A Short History of Big Audio Dynamite

Were The Clash ever any good? They were certainly important in the history of punk, mainly as they were the acceptable face of the movement. But were they any good? They had one great song 'White Riot' and some plainly dodgy albums. When Mick Jones left (or was kicked out of) the band The Clash released their next album 'Cut The Crap'. It was slated by critics. On the other hand, Mick Jones' new band Big Audio Dynamite released their debut album, 'This Is Big Audio Dynamite', at the same time in 1985 and it was critically acclaimed. The Clash still had the motivating lyrics but were, by then, seen as traditional and stale. Jones seemed to have left at the right time. But what was a Brixton boy to do next. Hip-hop had just arrived in South London. Just like punk, it had an uncompromising sound and an alternative philosophy. So, all he needed was a band who could make the hybrid sound he was after.

He turned to an old friend, the talismanic Don Letts. Letts was most certainly not a musician. He needed stickers on his keyboard to show which notes he should play. But he provided the band with something different. Having recorded some key punk moments on his super-8 he had a burgeoning reputation as a film maker. Indeed Scorsese was a fan and Fellini called him a cinematic terrorist. He had been the one to travel to Jamaica with John Lydon after the Sex Pistols split, he had run a punk clothing and record stall called Acme Attractions on the King's Road which had a clientele including Lydon, Jones, Simonon and Strummer. He'd also been a DJ at the seminal punk club the Roxy and had managed the Slits on tour.

Mick Jones carried on what he'd been doing in The Clash, namely writing songs, the chords and the melodies. Don Letts concentrated on samples and scripted lyrics, which sometimes were drawn from film. Their single 'E=MC2' was inspired by Nicholas Roeg's films with some samples being taken from film narrative. The first Big Audio Dynamite albums were based around a mix of funk, reggae and rock as well as some of the newer dance styles. The rest of the band was made up of Dan Donovan, on keyboards, Leo Williams, and Greg Roberts. The 1989 album 'Megatop Phoenix' was a more acid-house affair. This was the year when Mick Jones had a life threatening illness and the band split, with Letts carrying on his film work which included music videos. Williams and Roberts went on to form Dreadzone.

Later, Mick Jones formed Big Audio Dynamite II. This new version of the band dealt with the sounds he could hear around him in Ladbroke Grove. The 1991 single 'Rush' and the 1995 album 'P-Funk' are the two outstanding releases of the band's reincarnation. Jones has gone on to work with the Libertines.