This is a strange album that came out in 1970. It was a weird concept album aimed at skinheads who were in fashion at the time. When I was a teenage skinhead myself we bought the album even though there was no reggae on it. What is of interest is there are some spoken sections by young lads that make it of interest in regard to spoken word.
The band Fresh were put together by manager Simon Napier-Bell, who later on was the manager of Wham!. There are a couple of Mick Jagger/Keith Richards songs on the album which has made it a sought after record.
There is some authenticity to the spoken sections, these being from real lads rather than the musicians. All in all it’s quite a strange concept album that throws a bit of light onto the social history of us boot boy types. Bob Gorman from the band Fresh said “Our development was rudely interrupted by these albums, and did not represent our style or music.”
Come the 1980s several borstal boys were ranting poets.
what the lad is saying on the first track about the Governor of the borstal trying to trade him out to visit a friend with a swimming pool is of great interest given what is happening now in the press. Any info on who the lad doing the speaking parts was/is.?
I did DC and Borstal in the 70’s; believe
me the gloves were off.