Winston Samuels and the Clintones – Let’s Get It On
Winston Samuels (left) with Desmond Dekker (center)
Listen/Download -Winston Samuels and the Clintones – Let’s Get It On
Greetings all.
NOTE: In relation to comments on the previous post: If by some chance, you happen to be the world’s most bad-ass reggae collector and find yourself, how shall we say, underwhelmed by this selection, please keep it to yourself.
Thanks – The Mgmt.
Friday is here, and I for one couldn’t be happier. I’m tired (but not sick, thank jeebus), and while my allergies seem to be at bay, I’ve done too much this week, and expect to have to do more before it’s through.
I’ve put together four hours of new mixes, one each for Funky16Corners and Iron Leg (since I’ll be on vacation next week) and a special two-hour radio show that will be dropping early in April (more details to follow).
As a result, my brain isn’t functioning at peak levels (time for an upgrade?), and I’m in dire need of a nap; A really long, quiet, peaceful nap with a soft blankie and a soulful lullaby or two until I drift off to the land of nod.
I’ll try to get this entry typed up and posted before I succumb to slumber, but I can’t make any guarantees, so if it suddenly drifts off into gibberish, you’ll know why.
The tune I bring you today keeps us rooted in the Caribbean, moving northward to Jamaica.
This is one I grabbed last week at the Allentown record show, one of the last 45s I purchased before leaving for home. I was making one last circuit to see what I’d missed, and spied a box marked ‘Jamaican’. It was fairly small, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to take a look.
It didn’t.
In addition to the very groovy tune I bring you today, I also scored a longtime want (the Heptones ‘Book of Rules’) taking both home for less than a fiver.
Today’s selection is by an artist that I’d never heard of (thought it turns out that I had in fact heard him) before, but the fact that it was both cheap, and a Marvin Gaye cover (and you know I love me some soulful reggae) made me snap it up.
When I got out to the car and had a chance to give it a spin, I knew I’d made a wise investment.
Winston Samuels (recording here with the Clintones) spent the better part of the 1960s recording ska and rock steady 45s for a variety of labels working with producer Lindon Pottinger, before joining Desmond Dekker and the Aces in 1967. Samuels recorded with, but did not tour with the Aces, reportedly saying that he was unable to fly out of Jamaica because “Rastas did not fly on iron birds”.
I haven’t been able to date Samuel’s cover of Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’, but I would have to assume that it was from 1973 or later, since that’s when the OG hit the charts.
Samuel lays down an excellent vocal over a tasty reggae backing, with some nice organ, sounding like it was written to be recorded in the reggae stylee.
I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll be back on Monday (posting from the road) with a new edition of Funky16Corners Radio.
Peace
Larry
Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press
PS Head over to Iron Leg for some psyche pop
PSS Check out Paperback Rider too.
PSSS Don’t forget to hit up Funky16Corners on Facebook
You can also follow Funky16Corners on Twitter
Themocracy
Larry: I am the most badass reggae collector in the WORLD and so I didn’t even listen to your selection today because I didn’t like the way you did the label scan. Furthermore, what kind of a catalog number is TPS0002A? Right there yo know the record must be crap.
😉
Keep gettin’ it on, my brother!
-j
DAMN! I knew I should have done a better scan…live and learn 😉
Just pressed play without reading the name of the song and had a “wait a minute…oh…..nice one!” moment. Cool caught me off guard! Sounds pretty natural.
I’m NOT the most badassed reggae collector in the world, but I love this version of Marvin Gaye’s classic. Thanks for sharing it.
“abel scan. Furthermore, what kind of a catalog number is TPS0002”
I actually believe it should have read “SP” instead of “PS” seeing how the tune is produced by Sonia Pottinger of High Note fame.
sonia dates this tune from 1972, but I don’t know if that is correct.
The original by Marvin Gaye wasn’t released until 1973, so it has to be at least that late.
The unintentional comedy just keeps getting better and better – I normally read the posts, listen or download the music and skip the comments, but soufriere1 is kicking it up to another level.
When I got out to the car and had a chance to give it a spin, I knew I’d made a wise investment – What kind of sound system do you have in your car?
A Numark portable turntable. It’s only for record shows. If I ever start driving around with a turntable on the passenger seat, you can have me committed.