Released by Elektra Records in May 1982, True Democracy by Steel Pulse is one of reggae's classic statement albums.
Recorded in Denmark and produced by Karl Pitterson, it celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. David Hinds, the band's lead singer, rhythm guitarist and main songwriter, recently told the Jamaica Observer that plans for a tour marking the milestone have been put on hold due to COVID-19.
Hinds wrote all but one (Your House) of the nine songs on True Democracy which captured the British band at its creative zenith.
"It has most certainly held up after 40 years. I believe it's because of the initial impact it had when it first came on to the market. It was the freshest product that echoed the political energy of its time," said Hinds. "Therefore, packed with that kind of synergy and sentiment, the music-loving population had no other choice but to respond in a positive way towards its contents."
True Democracy was Steel Pulse's fourth album, following Handsworth Revolution, Tribute to The Martyrs, and Caught You which were released by Island Records.
Most of the band's members including Hinds, keyboardist Selwyn Brown and Alphonso Martin were born in the United Kingdom to Jamaican parents. Many of their songs reflected the racial and social indifference they faced in that country.
Hinds notes that the commentary on True Democracy is still relevant.
"People can still draw the parallel of what was happening back then during its release, and compare it to what's happening in today's society, right now. Songs like Blues Dance Raid was about police brutality and prejudice. That hasn't stopped or changed when one thinks of the amount of black lives that have been lost, murdered, unarmed, by policemen," he stated. "You take Rally Round The Flag (Worth His Weight in Gold); it became a form of a national anthem for many of us that are advocates for freedom, democracy and self-pride. Then there's A who's Responsible, although the purpose of writing that song was pertaining to a particular incident at the time, the core ingredients still resonates when you think of children being gunned down in the confines of their classrooms... unfortunately, it has been incidents like these that have kept True Democracy subconsciously at the forefront of our minds. And let's face it, all the grooves on the album are timeless," Hinds added.
The talented Pitterson produced Handsworth Revolution and Tribute to The Martyrs for Island , which was also home to Bob Marley and The Wailers whose 1978 album, Kaya, he also produced.
Pitterson had cut ties with Island when he met Steel Pulse on tour in New York in 1981. He seemed the perfect choice to produce their next album, but with the band having no record deal, there was a problem getting funding for production.
"So, when the tour ended, we teamed up with Karl and recorded five demos, hoping that a major record label in the USA would have accepted us... but it wasn't to be. That equated to, 'no money, no album'," Hinds recalled.
"But Jah was on our side. The news had reached Scandinavia about Steel Pulse. Apparently, there was a small record label over there that had a freshly built recording studio. They were curious to hear what a reggae band would sound like in there. We jumped on that opportunity by taking a boat from England to Denmark."
Hinds remembers the recording sessions at Feedback Studio in the city of Aarhus taking only 25 days. He said Pitterson pushed him and his bandmates to produce what is still considered their best work.
"After 40 years, I still remember the recording session as if it were yesterday. The last song to be recorded was A Who's Responsible. But the last track to be voiced was ' Rally Round'. It was already voiced before, but Karl was not satisfied with the delivery. He was not satisfied, at all! Problem... I disagreed with him," said Hinds.
"Then after a few days of deliberating I took his advice and decided to give the vocals another shot. As the years rolled by I became so contented within myself that I took his advice that day, because what I had previously laid was like and chalk and cheese."
True Democracy was eventually picked up by Elektra Records. It was a big hit in Jamaica where the band performed on major shows like Reggae Sunsplash.
They recorded two more albums for that company - Earth Crisis and Babylon The Bandit. The latter won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1987.
