Excerpts: Liner Notes From Steel Pulse's True Democracy

True Democracy has been hailed as the crowning achievement of the innovative British reggae band Steel Pulse. By the time they recorded it, they already had three records to their name, two of them among the most creative fusions ever attempted in the reggae form.

Sons of Jamaican immigrants, born in the working-class precincts of England's Midlands circa 1975, Steel Pulse became a surprising early darling of the punk set, touring for the Rock Against Racism organization. Both Bob Marley and Burning Spear had chosen Pulse as their opening act on European tours. But by 1981 they had reached an impasse with their label, Island Records, which had told them - among other things - that they had "no audience in America."

Going out on a limb, they made the audacious decision to begin releasing records on their own label (and proving Island wrong). That summer they made their Jamaican debut at the highly emotional Reggae Sunsplash Festival tribute to Bob Marley in Montego Bay, where they performed Marley's "Smile Jamaica." The audience was awestruck by the band's presentation of "Ku Klux Klan," their biggest hit to date, featuring one of their members leaping onto the stage during the song in full-sheeted Klan regalia.  A collective scream filled the tropical night, and no one who witnessed it would ever forget the sight.

Anxious to regain their recording momentum, Steel Pulse turned to the producer of their first two albums, the legendary Karl Pitterson, who helped produce such classics as Peter Tosh's Legalize It, Bunny Wailer's Blackheart Man, and Bob Marley's Album of the Century (according to Time magazine), Exodus.

Their next project would be recorded in Denmark, in a new studio whose owners were anxious to break it in with a reggae band. In 25 days on the island of Aarhus, utilizing a new 16-track system, the band recorded what would become True Democracy.

- Excerpted from Roger Steffens liner notes for True Democracy Roger Steffens is Chairman of the Reggae Grammy Committee.  His first music business job was as national promoter at Elektra Records for Steel Pulse's classic True Democracy.