Jackie Opel

musicology #589

Flow #8

Doreen Schaffer & the Brentford Disco Set – This Love

I feel like I have shortchanged all you musicologists out there and not delivered enough Soul food recently so today I’m going to lay a three course meal on you in an effort to fill your musical plates with enough cuts to keep them ‘belly full’. I have been locked into preparing sets over the last few days and as a result have unearthed some gems from deep within the vaults.

For starters we have a musicologist favourite from what, (for me), was one of Sir Coxsone’s most harmonious periods, a little window sometime in the mid 1970’s where the Studio 1 team recorded and released some of the finest music ever recorded. The vocalist is none other than Doreen Schaffer who begun singing for Downbeat at the birth of his studio in the early 60’s. Best known for her duets with Jackie Opel this one never fails to tremble my marrow. The perfect balance between Soul, Reggae and available studio technology. Had to mix in the dub..haunting. I hope you’ll find it to your taste..

Scratchy on the intro but to be honest all the best tunes are because they have been well and truly RINSED..

musicology #154

duets2 #3

(Jackie & Doreen – Welcome Home)

the boxnet audio widget is not working as well as I would have hoped so I’m going to have to make
some changes and find a more effective way to digest the music.

for now though I’m sticking with the duets and another one from Jamaica but this time it’s a 1965 Ska classic from one of Jamaican music’s foundation vocalists, Jackie Opel about whom Alton Ellis once said:

“to see Jackie Opel was a life affirming event – he was a performer in the style of young Jackie Wilson whose act was a predominate influence. Opel would spin and fall to the ground in a crescendo of legs drooping and flailing arms, a small man in stature but a big man in heart and personality”

and from the pen of music critic Al Gilkes:

“On stage Jackie forced his way into the hearts of his audience to make them share his experience. His tears were their tears, his joy theirs …….. Jackie was a prodigy, a rare blend of pure, raw voice and composing ability … what captured you about his singing was its utter savagery: the apparent unlimited range to his voice: … when he sang, every word that came out seemed to come from deep inside with an eternity of pain which life forever bought him ……”

partnered on this one by Doreen Schaffer and to top it all…backed by the mighty Skatalites..an early Studio1 production from right out of the top drawer. a UK release on the top ranking R&B label

watch the ride…