‘Looking Back’ – The Jamaican Chart Hits of 1958 & 1959
Fabulous double cd charts the tunes that influenced and gave rise to so much Jamaican musical output.
Just been turned on to a double cd out this year (2011) from Sunrise records, which collects mainly U.S. Pop and R&B tunes that were charting just as Jamaica’s own recording industry was developing into the world dominating force it would become.
Though Jamaica released its first home produced and recorded single 78rpm in 1952, it was the era of Ska music during and post independence that popularised Jamaican music worldwide. In the meantime homegrown sound systems were playing American Pop and R&B hits, interspersed with some homegrown talent & Jazz.
This double cd aims to collect some of those tunes together, many which were the blueprint for future Ska instrumentals, early and later Reggae vocal outpourings and whose influence are still being felt today.
Sleeve notes
Though of course the sleeve notes suffer from being legible only to mice or studious men with thick prescription lenses, such as they are contained within a cd booklet, they are however extensive and an education in themselves. Those that are behind this release have most certainly not skimped on effort!
Tabu
It’s one of very few places (and the cheapest by far) that you will find ‘Tabu’ by Cyril Diaz, the prototype for the Gaylads and then of course Dennis Brown’s ‘Africa’.
Flavour
And if you want to get a flavour for the music that turned Jamaicans on at the end of the 1950s this is a great place to start, and sure beats trying to pick up and pay for US R&B 78s from the USA.
Respect goes to Musical Traces friend Phil Etgart who advised on the project and is quite obviously from the sleeve notes responsible for a good deal of the knowledge contained within them.
Here’s a track list:
HARRY BELAFONTE WITH ROB GORMAN’S ORCHESTRA ISLAND IN THE SUN
LORD TANAMO SWEET DREAMING
GENE & EUNICE VOW, THE
RAYS, THE SILHOUETTES
BOBETTES, THE WITH THE REGGIE OBRECHT ORCHESTRA MR LEE
LARRY WILLIAMS & HIS BAND HIGH SCHOOL DANCE
SAM COOKE WITH THE BUMPS BLACKWELL ORCHESTRA YOU SEND ME
LAUREL AITKEN NIGHTFALL IN ZION (AKA ROLL RIVER JORDAN)
CLYDE McPHATTER WITH ORCHESTRA & CHORUS ROCK & CRY
ERNIE FREEMAN DUMPLIN’S
JIMMY McCRACKLIN & HIS BAND WALK, THE
MILSON LUCE WITH THE JOHNNY WALLACE SEXTET DON’T BREAK YOUR PROMISE
LOUIS PRIMA WITH SAM BUTERA & THE WITNESSES BUONA SERA
PLATTERS, THE TWILIGHT TIME
BILL DOGETT HONKY TONK, PART 1
FATS DOMINO SICK & TIRED
CHUCK WILLIS WITH THE JESSE STONE ORCHESTRA C.C. RIDER
NAT ‘KING’ COLE & THE FOUR KNIGHTS WITH DAVE CAVANAUGH’S MUSIC LOOKING BACK
HUEY (PIANO) SMITH & THE CLOWNS HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
CYRIL X. DIAZ & HIS ORCHESTRA TABU
LOUIS JORDAN & HIS TYMPANY FIVE SHOW ME HOW (YOU MILK THE COW)
IMPERIALS, THE TEARS ON MY PILLOW
PEREZ PRADO & HIS ORCHESTRA GUAGLIONE
LITTLE WILLIE JOHN FEVER
EARL GRANT WITH ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED BY CHARLES ‘BUD’ DANT END, THE
LAUREL AITKEN SWEET CHARIOT
COUNT OWEN & HIS CALYPSONIANS FEATURING EUTON GAYLE AND HIS BANJO HOOL-A-HOOP CALYPSO
JIMMY CLANTON & HIS ROCKETS JUST A DREAM
LLOYD PRICE WITH DON COSTA AND HIS ORCHESTRA STAGGER LEE
COUNT OWEN & HIS CALYPSONIANS FEATURING EUTON GAYLE AND HIS BANJO ISLAND IN THE SUN
PLATTERS, THE SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES
FRANKIE FORD WITH HUEY (PIANO) SMITH & HIS ORCHESTRA SEA CRUISE
EARL GRANT EVENING RAIN
HUEY (PIANO) SMITH & THE CLOWNS LITTLE CHICKEE WHA WHA
COASTERS, THE CHARLIE BROWN
THREE PLAYMATES, THE SUGAH WOOGA
WADE FLEMONS & THE NEWCOMERS HERE I STAND
OSCAR McLOLLIE & ANNETTE BAKER WITH GOOGIE RENE & HIS ORCHESTRA HEY GIRL – HEY BOY
LLOYD PRICE WITH DON COSTA & HIS ORCHESTRA PERSONALITY
JACKIE WILSON THAT’S WHY (I LOVE YOU SO)
BILLY HOPE & THE BAD MEN RIDING WEST
LITTLE JIMMY SCOTT I MAY NEVER (SEE MY BABY ANYMORE)
ERNIE FREEMAN & HIS COMBO LIVE IT UP (AKA BEARDMAN SHUFFLE)
MIGHTY SPARROW, THE DEAR SPARROW
LEE ANDREWS & THE HEARTS IT’S ME (AKA WHAP WHAP)
WILBERT HARRISON KANSAS CITY
PROFESSOR LONGHAIR NO BUTS, NO MAYBES
ROSCO GORDON NO MORE DOGGIN’
DRIFTERS, THE THERE GOES MY BABY
JOHNNY & THE HURRICANES RED RIVER ROCK
LAUREL AITKEN & THE BOOGIE CATS BOOGIE ROCK
LOUIS JORDAN & HIS TYMPANY FIVE G.I. JIVE
FATS DOMINO BE MY GUEST
HAL PAIGE & THE WHALERS GOING BACK TO MY HOMTOWN
HAWKS, THE I-YI
LAUREL AITKEN COME BACK JEANNIE
TERRY & JERRY PEOPLE ARE DOING IT EVERYDAY
GONE ALL STARS, THE 7-11 (AKA MAMBO NO5)
FITZ-VAUGHAN BRYAN’S ORCHESTRA WITH VOCALS BY KENTRICK PATRICK EVENING NEWS
[...] other version/recording of Diaz’s version of this tune, I wrote about that issue here – http://bigmikeydread.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/looking-back-the-jamaican-chart-hits-of-1958-1959/ but this latest 10″ EP features this song and three others, all worth inclusion and almost as [...]