Skinhead History
I recently bought a compilation at the lovely black and read titled 'The Skinhead Generation', not knowing what was on it i gave it a listen and it basically had rocksteady, first wave ska, and reagge. I already knew of Oi! and that whole movement, but i didnt quite now of skinhead history so im going to type out what was in the cd booklet so others arent so misinformed about the roots.
Gradually a new look emerged which striped back the androgynous aspect of mod fashion, ditching the flamboyant suits the back combed hair and thehand tooled italian shoes for a more basic look of the traditional tonik suit, levis sta prest or tight fitting jeans, slimfit ben shurman button down shirts, fred perry polo shirts, and brogues and loafers . Fashions grew more industrial and practical. Very short hair defined the look: at first a feather-cut french-crop was worn, often wth a razor parting. Eventually doc martens shoe and boots became de regeur, an allusion to the threat of menace that was so successful a part of skinhead attitude, worn perhaps with a donkey jacket. It defined a youth cult.
Whilst some of this new generation of sawdust caesars kept faith with soul music (stax atlanic and motown) they chose for their real passion th jamaican sound of ska and its beautiful offspring rocksteady. Music played a vital part in the scene. There was already a healthy network of record labels, shops and clubs playig ska and rocksteady run by- and initially for the west indian community. After the initial ska craze of 1964 introduced the music to a white audience, Prince buster, the skatalites, and desmond decker and the all had uk hits. Jamaican performers swiftly became aware of the rise in popularity of jamaican music in england not least because vast swatches or recordings were licenced to labels like bluebeat, island, and by 1968 trojan. The skinheads even adopted a dance to go with this music, the skank.
Come the early 1970s artists like dave and anse collins , the maytals and others scored enourmous uk hits such wasthe popularity of the skinhead movement that certain acts even tailored records especially for that market- often produced on uk soil. One act, symarip, recorded a popular tribute 'skinhead moonstomp' which later charted during the ska revival of 1980.
The original skinhead look eventually evolved into what would be known as the suedehead. Hair was grown to about an inch, just long enough to comb. They resorted to a mod-like dress code of trousers and khakis,brgues vests/sweaters and the trenchcoat. The gang members of that most infamous movies of that era wore uniforms modelled somewhat after the suedeheads. Other refinements and sub-groups included 'smoothheads' or 'smoothies' with mop top haircuts and sorts (females).
In clockwork orange stanley kubricks adoption of this image to link to the ultra-violence wasnt a coincidence: skinheads by the early 70s were potrayed as mindless thugs- and in truth there was no smoke without fire. The politics of the skinhead were the politics of the white working class; the politics of exclusion. These youths were terroritorial, with loyalties extended only to the estate, th suburb and the football team. As time rolled on an infamous few took this approach and distorted it into fascism/racism.
Britains inner cities especially in london had borne the majority of post-war commonwealth immigration and tensons had steadily risen. Organisatins like the national front played on this and recruited skinheads mong others, blaming the incomers for the poor social aspects of the innercity lif. Although ironically skinhead music was of black origin, and commonwealth black rather than american, this seemed to have no effect on the targets of skinhead wrath and intimidation. However it should be stressed that most of this happened post-1973 long after the original skinhead subsided.
The skinhead cult was kept alive if underground by an army of diehards- though the hooligan/racist element linked to the more notorious football firms (west ham, millwall etc) gave the scene a bad name. By 1977/1978 skinheads attached themselves to punk bands like sham 69 and the angelic upstarts and a new generation of groups followed in their wake; the cockney rejects and the infamous skrewdriver. A new type of punk evolved termed "Oi!" by journalist gary bushell, which enjoyed a surge in popularity in the earl 1980s.
It wasnt until 1979 that the skinheads love of sharp threads and jamaican music was truly reborn- via coventrys 2-tone scene and a new generation of kids too young for punk rock. Bands like the specials, the selector, the beat and especially madness fused 60s and early 70s ska, rocksteady and early reggae with the maverisk DIY energy of punk to create something wholly new while inevitably turning people into the spirit of dancehall circa 69.
These 2-tone fans called themselves rude-boys an took a leaf frm the blackand white 2-tone image. The look was a mix of mod and skinhead. From 1982 onwards, ska has enjoyed a fanatical following around the globe, with audiences ignoring factional nonsense instea being united by great music. It is ionic that the most recent adoption of skinhead image should emerge from londons homosexual community. Boots, braces, window-pane check shirts, levis denim and a no. 1 crop emerged as a badge of gay awareness ad defiace during the mid-80s. It was initially a defence mechanism employed by the community to avoid being a target for gaybashing and intimidation on the premese that skinheads would not attack their own and because of course there look was/is incredibly masculine. The fashion spread from londons soho into the wider community, until the number of gay faux skinheads far outnumbered their original intimidators. This successfully negated the threat (in the uk at least) from skinheads. After all which macho minority hatin skinhead would like to be thought of as gay?
SHARP
RASH (Red and Anarchist Skinheads)
