The 2 Tone movement emerged in 1979 in the UK, featuring bands like The Specials, The Selecter, Madness, The Beat, and The Bodysnatchers. It was a multi-racial force of British and Caribbean island musicians singing about social issues, racism, class, and gender struggles. The label's first record featured "Gangsters" by The Specials and an instrumental track by the yet-to-be-formed Selecter.
George Marshall's book follows the fortunes of Coventry's Tamla Motown from its inception to the present day (well, Nelson Mandella's release) with a fan's eye to detail . . . As an epitaph, The Two Tone Story is similar to the label's music - fast, involving and tinged with realism