Part 3. Second Light – three, the magic number …

In December 94 Dreadzone, now officially Greg, Tim and Leo, signed to Virgin Records; a few other labels were interested, one of them being Paul Oakenfold for Perfecto. He had become a good friend after a trip to Moscow and claimed he could match Virgin’s offer whilst pledging to make Captain Dread the first single featuring his own remix…imagine that? The profile was really increasing and in the spring of 95 they released the first single Zion Youth.

In the summer of that year they released their second album called Second Light. Joining the dots on a sound picture of a multi -cultural Britain it drew praise from many different sources.“ Blissed out, hyperinventive, unfailingly entertaining” (Telegraph) “Witty inspired soundscapes”(Guardian) “Dreadzone have to be one of the most interesting groups of the moment” (Independent). The album has gone on to become a favourite for many... John Peel cited it as one of his top ten albums of all time. He even chose five Dread tunes for his festive 50 at Xmas.

Another part of the family at that time was Donna Mckevit. Her classic vocals contributed much to the overall feel of the record. At Glastonbury 95 it seemed that every sound system and tent had the album. Two triumphant shows on the NME stage and the Dance tent seemed like the highlight of the year. More touring followed and at the turn of the year the third single Little Britain made the top 20 and gave the group the exposure they deserved.

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