Within a few months, the Selecter was a reality and celebrated with another ride into the Top Ten with "On My Radio." "Three Minute Hero" hit in the new year, followed by Too Much Pressure shouldering its way to number five in the album chart. "Missing Words" would be spun off into the singles charts a few weeks later. Although their eponymous debut was omitted, the other hits were all here, along with their B-sides, "Too Much Pressure" and "James Bond," respectively, as well as a studio version of "Carry Go Bring Come." The band could easily have released another three or four tracks on 45, so strong is this set, although at this point, other than live material, there was little left over for B-sides. Of all the 2 Tone bands, the Selecter was the most Jamaican in sound, perhaps because two of the band's members actually hailed from that island. Taking the frenetic energy of ska, the rich sense of melodies from rocksteady, and the exuberant riffing of reggae, the Selecter decanted all three into their own sound, then added fiery guitar leads to give it a British flair. It's particularly noticeable on their cover of "Carry Go," which captures much of the power and flavor of Justin Hinds' original, with Pauline Black and Arthur "Gaps" Hendrickson just as vehement in their condemnations. Black is strongest when she has lyrics to get her teeth into, the more vehement the better, as on "Hero," "Pressure," the times-so-hard "Everyday," and the angry "They Make Me Mad." Yet the Selecter had a sense of humor, as they proved with the ska-ified "James Bond" and the ode to "My Collie (Not a Dog)," as if there were any doubts. The album's energy never flags, the arrangements are incredibly sharp, and the group, buttressed by a trio of guesting brassmen, rips as heartily into the more melodious numbers as the all-out skankers. The durability of this set is evident by how swiftly the group revived many of the numbers upon re-formation. A record that defined its time, but has proved to be a timeless classic. Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide

Tracks:

	Title	Composer	Time
1	Three Minute Hero	Davies
2	Everyday (Time Hard)	Harding, Petty
3	They Make Me Mad	Brown, Black
4	Missing Words	Davies
5	Street Feeling	Davies
6	My Collie (Not a Dog)
7	Too Much Pressure	Davies
8	Murder	Owen
9	Out on the Streets	Davies
10	Carry Go Bring Come	Charms [R&B]
11	Black and Blue	Black
12	James Bond	Norman, Norman
13	Selecter	Bradbury, Davies
14	On My Radio	Davies
15	Too Much Pressure [Single Version]