Soul With That Beat

[Guest Beeks]

Hi Folks

Just wondering if you can help...im really into Paulette - Love you Babe and Ruby - Deceived

So im just wondering if you have any suggestions for less budget breaking records in a similar vein? You know with that rocksteady type vibe to them?

Just looking for some cheaper options for now until I can afford the big hitters so any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated...thanks in advance

[Garethx]

To be honest Beeks I think those two stand pretty much alone in sounding like that rhythmically. There's a thread on here dating back to the start of the Soul Of Jamaica sub-forum about the influence of West Indian music on American R&B (as opposed to the other way round).

I've always regarded Wilson Picket's Let Me be Your Boy (Correctone, Cub, Verve, UK MGM) as being ska-influenced, but I think we came to the conclusion that this was a merengue (Afro-Cuban) beat as opposed to a ska one.

[Modernsoulsucks]

A bit of a fan of rocksteady/ska myself and the 45 that immediately springs to my mind is Cody Black "Im slowly moulding" KING. Unfortunately it's expensive unless you get the boot.

A couple more are Robert Parker "I caught you in a lie" which you probably already know but I would recommend Rubien Fort "I'll do the best I can" CHECKMATE which should cost around £20 say.

ROD

[Garethx]

The Robert Parker record has undoubtedly always been a big favourite of Jamaican music fans over the years but I think that's more to do with overall feel than with it having a reggae or ska influenced beat (I suppose that's a whole chicken and egg debate as many of the Jamaican musicians were trying to make New Orleans R&B and it tipped over into what became mento and ska).

There are literally dozens of mid-tempo New Orleans discs with the same feel: a couple of brilliant ones that instantly spring to mind are Allen Toussaint's Poor Boy Got To Move on Alon and Willie Tee's My Heart Remembers (Nola and, if you're lucky, Cinderella).

Regarding the Cody Black 45, there's a definite syncopation which is different to mainstream American R&B of the time which marks it out as being slightly different to the norm. If anything this is even more pronounced on the other side, Keep On Keeping On, which I've always preferred to "Slowly Molding" and which definitely deserves spins in some kind of club environment, even if you can't dance to it in a typical 'Northern' fashion.

[Modernsoulsucks]

I take your point about the Parker 45, Gareth. It is a feel rather than the actual beat. The Rubien I mentioned is kinda similar.

Think he may like that Fay Simmons on Senca [clip on here Beeks]]. As a Northern record it's bloody awful but sounds like ska to me and I think the vocal is even similar to that Paulette 45.

ROD

Edited August 24, 2008 by modernsoulsucks

[Guest Beeks]

Thanks guys...really appreciate the help...ill check these few out