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The Selecter are a British ska revival band from Coventry, formed in the late 1970s as one of the essential bands of the British ska movement.
Much of what set apart The Selecter from many of the other ska bands at the time was the voice of Pauline Black. She had to disguise herself as a man in order for the band to get gigs, but once they did, there was no disguising her voice. Like other ska bands of this movement, The Selecter featured a racially mixed line up, and songs about violence, politics, marijuana, a fictional spy's theme song, James Bond, and reggae classics. The name of the band is a reference to the Jamaican word for a music selecter, known elsewhere as the DJ. Also typical to the style is the mix of one vocalist singing, and the other toasting in a Jamaican style, a precursor to rapping.
The Selecter's first recording Too Much Pressure was recorded at the end of 1979 and beginning of 1980 and issued on the pre-eminent 2 Tone/Chrysalis label. Their second recording Celebrate the Bullet was issued in 1981. Though the band has continued to regroup and reform on and off, most of the many recordings available are recompiled selections from these first two albums, either live or studio recordings. The Selecter's first two albums are essential British ska recordings.
Pauline Black has been the singer in The Selecter since its formation in 1979 when the band spearheaded the Two Tone movement alongside The Specials releasing the singles "The Selecter", "Three Minute Hero", "The Whisper", "Missing Words" and "On My Radio" as well as two albums; "Too Much Pressure" and "Celebrate The Bullet". The Selecter were also featured in the cult film Dance Craze. The band split in 1982, Pauline carved out a career in TV and theatre, appearing in dramas like The Vice, The Bill, Hearts and Minds and 2000 Acres of Sky. She won the 1991 Time Out award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in the play All or Nothing At All and starred next to Christopher Lee in the schlock horror film The Funny Man. She reformed The Selecter in 1991 and has released several new albums and has toured all over the world.
Nick Welsh is probably best known for being the bassist in The Selecter and formerly Bad Manners but he has worked with some of the biggest names in Ska and Reggae, Prince Buster, Laurel Aitken, Rico Rodriguez, Dave Barker and most recently Lee "Scratch" Perry with whom he received a Grammy Award Certificate for his work on the CD Jamaican ET which won The Best Reggae Category in 2002. Nick also writes music for TV which has been used world-wide on shows as diverse as WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), The Osbournes and even adverts for Ariel soap powder.
Neol Davies the founder and writer of the classic hits returns with a brand new band in 2010.
neoldaviesakatheselecter plays the mainstage at Bestival 2011 with new album and remixes.
Original line-up
Pauline Black : vocals
Compton Amanor: guitar
Charley Anderson: bass guitar
Charley Bembridge: drums
Desmond Brown: Hammond keyboard
Neol Davies: guitar
Arthur Hendrickson: vocals
Anderson and Brown left The Selecter in 1980. They were replaced by James Mackie: Hammond organ and Adam Williams: bass guitar
Reformed line-up: 1991
Pauline Black: vocals
Neol Davies: guitar
Arthur 'Gaps' Hendrickson - vocals
Martin Stewart: keyboards
Nick Welsh : bass
Perry Melius : drums
The Selecter 2010 lineup includes
Founder and songwriter Neol Davies- vocals/guitars
Lead Vocals- John Gibbons
Daniel Crosby- Drums
Andre Buyani- Bass
Tim Cansfield- Guitar
Victor Travino- Congas & Percussion
Dean Ross- Hammond Organ
Selecter Horns
Carry Go Bring Come
The Selecter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bring misery
All this carry go bring come my dear
It bring misery
Going from home to home
Making disturbances
It's time you stop fooling yourself
The strong shall inherit the earth
You old Jezebel
It needs no light to see
That you're making disturbances
It's better to speak the truth
And use a wise tongue
It's better than bringing oppression
Upon an innocent man
But time will tell on you
You old Jezebel
How long shall the wicked reign over the people
I said how long shall the wicked reign over the people
La la la la la la la la la la la............
The Selecter's song Carry Go Bring Come is about the negative consequences of gossip and spreading rumors in a community. The opening lines, "All this carry go bring come my dear, Bring misery" suggest that the constant cycle of gossip and rumors is causing harm and pain to those involved. The repetition of "carry go bring come" emphasizes the cyclical nature of the spreading of rumors, which only leads to more trouble.
The following lines, "Going from home to home, Making disturbances," suggest that the spreading of rumors is causing chaos and disruptions in the community. The singer is urging the person responsible for spreading the rumors, referred to as "you old Jezebel," to stop their behavior. The line "It needs no light to see that you're making disturbances" suggests that the person's actions are obvious to everyone and they are causing harm even without being directly caught.
The repeated exhortation to speak the truth and use a wise tongue instead of bringing oppression upon innocent individuals suggests the importance of honesty and integrity in a community. The repetition of "You old Jezebel" suggests that this person's behavior is persistent and destructive, but that eventually, they will be held accountable for their actions.
Overall, Carry Go Bring Come is a cautionary tale of the harm caused by gossip and rumor-mongering in a community. It suggests that such behavior is not only harmful to individuals, but also to the community as a whole, and ultimately needs to be stopped in order for the community to thrive.
Line by Line Meaning
All this carry go bring come my dear
Constant movement and commotion without purpose brings pain and hardship
Bring misery
It brings suffering and sorrow
Going from home to home
Traveling aimlessly and causing chaos in different places
Making disturbances
Creating trouble and unrest wherever you go
It's time you stop fooling yourself
It's time to face reality and stop lying to yourself
You old Jezebel
Addressing someone who is promiscuous and immoral
The strong shall inherit the earth
Those who are righteous and virtuous will eventually succeed
It needs no light to see
The truth is self-evident
That you're making disturbances
Your actions are causing unrest and problems
It's better to speak the truth
Honesty is a better choice than deception
And use a wise tongue
Communicate effectively and thoughtfully
It's better than bringing oppression
It's better than being unfair and cruel to someone who doesn't deserve it
Upon an innocent man
Referring to someone who is wrongly accused or mistreated
But time will tell on you
Your actions will catch up to you eventually
How long shall the wicked reign over the people
Questioning the legitimacy of corrupt individuals in positions of power
I said how long shall the wicked reign over the people
Repeating the question and emphasizing its importance
La la la la la la la la la la la............
Non-lyrical sounds used as a musical interlude
Contributed by William P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@chrisedwards1333
What Two Tone was all about. Excellent.
@suzi8277
what a party!🎉🎺🎸I love it, love the lyrics
@Mrbrbusby
These were the happiest days of my life on Maggie’s Farm. I & I Survive.
@EvanSiegel54
Pauline Black and the crew. ❤❤❤
@frcprc4022
The SelectEr
@JuliaConvery-cm4yv
fantastic, loved this band in the 80s
@ronm9101
Ace
@colinwilson4609
Dance Craze! I read somewhere that Pauline Black from this band starred in some West End musicals. Can someone enlighten me about the details?
@evansiegel1732
Substituted "The strong shall inherit the earth" for "The meek shall inherit the earth", changing the original Christian message to a message of class struggle, if I'm not mistaken.
And substituted "It's better to seek the truth and use wisdom" for "It's better to seek a place in high Zion," again replacing the messianic religious message with some kind of message of class consciousness, I think.
@wilsonmark339
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣