Old Jamaican record labels are cool.

 Today while flipping through my collection of reggae/ska/rocksteady 45s I was struck by the variety and originality of these old Jamaican record labels and wanted to share a few of them. 

A Handful of Soul

Here are a couple of out-of-the-ordinary funky soul cuts to make your Monday a bit more fun. 

Found these digging at one of my favorite thrift stores.  One dollar records all day, the best kind of shopping. 

First is a very funky Temptations album, Puzzle People. It was 1969 and as you can see the counter culture revolution did not miss these guys. The cover alone was worth the dollar it cost me.  Luckily enough I actually found the cover first and came across the loose (paper sleeved) disc in an entirely different section of the room, it was obviously meant to be. 

This is their 11th album and it is decidedly trippier and funkier than the usual Temptations work you are probably used to. Heavy elements of psychedelic rock shine through which, along with some really  interesting covers including a version of Hey Jude, make this album worth checking out. You hip hop heads will recognize the "no matter how hard you try you cant stop me now" sample from Message From a Black Man.  History. 

Also pulled this interesting James Brown record from the same stack, Handful of Soul. Its obviously well worn but that doesnt take away from that special feeling that can only come from scoring an old JB, especially one you dont see too often.  Unfortunately (yes unfortunately) this is an experimental album that features JB on the organ only.  NO SINGING!?   While the album is funky enough, James's organ work is fairly mundane and a helluva lot less fun than hearing him go crazy on the vocals. It should be noted that this fact is somewhat made-up-for by the title of the first song: "Let's Go Get Stoned". 

Cheers. 

78s and Heartbreak

Some things never change. Here is a hard lesson for any aspiring record collectors out there. 

 

Rule number one of record-digging is to prepare yourself for constant disappointment. I don't say this to discourage any aspiring diggers.  You will find good records and the occasional GRAIL from time to time, but generally speaking:  no matter where you are or what you're looking for, the first good (and usually best) record you find will be screwed up in one way or another.  Sometimes because of the thrill of finding that gem after hours of work, you don't even realize it until you get back home. It might be scratched, warped, cracked, or cruelly broken in two useless pieces, as is the sad case of this 1956 1st  pressing of James Brown's Please Please Please on Federal 78.  I spend two hours digging through piles of garbage records and suddenly I see that small 78 label with the Federal F sticking out. I removed the stack it was under and of course its the only one of them that is broken. 

 

The really depressing part is that when you do find such a record, in such sad condition, it will often times trick you into thinking you've hit a "vein" of quality vinyl and if you just keep digging you'll eventually hit paydirt.  So you dig and dig and dig and in the end there's nothing but Patrick Duffy. (Too obscure?)  Not trying to bring anyone down, just a small dose of reality. 

Thank you internet

You gotta love technology. Its completely changed the game when it comes to connecting with fellow record collectors and their ever-increasingly hard to find early Jamaican 45s and, better yet, the ability to share them via this blog. 

Here are a couple of killer mid-late 1960s Jamaican 45s, original Jamaican pressings.  Found these on ebay while doing some online digging recently. Got'em cheap!  

The first is a Splash Records pre-release (1969) from Karl "King Cannon" Bryan and produced by Lloyd Charmers - "Overproof" b/w "Birth Control".  Two great early instrumental reggae/skinhead tunes that will brighten up any playlist. 

The other 45 in this set is an original Supreme Records 1966 first pressing of Ken Boothe's "Never Leave Again" b/w "Come Running Back".  A side is an amazingly soulful slow jam with beautiful harmony. Unfortunately the b side skips in a few places so ill have to keep looking for a good copy. But considering the $5 I paid for it, it was still worth it for the A side alone.