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

THE REGGAE FREAK CHALLENGE

The Melodians didn't have the label support that some of their contemporaries had. But then there were countless other reggae vocal groups that never got close enough to sniff a major label appearance at all. The Melodians landed on the soundtrack of The Harder They Come, released on Island Records, and that's where most people outside of Jamaica first heard them. "Rivers of Babylon" was almost like gospel, the harmonies striking. It's one of those rare reggae songs that is remembered more for the vocal component than the booming this or that, the groove or the dance-ability.

The Melodians recorded for several people, notably both Duke Reid and Coxsonne Dodd. If you know those two names and consider yourself schooled, try guessing who produced what below. Reid? Dodd? Other? Answers can be found at their page at Discogs. C'mon hot shot. Show us what you got.

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Listen:
The Melodians - River of Babylon mp3 at Brendnmcgetrick (?)
The Melodians - You Don't Need Me mp3 at ATumblr (?)
The Melodians - Sweet Sensation mp3 at Renan Maitre (?)
The Melodians - I'll Get Along Without You mp3 at ATumblr (?)
The Melodians - Passion Love mp3 at Pixie Radio
The Melodians - Holiday mp3 at Brothers Gibb
Visit:
The Melodians at Discogs

YOU ALWAYS REMEMBER YOUR FIRST

If you are at all into reggae and haven't seen The Harder They Come, you have missed an entire semester and you will be put back. Go get the soundtrack. Watch the film. It'll not only school you on the varied strains of early seventies reggae, but with the film you'll get an idea of what 1970s Kingston was like. And those of you who are familiar with both, you can stand around looking like a big shot, or you can try a nifty exercise. Listen to the songs below and reflect on when you first heard them, or saw the film, and how it's shaped your views on reggae ever since.

Production on a sequel, The Harder They Come Pt 2 is scheduled to start later this year, with Jimmy Cliff reviving his role, despite the fact that he was shot up and presumed dead in the original. You can read about it here. In the meantime check these. If you're still not convinced, poke around for other clips from the original. They're all over the place.

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Listen:
Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come mp3 at Cause Equals Time
Toots and the Maytals - Sweet and Dandy mp3 at Atumblr (?)
Scotty - Draw your Brakes mp3 at Le Blog de la Grand Chose
The Melodians - Rivers of Babylon mp3 at Brendan McGetrick (?)
The Slickers - Johnny Too Bad mp3 at DJ No DJ
Desmond Dekker - 007 (Shanty Town) mp3 at Midwestern Housewives
Visit:
Jimmy Cliff to reprise role in 'Harder They Come Pt 2' at The Gleaner
The Harder They Come at Wikipedia

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