Scritti Politti - My Third-Favourite Band Quiz | Music

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1. Born and raised in Wales, in the mid-1970s Green Gartside was studying fine art at Leeds Polytechnic when he went to the Sex Pistols' 'Anarchy' gig in December 1976. He immediately formed a band with two fellow-students, and in 1978 released a home-made single. What was its title?

Answer: Skank Bloc Bologna

"Skank Bloc Bologna" is an unusual, jagged piece of music - not a commercial sound at all. The lyrics, a study of working-class ennui, derive from Gartside's Marxist politics: at the age of 14 he formed a branch of the Young Communist League at school, and the name of the band stems from the works of the Italian Marxist writer, Antonio Gramsci. The song's seemingly meaningless title might be a reference to the Italian city of Bologna, known for its left-wing politics. Despite its oddities, however, the record came to the attention of John Peel - always a Good Thing!

The incorrect answer options are all early singles by other punk bands: "Orgasm Addict" by Buzzcocks, "Can't Stand Losing You" by The Police and "Shot By Both Sides" by Magazine.

Given the current state of the world at the time of writing (March 2025), Antonio Gramsci's words uttered in 1929 seem very relevant: "The old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born; now is the time of monsters".

2. Gartside signed a contract with an independent record label in 1979, finding himself a labelmate of bands like the Subway Sect, Stiff Little Fingers and, later, The Smiths. Known for its left-wing politics and co-operative working arrangements, what was this label?

Answer: Rough Trade

Geoff Travis formed Rough Trade Records in 1976. Its first major success was the Stiff Little Fingers 1979 album, "Inflammable Material", followed by the first Scritti Politti album. The company went into receivership in the late 1980s but was resurrected in 2000; it's still going strong.

Looking at the incorrect answer options, Factory Records hosted bands such as Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark; it also managed the Hacienda nightclub in Manchester. Stiff Records was immensely important at the start of the punk era; its roster included Nick Lowe, the Damned, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, Devo, Mot�rhead, Madness, The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl. Finally, Good Vibrations Records was set up in Belfast in 1978 by the very wonderful Terry Hooley; he signed the Undertones, Rudi, Protex and, best of the lot, the Tearjerkers.

3. After signing with Rough Trade, Gartside decided to change the direction of the band away from the ghetto of the Indy scene and towards more mainstream pop/funk/reggae. The result was the first Scritti Politti album, "Songs to Remember", released in September 1982. Many of the songs on the album refer to Gartside's interest in philosophy, Marxism and deconstructionism in music, referring to philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche and Ludwig Wittgenstein. One song on the album is named after an Algerian-French philosopher who died in 2004. What is the title of this song?

Answer: Jacques Derrida

Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) was a French philosopher who developed the philosophy of deconstruction and is associated with post-structuralism and postmodernism, concepts that appealed to Gartside.

The song is frankly weird with fractured rhythms, sudden key changes and odd instrumentation - it sounds like a corrupted (deconstructed?) country and western number. Some of the lyrics give clues to Gartside's thoughts: "Rapacious you can never satiate / (Ate what!) desire is so voracious / I wanna eat your nation state". Other lines refer to the ennui of shopwork and workers' lack of opportunities for the future.

"Songs to Remember" went to number 12 in the UK Albums Chart but didn't chart in the US.

The incorrect answer options are all French philosophers.

4. For many years Scritti Politti didn't play in public. What was the main reason for this?

Answer: Gartside suffered from extreme stage fright

Green Gartside suffered from extreme stage fright. In early 1980 he collapsed after a gig supporting the Gang of Four in Brighton, and it was thought that he'd suffered a heart attack. Eventually, however, it was diagnosed as a panic attack brought on by chronic stage fright and an unhealthy lifestyle.

Back in about 1986 Scritti Politti announced a UK tour, including a trip to Belfast where I was then living. I went straight to the ticket office and bought tickets numbers 1 and 2. Sadly, a few weeks later they announced the cancellation of the tour because of Gartside's problems. I was absolutely gutted!

5. The last song on the "Songs to Remember" album is utterly beautiful, one of my favourite records. It became the band's first appearance in the charts when released as a single in October 1981, and perhaps surprisingly a cover version by Madness released in 1986 went higher than the original version! What's the title of this classic track?

Answer: The 'Sweetest Girl'

"The 'Sweetest Girl'" is a gloriously melodic track that was listed as one of the ten best singles of the year by "The New York Times". Sadly, however, there followed a ten-month delay before the single was released and the momentum was lost.

I still love this song, with its nagging piano (played by Robert Wyatt), its loping beat, the touch of reggae and the truly weird ending. It went to number 64 in the UK Singles Chart but didn't chart in the US. A cover version by Madness released in 1986 did better, going to number 35 in the UK Singles Chart.

6. In 1983 Gartside disbanded the group, moved to New York and signed for Virgin Records. Abandoning a lot of his radical political views he was influenced by the music in New York, especially hip hop. He went back into the studio with a new Scritti Politti line-up to record a single, which was released in February 1984: the great "Wood Beez (Pray Like _____)". The name of which soul singer is missing?

Answer: Aretha Franklin

"Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)" is a wonderful, sparkling pop song, with bits of funk and sampling mixed in. It's also a great dance track! It went to number ten in the UK Singles Chart but failed to chart in the US Billboard Hot 100.

7. After "Wood Beez" the band's next single was "Absolute", one of my favourite singles of all time: a brilliant dance track with great percussion and scintillating synthesiser contributions. Happily both tracks were included on the next Scritti Politti album, released in June 1985. What is the very appropriate title of this album?

Answer: Cupid & Psyche 85

"Cupid & Psyche 85" was the band's best-selling album, getting to number five in the UK Albums Chart and number 50 in the US Albums Chart. Five singles were released from the album, including "The Word Girl" which became their biggest UK hit; it reached number six in the UK Singles Chart charts but failed to chart in the US. Another single release, "Perfect Way", reached number 48 in the UK Singles Chart but got to number 11 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The critical reaction to the album was very positive, with one critic saying that it was "pop as it should be" and another that it was "music of amazing lightness and wit".

The incorrect answer options are all albums by British bands in the early 1980s: "Architecture & Morality" by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark in 1981, "Speak & Spell" by Depeche Mode in 1981, and "Sandinista!" by The Clash in 1980.

8. "Provision", the next Scritti Politti album, was released in June 1988. An internationally-renowned jazz trumpet player contributed a wonderful solo on the track "Oh Patti (Don't Feel Sorry for Loverboy)" - who was it?

Answer: Miles Davis

Miles Davis covered the Scritti Politti track "Perfect Way" on his 1986 album "Tutu", and when he was asked by Green Gartside to contribute something for the "Provision" album he came up with a lovely solo on "Oh Patti (Don't Feel Sorry for Loverboy)". It reached number 13 in the UK Singles Chart charts but failed to chart in the US. It's actually worth tracking down the 12" single of the track for the extended version of the solo.

The "Provision" album got to number eight in the UK Albums Chart charts but failed to chart in the US. Sadly there was to be an 11-year wait until the next album.

9. Scritti Politti's last real chart success came in April 1991 when a cover of the old Beatles song "She's a Woman" reached number twenty in the UK Singles Chart. The band were accompanied on the track by a Jamaican dancehall musician who would later have a number three hit in the UK Singles Chart with a track called "Mr. Loverman" - who was he?

Answer: Shabba Ranks

Shabba Ranks contributed to the single of "She's a Woman" and was credited on the label. He had a number of hits in the following years and also won Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album in 1992 and 1993. However he rather blotted his copybook with a homophobic rant on Channel 4's "The Word" programme in 1992.

After releasing this single Green Gartside took a lengthy break from recording: he didn't return to the studio until 1999 when the album "Anomie and Bonhomie" was released. This didn't fare well, and Green took another break until early 2006.

10. In January 2006 Gartside played his first live gig since 1980 to preview the band's new album "White Bread, Black Beer" - they even went to the US! More touring and guest appearances followed, and in 2012 Gartside and other musicians appeared in a touring show called "The Lady", a tribute to an English singer/songwriter who died in 1978 aged 31. Who was she?

Answer: Sandy Denny

The great Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention and Fotheringay died in April 1978 after falling down a flight of stairs. She wrote one of my top three songs of all time, "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?". And just as I describe Scritti Politti as my third-favourite band, Fairport Convention are definitely my second-favourite.

Green Gartside is still around; he released a solo single in 2020, he's made guest appearances on records by various artists and sometimes he appears as a stand-in presenter on BBC Radio 6 Music. Scritti Politti, on the other hand, have not appeared since they supported the Manic Street Preachers in April 2014.

Source: Author Southendboy

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Scritti Politti - My Third-Favourite Band Quiz

The group Scritti Politti was basically singer/songwriter Green Gartside with other varying personnel. In the 1980s he produced some great music, including some banging dance tracks as well as other, more thoughtful compositions. Can you remember these?

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