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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Drift Away
Reggae - Pubblicato da Sleeping Giant Music il 23 mag 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Three Coins in the Fountain
Reggae - Pubblicato da BCD - 3RDP il 28 gen 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rainbow Valley
Reggae - Pubblicato da TrenchTown Records il 12 giu 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Heptones Meet King Tubbys Dubfever
Reggae - Pubblicato da TrenchTown Records il 1 gen 2006
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A Love That’s Real / No One Else But You
R&B - Pubblicato da Numero Group il 1 gen 1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Them Can't Hold We
Reggae - Pubblicato da Black Liberty Record il 1 gen 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
On the Road Again
Reggae - Pubblicato da Roots & Culture il 7 nov 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Heptones Dictionary - CD 2
World music - Pubblicato da Charly Records il 1 giu 2000
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Pressure
Reggae - Pubblicato da Tappa Records Jamaica il 29 mar 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sweet Tater Pie b/w Making Me Cry
R&B - Pubblicato da Numero Group il 1 gen 1966
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Treading Through the Fire
Reggae - Pubblicato da Observer Music il 9 feb 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Changing Times
Reggae - Pubblicato da KP&P - Celluloid N.Y il 14 lug 1986
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The Heptones in Treasure Land
Reggae - Pubblicato da Trench Town Records New Generation il 19 mag 2015
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Never Let Us Down
Ska e rocksteady - Pubblicato da Dub Cavern Studio il 19 nov 2023
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Going Uptown
Reggae - Pubblicato da Observer Music il 27 ott 2023
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The Heptones' The Same Song
World music - Pubblicato da Charly Records il 24 giu 2006
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Land of Love (Remastered)
Reggae - Pubblicato da Snapshot il 5 mag 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gunman Coming To Town / Musical War
Reggae - Pubblicato da Lee's Records il 22 ago 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo