True Democracy is a studio album by the British reggae band Steel Pulse. It was released on 1 March 1982 through the band's own label Wise Man Doctrine Records.[1]

True Democracy
Studio album by
Released1 March 1982 (1982-03-01)
Recorded"Feedback" Studios, Aarhus, Denmark, 1981
GenreReggae
Length41:50
LabelWise Man Doctrine
ProducerKarl Pitterson
Steel Pulse chronology
Caught You
(1980)
True Democracy
(1982)
Earth Crisis
(1984)

The album got to at least No. 14 on the Independent Albums Chart.[2] In the US it peaked at No. 120 on the Billboard 200.[3]

Production

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When the band started work on the album, they had no record deal.[4] While on tour in New York in 1981 they met Karl Pitterson, with whom they recorded five demos.[4] While the demos didn't prompt any offers from major labels, a small Danish label offered the use of their studios to record an album.[4]

The album was recorded over 25 days at Feedback Studios in Aarhus, with Pitterson producing.[5][6]

It was released in March 1982 through the band's own label Wise Man Doctrine Records.[1] It was later released through Elektra Records for distribution in the United States.[4]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [7]
Robert ChristgauB[8]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [10]

Boo Browning of The Washington Post called True Democracy "a cheerful album, almost buoyant in its musical exhortations to dance even as its lyrics tackle less-than-merry topics."[11]

Style Weekly, in 2018, called it "still ... one of the most danceable political albums ever."[12]

Track listing

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All tracks written by David Hinds, except where noted.

  1. "Chant a Psalm" – 4:30
  2. "Ravers" – 3:56
  3. "Find It... Quick!" – 3:26
  4. "A Who Responsible?" – 3:54
  5. "Worth His Weight in Gold (Rally Round)" – 4:35
  6. "Leggo Beast" – 3:44
  7. "Blues Dance Raid" – 4:53
  8. "Your House" – 3:42
  9. "Man No Sober" – 4:29
  10. "Dub Marcus Say" (Phonso Martin) – 4:41

Bonus tracks for CD

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  1. "Ravers [12" Version]" - 5:56
  2. "Leggo Beast [12" Version]" - 6:40
  3. "Your House [Dub Version]" - 3:50
  4. "A Who Responsible? [Dub Version]" - 4:00

Personnel

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Steel Pulse
Technical

References

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  1. ^ a b Lewis, Sarah, ed. (15 February 1982). "Steel Pulse Launches Own Label" (PDF). Record Business. Vol. Four, no. 46. London: Record Business Pubs. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 September 2024.
  2. ^ Lewis, Sarah, ed. (29 March 1982). "Independent Labels: Indie Albums" (PDF). Record Business. Vol. Five, no. One. London: Record Business Pubs. p. 13.
  3. ^ "Steel Pulse". Billboard.
  4. ^ a b c d Campbell, Howard (2022) "True reflections", Jamaica Observer, 9 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022
  5. ^ Van Pelt, Carter (1995). "Roots Resurrection". The Beat. 14 (2): 46.
  6. ^ "Billboard's Recommended LPs". Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 21. 29 May 1982. p. 65.
  7. ^ "True Democracy - Steel Pulse | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  8. ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Steel Pulse". www.robertchristgau.com.
  9. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. pp. 727–728.
  10. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 669.
  11. ^ Browning, Boo. "Uncompromised Edge of Steel Pulse". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Ziggy Marley and Steel Pulse at Innsbrook After Hours". Style Weekly. 4 September 2018.