All Entries in the "Album Covers" Category

The Maytals – The sensational Maytals (1965)

It’s 1965 and the term reggae hasn’t even been invented. Ska (pronounced “skyah”), a predecessor of reggae, rules the scene in Jamaica. Ska, the main genre in this album, sounds a lot like an uptempo, and somewhat “light” version of reggae, at least it did in ‘65. Legend has it that during the hot summer of 1966, people where too hot to dance to ska, so someone played the records at a slower pace, and thus, Rocksteady was born, the immediate predecessor to reggae.

The Maytals are among the old greats of ska, rocksteady and reggae, with loads of hits, often fronted by the groups legendary founder, Toots Hibbert. I like the utter innocence of this cover. The Maytals are all dressed up and nice, ready to help grandmothers across the street.