Panjari Jamok

 Panjari Jamok

Panjari Jamok were a Coventry Punk / Reggae c 1980 mixing three cultures, reggae,

Johnny Adams in Fission 1974

punk and Asian music.

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Trev Teasdel says 

"My knowledge of Panjari Jamok is from two letters I received from lead guitarist Johnny Adams (ex Fission / ex Squad, in 1980.

While it never got off the ground, it was an interesting but short lived, forgotten band in the Two Tone story. In October 1980 I left Coventry for Teesside but kept in contact with friends by letter. Johnny Adams was one of them. I'd met Johnny in 1972 at the Lanch Poly. John formed Fission in 1973, a progressive rock outfit and in the summer of 1974 they played for the Hobo Workshop at the Holyhead Youth Centre, Coventry. At the time Charley Anderson and Desmond Brown and Neol Davies were practicing down in the basement of the Holyhead, this was long before the formation of Selecter, and Fission, back then, were close to a deal with Island Records. Sadly Fission split up instead! A few bands later, Johnny joined the Coventry punk band Squad after Terry Hall left to join the Specials. Fast forward to October 1980, both the original Selecter and Squad split up and Johnny Adams wrote to me. I'd mentioned I'd seen an Asian band playing Ska at the General Wolfe just before I left Coventry - not sure who they were but Johnny replied on October 1980.. 

"Squad have split up but I'm forming a new band with Paul Heskett on Sax (Ex Swinging Cats and session musician with the Specials) - Charley Anderson (ex Selecter) - Desmond Brown (also Ex- Selecter) and an Asian lady on Vocals (No name given)" Of Course Johnny was also on Guitar."

In a second letter some time after he wrote...

"I'd like to start this note firstly to tell you the Panjari Jamok, punk and reggae band fell through, not surprisingly with all the different ideas and cultures, it didn't work."

Charley Anderson and Desmond Brown would go on to form The People in 1981. But this project was obviously a stepping stone from Selecter to The People. Here's a people track Musical Man. Line up of the People was Charley Anderson - bass Desmond Brown - Organ / Vocals Chris Charistie - Guitar (Ex Hard Top 22) John Hobly _ Drums (Ex God's Toys). Race Records 1981

Johnny then continued to explain his next move -
"At the moment I'm doing free-lance for a few country and club bands, nothing serious. I'm at the crossroads as they say. I'm beginning to get involved with this music called Rock a Billie. I still like Punk and some reggae and I'm still writing lots of songs and poems."

Above - Extract from Johnny Adams letter Oct 1980 and below the second letter.

In the letters Johnny Adams sent me a poem he'd written and a new song lyric - below.

Johnny Adams back in the days of Fission

BLACKPOOL PROMENADE 


Where have all the Zombies gone
Gone to Blackpool everyone
Doing things, they're all the same
Plastic towers, human drains.
Blackpool lights shining bright
A waste of space, a waste of time
Cream faced children tied to names
Everybody here, they all look the same.
What a drag, what a bore
But they all come back for more.
Twisted minds, mangled souls
All come back as Blackpool fools.

Johnny Adams

SOLDIER

Step in line, better be on time

No deserters

Disciplined to use your own mind

The Sergeant keeps you all in line.



The light brigade, school boy game

Winston Churchill's on his horse again

Grenadier, you can't hear

'cause you're dead on the battlefield

You're a soldier.


Dead heroes lie in their graves

Telling us the world's been saved

The paper's say the boys are brave

No one else could do the same


By Johnny Adams, Coventry 1980