Action Battlefield by New Age Steppers
The quickfire follow-up to the New Age Stepper’s self-titled debut, this set was also issued in 1981. A perhaps more melodic and accessible record than its predecessor, the bulk of the album is versions of tunes sourced from reggae imports of the period, featuring radical interpretations of songs by Bim Sherman, Horace Andy and B.B. Seaton.
Ari Up of the Slits takes more of a frontwoman role here, singing lead on most tracks, and bringing a lot of her own indomitable personality to bear on the material, even breaking briefly into German for her take on “Problems”! It also features the vocal debut of a very young Neneh Cherry on “My Love”. The rhythms are rock solid, laid down by the crack team of Eskimo Fox, Crucial Tony and George Oban, having honed their skills on sides by Creation Rebel and Aswad, with everything expertly dubbed through the mixing desk of Adrian Sherwood.
Tracklist
| 1. | My Whole World | 5:24 |
| 2. | Observe Life | 5:17 |
| 3. | Got to Get Away | 4:53 |
| 4. | My Love | 7:04 |
| 5. | Problems | 7:35 |
| 6. | Nuclear Zulu | 6:24 |
| 7. | Guiding Star | 6:30 |
Credits
“Eskimo Fox” - drums/vocal harmony on “Observe Life” and “Nuclear Zulu”
Antonio Alpheuse “Crucial Tony” Phillips - lead and rhythm guitars/bass guitar on “My Love” and “Got To Get Away”
George Oban - bass guitar
Ari - lead vocals/piano/organ/bass guitar on “Problems”/percussion
Neneh - vocal on “My Love”
Bim Sherman (J. Vincent) - vocal harmony on “My Love”
Produced by Adrian Sherwood
A 1981 On-U Sound Creation
Recorded at Berry Street Studio, London E.C 1
Engineer “Tightrope” Walker
Studio Boss Bob Z
Mastered by “Herbstalk” Metcalf (in state of Utopia)
Sleeve design/photography by Kishi Yamamoto
License
All rights reserved.
A loose studio collective centred around the musical partnership of Adrian Sherwood and Ari Up from The Slits, New Age Steppers existed on and off from 1980 to 2012. Notable for bringing together musicians from the post-punk and reggae scenes together, their records feature contributions from members of The Pop Group, The Raincoats, Flying Lizards, Roots Radics, Aswad and Creation Rebel.