IT'S BABA BOOM TIME SOMEWHERE

That record above was my first taste of Duke Reid. I had clue who Duke Reid was at the time. It was in the reggae section and it was cheap, about four bucks, and that was for a new original pressing (this was years ago). I figured it was worth the gamble. After getting home and looking at the back cover more closely I saw that it was a compilation and that none of the artists were named Duke Reid. What the fuck?

A few years later (still pre-internet) I found out that Reid owned the recording studio and label, Treasure Island. In ensuing years I became aware of the significance of Reid. Basically, in the beginning, the big two were Reid's Treasure Isle and Coxsonne Dodd's Studio One studio and label. They were both really active in the ska years, then when ska evolved into rocksteady, Reid had the edge. Ultimately Dodd would come out on top in the reggae years. A bunch of reasons for that, among them is that Reid was an ex-cop and allowed no weed on the premises. Dodd already had the killer studio band, songwriters, talent scouts and roster (almost all of it passing through the hands Leroy Sibbles, who wore all of those hats at different times). Not to mention his records sounded better. By looking the other way when the weed came out, he also had a less uptight environment, enabling more creativity. Blah, blah, blah. Someone should make a movie.

Anyway, there's something about Reid's stuff, particularly the rocksteady era, that makes it perfect for after-beach farting around. Which is why it took three hours to write three paragraphs.

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Listen:
Baba Brooks Orchestra - Watermelon Man mp3 at Internet Archive
The Paragons - On the Beach mp3 at Internet Archive
Alton Ellis and the Flames - Dance Crasher mp3 at Internet Archive
The Techniques - You Don't Care mp3 at Internet Archive
The Jamaicans - Baba Boom mp3 at Internet Archive
The  Melodians - Last Train to Expo '67 mp3 at Internet Archive

IT"S DUKE REID ODDBALL TIME

It's that time again, time for the periodic reposting of the weirdest song Duke Reid ever produced. Reid was a producer and label owner of Treasure Isle, one of the big two in ska, rocksteady and early reggae (the other being Coxsone Dodd's Studio One). He was an ex-cop who didn't allow weed in or around his studio, was not a big fan of monkey business in general, and was known to fire a round or two into the ceiling to get a point across. No weed? So how do you explain this undefinable oddball?

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Listen:
Nora Dean - Angie La-La mp3 at Art Decade
The Jamaicans - Ba Ba Boom mp3 at Smashing Magazine A more typical early Reid release

IT'S BA BA BOOM TIME SOMEWHERE

Listening to a Duke Reid mix earlier today, "Ba Ba Boom" by the Jamaicans came on. That was it, the "one song and out" post I was looking for. A slack night. One problem. I started reminiscing about the first time I heard it, and the fortuitous scores I made that day. "Duke Reid's Greatest Hits", "Alton Ellis Sings Rock 'n' Soul" and "The Sensational Maytals", all in one fell swoop. Brand new. Original labels. Fu-huck. Needless to say it was many years ago. I'm now going down Memory Lane somewhere else, so one song, make that three songs, and out. Dig on the "Ba Ba Boom". A masterpiece of rock steady simplicity. I love this shit.

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Listen:
The Jamaicans - Ba Ba Boom mp3 at Smashing Magazine
The Jamaicans - Dedicate My Song to You mp3 at Music ADD
The Jamaicans - Feel the Festive Spirit mp3 at Pixie Radio

JUST LIKE UNCLE FREDDY

This was going to be a quick one song post, just because I found an mp3 of the Jamaicans' "Ba Ba Boom," a laid back rocksteady cut that's, to put if softly, remarkable in its unremarkableness. That's not to say that it isn't a great song, it's just so laid back that nothing really hits you in the face. It's been in periodic rotation on my turntable since I bought a bargain Duke Reid compilation many years ago. The artists weren't even mentioned on the cover, so it was a gamble. It turned out to be my introduction to rocksteady, the early form of Jamaican music (mid 60s) that was the link between ska and reggae. It was an important moment in Jamaican music, because it was when their music started moving away from the earlier R&B influenced blue beat and ska, and towards reggae, an uniquely Jamaican sound. The training wheels were coming off.

After traipsing around looking for other rocksteady cuts, I found a trailer for a rocksteady documentary that I didn't even know existed. "Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae" looks like a humdinger. It follows a reunion of sorts, of the legends of the genre. There's quite a few familiar names (U Roy!), and if you dig early reggae, you would do good to check it out.

To the untrained ear, the differences in the styles of Jamaican music are sometimes subtle, particularly in the music of the 60's. It can be tough to peg what exactly it is that you might be listening to. Making the distinction is humbling, but worry not. I ran into a video of Bob Marley (who, one would imagine, knows a thing or two about Jamaican music), describing the evolution of the sound, in an incredibly succinct manner. If you like Jamaican music, consider it mandatory.

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Listen (inna haphazard chronological stylee):
The Duke Reid Group - The Rude Boy mp3 at Cubik Musik
Stranger Cole - Rough and Tough mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
The Paragons - The Tide Is High mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
The Jamaicans - Ba Ba Boom mp3 at Popop
Justin Hinds and the Dominoes - Carry Go Bring Home mp3 at Everybody Taste
Alton Ellis - Rock Steady mp3 at DJ No DJ
Phyllis Dillon - Remember That Sunday mp3 at Kiss Brooklyn
The Melodians - Sweet Sensation mp3 at Renan Maitre
Errol Dunkley - Black Cinderella mp3 at For the Sake of the Song
Cornell Campbell - Ten to One mp3 at Daniel Johnson Writes
John Holt - My Sweet Lord mp3 at Slang Editorial
Watch:
The Difference Between Ska, Reggae and Rock Steady -As told by Bob Marley This is as concise as they come. Recommended.
Further digressions:
Earlier reggae related posts here