Gemini Brass – Rock the Boat
Listen/Download -The Gemini Brass – Rock the Boat
Greetings all.
The tune I bring you today is something I picked up a long time ago at one of the Asbury Lanes Garage/Record sales. I’d been wanting to blog it for a while, and had it digimatized, but every time I wanted to write about it I realized that I had forgotten to photograph the label, after which I promised myself that I’d dig it out, and then – as is often the case – promptly forgot about the matter, sending it right back to the bottom of the heap.
It’s just like that sometimes.
Fortunately, my brain is like a sweater fresh out of the dryer, i.e. full of static and as a result covered with the stray socks and lint of memory. When I sit down to go through the crates, whether to work up a new mix, or pull some 45s for a live DJ set, the fragments of memory often shake loose as I see a record in passing, and I create a whole separate pile of stuff, filed under ‘things I need to record’, ‘things I need to photograph’ and more often than not ‘records I thought were lost for good’ (with today’s selection falling into the last two categories).
The record in question is ‘Rock the Boat’ by the Gemini Brass.
A cover of the 1974 Top 20 hit by the Hues Corporation, this 45 sent up all kinds of red flags when I pulled it out of the box.
Weird label I’d never seen before: CHECK
Cover of a funk and/or soul tune: CHECK
Indication that said record is from a foreign country: CHECK
Possible to procure said record for less than a dollar: CHECK
When I got the record home and gave it a spin I was pleasantly surprised. It starts at an absolutely speeding tempo with all kinds of percussion and shouts from the band before the horns and some kind of cheesy combo organ fall in to state the theme. There are vocals, but they don’t really take the lead, serving more as accents to the instrumental track (it’s almost as the lead vocal had been removed, leaving the backing vocalists by themselves). The whole thing is kind of frantic
The little I’ve been able to discover about the Gemini Brass indicates that they were a working brass band from the Caribbean island of Trinidad. They recorded several 45s and at least two albums (the latter of which appears to have been recorded/released in Canada), playing both traditional calypso as well as covers of contemporary funk/soul material. A couple of their tracks have been comped, with their version of the African Music Machine’s ‘Black Water Gold’ appearing on Kon and Amir and DJ Muro’s ‘Kings of Diggin’, and ‘You Don’t Love Me’ on the Strut comp ‘Calypsoul ‘70’.
The issue of ‘Rock the Boat’ presented here is the Trinidadian OG, and the record was also released in the US on the Brooklyn-based Calypso label Charlies.
The Gemini Brass version of ‘Rock the Boat’ is frantic to the point where only the most athletic (or most intoxicated) folks on the dance floor would be able to keep up, but the record is so infectious I can imagine most people at least giving it a try.
I hope you dig the cut, and I’ll be back on Friday.
Peace
Larry
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Themocracy
Blimey!!! It sounds like it’s being played at 78rpm.Mad tune,
Thanks Larry.
Love it, and THANK YOU!
That song is ass. Shit’s like water here in Toronto. their heat is all on Tropico ( https://www.divshare.com/download/10877322-39c with sounds = https://www.divshare.com/download/10877290-941 )save for the Telco 7″ ( https://www.divshare.com/download/10877319-9ed ) of Knock on Wood/b/w You Really Got a Hold on Me complete with singing from the Fabulous Strollers (who at one time included Mavis John – quite possible the best female singer I’ve ever heard from the Caribbean, ever). You gots to learn about Mavis by yourself Timmy Digalot.
Hi Kon.
You can take that Timmy Digalot comment out of there, didn’t realize it was you.
I guess not.
I mean really dude. I guess we’re not all as deep in the Caribbean soul 45 games as your bad self. I like this record. Start your own fucking blog.
@soulfriere1 you are a true ass and everything that is wrong with the Internet. People like Larry have forgotten much more that you’ll ever know about good music.
Great tune Larry keep on keepin’ on!
Mr DD
Chacque une son goute. (Or words to that effect) lets add music wars to all the other ones going on.
“People like Larry have forgotten much more that you’ll ever know about good music.”
Haha, no. So very wrong.
My apologies Larry, guess we’re spoiled here in the city.