Wednesday, October 01, 2008

 

Little did you know about the Techniques

The Techniques were a rocksteady vocal harmony group (formed in Jamaica in 1964 and disbanded in 1966). The group included singer Junior Menz (previously of the Paragons) and had hit songs, such as Little Did You Know, by the next year for Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label. The Techniques found more success in 1967, this time with the single Love Is Not a Gamble, which was also issued in the UK on the young Trojan label. Despite the emergence and increasing popularity of reggae, the following year found vocal groups still going strong, and the Techniques had two more hits that year, one, with their entry in the Jamaican Song Festival, Run Come Celebrate, and the second, with their take on the signature tune of the Temptations, My Girl. With their recordings scattered across dozens of compilations, the Heartbeat label's Run Come Celebrate (1993) was a welcome way to own a number of songs by the Techniques on one CD.

Why all this bla bla again ? Well, Belgium PopcornCity's DJ Jan van Deijck asked me last sunday to provide him Lyn Taite & Baba Brooks Band - Magnificent Ska to air on one of his next Popcorncity shows. The song is on the first (and I believe only) LP the Techniques made. At the time they didn't recorded much songs so the album was completed with some Baba Brooks songs. I don't believe you will find these songs on a Techniques compilation cd. Today I present you this original LP.

Techniques - Little Did You Know _1967
01-Techniques - Little Did You Know
02-Baba Brooks - Twilight Zone
03-Techniques - When You Are Wrong
04-Techniques - Please Say You Are Mine
05-Techniques - I Wish It Would Rain
06-Techniques - My Whole Life Depends On You
07-Techniques - Queen Majesty
08-Lyn Taite & Baba Brooks Band - Magnificent Ska
09-Techniques - I Am In Love
10-Baba Brooks Band - Gun Fever
11-Techniques - You Don't Know
12-Baba Brooks Band - Dog War Jump Up


About the song and title of this album.....
Slim Smith would really set Jamaica, and the UK, alight during the rocksteady era, the apex of the vocal groups, but his work with the Techniques during the ska age was equally unforgettable. Little Did You Know was the first song that the Techniques cut for Duke Reid, and it's clear the producer had some way to go in showcasing the band. The single is set to a driving ska arrangement, slamming beats further harried by a clippity-cloppity cowbell. Trumpeter Baba Brooks, whose band provides the accompaniment, turns the heat up higher with a jubilant middle-break solo. With such a forceful backdrop, lead singer Slim Smith has little choice but to belt out the lyrics, presenting a tougher soulfulness that will be seldom heard in the rocksteady years. This song would pale in comparison with his later work, but the single was a hit and helped further establish the group's reputation.

I used the front scan from someone else.... Saves me time.
Along with Jamaican Raphy, do you dare to ska-dance and comment to this ?

Comments:
Note : full screen window gives you the best view of the comments !

'Clickable' links are for you downloaders soooo convienent but the disadvantage is they don't seem to 'last' long.
The Blogger gets a lot of comments 'please re-up'...... Other, more appropriate/interesting comments, they sadly don't get... :(
So you will have to do a little work to get the link.
This seems, in my opinion, the best deal between 'protecting' my links and the least effort for you.


Link :
http://r#pidsh#re.com/files/149238895/T-LDYK_67.rar
Of course you understand to replace in r#pidsh#re twice the # in an a otherwise you don't have a 'valid' link !!
Paste this valid link in your browser-url and hit RETURN. You can also copy/paste the link into your 'downloadmanager'.

Pass to extract the file : 080929
The file is a small 30MB, 'cause the songs are only in low bitrate 128kbits.
Please donnut give a nasty comment about that : check 'My opinion about bitrates' on 2008_jan_25.

>>
The next depends, amongst other things, on your security options in your browser and by so the ability to copy/paste the link.
When you see this in Google or Yahoo cache or by my Blog's search function read first the RED instructions at the top left of my Blog !
Direct link (after that go to the plain comment of this 2008_september article !) : JeansMusicBlog
Also possible : just click the 'post a comment' section here and you are able to copy/paste !

....And while you are there you might as well give a comment yourself....
>>
 
The group was formed by Winston Riley in 1962 while still at school, with the initial line-up also featuring Slim Smith, Franklyn White, and Frederick Waite. They regularly performed at Edward Seaga's Chocomo Lawn club, where they were spotted by talent scouts from Columbia Records, who released their first single, "No One", released only in the United Kingdom in 1963. Their Jamaican debut came in 1965 when they were introduced to producer Duke Reid by singer Stranger Cole, with Reid-produced singles such as "Don't Leave Me", "When You Are Wrong", "and "Little Did You Know" appearing on labels such as Island Records, and Reid's own Duke and Treasure Isle labels. Smith left the group in 1966, to pursue a solo career at Studio One, and later forming The Uniques with White.[3] He was replaced by Pat Kelly. The shift from ska to rocksteady suited The Techniques, with a string of hits in 1967 and 1968 following, including "You Don't Care", "Queen Majesty", "I Wish It Would Rain", "It's You I Love", and "Love Is Not a Gamble".

The group left Treasure Isle in 1968, with Riley setting up his own Techniques label, releasing further sides by the group and also his productions of other artists. The group's line up changed regularly with Riley the only constant member. Other members in the late 1960s included Lloyd Parks, Bruce Ruffin, and Dave Barker. Kelly returned for a time, recording lead vocals on "What am I to do?".

Riley bacame one of the most successful Jamaican producers of the 1980s. Kelly and Ruffin enjoyed successful solo careers. Parks worked as a prolific session musician as well as working as a solo artist. Barker found fame as part of the duo Dave & Ansell Collins. Waite emigrated to the UK where he managed Musical Youth, the band including his sons as members
 
Thanks for the interesting addition V-Tone !
 
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