Following on from the Lynval Golding interview, Reynalds Clay has tracked down another 2 Tone folk-hero to grace the Rockers Revolt pages, the one and only, Mr.Neol Davies.

As founder, lead guitarist and chief songwriter of The Selecter, Neol carved out a piece of British musical history for himself.  From providing the flip side to The Specials debut ‘Gangsters’, the sublime Selecter instrumental, before The Selecter even existed as a band, to writing the classic hits ‘3 Minute Hero’ and ‘Missing Words’ he helped create the now legendary 2 Tone sound and way of life for millions.

Greetings Neol, so can we start at the beginning… Where did your musical career all start?

I received the twang when I was about 8 via the home service and the light programme, early versions of BBC Radio 1-2-3-4.  Hank Marvin imprinted the use of the tremolo arm and he also had sharp suits.  I’ve loved pop music since, in the sense that Nick Lowe defined…..”pure pop for now people”.  My older brother Leon bought my first guitar, which I still have, when I was 9.  I had worked out how to play it in my mind before I had touched a guitar but, I had worked it out the wrong way and, a little put off, didn’t pick it up for 2 years.  

It was an early musical baptism for you?

Yes, I was 11 when I started to work it out “properly”, in my own way and with the company of 3 friends who lived in the locale. I was fortunate to hear Howling Wolf, Peter Green, Freddie King at an early point and found a way of feeling and expressing feeling with a guitar, which was impossible for me to do in any other way at that time.

 

What inspired you to start songwriting?

I was getting to be a player by my teens and I had some riffs of my own but lyrics…… I think I was about 23 when I became determined to be able to write songs, all of the music I had heard inspired that process but it was the feeling of wanting to be more than a guitar player that spurred me on. I always wanted to get my living from music because having to spend my whole life in a factory or office filled me with dread, so that made me work at it!  Elvis Costello demonstrated a new approach which I tuned into.

 

When did you start performing with bands?

The first band was a school band with an Asian lad whose name escapes me on drums, he was very good, played like Ringo Starr as I recall.  An Australian lad who had a Fender bass and a Farfisa organ which was played by another lad whose mother forced him to play piano in that misguided way parents do to the point that he hated it, but he enjoyed the Farfisa.   Our first performance was a school assembly, nearly 1500 pupils at the school then and we went down well!!   When we left school we had a different drummer and a singer and played pub gigs with a blues/Cream/Hendrix set. I had a 100 watt stack and was very loud and then, as the months passed, got recruited into Coventry’s Pink Floyd……..Asgard

 

With both The Specials and The Selecter hailing from Coventry were you working with any of those band members prior to 2 Tone?

There is a photo on my site [www.neoldavies.net] from the early 70s showing Silverton Hutchinson [first Specials drummer], Desmond Brown, Charlie Anderson, Gaps Hendrickson [all 3 future Selecter members] and myself playing a gig on the back of a truck in Coventry, in a band called Chapter 5.  I played with Brad, Lynval, Jerry [all future Specials] and Aitch [Selecter] in various bands.  And I knew Roddy and Neville [both Specials].  The whole idea about what was achieved later with 2Tone Records had it’s roots in these previous relationships.  When I formed  The Selecter, most of the original line up were from a roots reggae band called Hard Top 22.  Desmond was in the band I had before The Selecter, which Brad left to join The Specials, and so he already knew the songs.  That line up played what went onto be Selecter songs; ‘On My Radio’, ‘Street Feeling’, ‘Missing Words’, Washed Up and Left For Dead’ and others.

 

You pretty much had the band in place.  How did you find such an iconic front person in Pauline Black?

Pauline was introduced to me by Lynval I think and as soon as she sang in the rehearsal room we used to use it was obvious she was the singer to sing those songs. it came alive very quickly once all 7 of us played

 

2 Tone was a collective, with The Specials and Selecter being directors?  It seems there were too many people to actually make that work.  How did it work or didn’t it?

It worked and then it didn’t work….no formal arrangements were ever made, there wasn’t time.  Things were talked about and other things happened and although 2Tone didn’t come out of thin air, once the first single Gangsters vs The Selecter came out events began to race along increasingly out of, seemingly, anybody’s control.  That was the nature of it, it was inhabited by many people very quickly, not only in this country but many others too.  It is regrettable that it couldn’t become more long lasting and tangible as a recording company, but nobody is to blame for that, 2Tone existed as it was and it was an amazing time and experience.

 

Did you bring any bands to the label?

The Beat and The Bodysnatchers

 

The Beat had an unique sound going on.  How did you find them?

We had an agent in Birmingham called Oak Agency, run by John Mostyn, and he booked most of The Selecter’s early gigs, around Aug/Sept’79.  Charley Anderson and myself did all the gig money business and were visiting John’s office when he suggested The Beat as a support band for the next gig….what a great name for a band I said.  At the gig I remember standing by the mixing desk with Aitch.  The Beat started playing and we turned to each other and it was obvious that they should be offered a 2tone single under The Specials’ unique record deal……and so the matter was brought to the attention of Jerry Dammers, often called other names, but I know him as Jerry from the years before he cleverly dreamed up 2tone.  

 

And The Bodysnatchers?

The Bodysnatchers I’m not so clear about, it was later in the history and events in general became more and more complex.  I remember being at their gig in London with Pauline and again instantly thinking they should “be on 2Tone” but how we heard about them is…….!  Never mind, they got free flightcases and a tour they’ll not forget!!

 

From all the 2 Tone catalogue what were your favourite tracks?

I don’t tend to think in terms of favourites really, about 2Tone anyway, when you are so involved in making the music you get to hear it over and over…..and when you are on tour with The Specials and Madness you get to hear it over an….ok if I’m pressed I would have to say Gangsters vs The Selecter.  It still sounds as good as it did then.

 

The Selecter toured heavily in a short period of time.  Any fond memories?  Any bands you toured with stand out?

Our American tour was very memorable, it was very long with no flying, all road trips.  There were six weeks planned but an extra 8 nights playing 2 shows a night were added at the end to make up for 2 missed nights at the Whisky-A-Go-Go in Los Angeles at the beginning of the tour, Charley A hurt his back and we used the 3 day drive to New Orleans for him to recover.  Geno Washington supported one of these times and The Inkspots another.  It was a drive across America, fantastic experience and we had a great reception from everywhere we played.

 

What were your highlights from that period?

Playing to 20,000 people in Rome as specials guests of Talking Heads, gigging with and getting to know Ian Dury and the Blockheads and Blondie were all good, but the most exciting memory is still John Peel playing ‘The Selecter’ the first time…..he announced it as by The Specials so I phoned him there and then, spoke to him between records and explained it was by The Selecter, me in other words, this was some time before the band was formed. 

 

Several members left The Selecter before the second album.  What was the background to that?

Pain and torment.

 

Why did the Selecter leave 2 Tone for the second album?

2Tone ceased to be something The Selecter, as a band, felt increasingly unable to contribute to.  So, we put our energy into ourselves and tried to survive the changes.

 

‘Celebrate The Bullet’ was quite a departure from Too Much Pressure.  Was that a deliberate move?

I felt it made a connection back to my original Selecter instrumental, the guitar and drum parts especially.  It was more musically ambitious than some of the early tracks and that was intentional.  When you get the chance you want to move forward and create something that is better than before, that’s just what you do, unless you want to do the same thing over.  I felt it was a valid comment on our shared fascination with guns and violence in the culture, and by it’s nature and context was anti gun……Mike Read, the self appointed arbiter of the nation’s taste at Radio 1 at the time decided to ban it, the meaning being a little difficult for him to understand no doubt, besides he wanted us to hear his own fantastic songs….”it’s just the same old show”.  So the single was released, received top reviews and then no airplay at all.  The band could not recover from this because of the huge effort making the album, the line up changing the day before we were booked in the studio….and touring.  And then no sales to keep things moving.  Pauline left to a solo deal at the record company, who then dropped our contract.  The end.  That part wasn’t deliberate!

 

I never made the connection between the songs The Selecter and Celebrate The Bullet, but now you say it I wonder how I ever missed it!  So it wasn’t such a radical departure after all!  It’s a real shame that the label didn’t stick with you.  I would of loved to seen The Selecter develop onto a 3rd album and more.  Given the opportunity what do you think would of been next?

Just to keep writing more songs and ideas I guess, which is what I’ve tried to do ever since and see what developed.  It was a shame that the original line up couldn’t have stayed together and worked it out.  Desmond and myself had spent a lot of time on some of the 2nd album songs and we could’ve kept on going for many albums but the line up fractured and couldn’t recover.  The songs seem to have threads that connect even though the performance styles can make you think they don’t.  I was intrigued by the tango rhythms and riffs and they mixed well with reggae.  There would probably be more guitar too, that was a liitle restrained in deference to the song/vocal,  and I had more instrumentals as well……I think I wanted the band to develop the music rather than reinvent it or make a shift but there was a lot of pressure to do just that “to keep up”

 

You briefly reformed The Selecter with Pauline Black and toured in the 90s.  How was that?

I would prefer not to dignify this issue by replying. I hope my feelings can be understood, but have no expectation that they should be, in that many fans must have enjoyed what happened.

 

What have you been doing since then?  I believe you had your own studio for a bit?  

In the early 90’s I formed an 8 piece instrumental ska band called….. “Selecter Instrumental” which played a set of my own original tracks and my original arrangements of the film themes ‘A Touch Of Evil, ‘Lawrence Of Arabia’, ‘Exodus’, ‘Wonderful Land’ by The Shadows and a couple of Skatalites/Don Drummond classics.   And ‘James Bond’ of course.  I’ve always played various blues gigs along the way.  I started a regular monthly blues and reggae night with Lynval at The Rose in Coventry, which had a great 5 piece blues house band and had various other reggae and blues bands coming in to headline the evening.

In about 1997 I met up with Horace  Panter [Specials bassman] and Anthony Harty [from Special Beat, Style Council, Bad Finger] one night at a open jam session and very quickly became “Box of Blues”.  We made an album of the same name and played many many blues pubs and festivals until it just stopped, as bands do.  That overlapped me having my studio in Chiswick where I recorded my next album “Future Swamp” which Horace was also a big part of.

 

More recently you guested with our very own Pama Intl.  How did that come about?

Last year, I’ve was playing in other bands, which I have enjoyed tremendously, meeting some great musicians and fantastic audiences……. thanks………. Lynval couldn’t play several gigs with Pama and recommended me to Sean Flowerdew……… he’s always been a pal to me and the finest exponent of what we call…… “the chip”

 

2 Tone is 30 this year.  How will you be celebrating?  With The Specials reformed any chance of The Selecter doing the same?

At this point it’s fairly remote to be honest, but who knows?  I will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of 2Tone Records throughout the year by just playing and singing at whatever event I’m invited to!

 

What’s next for Neol Davies?  I’m sure people would like to hear more music released by you, under The Selecter’s or your own name!  

My new band includes Aitch from the original Selecter and Johnny “Slide” Alderson, a fantastic new slide guitar player.  We’ll be playing new versions of The Selecter hits alongside my more obscure material and generally exploring deeper and ever more deeper ways of having a good gig!

 

I’d personally love to hear a new Selecter album, with you a the helm.  Any chance of that?

Thanks, it would be good to make another album in the style and I’m open to doing one if it was backed up and supported properly, I’m willing to make my own albums on a shoestring but a new Selecter album demands a little more.

There you have it…I’d like to thank Mr.Davies for a wonderfully frank and insightful interview.  The man is a true gentleman.  In times where the music industry is driven by greed it is extremely refreshing and reassuring to talk to an incredible musician, who plays music for all the right reasons.  To keep up with all his musical explorations go to

http://www.neoldavies.net

http://www.myspace.com/neoldavies

Reynalds Clay

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