I think I've blabbed enough in the last several days to spare you another episode of eye rolling. So here's a bunch from the Heptones. As much as you'd like me to take my intrusive ass out of here, a few notes about some of the selections below are still warranted. First off about "Book of Rules": as far as reggae goes, it's essential. So good, that I'll go as far as saying that no mp3, no ear buds, and no computer speakers can truly do the song justice. As great as the two versions below are, it's one of those songs that begs for bass. Booming bass. The two versions below are slightly different. The first sounds like the original mix. The second is a semi-pasteurized version, with strings and other unneeded embellishments (subtle as they are). My guess is that it's the work of UK's Trojan Records, who had a habit of fucking with JA versions (just a guess).
"Ain't That Bad" (in the middle of that pack down there) is an very early cut, nice and raw (the Heptones formed in '62 or '63). The last two are later (70's) and were produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry. Listen to them, they're thick. Head Heptone Leroy Sibbles really dug Perry, enough that the Heptones rerecorded some of their earlier stuff at Perry's Black Ark studio, after they had already been hits on Studio One. Ordinarily kinda odd, but made even more unusual because Sibbles was such a fixture at Studio One, as bass player, arranger, talent scout, and as a singer. Enough so, he once challenged reggae historian Lloyd Bradley to name a Studio One song that he wasn't connected to in some capacity. Bradley named song after song, and was unable to do so. I'll stop right here. Now dig yourself a groove or two.
"Ain't That Bad" (in the middle of that pack down there) is an very early cut, nice and raw (the Heptones formed in '62 or '63). The last two are later (70's) and were produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry. Listen to them, they're thick. Head Heptone Leroy Sibbles really dug Perry, enough that the Heptones rerecorded some of their earlier stuff at Perry's Black Ark studio, after they had already been hits on Studio One. Ordinarily kinda odd, but made even more unusual because Sibbles was such a fixture at Studio One, as bass player, arranger, talent scout, and as a singer. Enough so, he once challenged reggae historian Lloyd Bradley to name a Studio One song that he wasn't connected to in some capacity. Bradley named song after song, and was unable to do so. I'll stop right here. Now dig yourself a groove or two.
~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
The Heptones - Book of Rules (w/strings) mp3 at Town Full of LosersThe Heptones - Only Sixteen mp3 at Rasta Geeks
The Heptones - Fatty Fatty mp3 at Nintendo Planet Video
The Heptones - Our Day Will Come mp3 at DanielJohnsonWrites
The Heptones - Ain't That Bad mp3 at OCF.Berkley.edu
The Heptones - Pretty Loo mp3 at MBrownI
The Heptones - Hypocrite mp3 at Ear It Now
The Heptones - Crying Over You mp3 at Passion of the Weiss
The Heptones - Mr. President mp3 at Passion of the Weiss
1 comment:
NICEY!! Thanx, Tom!
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