First Cut: Treasure Isle

http://youtu.be/18AoqJn4M1A

So this one might actually win for best First Cut. We're of course biased in that we love both The Techniques and Pat Kelly. And this is one of his finest performances.

First Cut: Duke

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

It's a toss up to whether Pat Kelly's voice has ever sounded quite so sublime as it does in The Techniques cover of "I Wish It Would Rain", the first cut for the Duke label. Now, technically, the first cut for this label was The Bubbles "The Wasp" which was released in 1960. But only two other singles would be released between 1960 and 1961 on the label before it was left to lay dormant. Then in 1968, with the popularity of the Trojan label starting to pick up steam in the UK, the label was revived as a showcase for the productions of the legendary Duke Reid. Hence Duke, get it? For the rest of 1968 the label would release some absolutely beautiful rocksteady cuts before going on in 1969 to release some skinhead reggae classics. We've stated it before in our Techniques and Pat Kelly profiles, but there really hasn't been anyone that better filled a spot like the one Slim Smith left open in the Techniques in quite the manner Pat Kelly did. The man has one of the most beautiful voices in the history of Jamaican music. Combine that with the harmonies provided by Winston Riley, Franklyn White and Frederick Waite and throw in the kind of top shelf muscianship Reid featured on all his products and we're back on a roll for the First Cut Friday series.

"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”.

Duke Reid

Duke Reid spinning a platter that, most likely, mattered. A foundation man of the Jamaican music scene, with the exception of Coxsone Dodd you won’t find a man who had a more profound affect on the birth and growth of the Jamaican music industry. A one time police officer, Reid decided there was better money to be made in the sound system industry. It wasn’t long before he took over the Tom the Great Sebastian’s sound, likely with a little bit of help from the “dancecrashers” Reid became familiar with during his time wearing the badge. One the desired sound of R&B started drying up in the States Reid decided to move on and produce his own tunes, working out of the now legendary Bond Street studio with the tunes being released on the legendary Treasure Isle label (amongst others). Although Studio One certainly ruled the day during the ska period, he hit his stride during the rocksteady era which can likely be attributed too Reid never developing a real appreciation for the ska sound. His Trojan Sound System was legendary in Jamaica and once he started putting out his tunes in the UK on the Trojan label created for his productions the rest was history. As you know by now, they were kind of a big deal.

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?