Remembering ska legend Rico Rodriguez on his birthday

Raising a glass to trombone titan Rico Rodriguez on his birthday with a few pre-Specials ska gems you may have missed. 

Expanded 3CD version of 1969 reggae comp Brixton Cat due in March

Cherry Red's greatly expanded re-release of the Brixton Cat comp includes more than two CDs worth of Joe Mansano's rare boss reggae productions. 

Here's the scoop...

• Includes many of the most collectable recordings of the boss reggae era.

• Comprehensive anthology of the Joe Mansano’s early productions.

• Many recordings new to CD.

After moving to London from his native Trinidad in 1963, Joe Mansano quickly made his mark as one of the UK’s leading West Indian music salesmen. Within five years, his reputation had grown to such an extent that he was head-hunted by Trojan Records to manage one of their key record shops.

Joe’s Records shop in Brixton soon became the place to buy reggae music in the capital and with his finger firmly on the country’s musical pulse, allied to a keen ear for sound, his move into record production seemed a natural progression.

In the studio, Joe’s music-making skills equalled, if not surpassed his talents as a salesman and from late 1968 to 1970 his productions - issued on the Trojan’ Blue Cat, Duke and Joe subsidiaries - proved particularly popular among the country’s skinhead fans. Since then, his work has become highly regarded among aficionados of the UK boss reggae sound, with his releases from this time fetching significant sums on today’s collector’s market.

This 3CD box set comprises the entirety of Joe’s productions from this golden age of reggae, including his seminal 1969 ‘Brixton Cat’ album, and features numerous skinhead classics along with tracks that have remained unissued for well over half a century! You can pre-order the expanded 3CD version of Brixton Cat directly from Cherry Red Records UK right here. Check the track listing following aan audio clip of the original Brixton Cat album and "Your Boss DJ" by Dice The Boss below.

Various Artists - Brixton Cat 

DISC ONE: BRIXTON CAT

1  Since I Met You, Baby - Joe’s All Stars

2  Reggae On The Shore - Joe’s All Stars

3  The Judge – Dice The Boss

4  But Officer - Dice The Boss

5  The Bullet - Rico & Joe’s All Stars

6  The Proud One – Rico & Joe’s All Stars

7  Friendly Persuasion – Rico & Joe’s All Stars

8  Sugar Serenade - Joe’s All Stars

9  Hey Jude - Joe’s All Stars

10  Brixton Cat - Dice The Boss

11  Snake Poison – Rico & Joe’s All Stars

12  Funky Reggae (Part 1) – Rico & Joe’s All Stars

13  Reco’s Torpedo - Rico & Joe’s All Stars

14  Honky - Rico & Joe’s All Stars

BONUS TRACKS

15  Return Of The Bullet - Rico & The Rhythm Aces 16 Read The News - Tito Simon

17  Z.Z. Beat - Rico & The Rhythm Aces

18  Life On Reggae Planet - Joe The Boss

19  Rhythm In - Rico & The Rhythm Aces

20  Friends And Lovers - Patti La Donne

21  The Accused - Joe The Boss & Rico

DISC TWO

1  Hot Line – Rico’s & Joe’s All Stars

2  Lash Them - Joe’s All Stars

3  Musical Feet - Pama Dice

4  Battle Cry Of Biafra - Pama Dice

5  Funky Reggae, Part 2 - Joe’s All Stars

6  Dracula, Prince Of Darkness - King Horror

7  Soul Of Joel - Ron & Joe’s All Stars

8  African Meeting - Girlie & Junior

9  Higher And Higher - Josh & Joe’s All Stars

10  Solitude - Joe’s All Stars

11  Gun The Man Down - Dice The Boss

12  The Thief - Joe The Boss

13  Your Boss D.J. - Dice The Boss

14  Behold - The Critics

15  Tea, Patty, Sex & Ganja - Sexy Frankie

16  Since I Met You, Baby (vocal) - Paula Dean

17  Jughead - Paula Dean

18  Teahouse From Emperor Rosko - Joe The Boss

19  She Caught The Train - Ray Martell

20  Tony B’s Theme - Joe’s All Stars

21  Skinhead Revolt – Joe The Boss

DISC THREE

1  Trial Of Pama Dice - Lloyd, Pama Dice & Girlie

2  Jughead Returns Version 1 - Nyah Shuffle

3  Son Of Al Capone - Joe The Boss

4  All My Enemies Beware - Joe The Boss

5  Small Change - Girlie

6  Mind Your Business - Girlie

7  People Are Running - Pamela Brown

8  Schooldays – The Critics

9  Don’t Play That Song - Delroy Williams

10  Appeal Of Pama Dice - Lloyd, Girlie & Joe

11  Young And Strong Version 2 - The Boss All Stars

12  The Informer - Dice The Boss

13  Cool It - Dice The Boss

14  Tea House – The Opening

15  Brixton Fight – Pama Dice

16  Brixton Fight Part 2 – The Opening

17  Brixton Pum Pum Wrecker – Pama Dice

18  Bad Day At Black Rock – The Cimaron Kid

19  Fragile – The Cimarons

20  Take Good Care Of My Baby – Clive Williams

21  In Loving Memory – Dice, Rico & The Heat Wave

Legends Of Ska documentary screens at Harbourfront August 2

During the summer of 2002, the original stars of Ska gathered for a special weekend of concerts featuring music, memories and fun. The Legends Of Ska concerts occurred on July 12-13, 2002 at the Palais Royale Ballroom on the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto, Canada. The event was produced by Steady Rock Productions LLC in the United States and filmed in Hi-Definition by director Brad Klein as the Legends Of Ska documentary screening in Toronto at Harbourfront on Saturday, August 2 (see details below).

Ska is a musical genre featuring upbeat, positive dance rhythms, which have energized three distinct generations of fans. Born in the days prior to Jamaica’s independence from Great Britain in the early 1960s, Ska played a vital role in the creation of the island’s music industry. Other popular styles of Jamaican music include Mento, Rock Steady, Reggae, Dub, Dancehall, Deejay and Ragga.

Backed by an All-Star Skatalite Orchestra, top vintage Jamaican singers included Prince Buster, Derrick Morgan, Stranger Cole, Patsy Todd, Owen Gray, Justin Hinds, Lord Creator, Alton Ellis, Winston Samuels, Doreen Schaffer, Roy Wilson, Lord Tanamo and Derrick Harriott.

The 13-piece band featured Lloyd Knibb (Drums), Lester Sterling (Tenor Sax), Johnny Moore (Trumpet), Lloyd Brevett (Bass), Rico Rodriguez (Trombone), Lynn Taitt (Guitar), Herman Sang (Piano), Larry McDonald (Percussion), Phil Chen (Banjo), Dennis Sindrey (Guitar), Jo Jo Bennett (Horns), Bobby Gaynair (Alto Sax) and Cannonball Bryan (Alto Sax).

A host of other Ska luminaries contributed to the success of the event. There was King Stitt (Original Boss Deejay), Carlos Malcolm (Arranger), Graeme Goodall (Engineer), Keith Scott (Associate Producer), Karl Mullings (Coordinator), Pluggy Satchmo (Legsman) and Jeff Barnes (MC).

Additional personnel interviewed for the project include Toots Hibbert, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Dave Wakeling, Miss Lou, Coxson Dodd from Studio One, Ken Khouri of Federal Records, guitarists Ernest Ranglin and Jah Jerry, pianists Monty Alexander and Ken Stewart, singer Eric “Monty” Morris, and the original members of the Jiving Juniors. Here's the trailer.



LEGENDS OF SKA FILM SCREENING
@ Harbourfront Centre Studio Theatre
York Quay Centre (235 Queens Quay West, Toronto)
Saturday, August 2, 2014
5:00PM – 6:45PM
Q & A to follow with ska legends Herman Sang (The City Slicker),
Jo Jo Bennett + Roy & Yvonne
Admission is FREE