The Techniques – Queen Majesty (The Best Of The Techniques 1965 to 1974)
Release Info
The Techniques – Queen Majesty (The Best Of The Techniques 1965 to 1974)
Label: Trojan Records | Format: DBL CD | Street date: July 15, 2007 | Website label
Tracks
- Don’t Leave Me
- Telling Me Lies
- You Don’t Know
- When You Are Wrong
- I Am In Love
- I Love You
- Heartaches
- What Love Can Do
- Little Did You Know
- No One
- Remember I Told You
- I’m So In Love With You
- A Place Called Love
- I Can’t Love Another
- My Whole Life Depends On You
- What’cha Gonna Do
- You Don’t Care (aka You’ll Want Me Back)
- Queen Majesty (aka Minstrel And Queen)
- Out Of Many – One (aka Fighting For The Right)
- Oh Babe (Sick And Tired)
- Day O (The Banana Boat Song)
- Drink More Wine
- Bad Minded People
- Love Is Not A Gamble (Tears On My Pillow)
- Travelling Man
- My Girl
- It’s You I Love
- I Wish It Would Rain
- Run Come Celebrate (Festival 68)
Disc 2
- I’m In The Mood (For Love)
- There Comes A Time
- Pat Kelly & The Techniques – A Man Of My Word
- Pat Kelly & The Techniques – The Time Has Come
- You’re My Everything
- Pat Kelly & The Techniques – What Am I To Do
- The Reason Why
- Baby Don’t Say Goodbye
- I Feel Alive
- The Heart Of A Man
- Love, Love, Love
- A Little Bit Of Something
- I Specialise In Good Girls
- Dave Barker & The Techniques – Lonely Man
- Your Love’s A Game
- You Ain’t Got A Heart At All
- Lonely, Lonely Man Am I
- Dave Barker & The Techniques – My Best Girl
- It’s Summer
- Free To Go
- Since I Lost You
- I’ll Be Right There
- World Without Love
- What’s It All About
- That’s The Way Love Is
- I Still Love You
- The Best Time Of My Love
Trojan Records was originally set up by Island Records to handle their reggae catalogue, distinct from the main Island label. Celebrating 50 years of the London based reggae specialist label, we are going to bring to mind some of their releases.
This Techniques double CD is a pleasure, taking in large areas of reggae’s history as it progresses. CD 1 kicks of with blue beat, and rude boy Ska, whilst CD 2 moves into lover’s rock with an edge of conscious rebel Rockers to the later tunes, with a powerful spiritual focus manifesting on certain tracks.
Clearly, artists like Curtis Mayfield, The Neville Brothers and Otis Redding influenced Slim Smith and Pat Kelly — but the influences of early jazz and US Rudy Vallee style mainstream crooners also seem all too apparent, and it is highly likely that crooners like Rudy Vallee would have been regularly played on the JA airwaves in the post war years.
Besides, reggae lovers will find the line up of vocalists on the CD irresistible — the early selection is dominated by the metaphysical beauty of Slim Smith, who will be well known to DJ and dub fans due to Dr Alimantado’s/Tubby’s use of “Beatitudes”. Sadly, Slim Smith died in uncertain circumstances. It is unsure how he died, but one thing which seems clear, is that the sad event was probably linked to the artist’s depression and resulting unstable state of mind. Whatever the events, reggae lost a great talent that night.
Later vocal duties are taken by the talented and under rated Pat Kelly and Dave Barker. The latter is usually known for his DJ work, but his singing is perhaps even stronger.
The instrumental performances here are consistently strong too, with, at times, some distinctly eerie, ghostly arrangements belying the romantic preoccupation of the lyrics. The bass tones are heavy too — geometric, booming bass lines act as a heady undertow to these deeply soulful melodies.
“You are My Everything” recounts a tale of lonely, cold isolation, and eventual salvation through a deeper love. “Time Has Come” is made into thing of beauty by the lonely metaphysical vocals and lyrics of Pat Kelly — Kelly discourses on the lonely state of humanity, cold and unloving, showing so little warmth and closeness that it becomes a state against the dictates of nature. Kelly displays his existential insights in these compositions, a lyrical skill and power that should have gained him far more acclaim than he is currently afforded.
