independent label, Island, distributed Jamaican records in the UK throughout the 1960s, but reggae became popular in the UK only when Prince Busters Al Capone (1967) started a brief dance craze. Jamaican music was very much a ghetto phenomenon, associated with gang-style violence, but Jimmy Cliffs Wonderful World Beautiful People (1969) wed reggae with the peace and love philosophy of the hippies, an association that would not die away. In the USA, Neil Diamonds Red Red Wine (1967) was the first reggae hit by a pop musician. Shortly afterwards, Johnny Nashs Hold Me Tight (1968) propelled reggae onto the charts. Do The Reggay (1968) by Toots (Hibbert) And The Maytals was the record that gave the music its name. Fredrick Toots Hibberts vocal style was actually closer to gospel, as proved by their other hits (54-46, 1967; Monkey Man, 1969; Pressure Drop, 1970). A little noticed event would have far-reaching consequences: in 1967, the Jamaican disc-jockey Rudolph Ruddy Redwood had begun recording instrumental versions of reggae hits. The success of his dance club was entirely due to that idea. Duke Reid, who was now the owner of the Trojan label, was the first one to capitalize on the idea: he began releasing singles with two sides: the original song and, on the back, the instrumental remix. This phenomenon elevated the status of dozens of recording engineers.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 19:56:11 +0000
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