GHOST TOWN
Q+A JOHN COLLINS
IT TOPPED THE UK CHARTS FOR THREE WEEKS TO A BACKDROP OF RIOTS AND PROTESTS, PERFECTLY CAPTURING THE UNEASE OF THE NATION. 40 YEARS ON, IT REMAINS AS RELEVANT AS EVER. CLASSIC POP MEETS JOHN COLLINS, THE MAN WHO HELPED THE SPECIALS MAKE THEIR NO.1 MASTERPIECE, GHOST TOWN
FELIX ROWE
It’s the song that keeps on giving; not simply a pivotal record of 1981, but a song that transcends pop culture to stand as a commentary on urban decay in post-war Britain. While looking outward, it also captures the struggles of a band in turmoil, about to implode, and while written for a specific moment in time, it continues to connect with new audiences. Central to its mood was dub reggae producer John Collins. Now fighting fit following a bout of the dreaded coronavirus, John tells us how he did it…
Were The Specials on your radar before you worked with them?
I’d seen them on Top Of The Pops, heard them on John Peel. But I was late-20s and Specials fans were teenagers, really. I was more into Jamaican reggae at the time. It definitely wasn’t authentic from my point of view, but they were very interesting. They’d moved it on, given it a punk edge. I suppose when I first heard Gangsters on John Peel, I thought, “This is copying Prince Buster! How did they get away with that?”
When they contacted you, did you think it was a wind-up?
It was a late-night phone call – Jerry Dammers, at one or two o’clock in the morning. I was actually in bed! He apologised, phoned me back the next day and said, “Can you come up and have a chat?” I was so suspicious it was going to be a waste of time, but when I got there, I realised they were serious. It was really as a direct result of At The Club [Victor Romero Evans], my big hit record on Local Records in the reggae charts, and again John Peel. It got played out of the blue on a programme called Round Table and the next day I got the call. Jerry had produced the band’s previous album and spent a lot of money and time in 24-track studios and it didn’t do that well. He’s thinking, “This bloke makes records like that in his front room and gets to No.1 on the reggae charts. Let’s try that!”