The Death of 2 Tone

Why did 2 Tone die?

In Neville's book "Original Rude Boy", the blame is put on bubblegum pop. Pauline Black, lead singer of the Selecter recalls going to the Chrysalis record company headquarters in 1981 only to find they had turned their back on 2 Tone.

Everybody was dressed as New Romantics - Spandau Ballet was now the record bosses' favourite band. She says in the book that 2 Tone had fallen off the ionosphere. And she alleges that this was the end of political pop. Maybe it was the riots that saw cities burn in the summer of 1981 that put the British pop industry off 2 Tone. They wanted something safer - less contentious. There's no doubt that twenty five years later, we have pop that is so bland - it says nothing to anybody.

So are we really dooomed to Pop Idol pap for ever or can something like 2 Tone emerge?