For Serious Music Lovers Only!

[Gamma]

historian who was the "the record specialist"? i know of only one song "dynamic pressure" but it is one of my favourite.

[Rudi]

Farmah, thanks for the interesting info!

Before I go any further, I want to give you an example of a simple but really beautiful solo. Remember Toots and the Maytals’ “Never You Change”? Next time you hear the original Dynamics Studio recording, check out the really, really tasteful guitar solo break by lead guitarist Rupert Bent, Snr. To this day Bent’s solo, along with Ernie Ranglin’s breathtaking solo on the Maytals’ “It Hurts to Be Alone,” is among the best I’ve ever heard from a Jamaican musician!

Now to your post: I honestly have never heard of Lascelles “Guitsy” Beckford, but based on your enthusiastic description, I am certain that he is as outstanding as you say he is.

Regarding the “Freddy Butler” that you stated, I suspect you’re referring to “Leslie Butler,” Harold’s older brother who specializes in the piano and organ. I remember Leslie Butler had a Sunday night radio special (on either JBC or RJR) when I was a young boy.

Stephen “Cat” Coore is, like you correctly stated, “awesome at his string instrument.” He was fortunate in having a mother who was a trained classical musician, and she taught him well. Thus, Cat is something of a multi-instrumentalist, completely at home on the guitar, the cello and the violin. Thinking back on the original lineup of Third World, I wonder if people realize just how good a keyboard player Michael “Ibo” Cooper was? Thankfully, he’s now at the Jamaica School of Music giving back to the young musicians of Jamaica. But Ibo is an excellent keyboard player and someone who can improvise really outstanding solos.

I’m aware of Franklyn “Bubbler” Waul, but never paid any special attention to him. This is the shortcoming of keyboardists playing in the reggae genre: you end up playing simple, repetitive chord progressions and little else! Thus, it’s easy not to notice a trained keyboard player like Waul.

Have to agree with you with regards to "it hurts to be alone". That solo is simply breathtaking. Remember as youth my uncle playing it and it just stuck in my mind to this day I can humm that solo note for note but don't ask me what I had for dinner yesterday.

[Peter R]

I met Philip Chen about ten years ago at a T&T carnival...he was here strictly for the music, doing reearch into Soca. He told me he had converted his garage into a studio, and just doing private solo work. I knew about his Rod Stewart connection.

Nice grounds fellow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrCimnYq4_I

pr

[Peter R]

Talking about vinyl... what should I do with about 200 albums gathering dust in my storage. The spousal unit wants them dumped... so far I am prevailing to keep them for posterity? My turntable (a 1980 direct drive Dual) needs a needle (can't get one in TT) so I can' t even play them.

Do I give up and just get rid of them?

pr

[Gamma]

fight to keep it......value will keep going up...

[Historian]

Closing Comments

Gamma: Harold Butler’s “Crying in Soweto” is my favorite of all his compositions. I believe this was on his “The Butler Did It” album.

“Dynamic Pressure” by the Music Specialists (LOL). Gamma, you’re really going back to the early days of reggae! Now, from what I can remember of it, that instrumental was one simple reggae groove that kept repeating itself over and over, with the organ playing the melody. I suspect that the Music Specialists was most likely a group of studio session musicians who got together and recorded that instrumental number. Aside from “Dynamic Pressure,” I have never heard anything else from those guys, and so I’m almost 100-percent certain that they are studio guys who, on some off day, decided to cut that instrumental.

Peter R: Keep those records, boss! Not only are some of those stuff almost impossible to get nowadays (see Gamma’s comments on Harold Butler’s catalogue), but some may one day become collectors’ items! Whatever you do, do not get rid of your old LP’s and 45’s.

Peter R: Former Rod Stewart bass player, our own Phil Chen is teaching music at a major educational institution (probably a major university) somewhere in California.

Assasin: You are correct about Glen Browne being used mainly as a tour bassist. I remember the first time I saw a videotape of him, it ws while he was backing Jimmy Cliff on a major international tour. I can’t remember the particular song now, but Glen was slapping and plucking that bass in a rapid-fire funk jam! His technique is impeccable! He does a lot of studio work as well. For example, if I’m not mistaken he’s the bass player I saw on the music video of the Fugees remake (with Stephen Marley) of Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry.” I also agree with you that Byron Lee's brother Willi Stewart, Third World's former drummer, is a really outstanding drummer.

Tilla: Good point. Monty Alexander is the Big Chief of Jamaican musicians, along with Ernie Ranglin!! They are the bosses, and most of the others follow in their musical wake! I'm serious!

[Gamma]

dbl check....i'm pretty sure it was "africa on my mind"....re the music specialists ....you're probably right. i could never find anything else by them.

re bass players...i really like mark king of level 42, it's not reggae but it was really innovative and the man played it like a lead guitar on some of the songs with solo and everything...

enjoyed your input boss. thanks.

[Historian]

You Are Correct! ("Africa On My Mind&quot

You’re welcome, Gamma.

I just double checked, and you are absolutely correct regarding the Harold Butler album “Africa On My Mind.” That is the album that originally featured “Crying in Soweto.”

The follow-up album, “The Butler Did It,” was a best of Harold Butler album and so also had “Crying in Soweto” (on two tracks --the original "Crying in Soweto" and an instrumental version to close the LP). There are other classics on "The Butler Did It" including “Book of Life” by Pam and Woody and “Love Me Forever” by Cynthia Schloss. These were all classics written by Harold.

I never heard of Mark King of Level 2 before now (LOL). But you said he solos while playing the bass, so he should be very good, as bass soloing is not an easy thing.

[Islandman]

Historian, first let me say I hope you become a regular poster again, you make a great contribution to the forum in many topics.

I think you may have made a mistake about Pam Hall and Culture Club though, if I remember correctly the Jamaican female singer who had the bad experience with them was Gem Meyers. My memory rarely fails me on these things but I wouldn't say I am 100% sure. Do any of the other forumites remember that incident and can confirm?

[Gamma]

that rings a bell i.e. gem myers.....

[Historian]

Islandman, I Think You're Correct!!

Islandman, thanks for this correction! The truth is that when I was typing my hurried response to Assasin, when I touched on "Pam Hall" in my discussion of Boy George, there was a nagging feeling that I was talking about the wrong woman!! While I was typing, Pam just didn't sound like the person.

I'm now 100-percent sure that, like you said, it was Gem Myers! You are right, and thanks for the correction!

Also, thanks for the kind words, boss.

[Islandman]

The only song I remember that she did was one that got used in one of the family planning promotions:

"Before you be a mother, you got to be a woman"