The British ska boom of the late '70s and early '80s has left a somewhat deceptive perception of what the original Jamaican ska sides from the early '60s actually sounded like, as this classic two-disc set of Clement Dodd productions makes clear. Few of the 40-plus sides collected here have the rapid, frenetic pace that many associate with ska, but instead reflect the midtempo jump blues and R&B roots of the form. As the 1950s drew to a close, Dodd (and fellow pioneering Jamaican producers like Duke Reid and Leslie Kong) ...
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The British ska boom of the late '70s and early '80s has left a somewhat deceptive perception of what the original Jamaican ska sides from the early '60s actually sounded like, as this classic two-disc set of Clement Dodd productions makes clear. Few of the 40-plus sides collected here have the rapid, frenetic pace that many associate with ska, but instead reflect the midtempo jump blues and R&B roots of the form. As the 1950s drew to a close, Dodd (and fellow pioneering Jamaican producers like Duke Reid and Leslie Kong) began searching for a way to combine the American R&B he loved with the calypso-inflected mento rhythms that drove the island's traditional folk music, and with world-class Jamaican jazz players like Roland Alphonso, Don Drummond, Tommy McCook, and others at his disposal, ska was the result. The musical DNA of ska has informed Jamaican popular music in all of its transformations ever since. This fine collection of Dodd's early Federal sides and his subsequent Studio One ska recordings was originally issued as a double-disc set in 1991, and Heartbeat has added three bonus tracks to the end of the second disc for this remastered reissue. The newly added tracks, a jazzy shuffle called "Beeston Street Riff" by Clue J's Blues Blasters, a low-key and charming "Under the Old Oak Tree" by Cornel Campbell, and a duet between Roy Panton and Millie Small called "We'll Meet," aren't particularly earth-shattering additions, but they do fit seamlessly at the end of what is now a close to two-hour sequence. Some of the highlights of this wonderful survey of Dodd's early-'60s ska productions are the infectious "Streets of Gold" by the legendary Skatalites, the stop/start balance of Roland Alphonso's "Old Fowl Ska," and the slowed-down and elegant version of the mento classic "Wheel and Turn" by Frank Anderson and Tommy McCook on disc one. The second disc offers Bob Marley & the Wailers' familiar "Simmer Down," the early Motown meets Jamaica feel of "Stop Making Love" by the Gaylads, and the midtempo roller coaster shuffle of "Answer Me My Darling" by Derrick Harriott, among other enjoyable moments. All of this adds up to an essential compilation for anyone interested in ska and its pivotal role in the story of modern Jamaican music. ~ Steve Leggett, Rovi
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Add this copy of Ska Bonanza: the Studio One "Ska" Years to cart. $26.00, like new condition, Sold by Streetlight_Records rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Cruz, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Heartbeat.
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