40 years of The Colourfield’s Virgins and Philistines

Was The Colourfield’s Virgins and Philistines Terry Hall’s post-Specials creative peak? You know what, I think it was.

It’s hard not to think of Terry Hall as part of The Specials. Although Jerry Dammers was the creative hub of the band, every other member played a key role in the band’s success. And for many, Terry Hall’s presence and voice were the band’s calling cards.

But in terms of writing, Terry Hall wasn’t the main driving force. Outside of the covers and a few choice tracks, Dammers was the man who provided the material. Although personal issues led to the ‘split’ in the band and Hall’s departure, you sense that Terry Hall also wanted to break out on his own.

Not that it happened straight away. Most of Fun Boy Three’s debut was written by Lyndal Golding, with Hall taking more of a role in the second (and much better) follow-up. It was The Colourfield where he flourished – and only then in part.

The Colourfield wasn’t a Terry Hall solo project. It was a proper band, formed alongside ex-Swinging Cats members Toby Lyons and Karl Shale in 1984. Expectations were average at best, especially after a couple of low chart misses. But the debut album really did hit the spot.

If you ever heard the late Terry Hall DJing you might have been surprised by what he played. More 1960s and ‘70s pop than wall-to-wall ska. This album was Terry Hall wearing those influences on his sleeve.

Yes, you could argue there’s a bit of overproduction. After all, it was the middle of the 1980s and that was pretty standard. But musically, this is more ‘60s than ’80s. Hall’s voice and co-writing credits (on most tracks) make it very much his project, and with lesser-known faces supporting him, the focus for The Colourfield was very much Terry Hall. There was no hiding for better or worse. So it’s just as well that every track was a gem.

For me, this is Terry Hall at his best, musically and lyrically. It’s an album that bounces from optimism to despair (like many of us do), with something of a chilled/laid-back vibe throughout. The anger of The Specials is left at the studio door, and when it hints at coming out, it’s usually with a barbed lyric rather than a raised voice.

Not that it does much. The majority of the album is sunny, easy-going pop, with acoustic guitars battling it out with the organ and Hall’s distinctive tone telling a story. It’s an album for a summer’s day, and on warmer days, as I look out of the window with the album playing in the background, I can’t think of much better.

Some of the tracks sound like they should be covers if you know what I mean. Castles In The Air and Thinking Of You sound like rediscovered pieces of easy-ish pop from a couple of decades previous. In fact, there is one cover here, a rather wonderful take on Hammond Song – far better than the original in my book. But overall, this is Hall’s baby. Musically, lyrically and stylistically.

Not that everyone greeted it with open arms. I saw the band on the tour promoting this album, and the reception was mixed, you might say. A midweek night at Manchester’s Hacienda wasn’t perhaps the best place to showcase the music. And even worse, when the support was Frank Sidebottom being bottled and a jangly indie band on the verge of breaking up.

Not just that, the crowd was (as you might expect) predominantly Specials fans who wanted just to relive their early school years with a set of Specials songs. Which meant a night of heckling as well as constant demands for ‘Rat Race’ and ’Too Much Too Young’. Neither of which were ever likely to be aired.

Which is a shame as the songs that night sounded better than ever. Stripped of that heavy production and despite being played in a former yacht showroom, Virgins And Philistines came into its own. Shame no one has the foresight to record it. Or at least, not to my knowledge.

Whatever the reception live, the album did quite well in the charts, enough for Terry Hall to record more material. Unfortunately, it was a couple of years before it actually saw the light of day and was effectively Hall and some session musicians. It wasn’t great, and it wasn’t long before the band officially ended.

I’d go as far as saying largely forgotten too. Especially when Terry Hall returned to his original role as the frontman of The Specials. But that looks like it is about to change.

Love it or hate it, Record Store Day does produce some interesting releases if you can be bothered queuing up. And this year, Virgins and Philistines is being shown the love for its 40th anniversary.

A new vinyl version of the album is being released as a two-disc yellow vinyl set, the second disc  being a bonus of non-album singles and b-sides. Interestingly, this is said to be a ‘precursor’ to a complete box set collection. I wonder if any live tracks will be unearthed for that?

Tracks listed below for the new version, which you can find out more about at the Record Store Day website. Or buy the older version at Amazon if you don’t mind used. Streaming services have it too.

2025 tracklisting:

Side 1:
Thinking of You / Faint Hearts / Castles In The Air / Take / Cruel Circus.

Side 2:
Hammond Song / Virgins & Philistines / Armchair Theatre / Yours Sincerely.

Side 3:
The Colour Field / Sorry (Original Version) / Pushing Up The Daisies / Windmills of Your Mind / My Wild Flame / Little Things.

Side 4:
Castles In The Air (Full Length Version) / Your Love Was Smashing / I Can’t Get Enough of You Baby / Things Could Be Beautiful / Frosty Mornings