Hello,

Just to know your thoughts or opinion about this kind of music. Do you like it ? Do you consider important ?

In my case I like it but never pay attention seriously. I did not even know that this music was called rocksteady, it was music I heard sometimes in the radio and I said to myself " what a groove" but that was all at that moment.

I was until some months ago I start digging more seriously and I discovered new songs, new artists and the history of this music.

Two things are what surprised me, the first is that this music was born in Jamaica and has a lot of american soul influences. How did it happened ? How jamaicans discovered american rock and soul in the 50 or 60 ?

The second is the big big influence this music has en England in white people once the jamaicans arrived there as inmigrants. Groups like The Police, The Clash and many others were influenced by this music.

To end, I like this music a lot becouse has an incredible groove.

Thanks for your time
Fernandp

Luxury has kind of a rocksteady groove for sure

My favorite stuff ta come out of Jamaica ....
Its squeezed between high paced Ska and the cogged down Reggae ...

Heavily influenced by Curtis Mayfield and
sixties American soul music esp the vocal groups .....



ROCKMAN

Quote
Fernandobsas
Two things are what surprised me, the first is that this music was born in Jamaica and has a lot of american soul influences. How did it happened ? How jamaicans discovered american rock and soul in the 50 or 60 ?

The transmissions of some US radio stations could be heard in Jamaica.

One of me all time faves is

The Federals - Shocking Love --- Island records 1968 ....



ROCKMAN

It's very important.

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

American music, particularly country and western, has always been hugely popular in Jamaica.

Like Rockman said, Rocksteady came between Ska and reggae. Story goes that the summer that rocksteady broke was very hot in Kingston so the people wanted something to cool down with instead of the frantic pace of ska. So probably Byron Lee or Coxsone Dodd slowed down some riddims and got mostly lovers singers like Ken Boothe to sing over them and released them. Actually "released them" would not be accurate, more like started playing them at the dances in Jamaica that pretty much comprised the music scene there, and it caught on. Didnt last that long as an actual genre, maybe a year or so until reggae further slowed down the pace and took over the dances. It is still a distinct musical form though and there have been rocksteady revivals especially in the UK and Europe over the years.

jb

The Federals - Shocking Love --- Island records 1968

yes this is Sweet soul jamaican music.

any other artists to recomend ? what about Dandy Livingstone ?

Ya can roughly follow the American
influence on Jamaican music .....


R&B - Ska

Soul - Rocksteady

Funk - Reggae



ROCKMAN

Alton Ellis aka "The King of Rock Steady"




Via songfacts.com: Alton Ellis

This genre-defining song was the first number to use the term 'Rocksteady' and was arguably the first rocksteady single. Ellis recalled:

"I spearheaded that sound without a doubt! I was off the scene for a while during the ska period and when I returned and joined the Treasure Isle studio, I came there with a different mood.
The musicians picked up on that and we kept on going in that direction. The music became slower, which gave the bass player the time to play more notes. In 1965 I named it rocksteady." - Alton Ellis

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More on Alton Ellis via wiki: "Godfather of Rocksteady"

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-08-28 01:26 by Hairball.

A lot of people claim stuff like that, including my friend Alton. Mostly its true but the fact is, and was, Jamaican music is producer driven, not artist driven, so really it was the producers of the music who "created" it much more than the artists who were in a way so many hired guns. Alton was certainly on the forefront. So were the Marley-less Wailers and a lot of others.

And records in the commercial sense were pretty much irrelevant to the scene. No one in the ghetto could afford a record player much less the records. Music was communicated at dances on lawns and other venues, put on by the record producers, who would debut and feature special recordings that were not available in any market and were often created specifically for the dances. Money was made by admission, by selling food and liquor and other means and that created the market to make more specials for the next dance. If actual records were pressed, they were usually imported to the UK as "pre releases" by budding companies like Trojan, Island and also a few labels created or used by Adrian Sherwood, Hit Run being the most prominent, although this was well after the Rocksteady era. Chris Blackwell for instance made his fortune on the back of importing pre's to the UK to sell to JA expats during the ska and rocksteady era.


jb



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-08-28 01:30 by jbwelda.

Yeah, I know all that. Just thought I'd turn on Fernandobsas to some good vibes, a classic tune, and a great singer.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

any other artists to recomend ?

Geeeeeeez theres a number of GREAT Rocksteady comps ...
Some of the artists only cut a few records ....

But heck lets see ... Paragons...Techniques...Ken Boothe
Elton Ellis and The Flames ... Gaylads ... Heptones ... slim Smith
Termites ... Delroy wilson ... Uniques ....Keith & Tex ....

Get a few Rocksteady comps and let it bleed out from there .....



ROCKMAN

Check out the Trojan label, pure pirate business but they had the exclusives during the early era. Another Chris Blackwell label, one of his first before Island. Find Creation Rockers vols 1-6 for a good overview of the whole scene and then there are specific rocksteady compilations on the label like Rockman says.

Duke Reid was probably considered the king producer during the rocksteady era. His studio was the famous Treasure Isle. U Roy first became famous toasting over his tracks especially the rocksteady ones.

jb

yeah jb says Duke Reid - Treasure Island has
truck load of comps

And for Coxsone Dodd - Studio One rocksteady try

Mojo Rocksteady - Heartbeat Records .....

I use ta play the hell out of that one....
rare stuff too like Whipping The Prince built on Death In The Arena ....


Get them comps boy and steadily groove ya heart



ROCKMAN



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-08-28 02:56 by Rockman.

Thanks so much for all your info and it is nice to see the love you feel about this music.

Bye
Fernando from Argentina

Hortense Ellis, Alton's sister, cut some great rocksteady material. Her covers of Neil Sedaka (Breaking Up Is Hard To Do) and Dusty Springfield (Breakfast in Bed) are excellent!

There was this fantastic rocksteady tune the Stones had on one of their regular pre-concert tapes ca. 1989 -1995, maybe still later. Female lead voice, that's all I can remember. Searched high and low, but could not find it to this day. Even sifting through the actual Stones tapes brought no result because they were badly labelled.

Maybe some rocksteady expert here remembers the song and recognizes it?

Keith & Tex were the first in Jamaica
to cover The Temptations - Dont Look Back ....



ROCKMAN

@ retired_dog - could have been this classic from Dawn Penn:




I think it was also included on one of those freebie magazine CD compilations quite a while back where Mick picked some of his favorite tunes - either Mojo, Uncut, etc..
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EDIT: It's since dawned on me (pardon the pun) that it might have been her updated/re-recorded '90's version that was on that freebie CD comp of tunes Mick picked.
I have a large crate of those freebies in storage from when I used to have subscriptions to various mags, so chances are I still have the 'Micks Picks' cd - will check for it one of these days.





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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2020-08-29 01:39 by Hairball.

To the OP, check out the What are you listening to right this second thread, Mr Hairball has posted some links to great rocksteady over the past months.

And yeah might have been that Dawn Penn song, that was a pretty well known track. And its been done over a billion times too by other artists, often under the title "No No No". Contrary to the writers credit on the 45 above, I doubt she wrote it, I think its an old R&B track.

jb

yes I follow the OT Whay you are listening and see that Mr. Hairball is a big big rocksteady fan, also get to know new rocksteady songs thanks to Mr. Hairball thanks for the info Mr. jbwelda.

Bye
Fernando

I though this was a thread about the No Doubt album...

It is, No Doubt are poseurs.

But I do hear they are very nice people and do make sure royalties get paid to original artists, so respect is due.

jb



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-08-30 00:38 by jbwelda.

Quote
jbwelda
It is, No Doubt are poseurs.

But I do hear they are very nice people and do make sure royalties get paid to original artists, so respect is due.

jb

I must agree. Used to have a thing for Gwen Stefani, but she is NOT aging well and looks rather freakish these days. And her voice has gotten even more annoying.

<Mojo Rocksteady - Heartbeat Records ....>

Is that The Sound Dimension?

Great stuff!

Aretha checks in:

[www.youtube.com]

Quote
VoodooLounge13
I though this was a thread about the No Doubt album...

I thought this was a thread about Rock Steady by Bad Company! Great song on their self titled debut album.