Laurel Aitken
Anthology – The Godfather Of Ska
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Released 12/10/09. Featuring 52 of Laurel Aitken’s most popular recordings from a period spanning more than thirty years, this 2CD anthology provides the perfect opportunity to discover why he remained such a revered figure for so long. Highlighting a variety of styles, from Mento through Ja. Boogie, Ska, Rock Steady and Boss Reggae, the collection features an array of Jamaican hits, alongwith his 1980 UK chart entry, Rudi Got Married, making this by far the most comprehensive collection of his work ever to see issue. First comprehensive anthology of the singer’s work Many recordings new to CD Contains numerous Ska & Reggae classics, including his UK hit, Rudi Got MarriedDisc One - Aitken’s Boogie Mento to Rock Steady
Nebuchenezer / Aitken Sboogie / Boogie Rock / Come Back Jeannie / Baba Kill Me Goat / Little Sheila / Boogie In My Bones / Love Me Baby / Mary Lee / Judgment Day / Railroad Track / More Whisky / Bartender / Mabel / Lucille / (Shes gone To) Napoli / Have Mercy Mr Percy / That Great Day / Freedom Train / Lion Of Judah / Zion City Wall /. Bachelor Life / West Indian Cricket Test / You Left Me Standing / Bag A Boo / Yes Indeed / Propaganda / Green Banana / Rock Steady Disc Two - Skinhead Train - Boss Reggae to Ska Revival
Fire (In Your Wire) / The Rise And Fall (Of Laurel) / Woppi King / Suffering Still / Run Powell Run / Landlords And Tenants / Scandal In Brixton Market / Jesse James / Pussy Price Gone Up / Skinhead Train / Mr Popcorn / Reggae Popcorn / It’s Too Late / Delilah (Is A Woman) / Fatty Bum Bum Gone To Jail / Witch Doctor From Amsterdam / Rudi Got Married / Big Fat Man / Mad About You / Sahara / Ringo The Gringo / Sally Brown / Skinhead
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Boogie In My Bones - The Early Years 1957-1960
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 | Released on 15/02/10. The tail end of the fifties proved a pivotal period in the history of Jamaican music. The indigenous Calypso-flavoured stylings of Mento gradually gave way to home-grown R&B, which in turn paved the way for the Ska sounds that were to dominate the early years of the following decade. And at the heart of each of these developments was Jamaica’s first singing superstar: Laurel Aiken. Featuring all of Laurel’s major Jamaican hits before his relocation to London in 1960, Boogie In My Bones highlights the Mento and raw R&B flavoured recordings that established him as the Island’s number one performer. Mass Charlie (The Prisoner’s Song) / They Got It (Ghana Independence) / Calypso Rock & Roll / Nightfall In Zion (Aka Roll River Jordan) / Nebuchenezer / Sweet Chariot / The Walls Of Jericho - Laurel Aitken & His Calypso Band / Rege Dega Ding - Laurel Aitken & His Calypso Band / Aitken’s Boogie / Cherrie / Whole Lotta Rock Laurel Aitken & The Boogie Cats / Come Back Jeannie Laurel Aitken & The Boogie Cats / Boogie Rock Laurel Aitken & The Boogie Cats / Heavenly Angel Laurel Aitken & The Boogie Cats / Tribute To Collie Smith Laurel Aitken & The Boogie Cats / Baba Kill Me Goat Laurel Aitken & The Boogie Cats / Boogie In My Bones Laurel Aitken & The Caribs / Little Sheila Laurel Aitken & The Caribs / Honey Girl Laurel Aitken & The Caribs / Drinkin Whisky Laurel Aitken & The Caribs / If It’s Money You Need / Jeannie Is Back / Low Down Dirty Girl Laurel Aitken With Ken Richards & Harmonisers / Yea Yea Baby Laurel Aitken With Ken Richards & Harmonisers / Judgment Day Laurel Aitken With Ken Richards Harmonisers / More Whisky Laurel Aitken With Ken Richards & Harmonisers / Stars Were Made / Love Me Baby
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The Fantastic Laurel Aitken
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Released 20/07/09. By 1972, Laurel Aitken was well and truly established as the Father of British Reggae, having dominated the country s Jamaican music scene since his arrival at the start of the sixties. But having enjoyed success with every UK-based West Indian record company of note over the previous eleven years, he was no longer content with simply domestic triumphs and set his sights on conquering foreign territories. So it was he took the unusual step of licensing his next album to companies in Europe and North America, while leaving his legions of British fans scrambling for the few copies available on import.Baby Please Don't Go / Sex Machine / Heile Heile (The Lion) / Chop Chop Rock / Can't Turn Your Back On Me / Since You Left / Do The Boogaloo / Soul Of Africa – Tiger / Dancing With My Baby / Dallas Texas – Tiger / Rock Steady The Gruvy Beats / Reggae Mood The Gruvy Beats / Bonus Tracks- I‘ll Never Love Any Girl (The Way I Love You) / Baby I Need Your Loving / Why Can’t I Touch You / Guilty – Tiger / Let True Love Begin / Have You Ever Been Hurt – Tiger / The Very Best I Can / Our Day Will Come – Tiger / I Will Never Let You Down / You Send Me / My Girl (As Lorenzo) / It’s Too Late / Slow Rock - Laurel Aitken’s Band / If There’s Hell Below / Just A Little Bit Of Your Loving / Take Me In Your Arms (And Love Me) / Two-Timing Woman
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The Original Cool Jamaican Ska
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Released 20/07/09. In 1964 the world was rocking to the sound of Ska: Millie’s My Boy Lollipop was rocking the charts and every major in Britain and US were keen to jump on the bandwagon. In such an atmosphere, Decca Records in London approached leading West Indian music independent, Rio, to license some of the company’s latest singles for a new album highlighting the new, exciting sound from Jamaica. The result was After Midnight, essentially a collection of Laurel Aitken tracks, along with a few others by the singer s brother, Bobby, along with unknowns, Vic Brown and Alan Martin.Fire / Freedom Train / Peace Perfect Peace / Bad Minded Woman / Devil Or Angel / You Are My Sunshine / Hometown / Life / Adam And Eve Bonus Tracks Mary / I Shall Remove / We Got To Move / What A Weeping / Zion City Wall / One More River To Cross / Lion Of Judah / Remember My Darling / The Saint / Go Gal Go / Rock Of Ages / Leave Me Standing (You Left Me Standing) / Bag A Boo / Jericho / Yes Indeed / Let My People Go / Bachelor Life / You Was Up / Don T Stay Out Late / Be Mine
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Scandal In A Brixton Market
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Released 18/05/09. A must-have collection for all Reggae fans, ‘Scandal In Brixton Market’ quickly sold out at stores the length and breadth of the country, and over the years that have followed it has become increasingly scare, with the few copies to have surfaced fetching in excess of £200 on the collector’s market. It is therefore with great pleasure that some 40 years after its original release, Pressure Drop are able to present the album in its entirety, its dozen tracks augmented by an additional 13 from Laurel’s sojourn at Pama and local rivals, Bamboo.First time re-release of a hugely collectable album. Features many Skinhead favourites from the classic 1969/70 era. Most recordings new to CD. Includes extensive liner notes and imagery from the period. Scandal In A Brixton Market - Laurel Aitken & Girlie / Madame Streagge - Laurel Aitken & Girlie / Stupid Married Man / Tammering - Laurel Aitken & Girlie / Have Mercy - Laurel Aitken & Girlie / Night Cricket / Run Powell Run / Teddy Bear / Mr Soul / Woke Up This Morning / Babylon - Laurel Aitken & Rico Rodriquez / Stop The War In Vietnam - Laurel Aitken & Rico Rodriquez Bonus Tracks Big Fight In Hell Stadium - Laurel Aitken & Girlie / Pussy Got Thirteen Life / Blue Mink - The Gruvy Beats / Single Man (Aka Why) / Moon Rock / Cut Up Munno / Nobody But You / The Best I Can / Reggae Popcorn / Take Me Back/ Pachanga, Part 1 / Pachanga, Part 2
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The High Priest of Reggae
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Released 18/05/09. By the dawn of the seventies, Laurel Aitken was well and truly established as the UK’s top Jamaican singing star. Over the years following his move from Jamaica in 1960 he had acquired a strong and faithful following in Britain and well beyond, but the recent Reggae explosion increased this many times over.Eager to exploit Laurel’s astounding popularity, Pama Records fought off competition from esteemed rivals, Trojan and Doctor Bird, to acquire rights to issue his material, the bulk of which subsequently saw release on their newly launched Nu Beat imprint. By the Spring of 1970, he had provided Pama with series of best-selling singles, and the hugely popular long-player, ‘Scandal in Brixton Market’, but with demand for his works showing no signs of diminishing, the company decided to collect a dozen of his most popular sides to date for what became the aptly titled collection, ‘The High Priest Of Reggae’. Despite selling in huge numbers at the time, the LP soon became a rarity and this, added to the enduring appeal of Aitken’s work has resulted it becoming one of the most sought after Reggae long-players around, as illustrated by Record Collector’s recent valuation in excess of £200. Now, after four decades of waiting for its re-release, fans can finally obtain the LP at a fraction of that cost, with the added incentive of 13 bonus tracks from those ’69 sessions. Jesse James / Mr Popcorn / I Got To Have Your Love / (Sloop) John B / Shoo Bee Shoo Bee / Hailes Selaise / Landlords And Tenants / Save The Last Dance / Walk Right Back / Don't Be Cruel / Woppi King / Suffering Still - Laurel Aitken & Girlie Bonus Tracks
Reggae 69 / Donkey Man / Blues Dance - Laurel Aitken & Girlie / Lawd Doctor - Laurel Aitken & Girlie / Babylon Gone / Everybody Sufferin’ / Freedom / Pussy Price (Gone Up) / Gimme Back Me Dollar / Skinhead Train / Kent People / Skinhead Invasion / Bendwood Dick
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Says Fire
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1969 proved a crucial year in the development of Jamaican music. Reggae had just superseded Rock Steady in becoming the island s national sound, with the new exciting style swiftly embraced by a fast developing British working class youth movement noted for their smart, functional clothing and cropped hair Skinheads. So it was in such an environment that leading independent Doctor Bird Records released Laurel Aitken s long awaited second album, Laurel Aitken Says Fire , a collection comprised of his most popular singles from the preceding months along with previously unreleased material. Unsurprisingly, the LP became an immediate best-seller, its success only hindered by the record company's sudden and unexpected demise soon after.Fire (In Your Wire) / Worried Over Me / Halfway To Paradise / Coconut (Water) / Quando Quando / If You Need Me / La La La / Rice And Peas / Stand By Me / Sunnyside (Swimming Pool) / Mr. Lee / Gonna Get Married / Bonus Tracks - Birmingham Girl / Reggae Prayer / Deliverance Will Come / The Rise And Fall (Of Laurel) / If You Re Not Black / Heile Heile Heile (The Lion) / Carolina / Kingston Town / Think Me No Know / Loch Ness Monster / Reggae Popcorn
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Ska With Laurel
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Released 13/04/09. It is not without reason that during his lifetime Laurel Aitken acquired the mantles of ‘The Godfather of Ska’ and ‘The High Priest of Reggae’, for he was true pioneer of the modern Jamaican music industry whose works helped shape the sound of Reggae. His breakthrough came in 1957 when, after making his name on the talent show circuit he recorded a series of hugely popular discs for pioneering producer, Dada Tuari. By the early sixties he was Jamaica’s most popular artiste, recording in variety of styles from Calypso and Mento to the local Blues or Boogie Beat, an early form of Ska. In 1960, he relocated to the UK where over the next 45 years he continued to record for an array of labels including Blue Beat, Pama and Trojan, remaining a hugely popular figure on the European Ska scene up until his untimely death in 2005 following a heart attack.By the mid-sixties, Laurel Aitken had established a large and dedicated following in the UK, his recordings for London-based labels such as Rio and Ska Beat providing many British listeners with their first taste of Ska. It came as no surprise then, when in 1966 Rio chose capitalise on his popularity by issuing a collection of his works – a rarity for Jamaican acts during this time. Pressed in limited numbers, ‘Ska With Laurel’ promptly sold out and over the years that followed acquired an almost mythical status among collectors. Now, some 43 years later, Pressure Drop is proud to present as its debut release an expanded version of this groundbreaking, ultra-rare LP, its original dozen tracks supplemented by an additional 14 bonus recordings from the mid-sixties, almost all of which have been unavailable for over four decades. Faithfully recreating the original artwork and featuring extensive notes by the singer’s close friend Mark Wyeth, this collection perfectly illustrates why Laurel Aitken was, and will always be, regarded as the Godfather of Ska. Street Of Glory / Lonesome Traveller / Madame Sorosie / We Shall Overcome / Call The Doctor / Freedom / Hallelujah Train / Looking For My Baby / Woman Is Sweeter Than Man / It’s Coming Down / Take Off My Pyjamas / Leave My Woman Alone Bonus Tracks
Mary Don’t You Weep / Ring Don’t Mean A Thing / Come And Let Us Go / How Can I Forget You / Clap Your Hands / Revival / Jumbee Jamboree / Propaganda / Shake / Green Banana / Clementine / Shame And Scandal / Coconut Woman / I Don’t Want No More / Last Night
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