June 30, 2013, at 2:50 pm

The 100 greatest Rocksteady tunes #1

It’s taken a long while but has been a great journey. Many thanks to all the people who have followed this list, to those who have made comments (positive or negative – it’s all good!) and to all those who have encouraged me, either on line or in the real world.

2) The Sensations – Long Time Me No See You Girl

3) Bobby Ellis – Step Softly

4) Slim Smith – Rougher Yet

5) Delroy Wilson – Dancing Mood

6) Phil Pratt – Safe Travel

7) Unknown – Got To Be At That Party

8) The Progressions – Fair Deal

9) Derrick Harriott – Walk The Streets

10) The Kingstonians – Put Down Your Fire

LINK

11) The Uniques – Beatitude

12) Keith And Tex – Tonight

13) The Paragons – My Best Girl

14) Ken Boothe – Say You

15) Slim Smith – Hip Hug

16) Val Bennet – Russians Are Coming

17) Soul Vendors – Swing Easy

18) The Melodians – Swing And Dine

19) The Minstrels – So Weary

20) The Wailers – Bus Dem Shut

LINK

21) Helmsley Morris – Little things

22) The Basses – Big Mistake

23) Derrick Harriott – Do I Worry

24) Gaylads – Hard To Confess

25) Hopeton Lewis – Sounds And Pressure

26) Joe Higgs & Dudely Sibley – Message Of Old

27) The Fugitives – Cantelope Rock

28) Crystalites – Alfred Hitchcock

29) Junior Soul – Glendevon Special

30) The Paragons – Number One

LINK

31) Alton Ellis – Rocksteady

32) The Wailers – Funeral

33) Desmond Dekker – Fu Manchu

34) Stranger And Gladdy – Over Again

35) The Techniques – Travelling Man

36) The Ethiopians – Do It Sweet

37) The Uniques – My Conversation

38) Ken Parker – A Change Is Gonna Come

39) The Melodians – It Comes And Goes

40) Keith And Tex – Stop That Train

LINK

41) The Clarendonians – Lonely Heartaches

42) Derrick Harriott – Solomon

43) Ken Boothe – Can’t You See

44) Johnny And The Attractions – Coming On The Scene

45) The Minstrels – People Get Ready

46) Joe White – I’m So Proud

47) Alton Ellis – Cry Tough

48) The Paragons – Memories By The Score

49) The Uniques – Watch This Sound

50) The Techniques – You Don’t Care

LINK

51) The Basses – River Jordan

52) Lloyd And Glenn – That Girl

53) Dobby Doson – Loving Pauper

54) The Uniques – Lesson Of Love

55) The Paragons – Tide Is High

56) Derrick Harriot – The Loser

57) Phylis Dillon – Perfidia

58) Lloyd Robinson – Red Bum Ball

59) Alva Lewis – Revelation

60) Soul Brothers – Soul Serenade

LINK

61) Delroy Wilson – won’t you come home

62) Johnny And The Attractons – Let’s Get Together

63) Pat Kelly – Somebody’s baby

64) The Rulers – Let My People Go

65) Hopeton Lewis- Cool Cool Collie

66) The Federals – You Better Call On Me

67) Larry Marshal – Find A New Girl

68) Alva Lewis – Suicide

69) Prince Buster – Rock And Shake

70) Winston Samuels – The Greatest

LINK

71) Johnny And The Attractions – Young Wings Can Fly

72) Prince Buster – Shaking Up Orange Street

73) Glen & Dave – Live Like A King

74) Hopeton Lewis – This Musics Got Soul

75) Dawn Penn – To Sir With Love

76) The Wrigglers – The Cooler

77) The Daltons – Never Kiss You Again

78) The Gaylads – Give A Helping Hand

79) George Dekker – Your Treating Me Bad

80) Prince Buster – Johnny Cool

LINK

81) Errol Dunkley – Love Brother

82) The Ethiopians – Headache

83) Soul vendors – Drum Song

84) Jamaicans – Dedicate My Song To You

85) Karl Bryan – Way Of Life

86) Slim and Roy – Facts Of Life

87) The Paragons – On The Beach

88) Errol Dunkley – You Gonna Need Me

89) Overtakers – Thats The Way You Like It

90) The Heptones – Why Must I

LINK

91) The Tartans – What Can I do

92) The Uniques – Girls Like Dirt

93) The Soul Tops – Baby I’ve Got News

94) West Indians – I Mean It

95) Lynn Tait – I Spy

96) Alton Ellis – I’ve Got A Date

97) Patsy – Love divine

98) Three Tops – It’s Raining

99) Sensations – I Was Born A Loser

100) The Clarendonians – I Am Sorry

LINK

The Techniques – Queen Majesty (Duke Reid Production)

And finally we reach number one. It could never really be anything but Treasure Isle, the label that defined the genre under producer Duke Reid.

It’s also fitting that the number one should be a cover of an Impressions tune, the group who, with Curtis Mayfield on lead, were one of the greatest influences on Jamaican music in the golden years of rocksteady. The Impressions version was named Minstrel and Queen and released in 1962, the Techniques cut from five years later is classic rocksteady in every sense of the word, many may argue over which is the greatest rocksteady tune but few would disagree that this tune is up there with the very best of them.

A Curtis Mayfield composition, a marvelous intro, a great sticky bass line and truly great harmonies – can it really get any better than this?

Queen Majesty should still be available on the CD; The Techniques – Run Come Celebrate released on Heartbeat records.

