View source for 2 Tone Records

{{Short description|English independent record label}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{for|the music and cultural movement|Two-tone (music genre)}}
{{Refimprove|date=January 2011}}
{{Infobox record label <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Music -->
| name        = 2 Tone Records
| image       = 2 Tone Records.png
| image_alt   = <!-- WP:ALT text describing the image -->
| caption     = Logo featuring Walt Jabsco and the [[checkerboard]] motif associated with Two Tone
| parent      = [[Chrysalis Records]] ([[Blue Raincoat Music]])
| founded     = 1979
| founder     = [[Jerry Dammers]]
| defunct     = {{end date|1986}}
| status      = <!-- leave blank unless "Inactive" -->
| distributor = Reservoir Media Management
| genre       = [[Two-tone (music genre)|Two-tone]]
| country     = England
| location    = 51, Albany Road, Earlsdon, [[Coventry]], England
| website     = {{URL|2-tone.info}}
}}

'''2 Tone Records''' was an English [[independent record label]] that mostly released [[ska]] and [[reggae]]-influenced music with a [[punk rock]] and pop music overtone. It was founded by [[Jerry Dammers]] of [[the Specials]] and backed by [[Chrysalis Records]].

== History ==
[[Jerry Dammers]] of the ska revival band [[the Specials]] started the record label in 1979.<ref name="King2018">{{cite book|author=Ian King|title=Appetite for Definition: An A-Z Guide to Rock Genres|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SltKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT28|date=6 November 2018|publisher=Harper Perennial|isbn=978-0-06-268889-7|pages=28–}}</ref><ref name="Patton2018">{{cite book|author=Raymond A. Patton|title=Punk Crisis: The Global Punk Rock Revolution|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LB1rDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA105|date=4 September 2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-087237-3|pages=105–}}</ref> Chrysalis had wanted to sign the Specials, but Dammers arranged a label deal, for Chrysalis to fund 15 singles a year and release at least ten of those.<ref>{{cite book
| last                 = Reynolds
| first                = Simon
| chapter              = Chapter 14: Ghost Dance: 2-Tone and the ska resurrection
| author-link          = Simon Reynolds
| date                  = February 2006
| title                 = [[Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984]]
| type                = paperback
| publisher             = [[Penguin Books]]
| edition               = US
| isbn                  = 1-4295-2667-X}}</ref>

The label spawned the [[2 Tone (music genre)|2 Tone]] music and cultural movement, which was popular among [[skinhead]]s, [[Rude Boy|rudies]] and some [[mod revival]]ists. The label stopped operating in 1986, though "2 Tone" is still used as an imprint for back catalogue issues. 2 Tone Records signed [[the Selecter]], [[Madness (band)|Madness]] and [[The Beat (British band)|The Beat]], but they all left within two years. 2 Tone Records acts signed a contract that allowed them to leave the label after releasing just one single, which was unusual in the record industry. Madness and The Beat both took advantage of this clause; the former to sign to [[Stiff Records]], and the latter to start their own label, [[Go Feet Records]].

Although 2 Tone Records was closely identified with the ska revival, efforts were made to broaden the label's musical output, releasing recordings by artists such as singer-songwriter [[Elvis Costello]] and the [[funk]]-punk band [[the Higsons]].

Dammers, with the assistance of [[Horace Panter]] and graphic designers John "Teflon" Sims and David Storey, created artwork that was to become central to 2 Tone Records. The logo portrays a man in a black suit, white shirt, black tie, [[pork pie hat]], white socks and black [[loafers]]. Named "Walt Jabsco", the fictional character was based on a photograph of [[Peter Tosh]], a former member of [[The Wailers (1963–1974 band)|the Wailers]].<ref>Panter, Horace:''Ska'd For Life'' [[Sidgwick & Jackson]], 2007</ref> Walt got his name from an old American bowling shirt that Dammers owned.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://2-tone.info/articles/label.html | title=The 2 Tone Label | access-date=17 June 2019}}</ref> He influenced the design of an [[emoji]] (originally meant to depict a suited man doing the [[Pogo (dance)|pogo]]): {{unichar|1F574|MAN IN BUSINESS SUIT LEVITATING|nlink=MAN IN BUSINESS SUIT LEVITATING}}.<ref name="veix">{{cite web|last1=Veix|first1=Joe|title=The secret history of the 'Man in Business Suit Levitating' emoji|url=http://www.newsweek.com/2016/05/06/secret-ska-history-man-business-suit-levitating-emoji-442192.html|website=Newsweek|access-date=2 December 2016|date=30 March 2016}}</ref>

== Artists ==
<!-- Only for artists with their own article on ENWP -->
*[[The Apollinaires]]
*[[Jerry Dammers]]
*[[Ranking Roger]]
*[[Bad Manners]] (only for ''[[Dance Craze]]'')
*[[The Beat (British band)|The Beat]] (known as "The English Beat" in the US)
*[[The Bodysnatchers (band)|The Bodysnatchers]]
*[[Elvis Costello]] & the Attractions (only for one unreleased single)
*[[The Higsons]]
*[[JB's Allstars]]
*[[Madness (band)|Madness]]
*[[Rhoda Dakar]]
*[[Rico Rodriguez (musician)|Rico Rodriguez]]
*[[The Selecter]]
*[[The Specials]] (sometimes called "The Special AKA")

== Discography ==

=== Albums ===
*The Specials — ''[[The Specials (album)|The Specials]]''
*[[The Selecter]] — ''[[Too Much Pressure (album)|Too Much Pressure]]''
*The Specials — ''[[More Specials]]''
*Various Artists — ''[[Dance Craze#Soundtrack LP|Dance Craze]]''
*[[Rico Rodriguez (musician)|Rico Rodriguez]] — ''That Man Is Forward''
*Rico Rodriguez — ''Jama Rico''
*Various Artists — ''This Are Two Tone'' (1983)
*The Special AKA — ''[[In the Studio]]''
*Various Artists — ''The 2 Tone Story''
*The Specials — ''Singles''
*The Specials — ''Live at the Moonlight Club''
*Various Artists — ''Best of 2 Tone''
*Various Artists — ''The Compact 2 Tone Story''

=== Singles ===
*TT1 / TT2 The Special AKA — "[[Gangsters (song)|Gangsters]]" / [[The Selecter]] – "The Selecter" 7" (Split single with The Selecter)
*CHS TT3 [[Madness (band)|Madness]] — "[[The Prince (song)|The Prince]]" / "Madness"  7"<ref name="Horn2017">{{cite book|author=David Horn|title=Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Volume 11: Genres: Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WKc0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA719|date=5 October 2017|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic|isbn=978-1-5013-2610-3|pages=719–}}</ref>
*CHS TT4 The Selecter — "[[On My Radio (song)|On My Radio]]" / "Too Much Pressure"  7"
*CHS TT5 [[The Specials]] — "[[A Message to You Rudy]]" / "Nite Klub"  7" (Ft Rico)
*CHS TT6 [[The Beat (British band)|The Beat]] — "[[The Tears of a Clown|Tears of a Clown]]" / "Ranking Full Stop"  7"
*CHS TT7 The Special AKA — "[[Too Much Too Young (The Specials song)|Too Much Too Young]]", "[[Guns of Navarone (song)|Guns of Navarone]]" / "Longshot Kick the Bucket", "[[The Liquidator (instrumental)|Liquidator]]", "[[Moon Hop|Skinhead Moonstomp]]" 7" (All tracks recorded live)
*CHS TT7 [[Elvis Costello]] & The Attractions — "[[I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down]]" / "Girl's Talk"  7" (Unreleased – given away at gigs)
*CHS TT8 The Selecter — "[[Three Minute Hero]]" / "James Bond"  7"
*CHS TT9 [[The Bodysnatchers (band)|The Bodysnatchers]] — "[[Let's Do Rock Steady]]" / "Ruder Than You"  7"
*CHS TT10 The Selecter — "[[Missing Words]]" / "Carry Go Bring Come"  7"
*CHS TT11 The Specials — "[[Rat Race (The Specials song)|Rat Race]]" / "Rude Boys Outa Jail"  7"
*CHS TT12 The Bodysnatchers — "Easy Life" / "Too Experienced"  7"
*CHS TT13 The Specials — "[[Stereotype (The Specials song)|Stereotype]]" / "International Jet Set"  7"
*CHS TT14 The Swinging Cats — "Mantovani" / "Away"  7"
*CHS TT15 [[Rico Rodriguez (musician)|Rico Rodriguez]] — "Sea Cruise" / "Carolina"  7"
*CHS TT16 The Specials — "[[Do Nothing (song)|Do Nothing]]" / "[[Maggie's Farm]]"  7"
*CHS TT17 The Specials — "[[Ghost Town (Specials song)|Ghost Town]]" / "Why?" / "Friday Night, Saturday Morning"  7"
*CHS TT12 17 The Specials — "Ghost Town" (Extended) / "Why?" (Extended) / "Friday Night, Saturday Morning"  12"
*CHS TT18 Rhoda & The Special AKA — "[[The Boiler]]" / "Theme from the Boiler"  7"
*CHS TT19 Rico Rodriguez & The Special AKA — "Jungle Music" / "Rasta Call You"  7"
*CHS TT12 19 Rico Rodriguez & The Special AKA — "Jungle Music" / "Rasta Call You" / "Easter Island"  12"
*CHS TT20 [[The Apollinaires]] — "The Feeling's Gone" / "The Feeling's Back"  7"
*CHS TT12 20 The Apollinaires — "The Feeling's Gone" (Dance Mix) / "The Feeling's Back" / "The Bongo Medley" (Extremely Long Version) 12"
*CHS TT21 [[The Higsons]] — "Tear the Whole Thing Down" / "Y Lang, Y Lang"  7"
*CHS TTS1 The Apollinaires — "Envy the Love" / "Give It Up" / "Tear the Whole Thing Down" / "Y Lang, Y Lang"  12" (White label promo only, split with Higsons)
*CHS TT22 The Apollinaires — "Envy the Love" / "Give It Up"  7"
*CHS TT12 22 The Apollinaires — "Envy The Love" / "Give It Up"  12"
*CHS TT23 The Special AKA — "War Crimes" / "War Crimes" (Version) 7"
*CHS TT10 23 The Special AKA — "War Crimes" / "War Crimes" (Version) 10"
*CHS TT24 The Higsons — "Run Me Down" (Long Version) / "Put the Punk Back Into Funk Pts 1 & 2"  7"
*CHS TT12 24 The Higsons — "Run Me Down" / "Put the Punk Back Into Funk Pts 1 & 2"  12"
*CHS TT25 The Special AKA — "Racist Friend" / "Bright Lights"  7"
*CHS TT12 25 The Special AKA — "Racist Friend" / "Bright Lights" / "Racist Friend" (Instrumental) / "Bright Lights" (Instrumental) 12"
*CHS TT25 The Special AKA — "Racist Friend" / "Bright Lights"  7" (Picture Disc)
*CHS TT26 The Special AKA — "[[Free Nelson Mandela|Nelson Mandela]]" / "Break Down the Door!"  7"
*CHS TT12 26 The Special AKA — "Nelson Mandela" / "Break Down the Door!"  12"
*CHS TT27 The Special AKA — "What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend" / "Can't Get a Break"  7"
*CHS TT12 27 The Special AKA — "What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend" (Extended Version) / "Can't Get a Break"  12" (Early copies had free poster)
*CHS TT 272 The Special AKA — "What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend" / "Can't Get a Break" / "War Crimes" / "War Crimes" (Version) 7" (Twin 7" pack with "War Crimes" single)
*CHS TP 27 The Special AKA — "What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend" / "Can't Get a Break"  7" (Picture disc)
*CHS TT28 The Friday Club — "Window Shopping" / "Window Shopping" (Instrumental) 7"
*CHS TT12 28 The Friday Club — "Window Shopping" / "Window Shopping" (Instrumental) 12"
*CHS TT29 JB's Allstars — "The Alphabet Army" / "Al. Arm"  7"
*CHS TT12 29 JB's Allstars — "The Alphabet Army" / "String Mix" / "Radio Version" / "Al. Arm"  12"
*Tone FNMX1 The Special AKA — "Free Nelson Mandela" (70th Birthday Remake) / "Free Nelson Mandela"  12"
*TTP1 V/A — ''The 2 Tone Story'' promo EP 7" (4 track EP, Specials, Selector, Madness, promo for The 2 Tone Story LP)
*CHS TT30 The Specials — "Ghost Town" / "Ghost Town" (Dub '91) 7"
*CHS TT12 30 The Specials — "Ghost Town" / "Why ?" / "Ghost Town" (Dub '91) / "Version"  12"
*CHS TT31 Various Artists — ''The 2 Tone EP''  7" (Special AKA, Madness, Selecter, Beat) (released in 1993)
*CHS TT32 The Specials — "Sock It to 'Em J.B. (Dub)" / "Rat Race (Dub)" 7" (released for [[Record Store Day]] 2014)

== See also ==
* [[Man in Business Suit Levitating emoji]] was based on their logo.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://2-tone.info/index.html 2 Tone Information site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041011154027/http://2-tone.info/index.html |date=11 October 2004 }}
* [http://rocksgodiva.tripod.com/2tonetrail The 2 Tone Trail]
*[https://www.discogs.com/label/27269-Two-Tone-Records Discography at Discogs]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071008113531/http://2tonecollection.com/ 2 Tone record collection]

{{ska}}
{{punk}}
{{reggae}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:British record labels]]
[[Category:2 Tone Records]]
[[Category:Record labels established in 1979]]
[[Category:1979 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Record labels disestablished in 1986]]
[[Category:1986 disestablishments in England]]