The Uniques (Jamaican group)

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The Uniques were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae vocal group active formed in 1966 and active with varying line-ups until the late 1970s.

The Uniques originally formed as a vocal harmony trio of Roy Shirley, Slim Smith, and Franklyn White,[1] (the latter two from The Techniques[2]) releasing a few singles in 1966. The group then disbanded, until late 1967 when Smith formed a new version of the group with Jimmy Riley and Lloyd Charmers. The new line-up debuted with "Watch This Sound", a cover version of Stephen Stills' "For What It's Worth", which was a hit along with a string of subsequent singles, many produced by Bunny Lee,[3] including "My Conversation", which Lee sold to Rupie Edwards, who used the rhythm to create the first one-rhythm album, Yamaha Skank. The group's debut album release, Absolutely The Uniques was released by Trojan Records in 1969, although they broke up in the same year.

Bunny Lee issued a showcase album in the 1970s, and the group name was briefly revived by Riley and Cornell Campbell in 1977 for the album Give Thanks.

[edit] Album discography

  • Absolutely The Uniques (1969, Trojan)
  • Showcase (1978, Jackpot))
  • Give Thanks (1979, Plant) (recorded 1977)
  • The Best of The Uniques (1994, Trojan)
  • Watch This Sound (1998, Pressure Sounds)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Larkin, Colin: "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", 1998, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9
  2. ^ The Pressure Sounds Website | The Uniques — Watch This Sound
  3. ^ Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter: "Reggae: The Rough Guide", 1997, Rough Guides, ISBN 1-85828-247-0
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