Coventry Automatics - The Special AKA - The Specials. - 1978-79

It's funny I have difficulty remembering these years, maybe I blocked out a lot of bad memories or maybe I was just blotto most of the time! Anyway here's the bits I recall...

The Coventry Automatics
Me and Jerry Dammers were party animals in those far off days, and trying to find a late drink was pretty difficult in Coventry in 1979. A curry or a dodgy club was the only way to get a late beer.
One such club was called "The Domino", which had been a gay hangout, but in 1978-79 had been taken over by punks and various degenerates and criminals.
It was there my dear readers that Jerry asked me to play guitar on a demo they (The Automatics) were doing in "London".
After many pints, I staggered off home and next morning I was awoken by someone banging and kicking my front door.
It all came back to me... recording - London - Dammers.
I explained to Angie (my misses) and put on my jeans + leather jacket. At the front door was Jerry and a local D.J. Pete Waterman, they helped me load my Vox AC 30 and Gibson Les Paul into a taxi and we caught the train to "the big smoke" ... London..
The rest is a bit hazy. I remember the studio was near soho and I remember an off licence brandy and beer. I don't think I heard what we did until the 1990's when Neville discovered a lost tape!
Apparently no record company was interested in this strange hybrid of reggae and punk. We carried on gigging - rehearsing - hoping for some kind of break. Jerry, our leader, was determined we should succeed, and somehow talked the Clash and their manager into letting us support them on their British tour.
The Clash were my ideal of a punk-rock'n'roll band. They had a message, the sound and their wardrobe was almost the same as mine!
The tour was exhausting but brilliant fun, we slept rough - very little food - but sometimes the crowd gave us a chance and we would retire from the stage happy-even though we were covered in gob.
Around this time I was given an ultimatum, either pack in the band or quit my job. Me and Angie had just took on a mortgage!! I quit! Jerry said, give up everything, we are going to be famous!*( or words to that effect)
I told my wife several weeks later,after she had had a couple of drinks.