Steel Pulse originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, Birmingham, and comprised David Hinds (lead vocals, guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar, vocals) and Ronnie McQueen (bass).
However, it is Hinds who, as songwriter, has always been the engine behind Steel Pulse, from their early days establishing themselves in the Birmingham club scene onwards. Formed in 1975, their debut release, 'Kibudu, Mansetta And Abuku" arrived on the small independent label Dip, and linked the plight of urban black youth with the image of a greater African homeland. They followed it with 'Nyah Love' for Anchor.
Surprisingly, they were initially refused live dates in Caribbean venues in the Midlands because of their Rastafarian beliefs. Aligning themselves closely with the Rock Against Racism 1 organisation, they chose to tour instead with sympathetic elements of the punk movement, including the Stranglers, XTC etc.: "Punks had a way of enjoying themselves - throw hordes at you, beer, spit at you, that kind of thing".
Eventually they found a more natural home in support slots for Burning Spear, which brought them to the attention of Island Records. Their first release for Island was the 'Ku Klux Klan' 45 rpm, a considered tilt at the evils of racism, and one often accompanied by a visual parody of the sect on stage.
By this time their ranks had swelled to include Selwyn 'Bumbo' Brown (keyboards), Steve 'Grizzly' Nesbitt (drums), Fonso Martin (vocals, percussion) and Michael Riley (vocals). Handsworth Revolution was an accomplished long playing debut and one of the major landmarks in the evolution of British reggae.
However, despite critical and moderate commercial success over three albums, the relationship with Island had soured by the advent of Caught You (released in the US as Reggae Fever). They switched to Elektra, and unveiled their most consistent collection of songs since their debut with True Democracy, distinguished by the Garveyeulogising 'Rally Around' cut.
A further definitive set arrived in Earth Crisis. Unfortunately, Elektra chose to take a leaf out of Island's book in trying to coerce Steel Pulse into a more mainstream vein, asking them to emulate the pop-reggae stance of Eddy Grant. Babylon Bandit was consequently weakened, but did contain the anthemic 'Not King james Version', which was a powerful indictment on the omission of black people and history from certain versions of the Bible.
Their next move was id Hinds of Steel Pulse to MCA for State Of Emergency, which retained some of the synthesized dance elements of its predecessor. Though it was a significantly happier compromise, it still paled before any of their earlier albums.
Rastafari Centennial was recorded live at the Elysee Montmarte in Paris, and dedicated to the hundred year anniversary of the birth of Haile Selassie. It was the first recording since the defection of Fonso Martin, leaving the trio of David Hinds, Steve Nisbett and Selwyn Brown.
While they still faced inverted snobbery at the hands of British reggae fans, in America their reputation was growing, becoming the first ever reggae band to appear on the Tonight television show. Their profile was raised further when, in 1992, Hinds challenged the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission in the Supreme High Court, asserting that their cab drivers discriminated against black people in general and Rastas in particular.
Drummer Steve "Grizzly" Nisbett (15 March 1948 – 18 January 2018) died in 2018.
The band are still recording and touring.
Blues Dance Raid
Steel Pulse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some shekels fe I shenks
Just a burn up de lambs bread
Session rocking ysh!
So dem come so dem drop
From time to time dem been watching
Dem a spy with dem bad eye
(Come a raid I blues dance)
Tipped off by informers
Dem a watch who come out and come in yeh
(Come a raid I blues dance)
Yes they knew when the time would be right
Run come gate crash I party
(Come a raid I blues dance)
Raid blues dance raid I blues
(Come a raid I blues dance)
Kick off door woe I name dem call
I back against de wall a rub a daughter
(Come a raid I blues dance)
Dem a run come kill I vibe interfere with I
The pigs come to destroy Rasta cry blood
Dreadlocks cry blood
Raid blues dance
Out of darkness out of night
People screaming batons wheeling
A lot of bleeding bruised feelings
Search warrant for their outvitation
Walkie talkies reinforcements
From dem pocket dem draw handcuff
Dis yah session it rough
Every step of the way got to retaliate yeh
Fight dem back mash dem down
Vex to death dem a threat
Mek arrest kiss me neck
Raid blues dance raid I blues
A run come a run come who
Run come kill I vibe interfere with I
Pigs come to destroy Rasta cry blood
Dreadlocks cry blood
Come a come a come a come a raid
Come a kick I speaker
Come a mash up I tweeter
Come a grab up I shenks
Come a lick out I window
Come a move out I soft drink
Come a rough up the people
Come a turn off me System
Have fe give you some bitch lick
Come a smash I turntables
Come a scratch up I music
Come a drive up you meat van
Come a come a come a raid.
The first verse of Steel Pulse's "Blues Dance Raid" describes the atmosphere of a music session, where the music is a source of peaceful enjoyment for its participants. The song then takes a sharp turn as the second verse describes a raid on the music session, perpetrated by the police. The rest of the song describes the violence and chaos of the raid, with people screaming and being beaten with batons. The lyrics paint a picture of the police coming to destroy the peaceful gathering and disturb the enjoyment of the music.
This song exposes the harsh realities of police brutality and discrimination against Rastafarianism. The group highlights the fact that their sessions were harassed and busted by the police with no concrete reason. They bring attention to the fact that Rastafarians are stereotyped by law enforcement to be troublemakers when they gather to celebrate their culture through music. Steel Pulse calls on listeners to stand up against oppression, as they stress on the need to fight back against the brutality.
Line by Line Meaning
Muzik a bubble not looking for trouble
The music is innocent and not seeking any trouble.
Some shekels fe I shenks
Money is required to buy food and drinks.
Just a burn up de lambs bread
Smoking weed (lambs bread) is the only thing being done.
Session rocking ysh!
The party is jumping and everyone is having a good time.
So dem come so dem drop
The police arrive and enter the party.
From time to time dem been watching
The police have been monitoring the party periodically.
Dem a spy with dem bad eye
The police are spying with their malicious eyes.
(Come a raid I blues dance)
The police are raiding the party.
Tipped off by informers
The police were informed about the party by informants.
Dem a watch who come out and come in yeh
The police are keeping track of who is entering and exiting the party.
(Come a raid I blues dance)
The police are raiding the party.
Yes they knew when the time would be right
The police knew when the perfect time to raid the party would be.
Run come gate crash I party
The police forcefully entered the party.
(Come a raid I blues dance)
The police are raiding the party.
Raid blues dance raid I blues
The police are raiding the blues dance party.
(Come a raid I blues dance)
The police are raiding the party.
Kick off door woe I name dem call
The police kicked down the door and called out the owner's name.
I back against de wall a rub a daughter
The singer is trapped against the wall and groped by the police.
(Come a raid I blues dance)
The police are raiding the party.
Dem a run come kill I vibe interfere with I
The police are disturbing the singer's vibe and interfering with him.
The pigs come to destroy Rasta cry blood
The police come to destroy the Rastafarian community at the party.
Dreadlocks cry blood
The Rastafarians are deeply hurt and saddened.
Out of darkness out of night
The police arrive in the middle of the night unexpectedly.
People screaming batons wheeling
People are screaming as the police swing their batons.
A lot of bleeding bruised feelings
Many people are hurt and upset.
Search warrant for their outvitation
The police have a search warrant for their unlawful surveillance.
Walkie talkies reinforcements
The police have backup reinforcement through walkie talkies.
From dem pocket dem draw handcuff
The police take out handcuffs from their pockets.
Dis yah session it rough
The party has turned out to be a disaster.
Every step of the way got to retaliate yeh
The police are met with resistance at every turn.
Fight dem back mash dem down
People fight back and overpower the police.
Vex to death dem a threat
People are angry and threatened by the police.
Mek arrest kiss me neck
The singer is being arrested and kissed on the neck violently.
Raid blues dance raid I blues
The police are raiding the blues dance party.
A run come a run come who
People are running away from the police.
Pigs come to destroy Rasta cry blood
The police come to destroy the Rastafarian community at the party.
Dreadlocks cry blood
The Rastafarians are deeply hurt and saddened.
Come a come a come a come a raid
The police continue to raid the party.
Come a kick I speaker
The police kick the singer system and damage it.
Come a mash up I tweeter
The police break the tweeter and damage the sound system.
Come a grab up I shenks
The police take away the food and drinks bought at the party.
Come a lick out I window
The police break the windows at the party.
Come a move out I soft drink
The police pour out and spill soft drinks at the party.
Come a rough up the people
The police are roughing up the partygoers.
Come a turn off me System
The police turn off the sound system at the party.
Have fe give you some bitch lick
The singer is angry at the police and threatens them.
Come a smash I turntables
The police smash the turntables at the party.
Come a scratch up I music
The police scratch up the music and damage the sound system.
Come a drive up you meat van
The police drive up in their van to take away the arrested.
Come a come a come a raid.
The police continue to raid the party.
Contributed by Cooper G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Grandadscorpion
StarIconGreen This song is performed by Steel Pulse.
Music a bubble, not looking for trouble
Some shekels fe I shenks
Just a burn up de lamb’s bread
Session rocking yeah!
So dem come so dem drop
From time to time dem a watch I
Dem a spy wid dem bad eye
Tipped off by informers
Dem a watch who come out and come in
Yeah (come a raid I blues dance)
Yes they knew when the time would be right
Run come gate crash I party
(Come a raid I blues dance)
Raid blues dance, raid I blues
(Come a raid I blues dance)
Kick off the door, woe I name dem call
I back against de wall a rub a daughter
(Come a raid I blues dance)
Dem a run come kill I vibe, interfere wid I
The pigs come to destroy Rasta cry blood
dreadlocks cry blood
Raid blues dance
Out of darkness out of night
People screaming, batons wheeling
A lot of bleeding, bruised feelings
Search warrant for their outivation
Walkie talkies reinforcements
From dem pocket dem draw handcuff
Dis ya session it rough
Every step of the way got to retaliate yeh
Fight dem back, mash dem down
Vex to death, dem a threat
Mek arrest kiss me neck
Raid blues dance, raid I blues
A run come a run come who
Run come kill I vibe interfere with I
Pigs come to destroy, Rasta cry blood
Dreadlocks cry blood
Come a come a come a come a raid
Come a kick up I speaker
Come a mash up I tweeter
Come a grab up I ishenks
Come a lick out I window
Come a move out I soft drink
Come a rough up the people
Come a turn off me system
Have fe give you some bitch lick
Come a smash up I turntable
Come a scratch up I music
Come a drive up you meat van
Come a come a come a raid
@boostlink4732
Music a bubble, not looking for trouble
Some shekels fe I shenks
Just a burn up de lamb's bread
Session rocking yeah!
So dem come so dem drop
From time to time dem a watch
I dem a spy wid dem bad eye
Tipped off by informers
Dem a watch who come out and come in
Yeah (come a raid I blues dance)
Yes they knew when the time would be right
Run come gate crash I party
(Come a raid I blues dance)
(Come a raid I blues)
Raid blues dance, raid I blues
(Come a raid I blues dance)
(Come a raid I blues)
Kick off the door, woe I name dem call
I back against de wall a rub a daughter
(Come a raid I blues dance)
(Come a raid I blues)
Dem a run come kill I vibe, interfere wid I
The pigs come to destroy rasta cry blood
Dreadlocks cry blood
Raid come a raid I blues dance
(Come a raid I blues)
Raid, blues, dance, raid, blues, dance
Raid, i raid blues dance
(Raid blues dance)
A raid come
(Raid a blues)
Out of darkness out of night
People screaming, batons wheeling
A lot of bleeding, bruised feelings
Search warrant for their outivation
Walkie talkies reinforcements
From dem pocket dem draw handcuff
Dis ya session it rough
Every step of the way got to retaliate yeh
Fight dem back, mash dem down
(Come a raid I blues dance)
(Come a raid I blues)
Vex to death, dem a threat
Mek arrest kiss me neck
(Come a raid I blues dance)
(Come a raid I blues)
Raid blues dance, raid I blues
A run come a run come who
Run come kill I vibe interfere with I
Pigs come to destroy, rasta cry blood
Dreadlocks cry blood
A raid come
(Come a raid I blues dance)
(Como a raid I blues)
Raid, blues, dance, raid, blues, dance
Raid, i raid blues dance
(Come a raid I blues dance)
(Come a raid I blues)
(Raid blues dance, raid i blues, raid blues dance, raid)
Come a come a come a come a raid
Come a kick up I speaker
Come a mash up I tweeter
Come a grab up I ishenks
Come a lick out I window
Come a move out I soft drink
Come a rough up the people
Come a turn off me system
Have fe give you some bitch lick
Come a smash up I turntable
Come a scratch up I music
Come a drive up you meat van
Come a come a come a raid
@jjackson4479
Best reggae album of all time..just my opinion 30yrs at #1 and still holding
@DG-xj7pm
Steel pulse. Greatest ever.
@laurentslimani1832
"La jeunesse d'eglington" c'est black uhuru.
@HoxFeesh
Goosebumps every time this track hits. SO well done.
@jessehellakoo
The beat and rhythms 😌
@didwest1249
My gran kept me locked in a cupboard when I was 7 my dad bought me a cassette radio and I got into reggae 1971 radio London still love it now I'm a old white granny and my mum and dad didn't know what she did but thanx for the radio dad
@cherishpayne3776
I HATED this music growing up... My dad played it over and OVER again... 😐😐😐😴 Now I CAN NOT get enough!!!!😍😍😍😍
@tomashughes6310
good to hear this.... im "that dad" to my lovely daughter! Eventually, it will sink in, and Jah music will become one with the next generations!
@yeyo9404
Cherish Payne not everyone can say hi there dad has good taste in music you’re lucky you grew up listening to such good music
@jaytee1249
Jah jah