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The sounds of the island — grouped by how they sound

931 playable recordings, interviews, documentaries and sound tapes from the archive, sorted into nine sonic groupings. Each grouping tells you what to listen for, so the difference between a ska chop and a one drop is something you can hear rather than something you have to take on trust.

SONIC GROUPINGS

Nine ways the island sounds.

Most groupings follow a period of sound — the tempo drop into rocksteady, the machine arriving in 1985. Clash and dubplate is the exception: it is a practice rather than a decade, so a record lands there for what it shows, not for when its artist worked. A recording can sit in more than one.

Deep background

Drum roots

Three Nyabinghi drums in conversation — the bass drum on the downbeat, the funde holding a steady heartbeat pulse, the repeater improvising across the top. Kumina and revival singing work the same way: a fixed pulse with a voice moving freely over it.

35 recordings

1940s–50s

Mento

An acoustic band with no drum kit: banjo, guitar, hand drum and a rhumba box — a big thumb piano the player sits on — plucking the bassline. The lilt leans on the last beat of the bar, which is why mento swings where calypso struts.

27 recordings

1950s–early 60s

Sound-system foundation

American R&B and shuffle boogie played through valve amplifiers and home-built bass bins. The thing to hear is not the song but the system: bass weight the record was never mastered for, and a selector talking over it.

17 recordings

1962–66

Ska

The chop on the offbeat — guitar and piano stabbing the up-strokes between the drums — at a pace close to a run. Horns carry the melody, jazz-schooled and loud, and the bass walks rather than repeats.

43 recordings

1966–79

Rocksteady, reggae and dub

The tempo drops and the bass steps forward as the lead instrument. Count to four: in a one drop there is nothing on beat one, and kick and snare land together on three. Then dub takes the same tape and removes most of it, leaving reverb where the singing was.

218 recordings

1979–90

Dancehall and the digital turn

One riddim under many different voices. After Sleng Teng in 1985 the backing is a machine rather than a band, so the timing is exact and the same instrumental can carry a love song, a boast and a warning in the same session.

187 recordings

1990s

Clash and dubplate

A familiar tune with the words changed — an artist singing a rival sound into the ground and calling your sound by name. These are specials, cut one at a time for one system, and the crowd noise is the scoring.

201 recordings

2000s

Street dance

Records built for a specific move, with the instruction in the lyric. The tempo and the gaps in the beat are shaped around what a body has to do on the floor.

108 recordings

2010s onward

Global and the living archive

Old riddims resurfacing — a Studio One bassline under a new voice, a revival singer reaching back past dancehall to roots. Listen for what is being quoted.

263 recordings

LISTENING — SKA

Ska

The chop on the offbeat — guitar and piano stabbing the up-strokes between the drums — at a pace close to a run. Horns carry the melody, jazz-schooled and loud, and the bass walks rather than repeats.

43 recordings Clear filters

Justin Hinds & The Dominoes 'Carry Go Bring Come' (official audio)

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · releases

Official youtube upload (channel: n/a); embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

View transcript · 39 lines

Automatic captions — a machine draft pending editorial review.

  1. 0:16This merry-go-round for my dear
  2. 0:20This merry-go-round for my dear bring me
  3. 0:21bring me
  4. 0:21bring me three.
  5. 0:24This merry-go-round for
  6. 0:26This merry-go-round for my dear
  7. 0:28my dear
  8. 0:28my dear bring me
  9. 0:29bring me
  10. 0:29bring me three.
  11. 0:32You're going from home to home,
  12. 0:35You're going from home to home, making disturbance,
  13. 0:40time you stop doing those things,
  14. 0:43time you stop doing those things, you old Jezebel.
  15. 0:47You need to leave everything first,
  16. 0:51You need to leave everything first, you old Jezebel.
  17. 0:55You need no light to see,
  18. 0:58You need no light to see, you're making
  19. 0:59you're making
  20. 0:59you're making disturbance,
  21. 1:03better to sleep at home
  22. 1:06better to sleep at home in Mount ZION FIRE.
  23. 1:11BETTER keeping of brethren
  24. 1:14BETTER keeping of brethren from one innocent one,
  25. 1:18but time will tell on you,
  26. 1:22but time will tell on you, you old Jezebel.
  27. 1:26How long shall you be king over
  28. 1:29How long shall you be king over my
  29. 1:30my
  30. 1:30my people?
  31. 2:09Stand up to seek our own.
  32. 2:12Stand up to seek our own. In Mount Zion I.
  33. 2:16Instead of keeping oppression on
  34. 2:20Instead of keeping oppression on the blood of innocent one.
  35. 2:24Oh, why we tell on you?
  36. 2:27Oh, why we tell on you? You old Jezebel.
  37. 2:32How long shall the wicked reign?
  38. 2:35How long shall the wicked reign? Over my people.
  39. 2:39How long shall the wicked reign?
Source link ↗

Laurel Aitken - I Got To Have Your Love (Official Audio) | Pama Records

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · releases

Official youtube upload (channel: Pama Records); embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

View transcript · 71 lines

Automatic captions — a machine draft pending editorial review.

  1. 0:00foreign
  2. 0:01foreign [Music]
  3. 0:17[Music]
  4. 0:29[Music] and darling darling I've got to get your
  5. 0:33and darling darling I've got to get your
  6. 0:33and darling darling I've got to get your sweet little loving
  7. 0:35sweet little loving
  8. 0:35sweet little loving I've got my lonely man
  9. 0:38I've got my lonely man
  10. 0:38I've got my lonely man I need somebody to understand
  11. 0:41I need somebody to understand
  12. 0:41I need somebody to understand [Music]
  13. 0:43[Music]
  14. 0:43[Music] if you need me
  15. 0:46if you need me
  16. 0:46if you need me if you need me
  17. 0:48if you need me
  18. 0:48if you need me if you need me darling darling all you
  19. 0:51if you need me darling darling all you
  20. 0:51if you need me darling darling all you got to do
  21. 0:52got to do
  22. 0:52got to do call on me
  23. 0:56I got to get it
  24. 1:01loving
  25. 1:06holding me darling
  26. 1:11[Music]
  27. 1:14[Music] hold me darling
  28. 1:17hold me darling
  29. 1:17hold me darling hold my time let me feel it everything's
  30. 1:21hold my time let me feel it everything's
  31. 1:21hold my time let me feel it everything's all right I got to get your loving
  32. 1:25all right I got to get your loving
  33. 1:25all right I got to get your loving I've got to get your love
  34. 1:27I've got to get your love
  35. 1:27I've got to get your love [Music]
  36. 1:38[Music]
  37. 1:41[Music] I want to feel a touch up your lips
  38. 1:44I want to feel a touch up your lips
  39. 1:44I want to feel a touch up your lips darling
  40. 1:46darling
  41. 1:46darling depressing on mine
  42. 1:49depressing on mine
  43. 1:49depressing on mine baby baby
  44. 1:51baby baby
  45. 1:51baby baby please please
  46. 1:53please please
  47. 1:53please please consider me I got to get your loving
  48. 1:57consider me I got to get your loving
  49. 1:57consider me I got to get your loving if you need me if you need me if you
  50. 2:02if you need me if you need me if you
  51. 2:02if you need me if you need me if you need me call me darling
  52. 2:04need me call me darling
  53. 2:04need me call me darling baby please please please please
  54. 2:07baby please please please please
  55. 2:07baby please please please please consider me
  56. 2:10consider me
  57. 2:10consider me cause I'm a lonely man I need somebody
  58. 2:14cause I'm a lonely man I need somebody
  59. 2:14cause I'm a lonely man I need somebody to understand my ups and downs I've got
  60. 2:18to understand my ups and downs I've got
  61. 2:18to understand my ups and downs I've got to get your lobby
  62. 2:20to get your lobby
  63. 2:20to get your lobby baby baby please please consider me
  64. 2:24baby baby please please consider me
  65. 2:24baby baby please please consider me darling
  66. 2:25darling
  67. 2:25darling I've got to get
  68. 2:28I've got to get
  69. 2:28I've got to get you darling
  70. 2:33Oh My Darling
  71. 2:36Oh My Darling feel the touch of your lips don't
Source link ↗

Man In The Street

SPOTIFY · rights discovery only · releases

Official spotify upload (channel: Don Drummond); embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

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Millie Small - My Boy Lollipop (Live HD)

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · releases

Public youtube upload; embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

Transcript pending ingestion.

Source link ↗

My Boy Lollipop - Millie Small

SPOTIFY · rights discovery only

Official spotify upload; embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

Source link ↗

Oh Carolina - The Folkes Brothers

SPOTIFY · rights discovery only

Official spotify upload; embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

Source link ↗

Prince Buster - Al Capone - Official Audio | Jet Star Music

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · releases

Official youtube upload (channel: Jet Star Music); embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

View transcript · 28 lines

Automatic captions — a machine draft pending editorial review.

  1. 0:11alone guns don't H
  2. 0:15[Music]
  3. 0:28you
  4. 0:31you [Music]
  5. 0:58[Music]
  6. 0:58[Music] h
  7. 1:02[Music]
  8. 1:29[Music] y don't call me
  9. 1:32y don't call me
  10. 1:32y don't call me Scarface my name is
  11. 1:36compound c a p o n e
  12. 1:42compound c a p o n e [Music]
  13. 1:54compound
  14. 1:56compound [Applause]
  15. 1:56[Applause]
  16. 1:56[Applause] [Music]
  17. 1:58[Music]
  18. 1:58[Music] alound
  19. 2:00alound
  20. 2:00alound [Music]
  21. 2:24pick it pick it pick it pick it pick it
  22. 2:26pick it pick it pick it pick it pick it pick it pick it pick it pick it pick it
  23. 2:29pick it pick it pick it pick it pick it
  24. 2:29pick it pick it pick it pick it pick it pick it Pi it
  25. 2:33[Music]
  26. 2:47[Music] my name is
  27. 2:52[Music]
  28. 2:58[Music] Kap
Source link ↗

Rico Rodriguez - Soul Man (Official Audio) | Pama Records

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · releases

Official youtube upload; embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

Transcript pending ingestion.

Source link ↗

Roland Alphonso - "Ska Bostello" [Official Audio]

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · releases

Official youtube upload; embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

Transcript pending ingestion.

Source link ↗

Stranger Cole - If We Should Ever Meet (Official Audio) | Pama Records

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · releases

Official youtube upload (channel: Pama Records); embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

View transcript · 23 lines

Automatic captions — a machine draft pending editorial review.

  1. 0:02[Music]
  2. 0:14if we should ever meet again
  3. 0:19if we should ever meet again [Music]
  4. 0:34[Music]
  5. 0:34[Music] you need me too
  6. 0:38you need me too
  7. 0:38you need me too you said
  8. 0:40you said
  9. 0:40you said [Music]
  10. 0:49[Music]
  11. 0:52you broke my heart you even told me
  12. 0:57you broke my heart you even told me [Music]
  13. 1:03that's what you said
  14. 1:07that's what you said [Music]
  15. 1:27if we should ever meet again
  16. 1:31if we should ever meet again [Music]
  17. 1:38[Music]
  18. 1:59[Music] another one
  19. 2:05and you broke my heart
  20. 2:10[Music]
  21. 2:16that's what you said again
  22. 2:19that's what you said again [Music]
  23. 2:42thank you
Source link ↗

Surfin' - Ernest Ranglin

SPOTIFY · rights discovery only · releases

Public spotify upload; embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

Source link ↗

The Folkes Brothers - Oh Carolina

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · releases

Official youtube upload (channel: provided by Ndh Music); embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

Transcript pending ingestion.

Source link ↗

The Guns of Navarone

SPOTIFY · rights discovery only · releases

Official spotify upload (channel: The Skatalites); embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

Source link ↗

The Maytals 'Pressure Drop' (official audio)

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · releases

Official youtube upload (channel: The Maytals); embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

Transcript pending ingestion.

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The Skatalites - "Freedom Sounds" [Official Audio]

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Official youtube upload (channel: Studio One / Skatalites); embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

Transcript pending ingestion.

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The Skatalites - "Ska Ba" [Official Audio]

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · releases

Official youtube upload (channel: Studio One / Skatalites); embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

Transcript pending ingestion.

Source link ↗

Tommy McCook - The Duke Of Dubs | Official Audio

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · releases

Official youtube upload; embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

View transcript · 7 lines

Automatic captions — a machine draft pending editorial review.

  1. 0:00[music]
  2. 0:23[music] [applause]
  3. 0:24[applause]
  4. 0:24[applause] [music]
  5. 1:30[music]
  6. 1:30[music] come
  7. 1:33[music]
Source link ↗

Desmond Dekker & The Aces — Israelites (Official Audio)

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · releases

Trojan Records Official YouTube audio; discovery-only embed.

Transcript pending ingestion.

Source link ↗

Millie Small — My Boy Lollipop (official audio)

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · releases

Official YouTube audio supplied to YouTube by Universal Music Group; embedded as reference.

Transcript pending ingestion.

Source link ↗