This hasn’t been reissued on any format for 56 years, so the Rock Steady With Dandy CD reissue is worthy of a mention.
Ok, there’s no vinyl reissue (as yet), but Cherry Red, via Doctor Bird, has brought it back on CD with a hefty pile of additional tracks to sweeten the deal. 43 tracks make up this set.
It’s an album that appeared as the Jamaican music scene was really making its mark in the UK, with a number of British-based singers, songwriters and producers pushing things to new heights. One of whom was Robert Thompson, AKA Dandy AKA Dandy Livingstone.
Having first achieved notable success in 1964, partnering Tito Simon on a series of ska singles as Sugar & Dandy, Thompson went solo via Rita & Benny King’s R&B Records, for whom he recorded his debut album 1967’s Rocksteady with Dandy.
It’s an album that might have been forgotten over time. But 2 Tone stepped in and made sure it didn’t. The album features original versions of both ‘Rudy, A Message To You’ and ‘Let’s Do Rock Steady’ – later covered by The Specials and The Bodysnatchers, respectively.
Half a century on, and the album is back on the racks with a further 33 tracks, pretty much covering Dandy’s rock steady output for R&B, recorded prior to his move to Trojan Records in the summer of 68.
The tracks are below, and the album returns on 17th November 2023. You can pre-order the set now, selling for £13.99 at Rough Trade or £14.99 via Cherry Red.
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
