The Shakers - Yankee Reggae (1976)

This is the first reggae album recorded and released in California.

I have posted before about California's first ska record but this is California's first reggae full length. The Shakers were the first American reggae band to be signed to a major record label - Warner-Elektra. This is the only thing the Shakers released - with the exception of the "Funny Girl" single with the b-side "Baby Come Back" which, as you know, is a cover of the Eddy Grant...I mean Equals hit.

Both of the songs on the single are on the album so this is all that they've recorded.

Members of the band later went on to form The Fabulous Titan's who released one single and an EP.
The single has been posted on Tone and Wave several years back (HERE) but I've never posted the EP yet. I have it and, if anybody gives a damn, I'll post it. Leave a comment.

1 Wonder Girl
2 Some Guys Have All the Luck
3 Easy Come, Easy Go
4 Missing You
5 Baby Come Back
6 Second Chance
7 Girl You Rock My Soul
8 Emergency Call
9 Funny Girl
10 There's Something About You
11 Feel Good All Over

"Girl You Rock My Soul" (a Rad Bryan cover - HERE's the original. It was later covered by Eddie Money on his 1980 album Playing for Keeps but it was titled Running Back. The guitar at the beginning shows that Eddie Money's cover was of the Shaker's version - not the original)


DOWNLOAD the SHAKERS LP

.........................................................................................................................................................

I put this record up for sale on eBay several times for $1.00 Buy It Now and nobody ever bought it. Your loss.

Also, I was wrong about California's first ska record. There was at least one other one that was recorded a few years before the Skyliters' record. Anyone know what it is? I'll give you some clues
* It was a b-side
*It had the word 'ska' in the title
*It was an instrumental
*The band is a well-known surf band

Jon commented:

"As far as I know the first band in California to release a "ska" record was the Marketts, "Come See, Come Ska". If I recall my research correctly that one came out at the tail end of the summer '64 ska craze, August I think."


Jon is correct - over a decade before the Skyliters released "Bumpin Onn Down" the Marketts released their "Look for a Star" single with the b-side "Come See, Come Ska"

A - Look for a Star
B - Come See, Come Ska


DOWNLOAD the MARKETTS 7"