By the end of the 1970s, the immigration-induced musical multiculturalism of the British scene was evident. Thanks to him, not only did new and unique genres emerge, but the genres of the old ones, which had existed before, changed significantly. He left a mark on the entire music culture, from pop to punk. However, perhaps the most significant result of the integration of various forms of non-British music into the local sound culture - and the emergence of something new on this foundation, previously unheard of - was the second wave of ska.
This sound is often referred to as 2 Tone, the name of the record label that produced the corresponding recordings. The second wave differed from the original Jamaican ska of 1950-60s in that it was developed by the next generation of musicians, not alien to the sounds of punk-rock and the new wave. It was the fusion of these genres with Jamaican sound that formed the basis of the new music.
The word combination "two tone"
was a deeper meaning: it was a metaphor for racial diversity. The term meant bringing together different sounds, cultures and people in times of social and political tension in the UK. Visually, this idea was reflected in the cult logo of Walt Jabko's label: it depicted a man in a black suit, white shirt, black tie, white socks and black boots. The source of the image was the cover of one of the early albums of Peter Tosh's reggae legend.
The geographic center of the movement was initially Coventry, a town in West Midlands, far from the capital, where the bands The Specials, The Beat, and The Selecter, which later became very popular, operated.
After the emergence of London ensembles such as Madness or Bad Manners, the niche genre has become an influential youth subculture, and music has penetrated into hit parades. And if more pop-oriented sound of Madness, perhaps, quite logically enjoyed success (one of their most popular songs was a somewhat smoothed, cheerful and accessible cover version of "One Step Beyond" by reggae musician Prince Buster), the songs of The Specials, with their sharp socio-political theme, seemed to be destined to stay in the underground. But instead, "Ghost Town"
The United Kingdom's first charts on violence, unemployment, economic recession, urban decline and deindustrialization were based on the fact that they accurately conveyed the feelings of frustration and frustration that had engulfed many of the country's citizens at the time.
Scarryville resembled an explosion, a brief musical outburst that reflected the spirit of time and the triumph of multiculturalism in Britain. 2 Tone was also a reaction: as the National Front and other extreme right-wing political movements began to gain momentum in some parts of the country
Jerry Dammers of The Specials has openly stated that he wants to create a band, a label and a whole new sound that would resist all this. With ignorance, hatred and prejudice, his projects were fought with music that found its way to the hearts of a generation.
Since the second wave of ska was largely a product of his time and its sound was quite specific, the lifetime of the movement was quite short. The popularity of the representatives of 2 Tone soon diminished, and by the mid-1980s almost all of the main ones had either ceased to exist or were silent for a long time. However, ska rivevale didn't go unnoticed across the ocean: in the USA in the 1980s, many underground bands picked up his banner, and by the 1990s, third wave ska apologists such as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones or Reel Big Fish had achieved mainstream popularity. However, the American version of the genre was more based on pop, rock and punk sound - the English version, with its reliance on the Jamaican sound, remained a unique, spiritually ascendant page in the history of British music. Like jazz in previous decades, the American soul in the 1960s had a great impact on British music. In 1965 Dusty Springfield launched "The Sound of Motown", a TV program that introduced the British audience to the sound of the Motown overseas label artists. Soon bands like The Foundations, a multiracial British band with a wind section from the West Indies, were formed. Their music, however, was just a mirror of the American soul - including hits such as "Baby, Now That I've Found You" or "Build Me Up Buttercup".