The Heptones - Book of Rules

Leroy Sibbles, Barry LLewellyn and  Earl Morgan. Their names have become symbols of rocksteady.

The Heptones enjoyed great success during the early days of rocksteady. Formed in 1965, the trio began their recordings at Coxsone's Studio One, and released anthems such as Fatty Fatty, Party Time (which was then re-recorded at the Black Ark in 1977), and I Hold the Handle.

Book of Rules was released in 1973 on Jay Wax, a label owned by producer Harry J.

As it was common in the rocksteady era, most of their songs from the period were love songs. At the start of the 70s though, the recordings were turning towards minor-key conscious music, a term used to define songs dealing with reality.

Songs would cover the suffering endured in the ghetto, slavery, and rasta faith, as would be illustrated by many of the Heptones' later songs, such as Sufferers Time, Mistery Babylon, Mr President and many more.

Such is the case with Book of Rules. The songs is actually based upon a poem by American writer R.L. Sharpe called A Bag of Tools.

Isn't it strange
That princes and kings,
And clowns that caper
In sawdust rings,
And common people
Like you and me
Are builders for eternity?

Each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass,
A book of rules;
And each must make,
Ere life is flown,
A stumbling-block
Or a stepping-stone.

                                                      R.L. Sharpe

 

 
Singer Barry Llewellyn extended the poem, and the trio enjoyed considerable success upon release.

Unfortunately The Heptones' worldwide recognition doesn't match the importance of their contribution to Jamaican music but few ears will disagree with these wonderful harmonies.

Captain Sinbad - The Eye of the Tiger

Captain Sinbad is amongst those who didn't rush to record songs, but when he did, he made sure that the quality was consistent.

In the early 1980s, Henry "Junjo" Lawes was the most prolific producer on the island. Working with the Roots Radics at Channel One, he produced a significant number of deejay albums by Franky Paul, Yellowman, Captain Sinbad, and many more.

His productions eventually came to define the new dancehall genre, sometimes referred to as early dancehall, and reached a wide audience thanks to Greensleeves who released his works in Europe.

Taken from Captain Sinbad's most successful album, The Seven Voyages of Captain Sinbad (1982), the lyrics from his song The Eye of the Tiger are based upon the eponymous film, continuing the Jamaican habit of linking music with film refences.

The riddim is the same as Johnny Osbourne's No Lollipop No Sweet So for his Fally Lover LP. It's part of the heavy, rub-a-dub riddims of which the Roots Radics produced many. And it works great for Captain Sinbad.

The deejay sails over the riddim as he makes references to the film, Jamaican-izing the content, he presents himself as "Pupa Sinbad the sailor man".

His rhymes are interrupted by with his well-known oink!, ribit!, bwoi! interjections, which have become the deejay's trade-mark.

Captain Sinbad's energy keeps you hooked as you'll find yourself nodding in rhythm with Flabba Holt's bassline, and with other songs such as Bam Salute, All Over Me, Construction Plan, all mixed by Scientist, it's no surprise that the album has become a Channel One classic.

The cover is a true work of art designed by Tommy McDermott, who illustrated many other Greensleeves covers. Greensleeves thankfully repressed it in 2007 and The Eye of the Tiger is of those that still sound fresh no matter how many times you've played it.

Harry J Allstars - Liquidator

Liquidator has become one of the most successful instrumentals outside of Jamaica from the end of rocksteady/beggining of early reggae period.

The riddim, played by the Hippy Boys, was originaly recorded for Tony Scott's What Am I to Do. The bassline was played by Familyman and has a strong resemblance to Alton Ellis' 1966 classic Girl I've Got a Date.

However, reknown producer Harry "J" Johnson bought the rights of the track from the singer. After adding a lively, jumping organ, played by Winston Wright, he credited it to his sessionband and released it as a full instrumental on an A-side for Trojan in the UK with Glen and Dave's La La Always Stay on the flip.

Its great upbeat melody allowed the instrumental to enjoy wider success than Tony Scott's vocal version and, along with many early-reggae songs, such as Toots and the Mayals' 54-46 Was My Number or Dave & Ansell's Double Barrel, became a skinhead favourite.

It was also greatly appreciated by Chelsea football fans as it was constantly played before their home games with supporters cheering along with the song. It then reached an even wider audience as the trend spread to other teams, however when supporters turned from encourageing to swearing it was banned at stadiums.

Johnny Osbourne - Can't Buy Love

At the end of the 1970s, Coxsone reached back to his productions from the previous decade and used rocksteady riddims to voice some of the biggest singers of the moment.

These productions have given birth to albums that have become true classics, with many listed amongst the artist's best, such as Lone Ranger's On the Other Side of Dub, Sugar Minott's Live Loving and in this case, Johnny Osbourne's Truth and Rights.

Johnny Osbourne is one of the few truly versatile singers as he has proved to us throughout time, releasing crucial material on rocksteady riddims, roots, rub-a-dub, and digital.

Can't Buy Love is the third track from his Truth and Rights album. Coxsone uses the Soul Vendor's Swing Easy riddim, one of the most popular ever with countless versions recorded.

In this song, he delivers a soulful love balad, expressing the strength of his love, an attempt to convince the girl here that "Money can't buy my love".

There are many references to the Beatles' Can't Buy Me Love here with the famous line "Diamonds can't buy my love" before he humorously adds :

"Money can buy you a new bed spring but the money can't buy you love".

Johnny Osbourne's singing gently follows the horns from original rocksteady instrumental creating a brilliantly catchy song.

With all songs from the album being at least of equal strength, it's no surprise that Truth and Rights has become a true classic in reggae music.

Prince Far I - Psalm 1

Prince Far I, the Voice of Thunder, is widely known for his rough voice and attachment to Biblical lyrics.

In Psalm 1, also sometimes known as Blessed is the Man, Prince Far I delivers a strong recital of the first Psalm over a raw cut of the Drum Song riddim. As you will hear, this isn't the same Studio 1 presented yesterday, but a stripped-down interpretation by the Aggrovators.

As the piano chords begin, Prince Far I opens :

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly
nor standeth in the way of sinners
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord
and His law doth he meditate day and night

His rough toasting delivers a prophetic recital of the King James' version of the psalm, a warning to all sinners of the perils that will fall upon them if they don't repent from unfaithful living.

The song is part of his Psalms For I album which in the same way is a collection of strict recitals of selected Psalms, released on Adrian Sherwood's Carib Gems.

Prince Far I was also a very prolific producer and released two other versions of the riddim with the Arabs, over which he voiced too - Blackman Land and Everytime I Hear the Word.

Both versions are remarkably produced, the first has great uplifting drums and the second has a much deeper and heavy sound. An astonishing horns version, Drums of the Arab, has been re-released by Digikiller/Deeper Knowledge on this second version and credited to Deadly Headley & Asher.

Jackie Mittoo - Drum Song

Here's one of the finest songs from the rocksteady era. Not only is it an incredible composition but over time the riddim has become a stone-cold classic. It lies up there with the likes of Real Rock and My Conversation.

1968, Jackie Mittoo, one of the island's most talented keyboard players ever, releases a rocksteady album that will have a major impact on the future of Jamaican music.

A collection of singles from that period, many tracks have become legendary. Any person with a mild knowledge of reggae needs only to listen to, say, One Step Beyond or Hot Milk to realise how many foundation songs are in this set.

Drum Song opens up on a slow beat and gentle kette drumming, with an oriental sounding guitar carefully following the bassline. These last two are the cornerstone of the song as this bassline is particularly easy to identify and has always been put forward on further updates.

Jackie then plays the first keys on his organ and the brass section accompanies him. As the kette speeds up the brass and organ take turns and we can picture ourselves surrounded by the players amongst the trees on the beach from the album's cover. Only one word can describe the feeling that is conveyed here : haunting.

There are many solid updates of the riddim (Bunny Lee, Prince Far I, Wackies, Digital B...) and an impressive list of versions can be found on Riddimguide.

The Congos - Congoman

"Out of Africa comes the Congo man..."

The Congos are most-known for two albums, Heart of the Congos (1977) and Congo Ashanti (1979).

The two albums are very different as they were recorded in separate studios, and not one weak song is amongst the set. The song for today comes from their first album, a masterpiece which is often regarded as the best reggae album ever recorded.

The strength of this album lies within two main factors. First, the Congos are an astonishing trio who cover a wide vocal range, with Cedric Myton as falsetto, Roydel Johnson as tennor, and Watty Burnett, baritone.

The second point is that Heart of the Congos was recorded at Lee "Scratch" Perry's Black Ark when the man was at his peak in creativity. There's a lot to say here but to keep this short I want to focus on the second track from the album, Congoman.

The song opens-up with a percussion beat, immediately conveying the african image of what this song is based upon. A skank plays slowly in the distance, and with the focus remaining on the beat a few hits on the high-hat join in whilst a kette is striked several times before the Congos introduce :

Out of Africa comes the Congo man

After what sounds like a strike of lightening, Scratch lets the riddim roll-in again from the beginning, adds the full drums before the bass rolls in and ties all the instruments together. We're then taken into a meditative journey led by slow, repeated praises and African allusions from the singers.

With the singing blending so well with the instruments, the track can almost be perceived as a full instrumental. The other songs from the album being classic vocal tracks, it's a real pleasure to focus on Perry's amazing mixing and capture the deepness of the sound which is carried on through the album.

Having a studio in his own garden allowed Scratch to experiment day and night, and he has made use of his full potential here, this is the Black Ark at its very best.

The Upsetters - Chim Cherie

Today I'm going to present a very special tune, unique in its genre. The first time I heard this one I just couldn't believe my ears.

We were having a great evening spinning tunes whether it be reggae, hip-hop, afrobeat or soul, one after the other. As the needle pushed trough the first grooves of the disc, a slow drum pattern makes its way through what sounds like hits on a high-pitch plastic block for drum kits.

Unexpectedly, after the third bar (or loop, should we say in this case), a ground-breaking bass takes over the rhythm, transporting the listener to a new dimension. Needless to say this struck me like never before - I had just experienced Lee Perry making what sounds like an avant-garde hip-hop song, but with a pure reggae pattern.

Of course, this is the riddim to Shinehead's Billy Jean - an adaptation from the King of Pop's hit - however, hearing the version on its own is a whole other experience.

It's difficult to put an exact year on this track, but what makes it all the more special is that it's the first in Jamaica to ever incorporate a drum machine.

Freshly arrived on the island, the programming of the machine was left to Familyman and his brother Carlton, and the song was credited to the Upsetters.

An exclusive dubplate version was also released, and it can thankfully be found on the B-side of Pressure Sounds' 7" release.

To those for whom this is the first time they're listening to a Lee Perry production, be warned that this is far from his signature sound, but it's another production from the neat little man that proves his genious and how far ahead of time he was. Lee Perry was making hip-hop before hip-hop.

Joy In the Morning, Jah Bring I Joy

Joy in the Morning originates as a killer rocksteady tune, sung by the Gaylads in 1968.

The song was recorded at Clement Dodd's legendary Studio One. The Gaylads trio consisted of Harris "B.B" Seaton, Winston Delano Stewart and Maurice Roberts. They deliver here a tune that follows the trend of the moment : a passionate love song with soothing harmonies.

Backed by Lynn Taitt and the Jets, one of the most popular backing bands of the rocksteady era, the harmonies take up such an important part in this song that they were kept in all future covers.

Taitt's guitar hovers over the bassline, as if singing by itself and adding a fourth voice to the background.

Joy in the Morning was also sung by the Godfather of Rocksteady, Alton Ellis. Alton keeps a close cover to the original, although slightly sped-up with the drums pushed forward, but his unique voice makes it a great listen. When Freddie McGregor made a digital version later on, he made sure to keeps the harmonies too.

 

The main update though to this song came with Bobby Melody in 1974, when roots reggae had taken over the days of rocksteady and the lighter, early reggae.

A former member of the Ralph Brothers (he backed Yabby You's Conquering Lion) Bobby Melody used the original lyrics to turn it into a song of thanksgiving to God, renaming it Jah Bring I Joy.

The rhythm was updated at Joe Gibbs', this time in true reggae style bringing emphasis on the drums and bass with clearer vocals. Trinity also performed an excellent cut to this version, Top Ranking, strictly rockers style.

Dillinger - War Is Over

A new height in political gang warfare was reached in the beginning of 1978.

Referred to today as the Green Bay massacre, in the night of the 5th January 1978, 14 men who were believed to be part of the Skulls, a gang sided with the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), were trapped in an ambush at the Green Bay Firing Range by a sector of the army, the Military Intelligence Unit.

The M.I.U were acting for the leading opposition, the People's National Party (PNP). When the men were drawn into the trap, five of them were shot dead with others fleeing for their life.

Shortly after, two of the main dons (head of a gang) in prison, "Claudie" Massop from the JLP and "Bucky" Marshall from the PNP, took action to sign a peace treaty and put an end to the ongoing violence. Several songs celebrating the new peace were recorded and one of the most striking, which also happens to be one my favourites, is War Is Over by Dillinger.

The deejay uses George Nooks' version of Little Roy's "Tribal War" I mentionned yesterday. Produced by Joe Gibbs, Gibbs provided his own relick of the rhythm instantly giving it his own recognisable "fresh" sound.

Dillinger references the new situation in the introduction of the song as he engages a conversation in patois, possibly with his fellow friend and deejay Trinity :

"A long time I no see the I you know dread"

"Me hear now [the] peace treaty so me haffi come out and get a lickle bit of fresh air"

And boom, the new version of the rhythm kicks-in, with Lloyd Parkes' bass litteraly exploding over Sly Dunbar's serious rockers-style drumming, as Dillinger toasts :

"Musical Sound is called the war is over, so you got to come over and do the Bossa Nova..."

As George Nooks' voice fades away, Dillinger takes the lead and warns: "Son don't take your guns to town because the war is over. Say we feel so sweet when we sign the peace treat'."

However as often in Jamaica, this moment of peace unfortunately didn't last long, with 1400 people murdered in the 2 following years.

Musical history and the 7"

In the same way as picking up an old newspaper can teach you about a country's past, many of Jamaica's 7" singles reflect the island's history. Just as when a soundsystem deejay would chit-chat about current events through his microphone whilst flipping his record, politics, economics, and everyday stories have been a constant source of inspiration for Jamaican artists.

Jamaica's music has mostly come from the poor, with countless singers and producers emerging from Kingston's hottest ghettos. The words from these songs were coming from the mouths of those who were hit the hardest by the country's intense violence and poverty - the sufferahs, expressing their everyday tribulations through their biggest strength : their voice.

7"s by definition take less time to produce and release than albums, and with the introduction of versions, the 45rpm disc became Jamaica's favourite format - more on that later.

To briefly illustrate this here's what is probably Little Roy's biggest success to date, Tribal War. The song, recorded over a slow, bass-thumping rhythm at the legendary Black Ark, recalls a moment in 1973 where it was reported that two major gangs had signed a peace treaty, and, for that moment at least, "The war is over".

It was originally released on Roy's own Tafari label and has since been re-issued by UK's Pressure Sounds.

Introducing my blog

As part of my journalism course, I have started this blog for my Introduction to Reporting module.

I will be posting daily and posts will cover a variety of topics, although I suspect that I will have a preference for discussing the past and present of Jamaican music. I will concentrate mainly on the '60s, '70s and '80s - that is anything from Prince Buster's uplifting ska and Ken Boothe's sweet rocksteady tunes through Yabby You's heavy roots reggae and King Tubby's mind-blowing dub to King Jammy's festive dancehall. This will be the first time that I'll be writing articles on the internet so I hope to keep this interesting !