tUmp #4
the Wailers – Rolling Stone
one of themusicologists favourite early Wailers cuts…a TOP ranking interpretation of Bob Dylan’s ‘Rolling Stone’ from the time when Ska was slowing down and making the transition into the Rocksteady (1965/66)….I’m getting bored of saying “yet another example of the Downbeat sound” but it is…
tUmp #3
Ken Boothe & the Wailers – The Train Is Coming
more Rocksteady from the Downbeat stable but this time featuring themusicologist’s #1 Jamaican vocalist Ken Boothe on lead and the Wailers on back up…DEFINITELY touched by the hand of Lee Perry and Jackie Mitoo….
tUmp #2
the Wailers – Let Him Go
Sticking with the Early Wailers selection with this piece of Rockin’ Steady social commentary on the Emerging Rude Boy who was beginning to make his presence felt in and around Kingston’s more notorious districts and parishes as the reality of Independence unfolded and the ‘hustle’ became the primary way of earning a living and even more importantly a reputation for the ghetto sufferers.
Yet another example of why Sir Coxsone Downbeat’s Studio 1 was establishing itself as the prime Studio for recording and releasing the authentic sound of independent Jamaica.
The Agony Of Power #1
Hemsley Morris & Phil Pratt – Little Things
Been Rockin’ Steady these past few weeks with the sweet sounds of Jamaica as the, (primary), soundtrack and the writings of one of my most cherished and respected guides and companions on the journey; Jean Baudrillard whose insights I featured a selection of last year, (Fragments), on themusicologist.
Inspiration is the key for themusicologist to rise up to throw down and often the seed is sown by music and literature and this theme is no exception..
The quotes in this series, (beginning today), belong to Baudrillard…highlited from a collection of his speeches and essays entitled ‘The Agony Of Power’
The musical wisdom is courtesy of Hemsley Morris, (Vocals), a collection of the cream of Jamaica’s instrumentalists from a pool of Cats such as Lynn Taitt, Tommy Mc Cook, Winston Wright, Gladdy Anderson, Vincent Gordon, Johnny Moore, Hugh Malcolm, ‘Easy Snappin’, Clifton ‘Jackie Jackson’, Drumbago, Herman Marquis…and the producer, (none other than one of the great Jamaican musicologists), George ‘Phil Pratt’ Phillips who is also harmonising on this wicked cut.
So without further delay hold this quote and listen tune…
“In order to grasp how globalization and global antagonism works, we should distinguish carefully between domination and hegemony. Domination is characterised by the master/slave relation, which is still a dual relation with potential alienation, a relationship of force and conflicts. It has a violent history of oppression and liberation. There are the dominators and the dominated-it remains a symbolic relationship. Everything changes with the emancipation of the slave and the internalisation of the master by the emancipated slave”
Flow #17
Alva Lewis – Hurry Home
Back on home turf..good times in New York..much to reflect on…the ‘project’ is life and the soundtrack is never ending so with that in mind i’ll keep on flowing as I slip, slide, rock and roll through it…really feeling the previous cut from the Brooklyn Funk Essentials look out for more from them in the future…in the mean time hold this marrow trembling slice of ESSENTIAL Rock Steady from Alva Lewis..
Cuts like this sure don’t grow on trees…Sir Errol and all lovers of TOP RANKING music this one’s yours.
Jamaica #11
(Johnny & The Attractions – Coming On The Scene)
Penultimate cut of the Rocksteady excursion features a vocal group that go by the name of Johnny & The Attractions, (already featured on themusicologist), who waxed some of the most beautiful Rocksteady of the day. Amazingly, (or not so if you know a little about Jamaican music), next to nothing is known about these cats so I can’t fill you in on any personal details. All I do know is that the producer was Sonia Pottinger and the label it originally appeared on was ‘Gayfeet’ and the year was most likely 1968, an important year in themusicologist’s life as well as in the progression of Jamaican music as it was in this year that Reggae first emerged.
To be honest RockSteady was not a commercial success and is still to this day not well known, (outside of the community), which has always surprised me but then again if we look at what was going on at the time maybe it was too ‘simple’, slow or authentic to attract much interest in a world that was plunging headlong into complexity and inauthenticity but ever since being introduced to it in the early 80’s it never fails to reach out and touch my soul.
Anyway…enough of the sentimentality and on with the transcendental TOP RANKING musicology..
Duets2 #5
(Dudley Sibley and Peter Austin – Hole In Your Soul)
Today’s cut is yet another RockSteady scorcher but this time courtesy of Sir Coxsone ‘ Downbeat The Ruler’ Dodd’s Brentford Road powerhouse…Studio 1. Regulars on themusicologist should know by now of my ongoing ‘affair’ with the sounds of Sir Coxsone..for me the premier recording studio and Jamaica’s most important sound. Not to say that there aren’t many other producers and studios that deserve recognition and undying support but Downbeat will always wear the crown as far as I’m concerned.
Duets2 #3
(Winston & George – Denham Town)
Moving out of the soul searching and into the social commentary for todays cut with a classic piece of 1966/7 RockSteady critiquing the state of West Kingston District ‘Denham Town’ as it ‘Turned Vietnam’. Produced by Leslie Kong and featuring Gladstone Anderson on Piano Jackie Jackson on Bass and sax man supreme Roland Alphonso. Released in the UK on a Pyramid 45.
Sound&Fury #5
(Prince Buster – Too Hot)
Original cut of the song made ‘public’ by the Specials. The Prince has already featured on themusicologist so no need for me to wax lyrical about his life. Suffice to say that the Cat is a legend of Jamaican musicology.
DownbeatTheRuler #3
(Alton & Hortense Ellis – Easy Squeeze)
Out all day yesterday working the tees so apologies for not dropping a next ‘Downbeat bomb’ through your speakers. Hopefully today’s slice of the Coxsone pie will make up for it.
A classic piece of Brentford Road Rock Steady that has trembled my marrow for many years. Could have thrown it down a few times on previous themes but for reason unbeknown to ‘mesang’ didn’t until today.
One of the most emotive, hard hitting, Rough & Tough cuts of the Rock Steady period in my humble opinion…lyrics, vocals, music all combining in soul searching harmony to communicate a message concerning the quest for that most elusive of feelings, True Love.
Recorded and first released in 1966? for Dodd by the Godfather Of Rocksteady Alton Ellis alongside his younger Sister Hortense, both of whom are sadly no longer with us. What is however (and will be for as long as music like this is being loved and played), are their ‘works’ many of which sit comfortably at the very top of the musicology tree.
Hortense was Jamaica’s ‘first female vocalist’ cutting her teeth as early as 1959 on such legendary talent shows as Vere John’s Opportunity hour, (where many a ‘Jam Down’ legend begun their careers), but it wasn’t until a few years later in 1961 under the tutelage of Downbeat that she begun a recording career. For sure having Alton as a brother helped but anyone who has heard her sing would agree that merit was the foundation stone apoun which she built a career that stretched right up to her untimely death in 2000 AD. Recording for many of the greatest Jamaican producers such as Duke Reid, Bunny Lee, Harry Mudie and Gussie Clarke, (to name a few)
As regulars may be aware Alton has featured more than any other Jamaican artist on themusicologist over the preceeding two years so I won’t wax lyrical on the man and his music today other than to reiterate that it was he and the previous Artist, (Bob Andy), who first opened my ears and heart to Downbeat The Ruler’s output and for that I am eternally grateful..
So in Tribute to the memories of Alton, Hortense and Clement Seymour ‘Sir Coxsone / Downbeat The Ruler’ Dodd hold this…..
JamaicanVocalGroupAction #13
(The Voiceroys – Love & Unity)
Today’s slice of the J.A vocal group pie is yet another from the ‘Golden Age’ of the Vocal Group, the 1960’s. In fact, thinking about it, by the mid 1980’s the group sound had almost disapeared to be replaced by the single artist and ‘DJ’. Not sure exactly why? but it would probably have something to do with economics..the least people involved, the less money would have to be paid out. Producers are generally the people who earn the lions share of the ‘reddies’ leaving the artist, (especially in Jamaica), with very little. It’s a sad state of affairs that hopefully we are seeing change as the internet could and should reverse such injustice…let’s hope so.
This one is a Coxsone Dodd, (Studio 1), production from 1967 led by Wesley Tinglin, backed up, (probably) by Linval Williams and/or Daniel Bernard..
Listen Tune..
JamaicanVocalGroupAction #9
(Justin Hinds & The Dominoes – Save A Bread)
TOP RANKING 1967 slice of the Rock Steady pie for all the Financial Crisis sufferers out there. Recorded and released at and for Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle label, (backed by Tommy Mc Cook and the Supersonics)
Not that, (if you live in good old ‘Blighty’), savings are going to get you out of the egg ‘n’ bubble as the Interest rates tumbling to 0% doesn’t make it an attractive proposition at the moment, resulting in all of us taking the proverbial ‘kick in the bollocks’ while the value of everything crash and burn…I think it’s called ‘The PolitRicKs Of Fear‘…
Looks to me like the new age is apoun us and the strategy is “if you can’t swim then you’re going to sink”. Employment as we have known it is in it’s death throes and now a larger percentage of people have something to lose, (property for example), an updated form of, (wage), slavery is rearing it’s ugly head. I have no answers other than to let the music, (and your community), be your guide…so in the words of foundation Jamaican musicologist Justin Hinds
“Today can be gladness mister, (you don’t know),
tomorrow can be sadness sister, (you don’t know),
what makes the world go around, (round and round),
you’ll never know, (you don’t know),
so save a bread mister, (save it for the future),
save a bread sister, (’cause things will be better),
you know not the minute nor the hour, (man shall come),
you know not the minute nor the hour, (for the time is now),
what you know you know, (what you don’t know you don’t know),
greatest thing is to know, (what you don’t know you don’t know),
anywhere you go, (what you don’t know you don’t know),
Today can be gladness mister, (you don’t know),
tomorrow can be sadness sister, (you don’t know),
what makes the world go around, (round and round),
you’ll never know, (you don’t know),
so save a bread mister, (save it for the future),
save a bread sister, (’cause things will be better),
you know not the minute nor the hour, (man shall come),
you know not the minute nor the hour, (for the time is now),
what you know you know, (what you don’t know you don’t know),
greatest thing is to know, (what you don’t know you don’t know),
anywhere you go, (what you don’t know you don’t know),
JamaicanVocalGroupAction #5
(The Bassies – River Jordan)
Continuing this week with the JA selection. Originally it was only going to be a one week special but over the last few weeks I have been working like a Trojan to bring ‘the project’ into the next phase resulting in my not being able to dedicate as much time to themusicologist as I would have liked….(All will be revealed by the end of the week !!), Not only that but while perusing my Jamaica musical vaults it was obvious that 1 week would be nowhere near enough space for such a rich theme so it has to be extended.
On with the music…today’s slice of the Jamaican vocalist pie is one more from Coxsone Dodd’s mighty Studio 1 stable courtesy of a group known as The Bassies, featuring a young cat by the name of Fred Locks Rocking Steady as the sound was making the transition into what became known and loved the world over as Reggae.
JamaicanVocalGroupAction #1
(Johnny & The Attractions – Young Wings Can Fly)
New theme on themusicologist featuring some of the cream of the Island’s musicologists. The music of Jamaica has been a feature of my musical education from my earliest days thanks, especially to two of my uncles, Dell and ‘Johnny One Stop’. Like many a youngblood growing up on the streets of London through the Seventies and Eighties Jamaican music loomed large. Starting in the early Seventies with groups like the Wailers and the Heptones, (both will be featured), and evolving backwards with the inner sanctum of Rocksteady and Roots as the Seventies moved into the Eighties Reggae has always been close to my heart. I learnt a lot about life through the sounds of the Groups, Artists and Producers whose music touched my soul with their authentic cries of ‘the struggle’ for survival and freedom.
Many’s the time I have turned to and found solace in the sounds of Jamaica, from Independence Ska all the way through to ‘Computerised’. So this week is a tribute to a small selection of the Cats who have shaped my life with their ‘weeping and a wailing’
First up is one from the second half of the sixties, released in the UK on Doctor Bird during 1968. Produced by Sonia Pottingers Gayfeet team delivered in a Rock Steady style by a group called Johnny & The Attractions….doesn’t get much better than this as far as I’m concerned.
vocalgroupaction2 #6
(The Uniques – Lessons Of Love)
day six !! of the vocalgroup selection and the tunes just keep on coming…by now i’m sure you’ve realised that the two genres that feature heaviest on themusicologist are Soul & Reggae and today’s cut is no exception.
courtesy of one of the most ‘important’ of Jamaica’s vocal groups The Uniques whose previous incarnation, (The Techniques), had already played a huge part in shaping the vocal group sound of Jamaica with Duke Reid at Treasure Isle. (for an example of the Techniques work with ‘The Trojan’ take a listen to musicology #44).
but it was as this pivotal line-up, (Roy Shirley, Jimmy Riley, Lloyd ‘Charmers’ Tyrell and Keith ‘Slim’ Smith), produced by the Islands top producer at the time Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee that they rose to the top of Jamaica’s vocal group tree with a string of Rock Steady classics such as ‘Gypsy Woman’, ‘My Conversation’, ‘The Beatitude’, Love & Devotion, ‘Facts Of Life’ (to name a few)
briefly…Bunny Lee was a major figure in the evolution of Jamaican musicology especially during this period. One of the first, (the first being Cecil ‘ Prince Buster’ Campbell), independent producers to challenge Coxsone Dodd and Duke Reid he was instrumental in breaking the hold the two held over the music resulting in the emergence of other notable producers such as Derrick’ One Stop’ Harriott and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry.
Recorded in Kingston at the Treasure Isle, (or W.I.R.L), studio in 1968.
themusicologist 