SONG OF THE DAY The Caribs – Taboo

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With hints of early ska, reggae, surf and exotica all carefully blended into this intensely dreamy and deliciously sublime fusion of sound, there’s a little bit for everyone in this sonic delight!

Issued on Island Records in 1960, Taboo was released by a pioneering backing band (who used to play for the likes of Owen Gray and Laurel Aitken) called The Caribs.
Early members of the band originated from Australia and the single itself was reported to be one of the earliest Jamaican singles to be issued in the UK!  I’ve done a little digging about the band and found some info about Graeme Goodall, one of the band members. He was an Australian recording engineer and record label owner known as a key figure in the early days of Jamaica’s recording industry! He constructed several of the Island’s studios, co-founding Island Records, and operating other labels in the United Kingdom releasing Jamaican music!! A little bit of further reading led me to a blog page here , which I thought I’d copy an extract from as it makes for an interesting read:

“.…One of the more left field and somewhat acknowledged participants in the development of Jamaican music was Australian engineer, Graeme Goodall. He helped set up the first recording studio in Jamaica (Federal) and was one of the founders of Island Records before moving on and setting up his own labels, Doctor Bird and Pyramid.
I’ve known about Graeme contributions for years, an Australian helping pioneer the Jamaican recording industry has always stood out but what I never knew was about house band he first used to back people like Owen Gray and the aforementioned Laurel Aitken was a band called The Caribs.
 The Caribs were formed by 3 Aussies in Surfers Paradise of all places?? This is where one of the first recorded bands in Jamaica were formed???? Now, Australia and Jamaica do have some general things in common, mainly island life and Cricket but make no mistake, Surfers and Kingston are worlds apart…..“

The Caribs discography spans over nearly 15 years, featuring an array of singles and EP’s and a couple of albums. This is the only song I know so far, but I intend to check out more after discovering this beauty!!

What happened during their career has also been highlighted in another interesting article I found earlier.  The incredible story of the Caribs, the unlikely Australians who shaped ska music” is worth a read too if you want to discover more! Listen above.