By the time his single `Electric Avenue` was
released in 1983, Eddy Grant had already had a long career which began in the
Sixties when he was a member of The Equals who had several UK hits including
`Baby Come Back`. He was also a songwriter for artists such as Prince Buster.
After leaving The Equals in 1971 he began a solo career during which time he
also worked as a producer. `Electric Avenue` arrived after a string of hits
including `Walking on Sunshine`, `Do You Feel My Love` and `I Don’t Wanna
Dance`. The sound on these is unusually sparse for a successful artist of the
Eighties when bigger and bigger production was the order of the day. `Electric
Avenue` is especially tightly produced- in fact there’s a sound that could
easily be a piece of elastic stretching that re-appears several times! The
controlled, minimalist feel of the song enhances its lyrics which reference life
in the London area of Brixton. However when he declares “we’re gonna rock down
to Electric Avenue” where are they going?
