Rolling Stones' Choice: The Itals



Rolling Stones' Choice: The Itals

The Rolling Stones have selected "In A Dis A Time," the signature tune of Jamaican recording artists, the ITALS, as the only Jamaican artist and the only reggae song on their
"Artists Choice" CD for Starbucks Coffee. This series of CD's are compilations from Hear Music, selected by an artist or band, of music that influenced them or that they love.

Talking about "In A Dis A Time" by the Itals, Keith Richards said "This to me is basically the perfect reggae track. I'm still looking for the B-side, which is a great dub mix. In Jamaica, in those days, on a 45 you got the song straight up on the A side, and on the B side you got screwed around dub mixes, an incredible use of echoes. But at the same time the playing on it, and the voices, to me that was - I loved Bob Marley, too - but that was really the high point of reggae. It's so steady, man." "I considered, agonized for weeks about a list." Keith said as he wrapped up talking about the blues and the perfect reggae track."

Lloyd Campbell, composer and producer of the original track for his own Spiderman label, remembers that Keith and Mick bought about fifty copies of the single. Lyricist and lead singer of the Itals, Keith Porter, notes "there was no Itals then, it was just me singing lead, and me and Ronnie (Davis) singing harmony. When the record started to sell, Lloyd thought we needed a name so he and Brian Thomas of RJR came up with the name "Itals" because I was so particular about the food I ate and how it was prepared. 

Scheduled release date: March 19, 2003. Other artists include James Brown, Muddy Waters, Otis Redding, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Robert Johnson, Jackie Wilson, Eddie Cochran, Little Richard, Earl Bostic, Andre Williams, Sly & the Family Stone, Sade, The Isley Brothers, and the Beach Boys.

For more on this stellar CD, see:

http://www.starbucks.com/hearmusic/product.asp?category%5Fname=New+Releases&product%5Fid=181969

A new cd from Keith Porter and the Itals will be released early this summer. Maybe that great dub mix will be included…

Posted: Sat - August 2, 2003 at 04:46 PM      

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