The pulse of UK reggae

Grizzly Nisbett

I'm always keen to read articles on my favourite reggae band Steel Pulse in the press and this one from Bobby Tanzilo in Milwaukee, USA even used one of my own pictures of Grizzly Nisbett, the band's former drummer, who I interviewed a few years ago. Read my interview here. For the article itself, see below.

The pulse of UK reggae by Bobby Tanzilo (OnMilwaukee.com)
If you saw me driving to work today, you likely heard me singing along to Steel Pulse's 1982 'True Democracy,' which I extracted from the shelf this morning for the first time in many, many years. The news that the band comes to Summerfest this year - on the The Potawatomi Bingo Casino Stage & Pavilion with Miller High Life and OnMilwaukee.com - led me back to this record that was among my favorites when I was 15 and 16. I was amazed that I could remember not only every word, every drum fill, every guitar line, but also the vocal ad libs. I guess I listened to it more than a few times. Along with the band's 1978 debut, 'Handsworth Revolution,' it is an absolute classic U.K. reggae disc (ask me and I'll bore you with the others, too) and pretty high up on the list of all reggae records (we snobs make a distinction between music from Jamaica and from everywhere else).

'True Democracy' was exciting and alive when it was released. It was a bridge between rock and reggae with chicken scratch guitars, incendiary drumming and on-the-money harmonies combined with great songwriting. It also arrived at a definitive time for me. I was teaching myself to play the bass and 'True Democracy,' along with the other great records of the moment - Black Uhuru's 'Red,' Bob Marley & The Wailers' 'Uprising' and Aswad's 'New Chapter in Dub,' among them - were the best teachers a kid could ask for. They were all fueled by bass runs that were snaky and full of finesse, but were also repeated many times, allowing me to pick out the notes (and I say "pick," but I certainly did NOT use a pick, thank you very much!). The disc also helped me join my school's Jamaican community - this was Brooklyn remember - at least as an honorary member. Standing in line in the cafeteria listening to 'True Democracy' in my Walkman (remember those?!), the Jamaican kid in line behind me somehow realized or suspected that we were listening to the same record. We were and I was in.

Then there was that improbable column of dreads sported by singer and guitarist David Hinds on the cover of the U.S. release. It seemed amazingly tall and revolutionary - like a big middle finger to the people that still fought against dreadlocks (yes, there was a time when dreads were not a hip trend and kids got kicked out of their houses for sporting them) - and we had no idea just how it would continued to taunt gravity before it fell over and Hinds started tying it up 'round itself. I've seen Steel Pulse a number of times since then and the band is always killer live. Although, I don't hesitate to say that once drummer Steve 'Grizzly' Nisbett left the band, the thumping heart of Steel Pulse was gone even if the brain and the body was still alive. But go buy 'True Democracy' and feel the fire. Then go see Steel Pulse and I guarantee you that - Grizzly or no Grizzly (certainly no Grizzly, sadly, because he's retired) - Hinds and company will put on a stellar show.