REGGAE GRAB BAG

After finding another reggae version of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five," this was going to be a one song post, but as is usually the case, well enough could not be left alone. So here's a grab bag of sorts, starting with Bennett's version of "Take Five" followed by another version by King Tubby. After that, Stranger Cole's "Rough and Tough," because it's a nice example of how bluebeat borrowed heavily from early R & B from the States. Alton Ellis and Pat Kelly are in there because I happened to run across them and dig them quite a bit. Roy and the Invaders' cut down there, "Fat Dog," is a bit of an oddity. Released on Coxsone Dodd's Iron Side imprint, it's one of very few reggae songs to prominently feature a harmonica. And the last of the songs down there, "Where The Healing Waters Flow," by Claris Brown, is one from another Dodd imprint, Tabernacle, a label he reserved for gospel oriented records. (Dodd had a bunch of labels. partly because his Studio One label dominated the Jamaican charts. He released records on different labels to try to avoid cries of radio station favoritism.

While on my rambling spree I ran across two other sites to add. Jamaican Archives has several great mixes, mostly vintage "Jamaican music created in the heyday of the 45rpm single." The all covers mix linked below has Alton Ellis' cover of "It's Your Thing," Slim Smith's cover of "Spanish Harlem," and the Pioneers' cover of "Papa Was A Rolling Stone," just to name three. I also ran across another site that I hadn't seen before. The imaginatively named Rasta Reggae Music has a ton of stuff, uploaded on Mediafire. (You'll figure it out.) Both LP and 45 downloads, so no matter what your attention span is, there should be something for you. And there's quite a bit too. It will keep you out of trouble for a while.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Val Bennett -Take Five mp3 at Beware of the Blog
King Tubby - Take Five (dubless) mp3 at 8106
Stranger Cole - Rough and Tough mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Alton Ellis - Cry Tough mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Pat Kelly - You Are Not My Kind mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Roy and the Invaders - Fat Dog mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Claris Brown - Where the Healing Waters Flow mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Mix:
Cover Me Jamaica - 21 song mix at Jamaican Archives
Reggae mish mash:
Rasta Reggae Music