Too Much Too Young, the 2 Tone Records Story: Rude Boys, Racism, and the Soundtrack of a Generation

Music historian Rachel (The Lost Album of the Beatles) presents a meticulous profile of the British record label that helped popularize post-punk ska music in the late 1970s and early ’80s. Founded by members of the Specials in 1979, 2 Tone’s lineup included Selecter, Madness, the Beat, the Bodysnatchers, and other bands who mixed a British punk rock ethos and Jamaican ska in an effort to foster an “inclusive” sound within a “deeply divided country.” Despite those idealistic goals, the label was plagued by violence (members of the fascist National Front party regularly incited riots at shows) and financial infighting (Rachel places the blame largely on 2 Tone cofounder Jerry Dammers), which led to strained relationships, grueling recording sessions, and the label’s 1986 collapse. Rachel effectively balances his enthusiasm about the label and what it stood for with a clear-eyed assessment of how a movement intended for good can go up in flames, though a surfeit of detail sometimes bogs down the narrative. This exhaustive account is best suited for devoted ska fans. Illus. (June)