Little Black Book: Peggy

Toots and the Maytals: Peggy

[purchase]

It seemed like time to start stretching the genre boundaries a bit more here at Der StarMacher, so for those who, like myself, were ever-so-briefly caught up in the late-wave ska revival of the early nineties and ever wondered where that sound really came from, here's some old school that sounds very much like the new(ish) school.

All Toots and Co. need is a slightly tighter sound and a less muddy production, and they could pass for any number of dapper young bands of slightly geeky wannabes from an era that would, eventually, bring us Gwen Stefani as a chameleonic last woman standing. Not that we'd want to strip this song of all its ragged charm, of course: it's the lazy beat that makes this work.

Oh, and if you keep squeezing your woman, but she don't want to squeeze you right, it's a pretty safe bet that she doesn't like you all that much. The pain in Toots' voice as he realizes this is matched perfectly by the wail of the saxophone.

Note: original release was a 1965 single; purchase link goes to Toots and the Maytals website. Also, if anyone knows how to stave off an attacking swarm of hummingbirds, someone named Peggy could really use your assistance.