Part of my youth was spent listening to anything by Terry Hall. Hall had a penchant for starting a band, putting out 2 albums [they were albums and not CDs in the 80s], and then moving on. There was The Specials, Fun Boy Three, The Colourfield, Terry, Blair & Anouchka, and Vegas [with Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics]. Then, he went solo.
Terry was the quintessential pouting British schoolboy, with a sense of detachment and a full understanding of the existential problems in the world. The Specials were a ska band, as were Fun Boy Three. The Colourfield and Terry, Blair & Anouchka were more retro in feel, and Vegas was just an odd blend of styles. But I followed them all, and listened to it all, and was sure that the world would come to an end when I saw the cover of one of the solo CDs had a picture of Terry smiling - Dear God in heaven, he can't actually be happy, can he?
No matter, for my favorite incarnation was The Colourfield, which from the outside looked like four California college boys, but ended up being the Beach Boys with lyrics by Sylvia Plath. I loved the song Pushing Up Daisies.
Terry always tended to be a ahead of his time - and kept him from being much more than an icon to other musicians and geeks like me. He is currently working on a reunion with The Specials, and has almost no web presence. You can find him on MySpace, or an unofficial fansite. Or in a corner bar in England, smoking ciagarettes and lamenting the human condition. Ah, yes, the good old days!
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