One Of Coventry’s Finest Sons Has Left Us

Introduction

Terry Hall died aged 63 after a short illness, two years younger than me. I first came across Terry as lead singer with the multi cultural Two Tone ska band The Specials with their EP "Too Much Too Young", the title track being a superb social commentary for the time.

"Ghost Town" by The Specials was voted number 2 in The Guardian's top 100 UK Number One singles and is even more relevant today than when it was released as the Tory destruction of Britain's infrastructure had just started under Thatcher, but most city centres are now veritable Ghost Towns thanks to the current incompentence of subsequent Tory governemnts.

Terry will be sadly missed but I have put together this playlist bookended by the two songs that I mentioned in this introduction.

Too Much Too Young - The Specials

Wonderful ska social commentary, still relevant today, like almost all their songs are.

Grow - Terry Hall And Mushtaq from "The Hour of Two Lights"

This is a one-off collaborative album between Terry , and Mushtaq, a member of British-based multi-ethnic hip-hop–ethno-techno–world fusion music group Fun-Da-Mental. Released ten years ago and shows how far Terry could go, although involved in the composition and performance he dosen't sing on this one.

"Sense" from "Home"

A gorgeous solo Lightning Seeds cover from 1994. A song that I may have performed with Spoon, but everything was a musical possibilty with Terry.

"Our Lips Are Sealed" by The Fun Boy Three and Bananarama from "Waiting"

This was co-written by Jane Wiedlin, guitarist of the Go-Go's, and Terry.

It was first recorded by the Go-Go's as the opening track on their album Beauty and the Beat (1981) and was their debut American single in June 1981, but this was the first time that I heard the song, and as this is a tribute to Terry we go with the Fun Boy Three version.

"Summertime" by The Fun Boy Three (Single)

This was released in 1982 and appears on the extended 2009 reissue of their debut album.

"Summertime" is an aria composed in 1934 by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, and Ira Gershwin. Joe Nocera in 2012 said there were "over 25,000" recordings of the song and the fun Boy Three's version is just one, but a very good one and a great performance from Terry.

"Thinking of You" by The Colourfield from "Virgins and Philistines"

A lovely lowkey ballad from Terry with The Colourfield released in 1984. They formed in 1984 in Manchester, England, when Terry joined up with ex-Swinging Cats members Toby Lyons and Karl Shale. Despite the fact that all three members were from Coventry, the band was based in Manchester.

"The Tunnel Of Love" by The Fun Boy Three from

This could be a follow up or companion to "Too Much Too Young" more ominous social commentary from Terry, but another slice of brilliant music from a maverick talent"

"You gave up your friends for a new way of life

And both ended up as ex-husband and wife"

Ghost Town - The Specials

This carries an almost Halloween threatening vibe, and is still as relevant today as it was when it was released in 1981. Quite rightly very high in The guardian's Number One UK songs list.

Concluding My Terry Hall Tribute and Remembrance

I hope this has sown you the sheer breadth and depth of music that Terry was part of, always trying to go further, ranging from standards and covers to his own original music.