The Original Trojan Story - Revisited & Remixed - Podcast

[Pete S]

https://www.mixcloud.com/mayfairmenthol/the-original-trojan-story-revisited-remixed/

It's 1972, I'm in Goulds tv & radio shop in Wolverhampton and I spot this amazing looking album on the racks - "The Trojan Story" - I'm immediately attracted to the eye catching record labels on the cover and when I turn the sleeve over, it's actually a triple LP set and it appears to be the history of Jamaican music! My goodness. I only get 25p a week pocket money though and this set costs £2.99, my Mom has given me a fiver as she had no change and told me under no circumstances am I to spend more than my 25p. Well you can guess the rest. I bought the LP and spent nearly 3 months without pocket money to pay her back. She hasn't changed by the way.

Anyway, The Trojan Story is one of the most important and influential records I've ever bought, it educated me about the different styles of Jamaican music - R & B, Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae so by the age of 13 I more or less knew what I was talking about and I've collected this music on and off for 40 years now. I read those sleeve notes so many times that even now I can almost recite them word for word.

The original Trojan Story was dubbed from vinyl 45's and the track listing was all over the place as far as continuity was concerned, so I have dubbed from cd wherever possible and more importantly, I have rearranged the track listing so it runs in it's correct date order.

Although not the definitive collection of Jamaican music (where was Prince Buster for a start?), the Trojan Story was a brilliant starting point for me, though at the time I couldn't work out where records like "Every Night" fit in (turns out it was the biggest selling Jamaican record in the UK in 1966 despite being a ballad). I've cut 5 or 6 tracks to get the running time down but all the important stuff is here.

Great memories for me, and I'll never forget hearing "Rock Steady" and "Perfidia" for the first time and vowing that one day I would own them on 45's, it took me 30 years to achieve that though.

LAUREL AITKEN - BARTENDER

DERRICK MORGAN - FAT MAN

ERIC MORRIS - HUMPTY DUMPTY

JIMMY CLIFF - MISS JAMAICA

DERRICK & PATSY - HOUSEWIVES CHOICE

KENTRICK PATRICK - DON'T STAY OUT LATE

OWEN GRAY - DARLING PATRICIA

STRANGER COLE - ROUGH AND TOUGH

KENTRICK PATRICK - MAN TO MAN

LORD TANAMO - I'M IN THE MOOD FOR SKA

THE SKATALITES - CONFUCIOUS

THE RIOTS - YEAH YEAH

DON DRUMMOND - MAN IN THE STREET

BABA BROOKS - ONE EYED GIANT

JOE WHITE & CHUCK - EVERY NIGHT

SIR LORD COMIC - THE GREAT WUGA WUGA

THE ETHIOPIANS - TRAIN TO SKAVILLE

SLIM SMITH - THE NEW BOSS

THE CLARENDONIANS - RULES OF LIFE

HONEY BOY MARTIN & THE VOICES - DREADER THAN DREAD

WINSTON & GEORGE - KEEP THE PRESSURE ON

ROY SHIRLEY - MUSICAL TRAIN

DANDY - RUDY, A MESSAGE TO YOU

THE ETHIOPIANS - THE WHIP

THE THREE TOPS - IT'S RAINING

ALTON ELLIS - ROCK STEADY

PHYLLIS DILLON - PERFIDIA

DESMOND DEKKER - PRETTY AFRICA

DERRICK MORGAN - DO THE BENG BENG

LYNN TAIT - WAY OF LIFE

THE TENNORS - I'VE GOT TO GET YOU OFF MY MIND

TOMMY MCCOOK - SECOND FIDDLE

LEE (KING) PERRY - PEOPLE FUNNY BOY

THE MAYTALS - DO THE REGGAY

THE SLICKERS - NANA

THE REGGAE BOYS - MAMA LOOK DEH

TOOTS & THE MAYTALS - PRESSURE DROP

THE MAYTONES - BLACK AND WHITE

[Guest colin brown]

My Teenage Years(`66 to `69) were spent listening to Ska,Rocksteady and Early Reggae.I went to Clubs such as "The Roaring Twenties" in Carnaby Street,"The Limbo"in Wardour Mews,and going to Desmonds`Hip Record Centre",in Brixton,each Saturday morning.The Music really took hold on me.I lost over 4,000 Records(long story)back in the mid 70s,of U.K.and Jamaican Labels.