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The first UK based deejays to break into the National Charts Eastwood & Saint translated the language of Jamaican deejays into an international style that everyone could understand and anyone could join in with...
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| Date Added: Jun 22, 2015 Copyright (C) 2024 Dub Store Sound Inc. |
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Deejay Clint Eastwood... no, not his illustrious Hollywood namesake... was born Robert Brammer in Jamaica. His elder brother, Wade Brammer, was better known as Trinity... one of the most popular deejays of the late seventies. Following in his brother's footsteps he trod the rounds of Kingston's producers and recording studios and established a formidable reputation on recordings for Joe Gibbs(Joel Gibson), the Hookim brothers at Channel One, Vivian 'Yabby You' Jackson(Vivian Jackson) and Bunny 'Striker' Lee(Striker Lee). He relocated to London in the early eighties where he recorded the 'True True Loving' and 'Blues Night' twelve inch releases and the risqué 'Sex Education' album for the Greensleeves label.
General Saint was born Winston Hislop in Jamaica and moved to London in 1977. He had never worked as a deejay in Jamaica and recalled that his introduction to show business came through his appearances in "school plays". His stage debut came alongside Trinity on his 1980 UK tour at London's Music Machine and 100 Club and he then started chatting on the mic. for the Brixton based Front Line International Sound. His early recordings included 'Warm & Sunny Day', in combination with Barrington Levy, a twelve inch release for the Harlesden based Cha Cha label.
After meeting in Larry's Record Shop on Portobello Road the pair struck up an immediate friendship, began sparring together in the west London neighbourhood, and would often meet up outside Greensleeves record shop in Shepherds Bush.
"A posse used to hang around outside the shop, a whole posse, and I got to know Eastwood and Saint through them. It wasn't planned. It just happened. Just came about really. They were always coming up with lyrics. The shooting of General Echo cut everybody up and Saint said 'We have to do a tribute to Echo'. We reacted to situations. That's how it was with them. We all knew and loved General Echo from the sound tapes..."
Chris Cracknell
General Echo was one of the first deejays to be celebrated for 'sound tapes' (cassettes recorded live and direct in the dance halls) rather than vinyl releases and his approach was an important influence on the deejays of the era. Shot dead by the police in Jamaica in 1980 in an incident that has never adequately explained Echo lives on through the numerous cassettes of his live dance tapes, a handful of records and Clint Eastwood & General Saint's moving 'Tribute To General Echo'... which shot straight to the top of the UK reggae charts.
"Junjo(Henry 'Junjo' Lawes) used to stay by me and he gave me some rhythm tracks with a friend named Wayne Scarlett and we tried a little thing. When Echo died we decided to do a tribute... originally me and Wayne Scarlett were going to do it together but I did the first take on my own and Chris Cracknell loved it. Eastwood was in the studio too and I said 'Let's do it together' but we asked for a better, newer rhythm track. I wanted Michael Prophet's 'Righteous Are The Conqueror'. Chris was a big support. He was always there for us when the time was right..."General Saint
Although a number had already made records deejays based in the UK had gone unnoticed outside of sound system circles as recording artists or live performers. However, boosted by a Number One UK reggae record, Clint Eastwood & General Saint began to appear on stage shows up and down the country where they hit all over again.
"Eastwood and Saint were on the bill at the 1981 Black Echoes Awards Show one Sunday night at the Hammersmith Palais. I think Johnny Osbourne was the main act. They performed 'Another One Bites The Dust' and it tore the place up. From Monday onwards we were deluged with people looking for the tune. They were going mad for it and it wasn't even on record! We went to the studio that Friday and recorded the tune..." Chris Cracknell
The tune also went straight to Number One in the reggae charts and 'Another One Bites The Dust' held the top position for an amazing nine weeks. The 'reggae rapping duo' began work on their debut album in 1981, the appropriately titled 'Two Bad DJ', with Greensleeves' Chris Cracknell handling production duties.
"We used Junjo's rhythms on the first album. Listening to tapes in the shop and choosing the rhythms we wanted. Junjo was very close with Eastwood and Saint. Although he never produced them he was more than happy for them to use his rhythms and record on them. We then went to the studio and recorded the tracks." Chris Cracknell
The demand for live appearances was so overwhelming that a band was assembled for live dates, dubbed 'Inity Rockers', that included a young man named Courtney Pine on saxophone.
"You couldn't get any better than that! Courtney Pine was still at school and couldn't go to foreign gigs. Even then we knew he was going to be something special..." General Saint
During 1981 and early 1982 Clint Eastwood and General Saint were ubiquitous, not only breaking down barriers every time they performed live, the two bad DJ's also began to appear regularly on national radio and television.
"At Student Unions they'd be telling jokes on stage and taking the mickey. They just ripped up wherever they went... everything was always funny with Eastwood and Saint. They would involve the audience and it would be like a party. They'd be booked time after time at the same venues. They were great times and people still come up to me now to talk about their shows! They were a bundle of fun..." Chris Cracknell
"John Peel was responsible for our big breakthrough. We did a session for his show and then a Radio One 'In Concert' session. We did The Old Grey Whistle Test... the only other reggae acts that did that were Bob Marley & The Wailers and Aswad. We were the first reggae artists on Channel Four." General Saint
Legendary vocalist Errol Dunkley advised the pair to record an update of 'Stop That Train' which had been a moderate ska hit for Prince Buster when The Spanishtonians first recorded the song in 1965 and a massive rock steady hit two years later when Keith & Tex sang it again for Derrick Harriott. The timing was just right for Eastwood and Saint's eighties interpretation and they now began to move even closer to the musical mainstream with the twelve inch release and the album of the same name.
"Stop That Train' changed the whole picture. It was actually Errol Dunkley's idea. We were doing a show in Slough in early 1982. It was the last show of the tour and afterwards we were off to Jamaica for a break. Errol came into the dressing room and said 'I have a tune to break you into the international market. Give it a go. It will really suit you'.
It must have been a good choice because we're still talking about the same track today! We had had our own band and when we started rehearsing for the next tour and the new album at the Town House we included 'Stop That Train'. We wanted to take it one step up from getting the rhythm tracks from Jamaica and we were testing the new tracks live at our gigs. That night we played Oxford University and announced that 'Stop That Train' was going to be our next single. We recorded the track with the band at Vineyard Studios. Not long after 'Stop That Train' we started to move in a very different direction. It was a gamble but it introduced us to a different audience. 'Two Bad D.J.' was an 'ethnic' album but 'Stop That Train' was an international album. With it we opened the door internationally for the deejay business..." General Saint
The duo progressed to "a sold out tour of Europe" where, as well as being a massive live draw, their records were licensed for release in Germany, Spain and Holland where they narrowly missed the top spot in the National Charts.
"We reached Number Two in Holland... only Queen with 'Radio Gaga' kept us from reaching the Number One spot." General Saint
Clint Eastwood's UK publicist... yes the Hollywood Clint Eastwood... disapproved of their growing fame and implied that it might be damaging the original Man With No Name's name. But both Clint Eastwoods apparently laughed this off as a publicity stunt! However, it was not all fun and games and there was a serious side to Eastwood and Saint in accordance with these serious times.
"I didn't realise at the time that we were making statements too. As artists we realised we could stand up for the people: Margaret Thatcher, unemployment, the Cold War, CND... I gave speeches with Bruce Kent to over three thousand people for CND. Nowadays if you're too political you don't get anywhere..."General Saint
The incredible success of Eastwood and Saint was built around their formidable live act and their stupendous record sales. Hundreds of thousands had no intention of stopping the train but instead boarded it for a veritable roller coaster ride into unmapped territory.
"It was strictly the reggae market before but Eastwood and Saint started to change it..."
Chris Cracknell
"I think of all the great and beautiful things that happened. We enjoyed it all! We toured Europe with The Stranglers and every night we'd go on before them. One night we got a message in the dressing room to go on last because they were tired of us stealing their show! We supported Pigbag after they'd hit with 'Papa's Got A Brand New Pig Bag' and they had to follow us. The crowd were still chanting 'Eastwood and Saint, Eastwood and Saint, Eastwood and Saint' when they came on stage." General Saint
And the last word in attempting to explain the phenomenon must go to 'one bad DJ'...
"And we're good friends still..."General Saint
Sources:
Noel Hawks: Interview with Chris Cracknell London, UK 1st February 2007
Noel Hawks: Interview with General Saint London, UK 3rd February 2007 |
| Jun 22, 2015 Text by Harry Hawks
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