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7"
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HSRSS 017EP
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$12.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 9/30/2022
"The Versatiles were an exciting Jamaican reggae group, formed in 1967 by Junior Byles, Ben 'Louis' Davis and Dudley Earl. Lee 'Scratch' Perry, then working as chief engineer at Joe Gibbs' studio, was scouting for talent for Gibbs' new Amalgamated label, and spotted the group while they were auditioning for the 1967 Festival Song Contest. Perry signed the group to the label, but left Gibbs soon after. Three superb titles were recorded under the supervision of Lee Perry. When Scratch left, Gibbs employed another up-and-coming engineer/producer by the name of Winston Holness, aka Niney the Observer, to take control of his sessions. Niney produced a few Versatiles songs for Gibbs' Amalgamated label. The Versatiles stayed with Gibbs for two years, before moving to work with Perry, and then to Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label. They also recorded for other producers such as Laurel Aitken. The group split up in 1970, when Byles left the group for a successful solo career. Presented here, Lu-Lu Bell b/w Long Long Time as initially released in Jamaica in 1969 by Amalgamated. It has never been released as a single since, with original copies currently going for as much as $1200."
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