FOUR GEES & THE PYRAMIDS v PRINCE BUSTER - PRESIDENT & FAB RECORDS - 1967 & 1968 скачать в хорошем качестве

FOUR GEES & THE PYRAMIDS v PRINCE BUSTER - PRESIDENT & FAB RECORDS - 1967 & 1968

The Four Gees were Derv GORDON, Eddy GRANT, Lincoln GORDON, and Patrick GRANT. The GORDONS were brothers, Lincoln Grant being the bassist of The Equals. Eddy Grant needs absolutely no introduction, and I presume Patrick was one of his brothers. Another of Eddy’s brothers, Rudolf Grant, was a recording artist in his own right, under the moniker, Mexicano, who had a big hit in 1976 with ‘Move Up Starsky’’ and a great album of the same title. Prince Buster also needs no introduction. There seems to have been some rivalry between Buster and Eddy Grant in the latter ‘60s. Both ‘Rough Rider’ and ‘Train Tour To Rainbow City [Train to Girls Town]’ were written by Eddy Grant. On Buster's ‘Rough Rider’ 7” single released on FAB Records, the song is credited to ‘ED KASSNER MUSIC’ the publishing company (which to be fair, might be Eddy Grant’s publishing company!). The same with Busters ‘Train To Girls Town’ credited to the publishing company, not Eddy Grant himself. Seems a little mean. Tellingly, on The Pyramids (with Eddy Grant on vocals) ‘Train Tour To Rainbow City’, Prince Buster is mentioned thus; GRANT: “Carefully to the right, mind you very carefully, you will see the house of Prince Buster” SOMEONE ELSE: “Who is Prince Buster rasta” GRANT: “He is a man who is giving me competition so let’s stop, let’s stop” I would like to think that Grant wants the train to stop to get out to give Buster some verbal! Whether that was his meaning I have no idea, but I like to think it was! The track-listing for this YouTube video is ‘Rough Rider’ by The Four Gees followed by ‘Rough Rider’ by Prince Buster. Then ‘Train Tour To Rainbow City’ by The Pyramids followed by ‘Train To Girls Town’ by Prince Buster. I then added ‘Ethiopia’ by the Four Gees and following that, ‘John Chewey’ by The Pyramids, both on the B-sides of each of the two 7” singles. All these songs are Eddy Grant compositions. Interestingly, to me at least, my copy of ‘Rough Rider’ by Prince Buster released on FAB Records uploaded on this YouTube video, was my first ever Prince Buster 7” single that I bought. 1980 I think. Below is an essay robbed from the MARCO ON THE BASS website. Grant is a pioneer and trailblazer who has left his mark on ska, reggae, calypso, rock and pop music and perhaps more than anyone else deserves credit for merging and combining the best of Black and White music beginning in the mid-60s all the way through the mid 80s. Many of Grant's songs, whether bubble gum pop, skinhead soul, reggae or garage punk always display a lyrical or musical edge of some kind. What's so impressive to me about Grant is the variety of hats he has worn throughout his long and successful musical career. He's been Eddy the songwriter, Eddy the producer, Eddy the singer, Eddy the studio musician, Eddy the studio owner, and even Eddy the indie-label president. While you may be very familiar with Grant's hits from the 80's like 'Electric Avenue' and 'Romancing The Stone' did you know Grant was the song writer behind a number of iconic ska and reggae tracks? Grant penned Prince Busters rocksteady classic 'Rough Rider' and The Clash's popular rock anthem 'Police On My Back'. That's not to mention the many other genre breaking songs he wrote with The Equals including 'Baby Come Back' 'Black Skinned Blue Eyed Boys' and as a solo artist including 'Hello Africa', and 'Living On The Frontline'. Blazing out of London in the mid 60's Grant was a founder member of The Equals who mixed up fuzzy garage pop rock with healthy helpings of soul and proto-ska and reggae. The band also made pop culture history by being one of the very first multi-racial bands creating the rough template for 2-Tone bands some ten years later. Signed to the independent label President Records, Grant was asked to work with label mates The Pyramids -- later to become Symarip -- who had backed Prince Buster on his recent U.K. tour. Besides composing songs for the band (and one for Prince Buster himself, the rude classic 'Rough Rider' later covered by The Beat), Grant also wrote and produced The Pyramids debut single and sole U.K. skinhead reggae hit, 'Train to Rainbow City.' According to an interview Grant did with the Miami New Times in 1994, "By the time I started playing pop music with the Equals, I had been experimenting with different ethnic forms for a while," Grant recalls. "One of them was rocksteady -- most people don't know that I made the first successful British rocksteady record, 'Train Tour to Rainbow City,' which went to number 31 on the British pop charts in 1967. I was the first to add strings to reggae music, also in 1967. The great Prince Buster copied two of my songs. He tried to steal them, but the law stopped him, and he eventually gave me credit. 'Train Tour to Rainbow City,' which he called 'Train To Girls Town,' and 'Rough Rider,' which was covered by the Beat [on the debut album; 'I Just Can't Stand It] and the Beat credited Buster for it!"