{"product_id":"9781636141893","title":"Too Much Too Young, the 2 Tone Records Story: Rude Boys, Racism, and the Soundtrack of a Generation","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe definitive and remarkable story of 2 Tone Records, featuring an introduction by Pauline Black \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e—A \u003cem\u003eTimes\/Sunday Times\u003c\/em\u003e Book of the Year\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e—An \u003cem\u003eUncut\u003c\/em\u003e Book of the Year\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e—Long-Listed for the Penderyn Music Book Prize\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e—A \u003cem\u003eLouder Than War\u003c\/em\u003e Book of the Year\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e—A \u003cem\u003eBlitzed Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e Book of the Year \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn 1979, 2 Tone Records exploded into the consciousness\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e of music lovers in Britain, the US, and beyond, as albums by the \u003cstrong\u003eSpecials\u003c\/strong\u003e, the \u003cstrong\u003eSelecter\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eMadness\u003c\/strong\u003e, the \u003cstrong\u003eEnglish Beat\u003c\/strong\u003e, and the \u003cstrong\u003eBodysnatchers\u003c\/strong\u003e burst onto the charts and a youth movement was born. 2 Tone was Black and white: a multiracial force of British and Caribbean musicians singing about social issues, racism, class, and gender struggles. It spoke of injustices in society and fought against rightwing extremism. It was exuberant and eclectic: white youths learning to dance to the infectious rhythm of ska and reggae, crossed with a punk attitude, to create an original hybrid. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe idea of 2 Tone was born in Coventry, England, and masterminded by a middle-class art student, Jerry Dammers, who envisioned an English Motown. Dammers signed a slew of successful artists, and a number of successive hits propelled 2 Tone onto \u003cem\u003eTop of the Pops\u003c\/em\u003e and into the hearts and minds of a generation. However, infighting among the bands and the pressures of running a label caused 2 Tone to bow to the inevitable weight of expectation and recrimination. Over the following years, Dammers built the label back up again, entering a new phase full of fresh signings and a beautiful end-piece finale in the activist hit song “(Free) Nelson Mandela.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTold in three parts, \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eToo Much Too Young\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e is the definitive story of a label that for a brief, bright burning moment shaped British, American, and world culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Akashic Books, Ltd.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42371111452733,"sku":"9781636141893","price":32.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0603\/0838\/9949\/files\/9781636141893_p0.jpg?v=1771582375","url":"https:\/\/www.tatteredcover.com\/products\/9781636141893","provider":"Tattered Cover","version":"1.0","type":"link"}