The Selecter

The Selecter formed in 1979 just as the Ska revival kicked in and like most bands of that genre they were a multicultural band. They also had the unusual feature that the lead singer was female in a very strong male orientated movement but Pauline Black was a strong character.

The name of the band is based on the Jamaican term for a DJ who selects records and the band was one of the most successful Ska bands during that period. The band was initially set up by Noel Davies and John Bradbury (who would later join The Specials) along with Barry Jones recorded some instrumental work and the result was the song The Selecter which was the flip side on the first 2 tone single Gangsters. The song reached number 6 in the UK single charts and this gave them the exposure they needed.

The band expanded after that and members included Des Brown and Charley Anderson and a young Pauline Black was offered the chance to lead the band. The band quickly got to work and three singles followed suit. They included the classic 'on my radio' which peaked at number 8 and this was followed by 'three minute hero' which stalled at 16 and 'missing words' which reached 23 in the singles charts.

Following the single success an album was inevitable and the release of 'too much pressure' was a classic success.  The album was released in 1980 and had the classic Rude Boy on the cover feeling the pressure. The album reached number 5 in the UK album charts and featured all the singles released. The album also featured a Ska version of the James Bond Theme.

The band had now received national recognition but before they could expand the success Brown and Anderson left the band to form The People and were subsequently replaced. They went to work on the second album which was titled 'celebrate the bullet' and the album was not as successful as the first and only reached 41 in the album charts. It featured the singles 'the whisper' and 'celebrate the bullet' which again were not as successful as the first singles they released. The album also featured an old Ethiopians tune 'train to skaville'. At this time they had left 2 Tone and released the album on  Chrysalis Records.

By this time Pauline black had left the band to pursue a solo career and replacement Stan Campbell (who would later front The Specials on Free Nelson Mandela) the band called it a day. Pauline went on to be a big name on TV and film and Noel Davies set up his own recording studio and continues to play Ska even up to the present day.