Queen Majesty [Box set]

The Techniques was one the earliest premier vocal groups ever to have graced the island of Jamaica. And what a soulful, well blended group it was! Formed in 1962 by Winston Riley, who was to become one of the most venerable record producers ever and then introduced by singer Stranger Cole to a pioneering, far-seeing producer, Duke Reid, the Techniques produced some of the most brilliant, heartwarming, yet unforgettable hits in the ska and rocksteady eras. Keith 'Slim' Smith became legendary in his own right as a solo. But earlier on, he was one of the key singers of the group before going independent by 1966 (by then Jamaican music was leaning more towards rocksteady). A regrettable move? Not really, for not only Slim Smith niched himself into the pantheon of great Jamaican singers, but also because it gave Pat Kelly a chance for what was to become quite a celebrated singing career in its own right. He went solo himself by 1968, but with all singing adroitness and the love for singing he had developed further during his short period with the Techniques.

What was typical was that most of the great singers and vocal groups had their starts in the ska era. The Techniques is no exception, with "Don't Leave Me" and "You Don't Know" especially well received. But it was rocksteady that made the group to what it became, and in the 1967-68 period (the high point for the ensemble), the Techniques produced some of the most memorable hits such as "You Don't Care" (my personal favorite), "Queen Majesty", "I'm in the Mood", and "Love is not a Gamble". The first disc is nicely laid out, with the first sixteen tracks that are devoted to ska music, and the remaining thirteen that feature rocksteady songs.

What was also typical (during the Sixties through the early 1980s) was that many of the songs spoke against social injustices and appealed for social harmony to the masses (Jamaica was somewhat in whirlwind after its 1962 independence from British rule). One example of such is "Out of Many-One", sung by the Techniques and which puts to mind the other songs of this sort during the period, like, for instances, "Freedom to the People" (the Heptones), "Blessing of Love" (Alton Ellis and The Flames), "Look Who's Back Again" (Slim Smith & Delroy Wilson), "Let's Join Hands Together" (the Melodians), and "Africa Unite" (Bob Marley). Here the rendition of "Out of Many-One" is striking yet genuine and Trojan Records remastered it (and most of the others) quite flawlessly.

While the songs in disc one are for the most part winning, the songs on the second disc are, however, more of a mixed bag. The first five (of 1968) "I'm in the Mood", "There Comes a Time", "Man of my Word", "The Times has Come", "You're My Everything" are memorable. But the more I listened to the second disc, the more I noticed that the quality of the music waned a bit: much of the freshness and originality withered somewhat. For instance, "I Feel Alive" (1969) is no way in par with, for instance, "Run Come Celebrate" (1968) while the "Traveling Man" (1971) remake (too common of a practice back in those days unfortunately) is no match for the original version (1965). Frankly, I very much prefer Trojan's inclusion of "Ol' Man River" instead (incidentally in a Heartbeat CD album (HB 121) which is still available - thankfully).

But that said, Trojan Records must be given high praises and gratitude for giving us an opportunity to explore the early wonders of one of Jamaica's formative singing groups forever enshrined in our collective memories. Will it be too much to ask Trojan to reissue Slim Smith's complete volumes of songs as well as the songs of the Paragons and of the more obscured musical artists during the golden years of Jamaican music (like Phil Pratt for instance)?

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