Well I'm Running

The Equals - Police On My Back

Blazing out of London in the late 60's and led by pioneering frontman Eddy Grant, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present...The Equals. A very tough band to musically pin down, they mix it up between fuzzy garage rock and party funk, with healthy helpings of soul, an evident Caribbean influence and pop sensibilities. Grant even claims that their 1970 single, (the block rockin' tune) 'Black Skinned Blue Eyed Boys', was the first ever Soca track, a style that fuses soul and calypso.

Formed by an eighteen year old Grant in 1966, after he built a guitar in shop class, The Equals consisted of two whites and three blacks, the significance of which is only apparent in a historical context as it was before Sly & The Family Stone or Booker T & The MGs pushed multi-racial bands into popular culture. Although they had a chart topping hit in the UK with 'Baby Come Back', and were quite popular in Europe, US success eluded them. At just 21, Grant suffered a heart attack, quite a shock for an apparent "tea-totaling vegetarian", so he stopped touring completely and took a lesser role in the band. He did eventually break in the US in the early 80's with the synth-heavy 'Electric Avenue' and now lives in Barbados and runs his label, Ice Records, which concentrates on Soca, Calypso and Ringbang, a new genre invented by Grant.

Starting with a scene-setting guitar siren sound, todays tune is a superb tale of teen waywardness. It reminds me of Supergrass's 'Caught By The Fuzz'. It's basically a rock tune but the West Indian flavours come through in a brilliantly subtle and effortless way. It's not at all clumsy, as is often the case when genres are forced together. The reason The Equals are regarded as having helped set the scene for the 2 Tone ska movement is completely evident on this track. The outlaw theme also appealed to The Clash, who covered it for their 1980 release 'Sandinista!'.

The Equals
Ice Records