Wondering why Labi Siffre is not better known

[Lapsidasicle]

About 10 years ago I discovered Labi Siffre and his music really moves me. I’m in my late 30s and had never heard of him. He’s now one of my favourite artists of all time.

I’m just baffled as to why so few people have heard of him and he never had a top selling record? Was he really well known in the 80s and just faded away? He has written some amazing music and lyrics- and he was also a great performer with a fabulous voice. His songs have also been sampled loads by modern artists.

I’m wondering whether the lack of commercial success was due to racism / homophobia as he was black and openly gay. Or perhaps because he was a black folk singer, maybe unusual?

He’s a truly talented man and needs to be more celebrated! I‘be been looking for recorded interviews or documentaries about him. But mainly found recordings of performances from the 80s.

I love .... Watch Me, I Got the, Must be Love, Crying Laughing Loving, Something inside so strong (probably the best known).

Perhaps other people just think his songs are ‘meh’ but honestly think ‘I got the’ is such a phenomenal song.

My DH was a huge fan in the late 80's

I Got The is my favourite song of all time. Eminem didn't pay for that sample .
Little bit of trivia, Chas Hodges from Chas and Dave played guitar on I Got The.
You have excellent taste OP.

[quote Lapsidasicle]@Lordamighty just thinking he didn’t have many top 10s and no number 1s ... and no one I know who is into music, aged 30s/early 40s knows who he is. Only my dad knew him (late 60s).

Yes must be a generational divide.[/quote]
I'm in my late 40s and know who he is, and am pretty sure people I was at school with in the 80s would also know of him. I absolutely love Something Inside So Strong, it was a fairly big hit in 1987.

@Lordamighty how interesting! I’d love to watch interviews with him, but haven’t yet found any- talk show appearance yes, but only singing

@user1471453601

I'm 70 now, and I've loved him since I first heard him, 40 odd years ago. I was talking to a friend about his music ( much younger than me) and she said she didn't know him.

As soon as I said "the higher you build your barriers" she replied "The taller I become".

She did know his work, his name just wasn't familiar.

So ... The further you take my rights away, the faster I will run ...

You can deny me, you can decide to turn your face away

It Must be Love is one of my favourite songs. I didn't even know it was by him (and not by Madness) until it was used in an advert years ago. It's so joyful.

He did It Must Be Love in the early 70s which Madness later covered. Labi actually played on the Madness version and appears on their music video. As a child I recall him being very well know but sort of dropped off the scene.

@MartyHart at Eminem. What a tosser if that’s true.

Fantastic insight there- love a bit of Chas and Dave (so does my young daughter - listening to her trying to sing along to Rabbit is hilarious!)

He’s got such a fantastic back catalogue.., so many good songs.

Mid thirties - I also knew his some of his songs but had never heard his name. Thanks OP and others I’m going to enjoy going down a rabbit hole now!

Something inside so strong was a massive top hit in my home country and I knew the words of by heart (not being a native speaker)

It was big. It was a big rousing anti-apartheid song. Right?

He is probably even better known as a performance poet than as a singer, though of course poetry circles tend to be smaller than those of singers. I've seen him often as a poet, there is usually at least one person asking whether whether he still singing.

Something inside so strong is an amazing song.
A teacher played it to us in assembly and the words really impacted on me.

[quote Lapsidasicle]@ahoyshipmates yes clearly that’s the case!

I wonder what who be the equivalent for the 90s and if twenty somethings would not know them... and I’d be just as surprised [/quote]
Travis, Shed 7, B*witched, Girls Aloud, Atomic Kitten, Catatonia, the Cardigans, Belly, Jamiroquai, the Breeders, Stone Temple Pilots, Smashing Pumpkins?

I’m not sure many 20 year olds would even know who Coldplay and Pulp are to be honest.

I saw Labi Siffre in concert at teacher training college in 1975 or 1976. We all sat on the floor and sang along. Wonderful memory of a very special night.

I'm 62. He was very well known in my youth.

He was pretty big back in the seventies, used to listen when I was at school.

@Lapsidasicle he was interviewed by Johnnie Walker on Sounds of the Seventies R2 show a few weeks ago.

First gig I ever went to, early seventies !

I'm 44 and when I read the thread title immediately thought of 'Something inside so strong'. I think he is well known.

I'm 36 and his music was always played at home. In fact, when I was about 10 my mum bought tickets to take me and my younger sister to go and see him perform as we were always singing along to the cassette. Turns out he was promoting his new poetry anthology about homophobia. I was very confused!

He's had a long and varied working life some of which included chart success, same as thousands of other talented performers. He never struck me as being the type of guy who was all about record sales but he's had a good career by anyone's standards. I'm sure he's happy enough! Bless you OP.

I remember him from the '70s. He was on TV quite a bit. Obviously a talented guy, but lacking in the cool factor.

OP have you seen this?

@NigelWithTheBrie79 at the drumming!! Brilliant. Rob Brydon has a very good voice.... must have been in a welsh choir in his youth!

He was very well known 70s/80s. His music is brilliant, my brothers have a few of his albums.

61 year old here. Deffo heard o9f him. His music was nice but not at the time my cuppa tea. Preferred Punk and heavy Metal mostly but also some Reggae.