4.20.2012
Let's Dance the Ska
Lord Gayle & the Seasiders Let's Dance the Ska LP (Kalypso, 1964)
When this was presented to me by a kindly record store clerk it had a big wad of gun stuck to the front cover.
"Do you want it?"
What the gum?
"No, the record."
Of course, I do.
The record was put in my stack and rung up. Or maybe it was tossed in for free because of the gum. Whatever the case, I knew I wanted the record, gum or no gum. If it was really early ska or rocksteady, I knew I had a winner. If it was some just-okay tourist band, that's fine, the cover was cool. I got back to my studio, plopped the record on the turntable and proceeded to remove the gum. It took an hour to get the gum off using little more than a sharp razor blade and a very steady hand. Meanwhile the sounds coming out of the speakers were great, a blend of ska and rocksteady with that really warm sound indicative of records of that time and place.
While there are many good songs on Let's Dance the Ska, the song "Dorothy" is the one that really stuck with me. Starting a love song with "Darling, you are...." is so charming. And then the compliment, "You are so divine" is fantastic. The whole song is a paen to the romance of wooing. And because I am pretty much wooed by this song, this is what you get.
Been following you Blog for awhile, and enjoying the majority of the music you're sharing. Thanx so much!
"Dorothy" is a mellow/romantic Calypso, which tells a "nice & innocent" story. A bit too mellow for a "Ska" labelled LP. Would you be willing to upload some of the more "upbeat" songs, any of the ones with "ska" in the title?
If willing, maybe send some off line to:
29musicman@gmail.com
THAT would be amazing!
Thanx!
Ciao! For now.
rntcj
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