Laurel Aitken • Skinhead Train - The Complete Singles Collection 1969-1970

 

Artist Biography by Steve Huey
Known as "the Godfather of Ska," Laurel Aitken was Jamaica's first real recording star. He was a pioneer in many other respects as well: he was one of the first artists ever to release a ska record, the first to work at promoting his music in the U.K., and one of the first to record for the seminal Island label, itself a major force in the international popularity of Jamaican music. Cutting his teeth on the sort of jump blues and boogie shuffles popular during the early days of American R&B, Aitken recorded numerous hits for a variety of labels over the years, enjoying his heyday during the '60s. His continued presence in the U.K. made him an elder statesman to the Two Tone ska revival movement of the punk era, and he continued to tour even into the new millennium.

Aitken was born in Cuba on April 22, 1927, and moved to his father's homeland of Jamaica in 1938. At age 15, he won a prominent talent competition with his rendition of "Pennies From Heaven"; around the same time, he also sang as part of a calypso group that performed for tourists arriving on the island from cruise ships. Aitken developed his singing and songwriting chops on a wide variety of material: jump blues (especially those of Louis Jordan and the young Nat King Cole), New Orleans R&B, calypso, and the indigenous Jamaican folk style mento. He became a popular nightclub performer around Kingston, and officially joined the nascent Jamaican recording industry in 1957, when he recorded (and produced) the R&B/calypso spiritual "Roll Jordan Roll." The following year, he began recording for producer Chris Blackwell's fledgling Island label; his double-A-sided "Little Sheila"/"Boogie in My Bones" was the first single ever released on Island, as well as one of the earliest ska records. It was also a massive hit in Jamaica, topping the charts for nearly three months, and went on to become the first Jamaican record ever issued in the U.K.

Aitken scored another hit with 1959's gospel-informed "Judgement Day," an early production by the legendary Duke Reid, and repeated his success with 1960's "Boogie Rock." In the meantime, he recorded for several prominent producers, including Reid, Leslie Kong, and Ken Khouri. In 1960, spurred by the popularity of his records in England, Aitken moved to London, specifically the heavily West Indian area of Brixton. There he began recording for Blue Beat, the first British-based label to cater to Jamaican immigrant tastes. Blue Beat's first single was a reissue of "Boogie Rock," and not long after, "Mary Lee" became the first song Aitken recorded specifically for the label. As a prominent Jamaican who'd chosen to make his home in Brixton, Aitken's popularity among the U.K.'s West Indian immigrants soon exceeded the stardom he'd enjoyed back home.

Aitken cut more than 15 singles for Blue Beat, then temporarily returned to Jamaica in 1963 for a recording binge that often found him backed by the Skatalites. Some tracks, like "Weary Wanderer" and "Zion," were produced by Reid; another, the hit "Bad Minded Woman," was released by Aitken's new U.K. label, Rio. Aitken remained with Rio through 1966, issuing around 20 singles and also recording for several other small labels. Rio went bankrupt, and during the late '60s, Aitken signed a new deal with the Pama family of labels (Nu Beat, Doctor Bird, etc.), partly because the company helped him out with his overdue child support payments. This arrangement resulted in some of his biggest U.K. hits, many of which he penned himself: "Fire in Mi Wire," "Pussy Price" (both early slack numbers), "Landlord and Tenants," "It's Too Late," "Jesse James," "Rise & Fall," "Woppi King," and "Skinhead Train," to name the biggest. This material was among Aitken's most enduring, and broadened his appeal to white audiences (mostly skinheads and mods).

Labour of Love

The ascent of Bob Marley and the new Rastafarian emphasis on culturally relevant reggae made Aitken's music seem somewhat outdated in the '70s. He moved to Leicester, well outside of London, and while he performed occasionally, he was effectively retired from recording. However, the Two Tone ska revival of the late '70s made Aitken's style hip all over again, and the English Beat rewrote the lyrics of "Pussy Price" for their own "Ranking Full Stop." Aitken returned to the recording studio and came up with "Rudy Got Married," which became his first ever U.K. chart single in 1981. Aitken resumed his regular U.K. tours during the '80s, and spent a year and a half working with a band called the Potato 5, with whom he recorded on Gaz's Rockin' Records. In 1986, he appeared alongside David Bowie in the mod film Absolute Beginners; additionally, UB40 covered Aitken's single "Guilty" (recorded under the name Tiger) on their hit Labour of Love album, further increasing his visibility. Aitken performed with several third wave ska bands over the '80s and '90s, and although his recording activity dropped off substantially, he continued to tour into the new millennium, even documenting and releasing a performance titled Live at Club Ska, issued in 2004. After six decades of recording and performing, Laurel Aitken's reign as the Godfather of Ska came to an end on July 17, 2005 when at the age of 87 the singer suffered a heart attack and passed way.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/laurel-aitken-mn0000138792/biography

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 Biografía del artista por Steve Huey

Conocido como "el Padrino de Ska", Laurel Aitken fue la primera estrella de la grabación de Jamaica. Fue pionero en muchos otros aspectos también: fue uno de los primeros artistas en lanzar un disco de ska, el primero en trabajar en la promoción de su música en el Reino Unido, y uno de los primeros en grabar para el seminal sello Island, que en sí mismo es una fuerza importante en la popularidad internacional de la música jamaicana. Aitken grabó numerosos éxitos para una variedad de sellos discográficos a lo largo de los años, disfrutando de su apogeo durante los años sesenta. Su presencia continua en el Reino Unido lo convirtió en un anciano estadista del movimiento de renacimiento del ska Two Tone de la era punk, y continuó su gira incluso en el nuevo milenio.

Aitken nació en Cuba el 22 de abril de 1927 y se mudó a la patria de su padre, Jamaica, en 1938. A la edad de 15 años, ganó un concurso de talentos prominentes con su interpretación de "Pennies From Heaven"; más o menos al mismo tiempo, también cantó como parte de un grupo de calipso que actuaba para los turistas que llegaban a la isla en cruceros. Aitken desarrolló sus chuletas de canto y composición sobre una amplia variedad de materiales: jump blues (especialmente los de Louis Jordan y el joven Nat King Cole), New Orleans R&B, calypso, y el mento de estilo folklórico jamaicano. Se convirtió en un popular artista de clubes nocturnos en Kingston, y se unió oficialmente a la naciente industria discográfica jamaicana en 1957, cuando grabó (y produjo) el espiritual "Roll Jordan Roll" de R&B/calypso. Al año siguiente, comenzó a grabar para el incipiente sello Island del productor Chris Blackwell; su doble cara "Little Sheila"/"Boogie in My Bones" fue el primer sencillo publicado en Island, así como uno de los primeros discos de ska. También fue un gran éxito en Jamaica, encabezando las listas de éxitos durante casi tres meses, y se convirtió en el primer disco jamaiquino jamás publicado en el Reino Unido.

Aitken obtuvo otro éxito con el "Día del Juicio" de 1959, una producción temprana del legendario Duque Reid, y repitió su éxito con el "Boogie Rock" de los años 60. Mientras tanto, grabó para varios productores prominentes, incluyendo Reid, Leslie Kong y Ken Khouri. En 1960, impulsado por la popularidad de sus discos en Inglaterra, Aitken se trasladó a Londres, concretamente a la zona de Brixton, una zona densamente poblada por las Indias Occidentales. Allí comenzó a grabar para Blue Beat, el primer sello con sede en Gran Bretaña que satisface los gustos de los inmigrantes jamaiquinos. El primer sencillo de Blue Beat fue una reedición de "Boogie Rock", y poco después, "Mary Lee" se convirtió en la primera canción de Aitken grabada específicamente para el sello. Como prominente jamaiquino que había decidido establecerse en Brixton, la popularidad de Aitken entre los inmigrantes de las Indias Occidentales del Reino Unido pronto superó el estrellato que había disfrutado en su país.

Aitken grabó más de 15 sencillos para Blue Beat, y luego regresó temporalmente a Jamaica en 1963 para una juerga discográfica que a menudo lo encontró respaldado por los Skatalites. Algunos temas, como "Weary Wanderer" y "Zion", fueron producidos por Reid; otro, el éxito "Bad Minded Woman", fue lanzado por el nuevo sello británico de Aitken, Rio. Aitken permaneció con Rio hasta 1966, emitiendo alrededor de 20 sencillos y también grabando para varios otros sellos pequeños. Río se fue a la bancarrota, y a finales de los años 60, Aitken firmó un nuevo acuerdo con la familia de etiquetas Pama (Nu Beat, Doctor Bird, etc.), en parte porque la compañía le ayudó con sus pagos atrasados de manutención infantil. Este arreglo resultó en algunos de sus mayores éxitos en el Reino Unido, muchos de los cuales él mismo escribió: "Fire in Mi Wire", "Pussy Price" (ambos números iniciales), "Landlord and Tenants", "It's Too Late", "Jesse James", "Rise & Fall", "Woppi King" y "Skinhead Train", por nombrar los más grandes. Este material fue uno de los más duraderos de Aitken, y amplió su atractivo para el público blanco (principalmente skinheads y mods).

El ascenso de Bob Marley y el nuevo énfasis rastafariano en el reggae culturalmente relevante hicieron que la música de Aitken pareciera algo anticuada en los años 70. Se mudó a Leicester, en las afueras de Londres, y aunque tocaba ocasionalmente, fue retirado de la grabación. Sin embargo, el renacimiento del ska Two Tone de finales de los 70 hizo que el estilo de Aitken volviera a estar de moda, y el English Beat reescribió la letra de "Pussy Price" para su propio "Ranking Full Stop". Aitken regresó al estudio de grabación y se le ocurrió "Rudy Got Married", que se convirtió en su primer single en el Reino Unido en 1981. Aitken reanudó sus giras regulares por el Reino Unido durante los años 80, y pasó un año y medio trabajando con una banda llamada The Potato 5, con la que grabó en Gaz's Rockin' Records. En 1986, apareció junto a David Bowie en la película "Absolute Beginners"; además, UB40 cubrió el sencillo de Aitken "Guilty" (grabado bajo el nombre de Tiger) en su exitoso álbum "Labour of Love", aumentando aún más su visibilidad. Aitken tocó con varias bandas de ska de tercera ola durante los'80 y'90, y aunque su actividad discográfica se redujo sustancialmente, continuó girando en el nuevo milenio, incluso documentando y lanzando una actuación titulada Live at Club Ska, publicada en 2004. Después de seis décadas de grabar y tocar, el reinado de Laurel Aitken como el Padrino de Ska terminó el 17 de julio de 2005, cuando a la edad de 87 años el cantante sufrió un ataque al corazón y se fue.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/laurel-aitken-mn0000138792/biography

Tracks:
CD 1 - Skinhead 69
01 - Laurel Aitken - Fire in Mi Wire
02 - Laurel Aitken - Quando Quando Quando
03 - Laurel Aitken - Rice and Peas
04 - The Classics - Worried over Me
05 - Laurel Aitken - Reggae Prayer
06 - Laurel Aitken - Deliverance Will Come
07 - Laurel Aitken - The Rise and Fall (of Laurel)
08 - Laurel Aitken - If You're Not Black
09 - Laurel Aitken - Haile Haile (The Lion)
10 - Seven Letters - Call Collect
11 - Laurel Aitken - Carolina
12 - Laurel Aitken - Kingston Town
13 - Laurel Aitken - Donkey Man
14 - Laurel Aitken - Woppi King
15 - Laurel Aitken - Mr Soul
16 - Laurel & Girlie - Suffering Still
17 - Laurel Aitken - Reggae '69
18 - Laurel Aitken - Haile Selassie
19 - Laurel Aitken - Blues Dance
20 - Laurel Aitken - Lawd Doctor
21 - Laurel Aitken - Big Fight in Hell Stadium
22 - Laurel Aitken - Run Powell Run
23 - Rico Rodriguez & Laurel Aitken - A Message to You
24 - Laurel Aitken - Save the Last Dance (for Me)
25 - Laurel Aitken - Walk Right Back
26 - Laurel Aitken - Don't Be Cruel
27 - Laurel Aitken - (Sloop) John B

Tracks:
CD 2 - Jesse James Rides the Skinhead Train
01 - Winston Groovy - Island in the Sun
02 - Winston Groovy - Work It Up
03 - Winston Groovy - (My Girl) Josephine
04 - Winston Groovy - Champagne and Wine
05 - Laurel Aitken - Shoo Be Doo
06 - Laurel Aitken - Landlords and Tenants
07 - Laurel Aitken - Everybody Sufferin'
08 - Laurel Aitken - Jesse James
09 - Rico Rodriguez & Laurel Aitken - Babylon Gone
10 - Laurel Aitken – Freedom
11 - Laurel Aitken - Pussy Price Gone Up
12 - Laurel Aitken - Gimme Back Me Dollar
13 - Laurel Aitken - Skinhead Train
14 - Groovy Beats - Kent People
15 - Laurel Aitken - Benwood Dick
16 - Laurel Aitken - Apollo 12 (aka Skinhead Invasion)
17 - Laurel & Girlie - Scandal in Brixton Market
18 - King Horror – Frankenstein
19 - Winston Groovy - I Can't Stand It
20 - Laurel & Girlie - Stupid Married Man
21 - Girlie - Madam Streggae (aka Soul Jerker)
22 - Laurel Aitken - Think Me No Know
23 - Rico Rodriguez - Trombone Man
24 - Laurel Aitken - Pussy Got Thirteen Life
25 - Laurel Aitken - Single Man
26 - Laurel Aitken - Skinhead Wreck the Town
27 - Laurel Aitken - Moon Rock
28 - Winston Groovy - Merry Xmas

Tracks:
CD 3 - Funky Funky Monster Sounds
01 - Laurel Aitken - Sin Pon You
02 - Laurel Aitken - Every Night
03 - Laurel Aitken - Cut Up Munno
04 - King Horror - The Vampire
05 - King Horror - Cutting Blade
06 - Winston Groovy - Leaving Me Standing
07 - Winston Groovy - Little Girl
08 - King Horror - The Hole
09 - King Horror - Loch Ness Monster
10 - Rico and The Visions - Zion I
11 - Winston Groovy - Funky Chicken, Part 1
12 - The Cimarons - Funky Chicken, Part 2
13 - Winston Groovy - Funny, Version 1
14 - The Cimarons - Funny, Version 2
15 - Pama Dice - Sin, Sun and Sex
16 - Pama Dice - Honky Tonk Popcorn
17 - Pama Dice - Bongo Man
18 - Pama Dice - Reggae Popcorn
19 - Pama Dice - The Worm, Part 1
20 - Pama Dice - The Worm, Part 2
21 - Winston Groovy - Only You
22 - Winston Groovy - I Can't Go On
23 - Dice the Boss - Funk Monkey, Version 1
24 - Dice the Boss - Funk Monkey, Version 2
25 - Trevor Lloyd - Give Me Back Your Love
26 - Trevor Lloyd - Hold Me
27 - Trevor Lloyd - Chinee Brush
28 - Dice and Cummie - Real Collie
29 - King Horror - Loch Ness Monster (alt - take)

Tracks:
CD 4 - Reggae Popcorn
01 - Pama Dice - The Worm
02 - Winston Groovy - You Can't Turn Your Back on Me
03 - Dice the Boss - Funky Duck
04 - Dice the Boss - Funkier Than Duck
05 - King Horror & The Cimarons - The Naked City
06 - King Horror & The Cimarons - Wood in the Fire
07 - Laurel Aitken - Mr Popcorn
08 - Laurel Aitken - Share Your Popcorn
09 - Laurel Aitken - I've Got (to Have) Your Love
10 - Laurel Aitken & Groovy Beats - Blue Mink
11 - Tiger - Souls of Africa
12 - Tiger & Groovy Beats - Dallas, Texas
13 - Winston Groovy - Standing on the Corner
14 - Winston Groovy - You Send Me
15 - Laurel Aitken - (Who's Taking You Home) Nobody but Me
16 - Laurel Aitken - Baby Please Don't Go
17 - Winston Groovy - Yellow Bird
18 - Winston Groovy - For Your Love (aka The Best I Can)
19 - Laurel Aitken - I'll Never Love Any Girl
20 - Laurel Aitken - Take Me Back
21 - Laurel Aitken - Reggae Popcorn
22 - Winston Groovy - Here Is My Heart
23 - Groovy Beats - Birds and the Bees (aka Young, Gifted and Black)
24 - The Freedom Singers – Election
25 - Fleece and The Live Shocks - Tomorrow's World
26 - The Versatiles - Pick My Pocket
27 - The Freedom Singers – Freedom
28 - Laurel Aitken - The Outlaw

CD 5 - Africa Arise
01 - The Classics - So Much Love
02 - The Classics - Same Old Feeling
03 - Joe Lace - Nobody Else but You
04 - The Live Shocks - Version of Nobody
05 - Laurel Aitken - Baby I Need Your Loving
06 - Laurel Aitken - Think It Over (1970 version)
07 - Tiger - Musical Scorcher
08 - Tiger - Three Dogs Night
09 - Laurel Aitken - Sex Machine
10 - Laurel Aitken - Since You Left
11 - Winston Groovy – Groovin'
12 - Winston Groovy - (Sweet) Sugar Mama
13 - The Inner Mind - Witchcraft Man
14 - The Inner Mind - Night in Cairo
15 - The Inner Mind - Pum Pum Girl
16 - The Inner Mind – Freedom
17 - The Classics - History of Africa
18 - The Classics - Honey Bee
19 - Laurel Aitken - Pachanga, Part 1
20 - Laurel Aitken - Pachanga, Part 2
21 - Winston Groovy - Tennessee Waltz
22 - Winston Groovy - Old Man Trouble
23 - Laurel Aitken - Why Can't I Touch You
24 - Laurel Aitken - (You) Can't Turn Your Back on Me
25 - Laurel Aitken - Mary's Boy Child
26 - Sonny Binns & The Rudies - Mary's Boy Child (instrumental)

2020

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