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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
Facing Situations
The Selecter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All you do is go on and on
Why worry if things are okay
It's a funny situation
Who's innocence is all of this guilt
Why think there's always someone else to blame
But you still don't care if it doesn't reach you
If it doesn't reach you
Can't you see what it means to be me
I can't seem to get through to you and me
We are in constant incommunicado, incommunicado, incommunicado
Just when I thought I must be numb to the pain
They're still tampering inside
But you still don't care
If it doesn't reach you
If it doesn't reach you
Boy me neck hot and sweaty- in the heat-in the city
People let me down and piss around
Never meaning what they say
Each and every day
Just when I thought it-it-it
Here you take it
The Selecter's song "Facing Situations" is a commentary on the apathy prevalent in society towards issues that do not directly affect individuals. The lyrics ask the listener to take notice of the problems around them, rather than simply moving through life without concern. Lead vocalists Pauline Black and Gaps Hendrickson start the song with a call to action, urging people to not just sit idly by, bored and disinterested. They question why individuals do not worry about larger societal issues, and instead pass the blame onto others. The song carries a strong message that the problems we face as a society cannot be ignored and that complacency is not an option.
The song's chorus talks about the difficulty of communication between people. The phrase "in communicado" is repeated and emphasizes how difficult it is for individuals to truly understand each other. The second verse specifically addresses the idea that people are sometimes numb to the pain they experience in life. The lyrics suggest that people may feel that others are tampering with their emotions when, in reality, it is only their own feelings that are causing them distress.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't just sit there I'm bored and so are you
Let's do something, we're both feeling restless.
All you do is go on and on
You keep talking but nothing is changing.
Why worry if things are okay
No need to be concerned if everything seems fine on the surface.
It's a funny situation
This situation is absurd.
Who's innocence is all of this guilt
Who is innocent in this situation that seems to have wrongdoing all around?
Why think there's always someone else to blame
The tendency to shift blame onto others needs to stop.
But you still don't care if it doesn't reach you
You remain apathetic if the consequences don't affect you directly.
Can't you see what it means to be me
Can't you understand my perspective and experiences?
I can't seem to get through to you and me
We are unable to fully communicate and understand each other.
We are in constant incommunicado, incommunicado, incommunicado
Our lack of effective communication is ongoing and persistent.
Just when I thought I must be numb to the pain
When I thought I couldn't feel any worse,
They're still tampering inside
There are still forces at work trying to disrupt things.
Boy me neck hot and sweaty- in the heat-in the city
The heat and stress of the city is getting to me.
People let me down and piss around
People disappoint me and act recklessly.
Never meaning what they say
Their words and actions are not aligned.
Each and every day
This is a daily occurrence.
Just when I thought it-it-it
Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse,
Here you take it
Things continue to be difficult.
Contributed by Julia P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.