Ska Vinyl 4 Items

Long-awaited reissue of this rare Jamaican ska record, originally released in 1964. In 1961 Byron Lee And The Dragonaries took a huge break when they were part of the first James Bond film - Dr. No - as the hotel band . In 1964, the band was also featured in a broadcast called "This is Ska!" alongside Jimmy Cliff, Prince Buster, and Toots and the Maytals. Amazing back cover illustrations: how to learn classic ska dance in 12 easy steps !

This is the first re-release on 7inch vinyl single of the mythic double sided single credited to producer Joe Gibbs and released in 1968 on Amalgamated Records in the U.K. Although both tracks are credited to Joe Gibbs, many believe the A side “People Grudgeful” was sung by The Ethiopians whilst the B side “Pan Ya Machete” was performed by The Pioneers. “Grudgeful” though does not really sound like The Ethiopians and according to Trojan, both sides were performed by The Pioneers. Which makes sense for several reasons. Firstly, the sound of the song is indeed more reminiscent of the Pioneers/Joe Gibbs work of that time. In fact The Ethiopians did not record with Joe Gibbs, with the exception of The Ring which was released in 1972, four years later, while the Pioneers were routinely involved with Gibbs in 1968. Last but not least, The Ethiopians had no beef with Lee Scratch Perry whilst The Pioneers songs were clearly incriminated by Scratch in his hit song “People Funny Boy. Attention: This is a special limited edition strictly limited to 500 copies - one release only. Note: the number of copies is now included in the catalogue number “hsrss-0023c-500” printed on the single label, “500” standing for 500 copies and C for collector.

THE Pioneers The Pioneers were formed in 1962 by two brothers Derrick and Sidney Crooks and their friend Winston Hewitt later replaced by former Heptone Glen Adams. The Pioneers' early singles were not successful, and the group broke up in 1967 Sydney started working at Joe Gibbs shop and then in the studio where he met a talented new young singer: Jackie Robinson. The new Pioneers were reborn as a duo. They recorded several successful singles such as "Longshot" "Jackpot", "Catch the Beat" with Gibbs before joining producer Leslie Kong where they recorded Samfie Man which topped the Jamaican charts. They then recruited George Agard and became a trio again. They scored in the charts again with "Long Shot (Kick De Bucket)" a sequel to “Long Shot”, the tragic story of a race horse that never won and died racing! “Kick De Bucket” became an instant hit both in Jamaican and in the U.K. particularly among skinheads in 1969. More hits followed and the band moved to the UK in 1970. Over time, their sound changed and became more sophisticated and pop and they eventually recorded soul albums with Eddy Grant as a producer in 1976. It was not successful and the band split before reforming. They have been performing sporadically since then.

Pat & Roxie's "Way Of Fortune" begins flowing from the impactful theme of the Skatalites. The duo vocals are not as slick as those of the Blues Busters, but the mood is stylish. The original release was on Jamaica's Down Beat label, and the UK version was never released. Rare ska vocal that fetched over 150,000 yen at the Drum & Bass Recoreds auction.

"If You Were Only Mine" is one of Tanamo's most popular songs. Lovely ska vocals start with a beautiful, flowing, gentle horn theme. A great song backed by the Skatalites in their prime. The coupling is a killer ska tune by Don Drummond. "Bellevue" is the name of the mental hospital where Don Drummond spent his life until his death in 1969, after he was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend Margarita on New Year's Day, 1965. This is the last recording of the greatest trombonist in Jamaican history, who lived up to his name as a genius. You can hear Don's heartbreaking cry along with another take of "No More" recorded on the album.