7 inch singles were instrumental to the development of the Jamaican music industry, more affordable than full lengths for the consumer, they also allowed the labels to turnaround what was being recorded into music played from their booming sound systems as quickly as possible. In that spirit, Get On Down will be reissuing some of the most crucial reggae and ska sides on 45. This time around it’s “Stop That Train”, first issued in 1965 during the height of the original Ska movement by the The Spanishtonians. By the time Keith & Tex got ahold of the song with producer Derrick Harriot the music coming out of Jamaican was shifting towards the Rocksteady sound. The result, their 1967 version of the song becoming the biggest hit Keith & Tex ever had as well as one of the most popular Rocksteady cuts of all time. Keeping with the theme, the group’s sweet vocal stylings stand out with “Leaving On That Train” on the flip. Though Keith & Tex would part ways in 1970 when Keith departed to the US with his family with Tex expatriating to Canada, their legacy remains with these sides documenting their lasting effect within one of the most inspired periods in the storied history Jamaican music.
