Q: I haven't found a tracklist for the album 'Baby Why' as yet, but did you cut songs like 'Didn't I', 'El Condor', 'Equal Rights' and 'Feel Alright' on it?

A: 'Feel Alright'? Oh no, 'Feel Alright' was a Festival song, yeah, it was a Festival song. That was Harry J we did that for. It's not on the album.

Q: When did you enter the Festival Song Competition?

A: 'Feel Alright', festival song... I don't remember the year, but I remember it was the same year Eric Donaldson did...

Q: 'Cherry Oh Baby'?

A: 'Cherry Oh Baby', yeah.

Q: So '72 probably.

A: OK, because '(Everybody) Feel Alright' was runnin' hot with Eric Donaldson, if it hasn't been Eric Donaldson it would be us. Hey, you had 'Blame Myself', 'Baby Why', you had 'Brotherly Love' - 'Brotherly Love' was written by Bobby Dockery. And 'Happy Time' is on it, 'Sometime Girl' - we did that over on it, 'Dangerous', 'Keep A Secret', and 'So Long'. This album only have ten songs on it, that's how we try to keep it down, yunno. Yeah.

Q: So what became of this album? I've learned that Harry J had big plans for both you and Carl Dawkins in '77 and went to New York to set up his business, but what became of it?

A: Yeah, he did! I don't know what happened with this. I don't know what happened, but he had big plans at the time, he even picked up some guy that came in rehearsin', some musicians came in rehearsin' and we in the studio we rehearsin' like songs for shows and stuff, like he was arranging a tour and t'ing like that. And that's about it. That's about it, we didn't hear nothing afterwards. Things just start going down from that moment.

Q: And some two years after that album you decided to leave Jamaica for the States?

A: Yeah. I came to New York from like early '79. '79 I remember it was.

Q: What about 'Be Wise' for the Panther label, that's a Dynamic subsidiary.

A: I kinda remember that one, I think we did some music for Dynamic too. We did some music for Dynamic, yeah. Because we used to hang around Bunny Lee, and he took us to Dynamic and stuff. We did some music for them, but we did so many songs all over the place and some of them I don't remember. This guy in Holland, he said he had all of them music, every music that we did, he's got them. And he said he would put them together. He never contacted me and I think Harry gave him this 'Baby Why' album to put out.

Q: You remember his name? But that album was all done in New York, pressed and manufactured over there?

A: It was pressed in New York by VP Records - at that time it was Randy's, but I have that guy's card in Holland, somewhere. I'm gonna look for it and one a the time - I think his name is Lloyd... ? I don't remember, some white guy (Jamaican Gold?). I remember I have to find the card, I had put it in some place. When I will go abroad, I will have to learn more about this.

Q: Then you had 'Fast Mouth' and 'How Do You Think I Feel' for Gaydisc, that's Sonia Pottinger's label. I better run through those while we're going (chuckles).

A: Sonia Pottinger, yeah. Oh, I remember those two (sings): 'Fast mouth dead an' gooone...' (laughs)! Those songs sounds so stupid to me (laughs)! Those sounds so stupid (chuckles), but those are the ska days, y'know.

Q: Who did the original for that tune, 'Fast Mouth'? (Sings the chorus.)

A: And 'bitter belly', someone had a 'bitter belly deh ya fi cool them...'. Oh, those were songs, man!

Q: You did more for Sonia Pottinger like 'Good Luck To You'?

A: OK, I think I can try to remember 'Good Luck To You', aha. (Sings) 'But all I can say is good luck to youuu...', I dunno if I remember that one. Let me see if I can remember that one (sings): 'If you found another that you will love better...'. You know I don't have any - I do remember that song now! I mean, I remember the song now, but I don't have a record for it. And 'How Do You Think I Feel', I try to remember that one...

Q: Can you recall 'Jamaica' for Dynamic?

A: Oh, you remember that song, 'Jamaica'? (Sings) 'J A M A I C A...' - you have that one too?

Q: No, I don't.

A: OK, that was another Festival tune, that was another Festival tune I did. I did another tune - it start off with a talking, I don't remember. I have music out there, people have them and I don't even remember them (chuckles)!

Q: You did 'Rich Man Poor Man' for Dynamic too. There's a lot to collect, if you can lay your hands on them that is.

A: I will have to try and get those music, somehow. Somehow I'm gonna try and get those. People has this music, y'know.

Q: Yeah. Can you recall a song titled 'Too Much Talking' for the Bright Star imprint? And 'You Betrayed Me' - which seem to be 'You Lied' basically, for SEP.

A: Who did that? Us?

Q: Yeah, I suppose so.

A: I don't know anything about Bright Star. Maybe the music just died and we forget about it. Dunno ' bout SEP either.

Q: What about 'Poor People' that we touched on before, this was released as by the Cables, but it is basically a solo track for High Note, isn't it? Give me the inspiration for it.

A: Yeah. Because the way life was in Jamaica at the time, everything was just getting jumble (?). The only thing left to happen at one time is that people just start fighting and killing one another and just... you know? And you look at life and you see what it's coming to, and it's just like they give up now. You know, what poor people has become, when you look at it and you see how some of them who are working right - I don't know if you have the record, where it said (sings) 'Some of we a workin' an' cyaan buy a shirt...' - a 'shu't' you know is a shirt, 'but the little we a get now cyaan even full we cup, wooyy oy oooyy, lord o lord, wha' poor people a go do now...'. And there is a part in it where I said beca' Jamaica you know is where the politics - people go in politics to fight one another, I put that in there, y'know: 'If you turn a politician and you go out there to fight, you either going to win or a next man take your life'. You know? I have another part in it that said: 'Some of us have children going to school they can't even learn, while the hungry that they bearing it blights their brain...', yunno, '... wha' poor people a go do'. Then I have another part in it that said: 'If it makes sense being a Christian, or if it's too much temptation, and with this depression, lord we've soon commit suicide, lord o God, wha' poor people a go do...'. You know, you just put the basic in it, y'know, what is happening. It's a very good song. I'm gonna do it over because it's still happening. Even in America here now, y'know, America has - things are getting bad, man. I 'ave a good job, fine. You know, so far I can't complain. I am in a good job, but what they're trying to do now, they're trying to do everything to get our people who is in a job long, y'know, get you out so you don't get no pension, end up with nothing. They're trying to do all a them stuff. So, what a go happen, man? It's like that.

Q: Tough times. What about 'I've Got To Go Back Home' for Harry J?

A: Oh, that's a Bob Andy music. Yeah, it's a recut there, we just did over that song (sings the chorus). You know that song? It's a recut, yeah.

Q: If we switch to your role as producer, you recorded someone called 'Jah Fish' with the track 'Vampire Rock'. Who was Jah Fish?

A: OK, 'Vampire Rock'. I didn't produce people, I just tried to produce one or two for myself, y'know. And 'Vampire Rock' - which other song I did before him...? Then I just did that since I knew Jah Fish, 'cos he liked the deejaying thing, and we just do a thing.

Q: And who was this guy, Jah Fish?

A: Is a guy that - we used to work together at the shoe factory, and he's just a guy who liked the deejay thing. Yeah, but you know them music didn't even make no push. I didn't have no money after I produced them. Even though I produced them myself I didn't make no portion of money. Now, the most money that maybe we will make is now if we go out to do shows and stuff. Like, even recording now, it's hard to make money. Because you know what happen? People who put down the same money to produce, they just - every CD is a master. You know that, right? Every CD is like a master, because you can get everything clear like the master from it, and people just take your label and put it in a scanner and you can copy it now so it look like a natural thing. They just make CD's and sell it, they don't put nothing in it and they're making more money than the producers, that's what is happening. Sometime the producers are scared too, because you're not making nothing - too much bootlegs out there.

Q: Right, they burn them at home quite easily now, devastating to the independents.

A: Yeah, they burn CD's and you have my CD too that people can burn how many CD's at one time and stuff. You know what? When tapes was going, I went in somebody's distribution, and they had a system set up in the back where they could run off a hundred tapes at one time - or fifty, or twenty-five. Whichever they want. They just put in one tape, and the rest of the things set up and they just balanced it out and stuff, and just pressed it 'wup!', and tapes just ready. And they had the labels them and stuff, and they put them in and - just like that! That was when tapes was in, and people was selling those too. I mean, every music - we're not talking about just, y'know, local music. I went to a fair in New York and that's what I saw, that was years now when tapes, y'know, when cassettes just came out, when cassette was going, yeah. So, y'know, it's not fair! It's not fair, man.

Q: Perhaps it's better to stick to the good ol' vinyl again.

A: That's what I think. I think it's the best thing to ever happen - start press on vinyl. Get back to vinyl.

Q: What was this controversy about regarding the beat, the invention of reggae, between yourself and Larry Marshall on 'Nanny Goat' and 'Baby Why', you had some dispute. Or what was that about?

A: Between 'Nanny Goat' and 'Baby Why', yeah, he always want to say that. But, to me it doesn't make a difference. 'Baby Why' was a hit, 'Nanny Goat' was - I don't remember if it was a hit, but it was popular. So, what I know when 'Baby Why' come up was the first change, I didn't even know 'Nanny Goat' wasn't rock steady. You know what I mean? So y'know, he was trying to make a big deal out of it. At one a the time I said to Mr Dodd to clarify it for us, and he said we were right about our stand, even Mr Dodd say it. So me say, well, the first change of rhythm was 'Baby Why', then it just went on with reggae now. But Larry say 'It's 'Nanny Goat'!' He always say that. To me it's not a controversy, we're not makin' nothing off it.

Q: Right, it doesn't make much of a difference anyway.

A: It doesn't make a difference. I don't depend on singin'. Singin' is my hobby, and as I say right now, I wanna really do something right now, because now is the time. I want to do something now.

Q: How did that 'Baby Why' project with Lloyd Campbell come about for VP, about last year I think ('03)?

A: Oh, he did the 'What Kind of World' project and he did put me on it.

Q: That's another great, great classic from your pen at the time too - tell me more about that song.

A: Oh, with 'What Kind of World'? You see, in 'What Kind of World' you look at it in this world. Right now that music relates to everything - it relates to foreign place, it relates to the island, it relates to life. I mean, what kind of world are we living in? You have to tell. Is it a world without love? You know? What kind of life are we living, is it a life without love? I mean, you can't be happy, you can't be free. Because look at it this way: everything one tries, there is always negative and positive - there is always someone who want to counteract you in some way. Some people make it to the top, they wanna hurt you. Look at my culture. I mean, even though the good that he is doing and he has done, they still wanna hurt him. They try to find every way, y'know, to hurt him. They would do anything to hurt him, and he's doing so much good. And nobody talk about the good, they just talk about stuff he didn't even create to be bad, y'know. I mean, you can't be happy! You can't be free, because everything you try there's always someone who want to hurt you. Now look at it the other way - why can't we love one another? Why can't we love one another, why can't we help each other? You know? You look at these things - it is a fact! That, I mean, maybe the other person want better in life, so that doesn't take to hurt your brother. Because these people who is creating all of these things against people - they does it with Michael Jackson, they does it with Mike Tyson. You know? Because somebody wants to get rich of it. They does it with so many people around the world, local and foreign. Because the other person who is trying to crucify the other person, they're just doing that because it's helping them to achieve, to get rich of others. So, it's a logic of this stuff, y'know, 'what kind of world are we living in?' It's just simple when you look at it that way, like how you have it in life - you just see it when everyday you read the paper, somewhere along the line or you might walk in the street and you may know somebody or stuff like that, there's always somebody acting. Sometime your own family, your friend. You know? People who don't even know much about you but they might be drivin' a nice car but they may be livin', y'know, they even start from pass them up. 'Oh, maybe he's this, oh maybe he's that'. People just take you away, instead of trying to think something positive, they think negative. You know? And from the negative thing you build up hatred. Then sometimes it leads to folly, it goes into all kinda, y'know (chuckles)... 'what kind of world?' But we just say 'What kind of world am I living in...?', y'know. It is simple, because it is everyday life. Everyday. And that song was created when me and Roy was sittin' at Downbeat and reason about what was the situation, what is going on. I think something happen, and so we wrote 'What kind of world are we living in...?' We start with that and then come up with the melody, and it just start right there. So, that song was by me and Roy.

Q: And the recent Lloyd Campbell production?

A: Oh, the project with him and the 'Baby Why' stuff? As I said he did the 'What Kind of World' riddim and put me on it with everybody. But somehow he hunted me down with the 'Baby Why', and for some reason he wanted me to do a thing and bring in the Cables on it. He just made the riddim and wants me to do something on it.

Q: By the way, the Coxson album, 'What Kind of World', this wasn't released until your Harry J project came out. So, your debut album was in fact the second album in the history of the Cables! A shame he put that on hold for so long, why do you think that was? Even though that's typically Coxson somehow.

A: Right. Maybe because Harry J put that out, and you know what happened?

Q: He just rode on the wave from your success with Harry, I suppose.

A: Maybe. He always does stuff like that, because when I did this 'Baby Why' over for Lloydie, he went and he did some stuff to the other 'Baby Why' and put it out and had a deejay on it. It was sounding good but, y'know, it never go anywhere because it was out already. It was more original what we already did with it. He's just trying to get into level, y'know. That's him, really.

Q: How did you react when you found out that Coxson had released the original album, the first one, almost ten years after it was recorded?

A: We heard about... how I react?

Q: Yeah.

A: I didn't react in any way because I felt there was some money there for me. At the time when he put it out I figure, well, at least people want an album with the originals. And trust me, that album sold, y'know. That album sold a lot! Both on LP and tapes.

Q: The LP came out in '77 and got a first issue on CD in 1991 with some extended versions to, I think, two of the songs, this was out on the Heartbeat label. And you didn't hear from Heartbeat at all about this?

A: No. I dealt with him when he told me that it's going good, it sold a lot and stuff, and he would get me some money. But he never got me some. Never.

Q: But you should have some kind of...

A: I went to lawyers, I paid my money and stuff to lawyers, trying to get money from the Coxson album, and it didn't have no effect. He didn't have nothing to show. I mean, with Heartbeat, I don't know what he had said, but when I called Heartbeat they never did anything. At one time they said oh, well, they don't know much about the groups and left that to him to deal with. But I know that it sold a lot.

Q: Well, that's just bullshit, isn't it...

A: I said: 'Yeah, right!' Yeah, that's what one of them told me. Because I met the guy when I was on Sunsplash in Jamaica in '94, and that's what the guy told me. Even Downbeat told me that it sold a lot. So I said OK.

Q: But in any case, when the CD came out it boosted the Cables out there again, perhaps that's how you got that slot on the '94 Sunsplash festival.

A: No, we just know that guy and he said, "Oh man, you guys supposed to be on the Sunsplash", and we checked out who else was on the bill and decided to do it.

Q: Who backed you?

A: Sunsplash? It was supposed to be Lloyd Parks, but then it never work out. So it was another band, don't really recall their name but they were Jamaican.

Q: How was the concert?

A: It was great, trust me. People from all over the world were there, man. It was a good show, man. We put our best into that. I didn't know that people really knew our stuff, but they did, trust me. Yep, it was great. Even the Heineken Startime we did, and even though it wasn't the full original line-up, it was good. I did shows here alone and people, man, people would go wild, man.

Q: Again, now is the right time to get something going, like a second coming for the group. A lot of things has opened up for veterans in the past few years, that's for sure.

A: Yep.

Q: What's ahead for you now? There's a new album in the works, and a possible reissue of the Harry J album.

A: As I was thinkin' about, like, maybe doing a little upgrading the rhythms, lay some new things for these songs, y'know, and upgrade the rhythms. But, I think, the other day when we spoke and you said you think it would be better to clean them up and put them out as they were. Because there's a whole vibes there, one can't get that again. You remember we spoke about that?

Q: Yes, yes. Because I think it doesn't really match that well, to put modern overdubs to seventies recordings. It just doesn't work when two different eras 'clash' like that, in my ears at least.

A: Right.

Q: But we can expect a new album, and some shows coming up? Perhaps even a visit to Europe if that works out as it should.

A: Yeah, we have some new songs. Whatever I'm doing with any producing or such, I'm gonna do it alone. You understand what I'm saying? I'm gonna do that alone, produced by me.

Since we spoke in March, '04, Keble went over to New York the same year to do a show with the original Cables in a star-studded line-up of vintage singers and groups like the Melodians, Leroy Brown, Pat Kelly and the Techniques, and Jackie Brown. It didn't do more than create some waves in the business but the show was well-received according to reports. Unfortunately, the original line-up is no more - at least for the time being, it seems. Whatever the case, at least I am so glad to have Keble and the group back in action, it's about time they receive the true recognition due to them, something which should be manifested by appearing out there for the public on a wider scale as well as getting a combination of the new material and the older recordings to a new audience; I strongly believe that a lot of them are welcoming the fact that this group is on its way out there again. There's the obscure 'Baby Why' album which deserved more than being a footnote in the music press at the time due to poor promotion on its initial release, this will now come out again in some form - untouched, I hope. VP's rhythm album at least gave a small taste of what Keble sounds like today, and it is not much that has been lost, obviously. Hopefully his self-produced stuff is even better. Not to forget all the uncollected singles that needs to be found and cleaned up. There's definitely some treasures among them. Yes, the question remains: what kind of world are we living in? It could be a lot nicer, that's for sure, but even better with the Cables back on track - 'trust me', as the man Keble would say.

Honourable mention to the man Carl Gayle.

7" single information courtesy Roots Knotty Roots.