The album in this auction is shown with a pamphlet from Red Stripe Beer that teaches people how to dance the Jamaica Ska. It’s unclear whether this was included with the original record or not?
This set was a Belgium rerelease of 1st Wave Ska artists (Don Drummond, The Maytals, Byron Lee, The Blues Busters, Prince Buster, Jimmy Cliff, Tommy McCook, Stranger Cole, Roland Alphonso, The Skatalites, & Baba Brooks).
The Covers of these albums use Ska dance instruction photos taken from THIS original “Dance The Ska” release from 1964 by Byron Lee & The Dragonaires.
This material was all recorded between 1962-65 and reissued here by Alligator Records in 1984. I have to wonder if these envelope addresses on the cover were maybe perhaps their real contact addresses in 1984? Wikipedia states Jackie Mitto was indeed living in Canada, so maybe?!?.
Tracks:
1. Air Raid Shelter
2. Below Zero
3. Road Block
4. Black Sunday
5. Don’t Slam The Door
6. Spread Satin
7. Fidel Castro
8. Jr. Jive
9. Always On Sunday
10. Phoenix City
11. Scrambalena
12. Beard Man Ska
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Side A : Simmer Down – The Wailers, Salt Lane Gal – Skatalites, Push Wood – Jackie Opel, Wonder No More – Andy & Joey, Bongo Tango – Roland Alphonso, Sucu Sucu – Roland Alphonso
Side B : 20 75 – Roland Alphonso, The Vow – Jackie & Doreen – Wailers, Heaven & Earth – Don Drummond & Roland Alphonso, Sit Down Sweet Servant – Jackie Opel, Go Jimmy Go – The Wailers.
I have been fortunate to have caught Doreen Schaffer performing with The Skatalites on several occasions. Here she is performing in Arlington, Va (2007)
Although released in 1978 this album was recorded in 1975 (10 years after the original Skatalites split). The back of this album reads in part “Ten years after their last session together, many of the original men are rejoined, to record this new album, ‘The Skatalites’. They have a new sound now: Reggae is the dominant tone. Reggae and the Skatalites as one, pure delight!”
Great cover of the theme tune to the 1963 James Bond flick “From Russia With Love”. Another early James Bond Ska cover done by Tommy McCook can be found HERE.
