Monday Music - Discovering Rocksteady

stortebeker(75)

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My constant quest for "new" musical experiences often gets me to explore stuff I assumed I'd known, only to find out that it has some amazing gems hidden in store, often right there in plain sight. That's how it was most recently with the genre of rocksteady. A relatively obscure style, somewhere between ska and reggae, from Jamaica in the 1960's. These days, it's all I want to listen to.

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A Mellow Mix of Reggae and Doo-Wop

When I first heard rocksteady, I didn't even know what it was. It sounded a lot like reggae, but very smooth, mellow, and old-school. In fact, many songs had a resemblance to typical American pop hits from the 50's and 60's that much later got to be known as doo-wop. The term goes back to the vocalization that was so common in that style of music, which, along with many romantic love themes, tends to dominate rocksteady as well.

Slow Rhythm, Powerful Base Line

What sets rocksteady apart from the rest of the popular trend of the time, is the distinct Jamaican-ness in its rhythm. Just like in its predecessor ska, as well as its succeeding style reggae, the emphasis is on the third beat. This gives the entire music a slow, groovy feel, resembling the sound of our heartbeat. Sooo nice. Unlike ska, rocksteady slows down its pace to make the sound even more chilled. Add to this, the sweet vocals singing cheesy love songs, something The Techniques are famous for, and you end up with an unforgettable musical experience... if you're into that kinda stuff, that is.

A Short-Lived Genre With A Huge Legacy

Apparently rocksteady didn't last for very long. Depending on how you define it, you could narrow down the "rocksteady years" to the 60's, the late 60's, or even just the two years of 1966 and 1967. For a music genre, this is awfully short! Nevertheless, its influence can be felt on the music styles that grew out of it, at first Reggae, then later indirectly also other Jamacian styles, such as Dancehall or Dub. Still, what makes Rocksteady so appealing for me, is precisely what these latter genres seem to have lost: it's mellow mood.

Familiar Songs Going Both Ways

In the end, it's not only what came out of Rocksteady that makes it interesting, but also the things it took up from elsewhere. As such, it includes renditions of such popular hits at the time, as A World Without Love, released by the British group Peter and Gordon (though actually written by Lennon-McCartney). Another such surprise is the almost stereotypical Jamaican folk song Day-O (a.k.a. The Banana Boat Song). In comparison, I would say that in both cases the Rocksteady version doesn't just sound better, it gives the songs a more Jamaican feel. Well, at least from my own perspective, of never having visited the island.