Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys

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"Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys"
Blackskinblueyedboys.jpg
Single by the Equals
B-side"Ain't Got Nothing to Give You"
ReleasedDecember 1970
GenreFunk[1]
Length2:50
LabelPresident PT 325
Songwriter(s)Eddy Grant
Producer(s)Eddy Grant

"Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys" is a song written by Guyanese-British musician Eddy Grant and recorded in London in 1970 by his band the Equals. Their recording, produced by Grant, reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1971 and was the band's last chart hit.[2]

The Equals were noted for being one of the first ethnically-mixed bands in the UK. The song was described by journalist Chris Taylor as "a hymn to diversity" which "explicitly linked its racial theme with the anti-Vietnam war sentiment of the time".[3] The song is also notable for heralding a shift in the band's sound, from the Caribbean-influenced pop-rock which had given them their initial success in the late 1960s to an embrace of funk music.[1] Lloyd Bradley has described the song as "the first recognisably black British statement - a song that saw itself as being (British) in both words and music, and announced that London's indigenous black soul music was entirely self-sufficient".[4]

In 2019, "Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys" was covered by the Specials as the opening track on their album Encore.[5] Lynval Golding of the Specials said: "I've always thought of The Equals as our spiritual ancestors: they were a massive inspiration to all of us, genuine heroes.... Doing their song on the album is a tribute, our way of thanking them for everything they've done and how much they meant to us...".[6]

The song was also covered by Australian band Hush, and released as a single in 1973. The single was taken from Hush's album Aloud 'N' Live.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Heller, Jason (18 July 2016). "Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys: The Story of Pioneering Interracial Rock Band the Equals". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  2. ^ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. p. 92. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
  3. ^ Chris Taylor, "Old music: The Equals – Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys", The Guardian, 15 November 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2019
  4. ^ Bradley, Lloyd (2013). Sounds Like London: 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital. London: Serpent's Tail. p. 178. ISBN 978-1846687617. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  5. ^ Hermes, Will (2019-02-02). "British Ska-Punk Legends the Specials Return in Top Form on 'Encore'". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  6. ^ Interview with Lynval Golding, Record Collector, #489, February 2019, pp.106-107
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