The Jukebox Rebel

14 years after The Equals had made #1 with “Baby Come Back”, 34-year-old Eddy Grant repeated the feat as a solo artist with his September '82 release, “I Don’t Wanna Dance”. He looked stern on the cover of the 45, shot in his new homeland of Barbados. He had become disillusioned with Britain's class and race divisions (who could blame him?) and the single, about the end of a boy-girl relationship on the surface, was his Dear John letter to the UK, his home for the last 22 years: “Baby, now the party's over for us so I'll be on my way, Now that the things which moved me are standing still, I know it's only superstition, baby, but I won't look back, Even though I feel your music, baby, that is that”. Everything was falling into place for the bold Eddie at this time. His new Blue Wave Studios would soon give him all the time and space he needed to be creative (albeit he was surrounded by carpenters as he made this record!), and would open up a whole host of new business opportunities. The LP was issued in November, 1982, just as the single sat at the very summit of the UK pop charts. The idyllic cover shots on the front and rear showed a man at ease with his new set-up, as free as a bird.

The follow up single, “Electric Avenue” was the stuff of dreams for an artist, giving him a massive hit on both sides of the Atlantic. It's doubtful many were paying attention to the lyrics, but it was borne of the Brixton riots of '81. EG: “On the way home one night from working in the Black Theatre of Brixton I saw Electric Avenue on a street sign, and thought: “What a fantastic song title.” Several years later, just before leaving England, I’d watched the Brixton riots unfold on television. I’d seen the Notting Hill riots starting a few years previously. I wrote down: “Now in the street there is violence,” and the song just flowed from there. I had been talking to politicians and people at a high level about the lack of opportunity for black people, and I knew what was brewing. The general attitude was: “Oh come on, Eddy, you mean rivers of blood?” I myself might have been successful, but I could have easily been one of those guys with no hope, and I knew that when people felt they were being left behind, there was potential for violence. The song was intended as a wake-up call.”

For me, the album's killer cut has to be “War Party”, and it's anti-colonialiast, anti-war, anti-hypocrisy message. A sparse reggae backing free of drum n bass lets the verses shine through and all the world leaders who would send the youths to their grave come under fire in no uncertain terms: “You've invited all our wise men, Many time before, To dance around your fires, And even out your scores, And when tolls taken of the valiant and the brave, The only decoration is the one upon the grave, Oh no, you're a bastard just like Pharoah, You killed the children just like Pharoah, Now you send a ticket for me, And it don't have R.S.V.P.” You tell 'em Eddie!

The Jukebox Rebel
23–Jul–2007 (edited 09–Dec–2020)

A1	[03:49] Eddy Grant - Electric Avenue (Eddy Grant) Pop
A2	[03:40] Eddy Grant - I Don’t Wanna Dance (Eddy Grant) Pop
A3	[04:27] Eddy Grant - It’s All In You (Eddy Grant) Pop
A4	[03:55] Eddy Grant - War Party (Eddy Grant) Reggae
A5	[04:30] Eddy Grant - Funky Rock ‘n’ Roll (Eddy Grant) New Wave
B1	[04:32] Eddy Grant - Too Young To Fall (Eddy Grant) Pop
B2	[04:19] Eddy Grant - Latin Love Affair (Eddy Grant) Latin
B3	[05:17] Eddy Grant - Another Revolutionary (Eddy Grant) Cerebral Pop
B4	[03:36] Eddy Grant - Drop Baby Drop (Eddy Grant) Reggae
B5	[03:30] Eddy Grant - Killer On The Rampage (Eddy Grant) Disco / Funk

ratings by TJR