Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Rocksteady and Northern Soul!



So the Rocksteady 7" I've got for you here is weird, because it's the first American singer to make a real Jamaican record. Johnny Nash - "You Got Soul" b/w "Don't Cry." It's a talented American soul singer backed by top-notch Jamaican musicians, trying to make Rocksteady the next big thing in America. It didn't work, but did produce some awesome, often-forgotten tunes. Nash may be best known for "I Can See Clearly Now," but this stuff kills it. "You Got Soul" is the more straight-forward Rocksteady song, and "Don't Cry" is some sort of soul/rocksteady hybrid that is just gorgeous. This is one of those 45's I've seen in a lot of 50 cent or 99 cent bins in record stores and flea markets and either passed up because I already got a copy, or bought it to trade or give to someone I liked. Take note: It's in your best musical interest for me to like you.

http://www.mediafire.com/?jldmzy2teym

And here's some nice Northern Soul on the Okeh label from Blues/Soul singer Ted Taylor, "Daddy's Baby" b/w "Mercy, Have Pity." Taylor had a fairly high-pitched voice....okay, it's very high-pitched, and he uses the falsetto he was born with to its fullest potential. "Daddy's Baby" is fast number with great, driving drums, bassline, and organ...just awesome uptown soul. "Mercy, Have Pity" is more of a mid-tempo blues tune with start-stop parts, and that high-register voice reaching notes most men wouldn't dream of hitting, asking for forgiveness and pity. Again, cool uptown sound that Taylor was known for in his Okeh days. This one is mid-60's. No picture:

http://www.mediafire.com/?rrxgxwfjjhz

Sorry, no punk today again. I have some great punk/hardcore LP's I wanna get up, but they take considerably longer to rip than 45's, so as sooon as I have a free 2 hours, I'll have more of the good stuff up for you. 'Till then, enjoy these goodies.

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