Steady Earnest Discography

S.E. Releases

demo tape

28k

Released May, 1993

(cassette only)
"SED 007"

  1. Out of Line
  2. Way Too Long
  3. Utter East
  4. Singular I
  5. Mercy
  6. That's All Right

Out of Line

62k

Released October, 1993

DVS Media DVS002(CD/Cass.)

  1. Off & Running
  2. Juma (Way Too Long)
  3. Time Will Tell
  4. Utter East
  5. Take it Easy
  6. Hold 'em Back
  7. New World
  8. Please Go Away
  9. Singular I
  10. Mercy
  11. Out of Line
  12. Roll On
  13. That's All Right

Take It, Take It, TAKE IT!

42k

Released November, 1994

DVS Media DVS 004 (CD only)

  1. Skin it Up
  2. Wear You to the Ball
  3. I Don't Know
  4. Rock Steady
  5. All Your Love
  6. Talking Gibberish
  7. Party Time
  8. Junko Partner
  9. Rumors (live)
  10. Take it Easy (live)

Compilations

Mash it Up '93 (Volume 2)

130k

Released July,1993

DVS Media 2930-32007-2

  1. Steady Earnest -- "Time Will Tell"
  2. Mr. Cranky -- "Ring of Fire" it)
  3. The Incredible Casuals -- "Let's Get Better"
  4. Thumper -- "Do Something" it)
  5. Santa -- "Francis Albert" it)
  6. The Hi-Hats -- "She's My" it)
  7. Dig This -- "Switch #64" it)
  8. Les Miserables Brass Band -- "Man From Wareka"
  9. Beat Soup -- "Time is not Money"
  10. Mr. Cranky -- "Tequila Moon"
  11. Who Be Dat -- "Manama"
  12. Seven League Boots -- "Anxious Hunger"
  13. Steady Earnest -- "Take it Easy"
  14. The Incredible Casuals -- "Step it Up"
  15. The Hi Hats -- "No Way Out"
  16. The Allstonians -- "B-Train to Allston"

Mash it Up Volume III

134k

Released November 1994

DVS Media 2930-32013-2

  1. Beat Soup -- "Coup de Ska"
  2. Bim Skala Bim -- "Simple Song"
  3. Mr. Cranky -- "Get Out of my House"
  4. Steady Earnest -- "Rock Steady"
  5. Mighty Mighty Bosstones -- "Howwhywuzhowwhyam"
  6. Pajama Slave Dancers -- "Thank God for College Radio"
  7. Allstonians -- "Allston, Mass."
  8. I-Tones -- "Don't Run, Don't Hide"
  9. Duck and Cover -- "Between"
  10. Skavoovie & the Epitones -- "One Mint Julep"
  11. Steady Earnest -- "Talking Gibberish"
  12. Thumper -- "Another Day"
  13. Jah Spirit with the Heavy Metal Horns -- "Wake Up"
  14. Les Miserables Brass Band -- "Latin Go Ska"
  15. Santa -- "Reel Me In"
  16. Mr. Beautiful -- "Black and White"

We Don't Skare!!

76k

Released July 1994


Le Silence de la Rue
Distributed by Semaphore Productions
PO Box 213
1740 AE Shagen
Netherlands

  1. Skeletones -- "Jill Victoria"
  2. Hoodlum Empire -- "C. Johnson's Clothes"
  3. Steady Earnest -- "Singular I"
  4. Engine 54 -- "Nomeansno"
  5. Six Feet Deep -- "Smoking Barrel"
  6. Skaface -- "No Idea"
  7. Bim Skala Bim -- "Paraguyan Sun"
  8. Ngobo Ngobo -- "Hello Everybody"
  9. Square Roots -- "Foreskin Heads"
  10. Skarface -- "Ça Recommence"
  11. Too Hot -- "Grandad"
  12. Meal Ticket -- "Looking Glass"
  13. Bleichreiz -- "Loving Couple"
  14. Invaders -- "Ska Guitar"
  15. Los Pies Negros -- "Prisonero del Vietcong"
  16. Skamp Boys -- Le Pouvoir
  17. Skunks -- "Glass Pants"
  18. Mustard Plug -- "Ballpark Skank"

Steady Earnest Covers

That's All Right (Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup)

This was the first song released/recorded by Elvis Presley. It has also been covered by Johnny Cash, the Jerry Garcia Band, Rick Nelson, the Beatles, and just about everyone else!

Appears on demo tape, Out of Line

Take it Easy (Hopeton Lewis)

We originally learned this off of a Prince Buster live album... the version there is noticeably different from the version that appears on the Prince's greatest hits. Buster, of course, claimed songwriting credit for himself, but we later discovered (thanks to King K. and Lloyd Knibb) that the song was released two years earlier by Hopeton Lewis (1966) who is credited as songwriter on his version. After an extensive search, the Steady Earnest research team unearthed Lewis' version on the high-profile 4-CD collection "Tougher than Tough: History of Jamaican Music" (Island). That set also features Johnnie Osbourne's 1983 track "Water Pumping" which borrows liberally from Lewis' version of "Take it Easy".

Appears on Out of Line, Take It, Take It, TAKE IT! and Mash it Up '93. Actually, this song is also on a cassette compilation from a local 'zine, The Pit Report, which I've only seen once! (sorry, no scan)

Wear You to the Ball (John Holt)

A rock steady classic, this song was originally done by the Paragons, one of the greatest vocal trios to come out of Jamaica (songwriter Holt was their lead singer). The Paragons are best known for doing the original version of "The Tide is High", which was a hit for Blondie in the early '80's.

The original version of "Wear You to the Ball" was recorded with Tommy McCook and the Supersonics, but just after Blondie's version of "Tide is High" hit the charts, the Paragons teamed up with Sly and Robbie and a top studio band to re-record a bunch of their old songs. The resulting album is just great, and includes a re-recorded "Ball" along with "The Tide is High", "Man Next Door" and other Paragons hits.

Another commonly "compiled" version of this song is the John Holt/U Roy version (chick a bow!) which can be found on "Twenty Reggae Classics (Volume 2)". The song has also been recorded by UB40 ("Labour of Love II") and members of the Special Beat (on "The Shack"). I'm probably missing a couple of versions, too...

Appears on Take It, Take It, TAKE IT!

Rock Steady (Aretha Franklin)

This song was, of course, a huge hit for the Queen of Soul in 1971... does anyone in web-land know the final chart position? The song was also revived in the Spike Lee film "Crooklyn" a couple of years ago.

Appears on Take It, Take It, TAKE IT! and Mash it Up Volume III

All Your Love (Otis Rush)

We've also seen this credited to Otis Rush/Willie Dixon, so the songwriting credits are a little fuzzy (unfortunately, like may blues and reggae songs).

This song was covered by Aerosmith early in their career (although they didn't see fit to carve it into the bar at Mama Kin), and I'm sure it's been covered by dozens of blues bands; I recently had the pleasure of seeing British blues legend John Mayall and American blues legend Buddy Guy both play the song at the same concert!

Appears on Take It, Take It, TAKE IT!

Party Time (Leroy Sibbles)

This was originally a rock steady hit for the Heptones in the '60's. (Sibbles was the lead singer of the Heptones as well as one of Studio One's most prolific bassists). Their original version can be found on the "Best of Studio One" album on Heartbeat. They re-recorded it in 1977 (with Lee Perry at the controls) for the album "Party Time", and Scratch sampled that version for his version of the song, which appears on his 1990 album "From the Secret Laboratory". All three of these versions are definitely checking out

We actually learned it off a version by Flo & Eddie, the former Turtles who toured with the Mothers of Invention for a while in the '70's. They recorded an album with the Wailers Band called "Rock Steady with Flo & Eddie" which featured "Party Time", and, of course, a reggae version of "Happy Together".

Appears on Take It, Take It, TAKE IT!

Junko Partner (Shadd)

Another much-covered classic, originally by legendary New Orleans pianist Professor Longhair. This song is possibly best known to readers of this list through the Clash's reggae version on Sandanista!. It's also been done by Dr. John, and probably dozens of others.

By the way, Angola is the name of a prison in Louisiana.

Appears on Take It, Take It, TAKE IT!


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