Independence Ska and the Far East Sound

The Skatalites' brief original existence from 1963 to 1965 surely marks them out as one of the most influential bands in popular music, so definitive was their impact in shaping what would become the world-beating sound of Jamaican music. This excellent CD (also available as a vinyl double album) gathers 20 seminal, largely instrumental recordings made by the collective of Jamaican jazz musicians who formed the basis of a studio group that backed many of the rising stars of Kingston's music scene. Opening with their most famous number, ‘Guns of Navarone’ – a huge UK hit in 1967, after the band had split – it includes ‘Christine Keeler’, ‘Russian Ska Fever’, ‘Jack Ruby is Bound to Die’ and ‘Fidel Castro’, all suggesting they paid attention to the news. It also features songs that laid a template for reggae with King Solomon and Full Dread; and ‘Tell Them Lord’, an early Bob Marley tune (with the Wailers), features here.
Throughout, the Skatalites play magnificently, so engaged and precise were they, with doomed trombonist Don Drummond leading on several tunes. Soul Jazz, as always, have remastered these historic Studio 1 recordings to provide exemplary sound quality alongside a beautifully illustrated, highly detailed booklet. Essential summer sounds.