By 1967, the Jamaican music industry in the UK was flourishing, its success primarily due to the efforts of a number of talented British-based singers, songwriters and producers, chief among them being the young multi-talented music maker Robert Thompson AKA Dandy.
Having first achieved notable success in 1964, partnering Tito Simon on a series of ska singles as Sugar & Dandy, Thompson subsequently made his mark as a solo performer, cutting singles for Emil Shalit’s Melodisc Records before commencing a hugely productive relationship with Rita & Benny King’s R&B Records.
Of his earliest work for the Kings were two of the most enduring rock steady tracks of the era, ‘Rudy, A Message To You’ and ‘Let’s Do Rock Steady’ – later covered by Two- Tone hitmakers, The Specials and The Bodysnatchers, respectively.
Thompson’s popularity on the UK Jamaican music scene resulted in the release of his popular debut album ‘Rock Steady With Dandy’, which saw issue on the R&B subsidiary, Giant in 1967.
Now, well over half a decade later, the collection is finally made available again, with its dozen tracks bolstered by a further 33 recordings, with this 2CD set representing the very best of Dandy’s rock steady output for R&B, recorded prior to his move to Trojan Records in the summer of 68.
TRACK LISTING
DISC ONE
1 Keep Them Fretting
2 Got You On My Mind
3 Soul Power
4 Sock It To Me
5 People Do Rock Steady Let’s Do Rock Steady
6 Rhythm Of The Rain
7 Rude With Me
8 Play It Cool
9 Turn Your Wheel
10 My Wonderful One
11 Turn On Your Lovelight
12 You're No Hustler
Bonus tracks
13 The Operation
14 A Little More Ska
15 The Fight
16 Do You Know
17 One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer
18 Maximum Pressure
19 Rudy A Message To You
20 Till Death Do Us Part
DISC TWO
1 My Time Now
2 East Of Suez
3 Puppet On A String
4 Have Your Fun
5 We Are Still Rude
6 Somewhere My Love
7 My Kind Of Love
8 There Is A Mountain
9 This Music Got Soul
10 I'm The Mood
11 That's How Strong My Love Is
12 Trouble In The Town
13 Charlie Brown
14 Ain’t That A Shame
15 Do It Right Now
16 Propagandist
17 The Giant March
18 Sweet Ride
19 Up The Hill
20 Tears On My Pillow
21 Mad Them
22 I'm Back With A Bang Bang
23 Jungle Walk
