The Kingstonians - Doctor Bird Records - 1968 скачать в хорошем качестве

The Kingstonians - Doctor Bird Records - 1968

One of my favourite albums, released by Trojan Records in 1970, was 'Sufferer' by The Kingstonians, which not only included the title track, but also 'Hold Down' the sister track to the aformentioned title track, 'Sufferer'. Two blinding cuts, among the other blinding cuts produced by Derrick Harriot, filling up that iconic album. This 7" single released on Doctor Bird Records in 1968 is slightly 'muddier' sounding audio-wise (not the quality of my record, nor recording equipment - just is) shows glimpses of what was to come, 'Girls Like Dirt' especially. Great stuff. This record is extremely sought after nowadays, and can command far too much money that someone should reasonably pay for a bit of fifty plus years plastic. £200 - £300. I shit you not. Madness. Still whatever, I got a near mint copy just digitalised so... Ker-ching! The text below peeled off of the Trojan website, thank you to those folk in advance. The origins of the Kingstonians can be traced back to the early sixties when by Cebert Jackie Bernard, his older brother Lloyd aka ‘Footy’, cousin Radcliff Kerr and their friend, Seaford Campbell formed a singing quartet. Hailing from Montego Bay in the Jamaican parish of St. James, the group’s initial breakthrough came with a winning performance at a Pop & Mento competition, where they appeared as as Jack Lord & The Apostles. The victory led to a session with celebrated Kingston-based Studio One producer, Clement ‘Coxson’ Dodd, with two singles for the famed producer seeing issue soon after. Unfortunately neither disc succeeded in eliciting much interest, but despite this relative failure, Jackie, the group’s lead singer and chief songwriter, remained positive, as he related to Jamaican Gleaner journalist Claude Mills in 1998: ‘Nothing happened and me start to think things through, be me never have no doubts still, something did bound fe just hit’ but still nothing never g’waan ’til 1967.’ It was that year when the group, now a trio, with Campbell having left for the US, returned to the studio, cutting sides for two of Kingston’s leading record producers, Derrick Harriott and Sonia Pottinger. Unfortunately, the group’s offerings for both promptly sank without a trace and soon after the trio found themselves auditioning for the relatively inexperienced Karl ‘J.J.’ Johnson. Thankfully, Johnson succeeded where others had failed and in the summer of ’67, the newly named Kingstonians enjoyed their first significant Jamaican hit, ‘Winey Winey’. Released on the island on the producer’s eponymously titled J.J. label and on Rio in the UK, the record became one of the biggest rock steady hits of the year, remaining on the island’s JBC chart for nine weeks. Unfortunately further significant successes with Johnson initially proved elusive and it was not until the development of reggae during the latter months of 1968 that they finally returned to the Jamaican best-sellers listings. Impressive singles for Coxson Dodd and Blondel Calnek (aka Ken Lack) demonstrated how the new, up-tempo rhythms suited the trio’s raw delivery, but it was the driving J.J. Johnson-produced ‘Mix It Up’ that returned them to the big time. A hit both sides of the Atlantic, the record was promptly picked up for release in the UK but the recently launched Trojan Records, which also included the track on the company’s initial ‘Tighten Up’ LP collection. Successful though the 7′ was, its popularity was eclipsed by the stunning ‘Sufferer’, recorded for Derrick Harriott as the year drew to its close. The song’s powerful lyric resonated strongly with young, disaffected and downtrodden peoples everywhere, while its catchy hook and irresistible production ensured its popularity on the dancehalls both in Jamaica and the UK, where it was issued on Trojan’s recently created Big Shot imprint. Subsequently sessions with Harriott produced a series of superior boss reggae sides that firmly established the Kingstonians as one of Jamaica’s hottest acts. Meanwhile, they continued to freelance, cutting further material for Albert George Murphy, Coxson Dodd and Leslie Kong, although it was back with Harriott that they were to enjoy their next big hit. Released in the spring of 1970, the ebullient ‘Singer Man’ provided the trio with another major success, but his popularity leading to the release of their ‘Sufferer’ album later that year. By this time, they had enjoyed another significant hit with the Rupie Edwards-produced ‘You Can’t Wine’, although their hit making period was sadly coming to an end. Over the next few years, Jackie, both with and without the Kingstonians, recorded for variety of producers with varying degrees of success. Among those with whom he worked during this time were Coxson Dodd, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and both J.J. and Harry Johnson, while around 1973, he also found time to launch his own Stun King label on which he released a number of well-received self-produced 45s.