Keith & Tex Stop That Train / Leaving On That Train

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.