Another "I Am The Gorgon" Teaser

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kmNYtFfHLQ&feature=youtube_gdata

What a nice little Sunday treat we have here, a new clip running just under 3 minutes from the Bunny Lee documentary. This one outlines a bit of the rivalry between Striker and Clement "Coxsone" Dodd. Early reviews thus far have been very positive, meaning we're hoping the film gets a more widespread release in the near future or a DVD release sooner rather than later. You can never get enough Bunny Lee.

For The Suits Label Guide: Unity, Part 2

Last week when we begun this musical journey we were, in all honesty, overwhelmed by the amount of quality releases on the Unity label. What was initially going to be one article quickly turned into something that needed to be broken down into two parts. The quality of the label in 1969 alone was staggering, a prolific output which most labels would be blessed to have over the entire course of the labels lifetime. Things didn't slow down in 1970.

For The Suits Label Guide: Unity, Part 1

Bunny Lee is a bad man. There isn't too much more too it. After getting into the recording business in 1967 "Striker" went on to record a string of hits throughout the ever changing world of Jamaican music for the next 3 decades, but important for us is his output during the rocksteady and early reggae era many of which saw release in the UK on the Unity label. Lee wasn't the only producer for the label but he produced some of its biggest hits. But we can't forget the work of cats like Harry Robinson and the legendary Derrick Morgan. So let's delve a little deeper into the label and see what gems we can find for ourselves.

Let Me Go Girl

[youtube=http://youtu.be/qPIExEVYkAY]

This tune is just as good as you might expect from a group that consisted of the likes of Slim Smith, Ken Boothe, Derrick Morgan, BB Seaton, Roy Shirley and Lloyd Charmers alternately throughout it's existence. Doesn't really matter what the line up consisted of at the time this was recorded, it was going to be good. Being produced by Bunny Lee sure doesn't hurt either.

Lonely Girl

[youtube=http://youtu.be/-xprSxyCpVI]

Continuing on with the theme of things we;re into. Bunny Lee and Glen Adams are definitely two of them. Adams is more well known for his organ grinding sessions that get skinheads around the world moving, but he also put out some quality rocksteady sides. This tune in particular was produced by the incredibly talented Bunny Lee. The man could seemingly do no wrong during the rocksteady era and produced a lot of top notch skinhead reggae on the Unity label. If you don't have the cash to track down some of the singles I would highly recommend picking up the 2LP "Bunny Lee Rocksteady Years" album put out by Moss Selekta. Crucial cuts throughout.

All You Need to Know About Bunny Lee

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PY0s_t2kwM?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0&w=400&h=300]

Ever wanted to spend close to an hour learning all about Bunny “Striker” Lee? You read this blog so of course you do. Think this thing came out in the 80’s and Bunny is a smooth cat throughout. Listen to the legend tell his story in his own words.

"Baby Love" by the Sensations

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfkEaCpsqs4?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0&w=400&h=300]

Absolute rocksteady classic from The Sensations with production by way of Winston Riley (RIP). These cats had no shortage of rocksteady gems. Jimmy Riley, Cornell Campbell, Aaron Davis and Buster Riley were the line-up at this point in time. As it turns out the Riley family had no shortage of talent in it, did it? Another group that recorded with all the big names of the day, Duke Reid had a number of big tunes with the. And of course, our man, Bunny Lee put out his share of classic cuts with these lads as well. “Baby Love” is probably their biggest track but you need to track down tunes like “Those Guys”, “Whup Whop Man” and “Right on Time”.

"Do It To Me Baby" by Lloyd and The Groovers

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBXJYoDwfaE?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0&w=400&h=300]

“Isn’t it good to do the rocksteady?” might be one of our favorite lines ever. It’s real damn good to do the rocksteady when its this tune you’re moving too. Lloyd and the Groovers backed by the stellar Lynn Tait and his Band on the very first Bunny Lee production ever. If you’re an avid reader of this blog, you probably understand why that’s such a huge deal. Hell if you’re simply a fan of Jamaican music you should understand why this record is a huge deal. Caltone put out some great stuff.

Pat Kelly

How has it taken us this long to get around to speaking on the iconic Pat Kelly? That’s a question you’ve probably asked yourself and one we’ve certainly asked ourselves. The man is one of the greatest ever vocalists in Jamaican music. He had to be really. His first gig was stepping into the shoes of Slim Smith when Slim left The Techniques in 1967. There isn’t many who’ve had to fill a bigger role in music history. Sure there’s Dennis Edwards trying to replace David Ruffin in The Temptations. But Edwards had already been recording at Motown with The Contours for years. But that’s a story for another day. Not only did Kelly fill the shoes of Slim, he threw those fuckers out and decided he saw a nicer pair, ones which fit him perfectly. As good as The Techniques were during their Slim Smith led days, they reached their recording pinnacle while fronted by Pat Kelly. Guided by Duke Reid, and recording out of his Treasure Isle studio, The Techniques released such classics as “Run Come Celebrate”, “Queen Majesty” and “You Don’t Care” over the course of the next year. Most groups would be lucky to have that kind of output in their entire career. Kelly realized the affect his vocals were having on the success of the group so in ‘68 he decided to branch out and he needed a new producer, what with the infamous temper of Duke Reid to contend with after leaving The Techniques. Bunny Lee was that new producer. Now if you’ve read this website for a bit, you may know we’re sort of fans of Mr. Lee. If you didn’t happen to know that, you have some reading to do. Lee and Kelly had a special connection that led to some of the best tunes ever put out in the rocksteady and reggae eras. Much like Leslie Kong and Desmond Dekker, the two simply clicked with one another and produced some magic. The “Pat Kelly Sings” LP put out by Pama is in our top 3 greatest reggae LPs of all time. You’d do well to find many albums of vocal reggae that are any better. Let’s just put it in perspective: “How Long Will It Take” (if you haven’t heard it, what’s wrong with you?) was the biggest selling Jamaican single of 1969. Now think how many classics came out that year. Makes sense now?

"Taking Over Orange Street" by Glen Adams

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWIV73icUIg?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0&w=400&h=300]

Nice little tune for Sunday evening. Glen Adams doing a bit of a DJ vocal on this Bunny Lee produced track.

It's a Rocksteady Party

It’s been over a month since we’ve last had a working turntable set-up. The experience has been, to say the least, absolutely tortuous. Thankfully the issue has been resolved and we just happened to come across this fabulous LP in a local record store this afternoon. That’s the meaning of the word “destiny”, correct?

Bunny Lee and Count Machuki

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Alc0Jv-Jubo?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0&w=400&h=300]

Bunny Lee production, Count Machuki DJing and it doesn’t get much better. Boss tune.

Glen Adams and Bunny Lee.

Continuing on with the theme of things I'm into. Bunny Lee and Glen Adams are definetly two of them. Adams is more well known for his organ grinding sessions that get skinheads around the world moving, but he also put out some quality rocksteady sides. This tune in particular was produced by the incredibly talented Bunny Lee. The man could seemingly do no wrong during the rocksteady era and produced a lot of top notch skinhead reggae on the Unity label. If you don't have the cash to track down some of the singles I would highly recommend picking up the 2LP "Bunny Lee Rocksteady Years" album put out by Moss Selekta. Crucial cuts throughout.

Bunny Lee

Bunny Lee ladies and gentlemen. You just may have gathered by now we’re fans. Can’t think of any other producer in Jamaican music history responsible for so many classics. Suppose it helps he worked for Duke Reid, Ken Lack and Leslie Kong prior to striking out on his own. Pretty good pedigree we’d say. When you factor in the talent he was working with it isn’t surprising he managed to put out so many essential cuts. The Sensations, Techniques, Uniques, Slim Smith, Pat Kelly, Derrick Morgan and Stranger Cole are but a few. Immensely talented in their own right, Mr. Lee seemed to have a knack for taking anyone he worked with too the next level and we’re all the better for it.

Jumping With Mr. Lee

Let’s just make this clear: get your hands on anything Bunny Lee ever produced. Especially between 1967 and 1970. This LP is essential.

"How Long Will It Take" by Pat Kelly

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkafDqG6cDA?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0&w=400&h=300]

One of our personal favorite reggae tunes by our favorite Jamaican vocalist of all time, the soulful Pat Kelly. You know a guy who was chosen to replace Slim Smith in the Techniques was gonna have to have some talent and Pat sure didn’t disappoint. Big surprise so many of his classic tunes came from working with Bunny Lee, right?