Latin Quarter were the best overtly political band ever. Steve Skaith was one of the singers, and wrote many of the songs alongside lyricist Mike Jones. Steve has gone on to form the Steve Skaith Band.
The first album "Modern Times" was flawed. It's most well known song, and the only top 40 hit in the UK is "Radio Africa". It said there were only sad and bad news on Radio Africa when there were revolutionary movements in South Africa, not only of black youths in places like Soweto but of black, white and "coloured" workers uniting against the white bosses in trade unions.
"No Rope As Long As Time" sounds beautiful and has a lot of good politics in it, but the bureaucrats who decide the Radio 1 playlist only included it, because the central message is that time would solve the problems of South Africa - the reverse is true, if the working class does nothing big business becomes stronger.
"The Truth About John" is also dreadful because it idolises John Lennon whose song "Imagine" while considered socialist alienates religious people, or anybody else hoping for some sort of afterlife.
The other problem about "Modern Times" was that it was originally pacifist. However, CDs now contain bonus and extra bonus tracks including "Sandanista", which expresses inspiration from the fightback in Nicaragua against the Contra terrorists funded by the USA.
The best songs on "Modern Times" are America for Beginners and Cora, plus the extra bonus track Voices Inside.
The third album Swimming Against the Stream is the best overtly political album produced to date. It was produced in 1988.
I am going to form a new revolutionary socialist band called Galaxia, which will follow in Latin Quarter's tradition.
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