Fire and Rain

by The Gaylads

Overview

The Gaylads' story begins in the ska age, when duo Winston Delano Stewart and Harris "B.B." Seaton enlisted Maurice Roberts, and began cutting a steady stream of stellar ska hits for Coxsone Dodd. With the advent of rocksteady, the Lads left Dodd and joined forces with Sonia Pottinger, and the classics just kept coming, before Stewart left the trio at the end of the decade. His loss barely slowed the Lads down, making the studio rounds, and finally hooking up with Leslie Kong in 1969, where they remained until the producer's untimely death in 1971. With ex-Paragon Howard Barrett and Ricky Grant filling in over time for the absent Stewart, the Lads' star continued soaring ever higher. As always, the talented Seaton penned most of the trio's compositions, including the sizzling "There's a Fire," a huge hit that cemented their partnership with Kong. A slew more followed, including the jaunty message "Tell the Children the Truth," the funky "Soul Sister," and the gorgeous sufferer's "Something Is Wrong." Inevitably there were covers cut as well, a less than spectacular "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," but a quite stunning version of the perennial "It's All in the Game," and a terrific take on James Taylor's "Fire & Rain." That latter number would title the Lads' third album, which bundled up ten of their recent 45s, with this reissue adding a further trio of Kong-era numbers. These three are indeed a bonus, and include the group's smash homage to "My Jamaican Girl," the rousing sufferer's song "People Crying," and the giddy "Last Time." In recent years, the Gaylads' rocksteady canon has become particularly revered, but, in truth, there was never a period when the group was less than exceptional. This superb album brings together much of their best from the reggae age, a heady reminder that the group was more than the sum of its parts, and that Stewart's departure was far from the end of the Gaylads story. ~ Jo-Ann Greene

Product Details

Release Date:	06/28/2024
Label:	Imports
UPC:	5060767449851
Rank:	103749

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Gaylads   Primary Artist
Beverley's All Stars   Primary Artist
Harris Seaton   Vocals

Technical Credits

Warwick Lynn   Producer
Carl Sigman   Composer
Leslie Kong   Producer
P. Ungur   Project Coordinator
Hot Shot Club   Concept,Liner Notes
Johnny Taylor   Composer
Y. Loffredo   Packaging
B.B. Seaton   Composer
The Gaylads   Composer
Jimmy Webb   Composer
Curtis Mayfield   Composer
Harris Seaton   Composer,Lyricist,Producer
James Taylor   Composer
Weldon Irvine   Composer
Ray Stevens   Composer
Nina Simone   Composer
Charles G. Dawes   Composer
Dennis Seaton   Composer
P. Ungar   Project Coordinator