Ken Boothe (OD) began recording in the early 1960s when he teamed-up with friend Stranger Cole and they recorded for Duke Reid as Stranger & Ken. Many hits were released over the next years such as World's Fair and Artibella, which have become very sought-for ska 7"s by collectors today.
In 1966, Ken left the duo to persue a solo career at Studio One. The same year, Jamaica experienced a particularly hot summer, during which the fast checka-checka ska beat reduced its tempo creating a new genre, rocksteady.
His recordings for Coxsone were instant hits, and the album Mr Rocksteady (1968) gave him the nickname he still holds today.
Thinking (1968) was one of the songs recorded at the studio, an absolute rocksteady scorcher. Ken Boothe's soulful voice portrays the tale of a lost love, intercepted by the outcry of a simple but effective minor-key organ riff.
Moving on 16 years later to 1984, as recounted yesterday reggae was in full rub-a-dub mood. Although less active as a singer, Ken stopped over at Channel One where he had the great idea to re-record his early hit.
The Roots Radics were there, and recorded their take on the riddim. The final result is a brilliantly melodious track as the bassline adapted from the rocksteady version gives it a more experimental touch to what was produced at that moment. Although the organ was left out, the version is of course more than welcome with Style's drumming bursting out over the riddim.
Thanks to DiggingCrates
for the upload
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