LORD FLEA & HIS CALYPSONIANS - MONKEY
Derrick Harriott did a great ska version of this. I’m sure you’ve all heard it so here’s something you might not have heard.
LORD FLEA & HIS CALYPSONIANS - MONKEY
Derrick Harriott did a great ska version of this. I’m sure you’ve all heard it so here’s something you might not have heard.
There are so many people on the internet who aren’t researching the music they love so much and making big mistakes when sharing their knowledge about tunes. Ska is less chronicled than skinhead/early reggae and rocksteady so sometimes becomes confusing. When ska was being released and recorded commercially in Jamaican artists and producers from Prince Buster to Derrick Harriott, Coxsone Dodd to Randy Chin and Lord Tanamo to Millie Small worked under many different names in several groups usually doing songs that were recorded by other groups reaching various levels of success.
For example, Derrick Harriott set up the Crystal Records label and formed The Jiving Juniors. He produced their songs and released ‘Sugar Dandy’ in 1962, which Millie Small covered almost identically in 1964.
Knowing the history behind ska, and therefore rocksteady and reggae, is imperative to understanding the changes further down the line such as rocksteady and reggae. Many of the American R’n’B and Jazz tunes were altered and played in the ska style for Jamaican audiences by Theo Beckford, Prince Buster and Laurel Aitken. They were influenced by a constant stream of American music throughout their careers, which led to exciting long-term success. On the other side of ska there were the Calypso and Soca influenced artists such as, Lord Kitchener, Lord Creator and Tommy McCook (The Skatalites) who, because they played ‘traditional Caribbean musics’, did not enjoy as varied or successful careers as American influenced artists and producers.
With Jazz, R’n’B, Calypso and Soca all playing a part in a new Jamaican genre the scene was set for global domination and an explosion of new rhythms. That’s why 2nd wave and 3rd wave ska, in my opinion, reference and homage the original ska songs but don’t actually educate their fans, which means you have people walking around thinking Reel Big Fish are the first band to ever play ‘Monkey Man’. That song was released in 1969 by Toots and the Maytals and has been covered around 25 times since.
Educate yourself about music history because that way you can understand and tolerate music you hate and enhance the music you love already, which helps sift out the genuinely bad stuff from the genuinely good stuff.
In this episode I go back through the 1960s from skinhead reggae’s best to when Blue Beat ruled the ska scene. This one’s a real stomper for all you skinheads, skinbyrds, mods and rude boys! So get skanking and sharing before the train leaves for SKAVILLE!!!
http://djporkchops69.podomatic.com/entry/2011-01-17T13_53_36-08_00
TRACKLISTING…
jackie mittoo - train to skaville
andy capp - poppy show
derrick morgan - ben johnson day
dennis alcapone - spanish omega
king stitt and andy capp - herb man
toots and the maytals - louis louis
the destroyers - compass
derrick morgan - johnny pram pram
monty morris - deep in my soul
the gaytones - target
the music specialists - flip
sound dimension - full up
tommy mccook and the supersonics - my best dress
hopeton lewis - rocka shocka
the heptones - pretty looks
rudy mills - a long story
pauline morgan and lovelets with lyn tait and the jets - stop the wedding
lynn tait and the comets - tender loving care
derrick and patsy - little brown girl
basil gabidon and prince buster all stars - ena mena
al t. joe - slowboat
lloyd clarke and smithie’s sextet - good morning
laurel aitken and hyacinth baron twist and his knights - you got me rockin’
lord kitchener - jamaica woman
lloyd brown - he’s not about
BYRON LEE & THE DRAGONAIRES - SOUL LIMBO
All cricket fans (not a lot of you) will recognise this immediately. This was played when there was cricket coverage on the BBC.
LORD SPOON AND DAVID - WOMAN A LOVE IN THE NIGHT TIME
What the hell are they singing about!? It’s all a bit calypso.
ROLAND ALPHONSO & THE SOUL VENDORS - STREETS OF GOLD
Ska done at it’s best. Original!!!
THE BLUESMASTERS - AFRICAN BLOOD
I have Baba Brooks’ version on 7” with Johnny Moore’s ‘South China Sea’ on the flip side. Great little ska-lypso tune. Enjoy!
BYRON LEE & THE DRAGONAIRES - LAST NIGHT
I think I love this man. I played this sort of fast ska at a dance once and there was an old(ish) couple jiving to it and came up when they were leaving and told me I played some really good records. Always love it when people dance and enjoy themselves.
BYRON LEE & THE DRAGONAIRES - SUNJET JUMP UP
Taken from the ‘Come Fly With Lee’ LP. Such a good calypso record!
PRINCE BUSTER - IS LIFE WORTH LIVING? (SIT AND CRY)
This is a bit of an odd one for Prince Buster. Sounds like he’s taking some influence from the Cuban calypso for this tune.
BABA BROOKS AND HIS BAND - ONE EYED GIANT
This is such a good ska track I might just hunt it down to play in a 3 weeks.
