1967 - The Wailers - Nice Time / Hypocrites

No history of reggae is complete without an entry related to Bob Marley. Most casual music fans know of Marley through his string of immensely popular international releases with The Wailers in the 1970s. Fewer know of his, and The Wailer's, roots in Jamaica in the 1960s. Marley recorded his first tunes for Leslie Kong under the pseudonym Bobby Martell at 16 years old. He would soon after team up with Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh under the vocal tutoring from Joe Higgs of Higgs & Wilson. While all of these names would reach international fame, this was unfathomable at the time of their meetings in the early 60's in Jamaica's trench town ghetto.

The Wailers spent a period recording with Coxsone Dodd and his Brentford Road studio and released countless ska scorchers. It was actually a Studio 1 Wailers ska compilation that first introduced me to The early Wailers sound and consequentially led me to this endless journey of reggae 45 collecting. Despite an endless string of hits and a doubtless hefty income for Coxsone, the Wailers saw small returns and decided to cut their ties and open up their own shop. Wail 'N Soul 'M records was the result.

The label would only release Wailers tunes and only from 1966-1969 and the results were a continued goldmine of tunes like "Stir It Up," "Don't Rock My Boat," "Thank You Lord," and the two here. Though the Wailers were born in the height of ska, they quickly adapted to the rocksteady and groove and were kicking out classics in no time. The Wailers would revisit both of these two a few years later when they first prepared for an international launch with JAD records. While all versions are good, these two from '67 obviously show a younger and much more raw group. If you haven't explored The Wailers' catalog outside of their mega hits of the 70s, you absolutely need to get a compilation of early Wailers as soon as possible. Their are plenty available and any will do!

1968 on the way!

Listen & download here:
A-side: The Wailers - Nice Time
B-side: The Wailers - Hypocrites

1966 - The Clarendonians - After He Breaks Your Heart / Sweet Heart Of Beauty

Like I mentioned at the end of last week's posting, a sweeping heat wave in the latter 60s brought a shift in the Jamaican sound. The tumbling, fast ska that 'mashed up' the dance floor had to slow down for the lethargic crowd, slowed down by the unforgiving sun. Ska's dominance gave way in the final years of the 60s to rocksteady, whose sound held the earliest roots of the traditional 70s reggae.

In 1966, we begin to hear the sound slow down. I had a difficult time picking which tune to do for this year, because some '66 tunes are straight up ska while others are noticeably slowed down quite a bit. Then there is a handful right in the middle. You can almost literally hear a gradient of tempos over the year. Unfortunately I can only date these to the year, not to the month, but I would imagine that a chronological 1966 playlist would illuminate the switch from the ska to rocksteady sounds.

The Clarendonians were a vocal duo who worked almost exclusively with Coxsone Dodd from their earliest singles in '65 through '67, but would also work with Duke Reid, Prince Buster, and others through the late 60s and early 70s. Their singers, Ernest Wilson and Peter Austin, sang exciting and piercing ska and rocksteady harmonies through their relatively short career as a group. Both singers had work outside of The Clarendonians but as with many, their 60s work is the most prized.

I put this a-side near the beginning of the trend. Another trend I always pick out in the transition is the percussion styles and fills. I'm not a trained drummer so I'd butcher a more detailed description, but in tunes near the beginning of the trend like this, the traditional ska drumming techniques are simply slowed down a bit. Towards the end and in to rocksteady, the drumming style has drastically changed to account for the shift in tempos. The b-side is a ballad tune, a style that was popular during the ska years. Many ballad's are hit and miss for me, and this one is a hit. For more like this, check out "Muriel" by Alton & Eddy here.

On a final note, you may notice this Studio 1 label is different than many of the others I've posted. I've never understood the specifics of all of Coxsone's various imprints, and why some have a certain labels while another will be different. His two main imprints were Studio 1 and Coxsone, but he also had Supreme and others. Furthermore, there are many different styles of labels for each imprint. I'm sure some are to do with originals/repeats, Jamaica/UK pressings, when they were made, etc, but I don't have the specifics. If anyone does, please contact me!

Listen & download here:
A-side: The Clarendonians - After He Breaks Your Heart
B-side: The Clarendonians - Sweet Heart Of Beauty

1965 - Winston Samuels - What Have I Done / Broken Hearted

The most influential female producer in Jamaican music was without question Sonia Pottinger. She produced some scorchers in the later 60s and early 70s after marrying the producer of this disc, Lindon Pottinger. Lindon had been producing Jamaican R&B and ska since the early 60s for his own Gay Disc label and also for another label listed in RKR as SEP. Similar to many of the era's tunes, his work saw release in England on labels like Blue Beat, Black Swan, and Rio. As his wife stepped in to the producing picture, Lindon took second stage after Sonia quickly grew to one of the islands top producers. Nonetheless, his catalogue cannot be overlooked!

Winston Samuels released approximately 40 tunes between '62 and '68 working mostly with Lindon Pottinger, but also with a few bigger names like Coxsone Dodd, Prince Buster, and Lloyd Daley. This one is with Pottinger and was on the aforementioned SEP label. These two are in the racous upbeat ska style with certain hints of the Jamaican R&B from years past. Samuels has a fitting voice for the style and keeps the vocal sections entertaining. Perhaps the most entertaining part of the two sides is the horn sections, typical for many ska shots! Not only do the tunes both feature solos, they also both have horn lines accenting the rhythms.

As the legend goes, a heat wave hit the island in the latter part of the 60s, readily prompting the DJs and musicians to slow down the groove. The sound system dances continued outside on public lawns or near the beach, and the partygoers would need relief from the spastic upbeat ska sounds. As the sound slowed down, rocksteady music was born. 1966 will be the first year we'll start to see this, and by 1967 we'll be in full rocksteady swing. While ska music did creep into '66, ti's sufficient to say that '65 was ska's final year of dominating the Jamaican's music appetite.

Listen & download here:
A-side: Winston Samuels - What Have I Done
B-side: Winston Samuels - Broken Hearted

1964 - The Vibrators - Money Or Love / Don Drummond - Smiling

I was originally going to post a Bryon Lee & The Dragonaires 7", but I decided it was time to get to some serious ska before the early 60s run out! While the most celebrated and sought after ska is this type of style, similar to that of The Skatalites, acknowledgement must be awarded to the producers who got the business running.

Alongside Chris Blackwell and Edward Seaga, Byron Lee completes the triumvirate of international embassadors of early Jamaican music. Lee got his first big break when Seaga picked up his band, Byron Lee & The Dragonaires, to perform to at upscale hotels and bars around the island. Lee had his musicians fluent in ska but particularly versed calypso and US r&b which appealed to the wealthy or touristy crowds at these hangouts. The band would eventually be sent by Seaga with Jimmy Cliff, Prince Buster, and Millie Small to New York's 1964 World Fair in an effort to promote the island's music; the trip would be far from successful. Upon return, Lee purchased Seaga's W.I.R.L. collection of studios, renaming them collectively Dynamic Sound. Lee would continue over the next decade to promote Jamaica's music around the carribbean and the USA, quickly becoming one Jamaican music's first indigenous millionaire.

Back to the disc at hand though, THIS is ska. When I think of ska music, the two styles represented on either side of this disc represent the genre's epitome. If you've been following this anthology, the styles are a natural progression (albeit a quick one), from the styles of the earlier 60s. The a-side is The Vibrators vocal shot "Money Or Love." I am almost certain that this is not the same Vibrators band performing with Al & The Vibrators, but I could certainly be wrong. The b-side here is from Jamaica's most celebrated trombonist, and one who would meet international acclaim, Don Drummond. A classically trained, Alpha Boys School musician, Drummond's compositions are innovate and exciting; this track, "Smiling," is no exception.

The two appear here on a blank, but their labelled counterparts showcase the Top Deck label's stamp. Top Deck's catalogue is highly collected, click here to see the tremendous prices the singles fetch on eBay. Rightfully so, the music is top notch on all sides. I couldn't find much about the producer, Justin Yap, but there is a nearly full label discography of Top Deck on RKR here. You can see that he worked with all of the big early names - Don Drummond, Roland Alphonso, Jackie Opel, and The Skatalites. Much of the discography has been rereleased and can be purchased on colored vinyl. I almost bought a set of 25 of the rereleases on eBay a few days ago!

On the way... 1965!

Listen & download here:
A-side: The Vibrators - Money Or Love
B-side: Don Drummond - Smiling