When fledgling producer Harry Johnson recorded one of his first tunes at Studio One's facilities in Brentford Road, Kingston, little did he know that his work would soon be celebrated by a scene of shaven-headed white boys in London. Yet Liquidator was the archetype of skinhead reggae, marked by its vocal-free spaciousness, shaffling, post-rocksteady rhythm and razor sharp organ melody. This sound would soon be opportunistically plundered, but with no less success, by another hot young Jamaican Lee "Scratch" Perry.
Availability: Young Gifted And Black Trojan CD
73. MARY WELLS : My Guy/ Oh Little Boy (What Did You Do To Me) (1964)
She might have been a fabulous singing talent, but a business brain she wasn't. Leaving Motown in 1964 for a film career that never surfaced, Mary Wells sadly sank without trace, leaving behind a string of hits that had helped found Berry Gordy's empire. My Guy, penned by Smokey Robinson, was a prime example, meshing Wells' sexily sweet vocals with a lyric of nursery rhyme simplicity to gain her a number 5 chart placing. Her then fans included The Beatles, who dubbed her their " sweetheart" and invited her over to the UK to play.
Availability: Motown Early Classics Spectrum CD
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