100 Greatest Songs of the 60’s #91 Harry J. Allstars – The Liquidator

Released: 1969

Sport and music have enjoyed a weirdly symbiotic relationship over the last sixty years or so. Whilst arguably one has become significantly more popular than the other, some times things stick for the least predictable reasons, a bond is created and like fandom itself, this association is passed down through the generations.

It’s well documented that Ska and Reggae were imported into Britain through Caribbean emigres who arrived in the fifties and sixties, but its link to football emerged later, as it became synonymous with skinhead culture. The link was further cemented by a sub-caste which came to be known as Trojan Skinheads, taking their name from the British label which did much to promote the music they’d adopted into the mainstream.

All three things looped together like a knot in 1969; released on Trojan, the peeling Hammond reel of The Liquidator by Harry J’s Allstars became a hit, becoming in turn a staple at several football grounds up and down the country, whilst for some skinheads the story goes that the same year was the peak of their love affair with style, streets and soul. Music to kick a ball to has lasted for a whole lot longer.