Donovan

 The Electric Dread

 This one is a direct off-shoot of this month's opener. With it we will follow some of the wandering connections of one musical genius...Donovan Letts.

Don Letts (born January 10, 1956) is a British film director, DJ, & musician. In 1975, he ran the London clothing store Acme Attractions, selling, as he sez:
      "electric-blue zoot suits and jukeboxes, and pumping Dub reggae all day long". 

Seeing the crowd at Acme, promoter Andy Czezowski started up the Roxy, a fashionable nightclub in Covent Garden during the original outbreak of punk in England, so that people could go from the Acme store & have some place to party. As most bands of that era had yet to be recorded, there were limited punk rock records to be played. Instead, now Roxy DJ Letts included many Dub & reggae records in his sets. He is most commonly credited with introducing those sounds to the London punk scene, influencing the Clash & other bands. 

 

Letts quit the retail business to manage the band the Slits. He managed to get the Slits an opening spot for the Clash during their White Riot tour. Don didn't really feel cut out for the management gig but his involvement with the Clash grew as he became the videographer for the band, directing several of their music videos.

In 1978, Letts recorded an EP, Steel Leg v the Electric Dread, with Keith Levene, Jah Wobble, & Steel Leg. 

Steel Leg vs the Electric Dread

Steel Leg was a one off project of Jah Wobble / Keith Levene featuring Don Letts & Wobble's mate Vince Bracken on vocals. Desribed as being the missing link between PIL's First Issue & Metal Box releases.

On Steel Leg vs the Electric Dread: Vince Bracken - vocals; Don Letts - vocals; Jah Wobble - bass, synthisizer, & vocals; & Stratetime Keith (Levene) - guitar & drums.

 

 

Don Letts, Stratetime Keith, Steel Leg, Jah Wobble – Steel Leg V The Electric Dread 45rpm,
Virgin VS23912, 1978.
all decryption codes in comments

Side One -        
Steel Leg    
Stratetime & the Wide Man    
Side Two -
Haile Unlikely by the Electric Dread    
Unlikely Pub

 

 

Big Audio Dynamite

In 1984, Letts co-founded the band Big Audio Dynamite with former Clash lead guitarist & co-lead vocalist Mick Jones, acting as the band's sampler as well as videographer.

After leaving the Clash in 1983, Mick Jones formed a new band called Top Risk Action Company (T.R.A.C.). He recruited bassist Leo "E-Zee Kill" Williams, saxophonist John "Boy" Lennard (from post-punk band Theatre of Hate), & former Clash drummer Topper Headon. Although the band was short-lived & only demos of their material exist, which I shared here, the band led directly to Big Audio Dynamite.

  

Jones then formed Big Audio Dynamite with film director Don Letts (maker of 1978 film The Punk Rock Movie, various Clash music videos, & later the Clash documentary Westway to the World in 2000), bassist Leo Williams (from T.R.A.C.), drummer Greg Roberts, & keyboardist Dan Donovan.

In 1989, BAD released Megatop Phoenix, the original line-ups last full-length...

 

 

Big Audio Dynamite - Megatop Phoenix, Columbia CK45212, 1989.

Start / Rewind    
All Mink & No Manners    
Union, Jack    
Contact    
Dragon Town    
Baby, Don't Apologise    
Is Yours Working Yet?    
Around the Girl in 80 Ways    
James Brown    
Everybody Needs a Holiday    
Mick's a Hippie Burning    
House Arrest    
The Green Lady    
London Bridge    
Stalag 1 2 3    
End

 

 

Screaming Target

In 1990, the original B.A.D. line-up wrote & recorded the song "Free" for the soundtrack to the adventure comedy film Flashback, starring Dennis Hopper & Kiefer Sutherland. This would be the final song written with the original line-up, as the band broke up shortly after.

In 1990 Letts formed Screaming Target

Screaming Target was formed as the first iteration of the Big Audio Dynamite split in 1990. The former B.A.D. band members Don Letts, Greg Roberts, Leo Williams, & Lynette Brathwaite formed Screaming Target (the name taken from Big Youth).

The following aired on Mark Goodier's August 5, 1991 BBC radio show, recorded earlier, July 27... 

Screaming Target - Mark Goodier Session, July 27, 1991, BBC Radio, 1991.

Who Killed King Tubby
Fallout
This Town
Bedazzled 

 

 

Dreadzone

Screaming Target only released one album & three singles before the band split in 1992, as Greg Roberts & Leo Williams left for Dreadzone. 

Greg Roberts teamed up with Julian Cope's sound engineer Tim Brian & formed Dreadzone. The name was the idea of none other than Don Letts. Ex-BAD members bassist Leo Williams & keyboardist Dan Donovan soon joined the band. In the early days, Alison Goldfrapp was one of the bands vocalists,  By 1995, Earl Sixteen had joined the band as vocalist. 

 

Dreadzone - Second Light, Virgin CDV2778, 1995.

Life, Love, & Unity
Little Britain
A Canterbury Tale
Captain Dread
Cave of Angels    
Zion Youth
One Way    
Shining Path    
Out of Heaven

 

 

More tomorrow, still on the Trail,
NØ