The Heptones
One of the definitive rocksteady vocal groups, the Heptones were also one of the few to successfully make the transition to the reggae era. The group was fronted by Leroy Sibbles, who was not only an exquisite singer but also a talented songwriter, arranger, and session bassist at the legendary Studio One. Penning much of its own material, the group boasted one of the deepest catalogs of its time, full of high-quality numbers that were widely imitated for their close-harmony vocals, and widely recycled for their loose, liquid, melodic instrumental grooves. The Heptones were formed in Kingston in 1965, with a lineup of Sibbles, Barry Llewellyn, and Earl Morgan. At first they called themselves the Hep Ones, but a one-word name seemed to make more sense to fans, and the change was made accordingly. They made their first recording for Ken Lack's Caltone label that year, a strange ska adaptation of "The William Tell Overture" titled "Gun Men Coming to Town."
Things started to take off for the group in 1966 when they caught on at Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Studio One, the pre-eminent hit factory of the rocksteady era. Dodd helped train the group in the art of harmony singing, and also guided budding songwriter Sibbles, who developed a sly, sarcastic sense of humor to underpin his tales of broken-hearted lovers. The Heptones had their first hit later that year with "Fattie Fattie," a ribald paean to large women that was banned from Jamaican radio but sold briskly nonetheless. They went on to record vast amounts of material for Dodd over the next five years, including their first-ever LP, On Top, in 1970. As the hits piled up, Sibbles became a staff songwriter and arranger, played bass with the Studio One house band on a multitude of recordings, and worked as an assistant producer and talent scout as well. However, by 1971, a Rastafarian social consciousness was emerging in his writing, and he had grown tired of the boundaries of working in Dodd's studio system; that sense of confinement led to an acrimonious split with Dodd.
Over the next few years, Sibbles took the Heptones on a virtual tour of Jamaica's top producers, cutting material for Joe Gibbs, Harry J, Augustus Pablo, Rupie Edwards, and many others. In 1973, they moved briefly to Canada, but soon returned to Jamaica. The Heptones signed a major-label deal with Island in 1975 and released their label debut, Night Food, the following year; it was produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry and featured mostly new versions of old Studio One material. The follow-up, 1977's Party Time, followed a similar blueprint, and also included an eye-opening cover of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released." It proved to be the group's biggest-selling album in the international market, but the 1978 follow-up, Better Days, sold disappointingly by comparison, and Sibbles departed for a solo career not long after.
The remaining Heptones replaced him with Naggo Morris and soldiered on with 1979's Joseph Hoo Kim-produced Good Life. They continued to record and perform during the '80s, though without the success they had enjoyed with Sibbles out front; gradually, other members drifted through the ranks, including Glen Adams and Joseph Forester. The original trio of Sibbles, Llewellyn, and Morgan finally reunited in 1995 for the album Pressure!, produced by Tappa Zukie.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
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Nightfood Ina Party Time
Reggae - Lançado por Observer Music em 1 de jan. de 1976
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Cool Rasta (Bonus Track Edition)
Reggae - Lançado por Trojan Records em 1 de jan. de 1976
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Back on Top & in a Dancehall Style
Reggae - Lançado por Burning Sounds em 30 de out. de 2020
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The Heptones Night Food and Black Ark Outtakes
Reggae - Lançado por Shaklow em 1 de jun. de 2018
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Love Has Really Got A Hold Of Me
Ska & Rocksteady - Lançado por Original Gravity em 12 de fev. de 2023
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Night Food
Reggae - Lançado por Island Records em 1 de jan. de 1976
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Better Days
Reggae - Lançado por VP em 1 de jan. de 1981
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Party Time
Reggae - Lançado por Island Records em 1 de jan. de 1977
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Meet The Now Generation
Reggae - Lançado por VP RECORDS em 18 de mai. de 1972
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Night Food (Expanded Edition)
Reggae - Lançado por Virgin Music UK em 15 de jun. de 1976
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Better Days (Expanded Version)
Reggae - Lançado por Trojan Records em 1 de jan. de 1978
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Good Life
Reggae - Lançado por Greensleeves em 1 de jan. de 1979
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King of My Town (Expanded Version)
Reggae - Lançado por Trojan Records em 1 de jan. de 1978
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The Heptones Live in London
Reggae - Lançado por Blessed Morning Production em 29 de jul. de 2023
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Deep in the Roots
Reggae - Lançado por Observer Music em 15 de jun. de 2004
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Changing Times
Reggae - Lançado por Celluloid em 14 de jul. de 1986
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Three Coins in the Fountain
Reggae - Lançado por BCD - 3RDP em 28 de jan. de 2016
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Rainbow Valley
Reggae - Lançado por TrenchTown Records em 23 de set. de 2014
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A Love That’s Real / No One Else But You
R&B - Lançado por Numero Group em 1 de jan. de 1967
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Falling in Love Again
Reggae - Lançado por Mixinglab em 2 de ago. de 2017
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Them Can't Hold We
Reggae - Lançado por Black Liberty Record em 1 de jan. de 2000
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo