The Liquidator
Encyclopedia
"The Liquidator" was a popular reggae
instrumental in the United Kingdom
, recorded by the Harry J Allstars in 1969.
Musicians included the core of the Hippy Boys: bassist 'Family Man' Aston Barrett
, drummer Carlton Barrett
and guitarist Alva Lewis. They later formed the core of The Upsetters and The Wailers. Carlton Barrett says the instrumental was originally for a song by Tony Scott, "What Am I to Do". Harry Johnson bought the rights from Scott, licensed the track to Trojan and credited it to the Harry J Allstars. A variation was recorded featuring the sax of Val Bennett
(entitled 'Tons of Gold') but the Hippy Boys' original instrumental had most success.
The organ was played by Winston Wright who, as a member of Tommy McCook
's Supersonics, was acknowledged as Jamaica's master of the Hammond organ. Wright featured on other Harry Johnson hits, including The Beltones' "No More Heartaches" and on Boris Gardiner
's "Elizabethan Reggae".
The Staple Singers
used the bass line and introduction from "The Liquidator" for their 1972 hit, "I'll Take You There
".
Alton Ellis
said the core of the song was a lift from his rocksteady
hit 'Girl I've Got a Date'
. West Bromwich Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chelsea
, Wycombe Wanderers, Northampton Town and St. Johnstone claim to have been first to play it. Chelsea's claims to be first to play it are backed by the first paragraph of the liner notes for "Liquidator - The Best of the Harry J All Stars". It says: "Way back in 1969, supporters of the Chelsea football team revered players such as Bonetti, Osgood and Hollins. The boys performed under the watchful eye of manager Dave Sexton to the tune of Harry J & All Stars chartbuster, 'The Liquidator'.
The Liquidators were one of Chelsea's smaller football firms. The tune is also known among supporters of West Bromwich Albion. West Midlands Police
and safety committees made the club drop the tune because supporters chanted obscenities at their rivals. It is also played before the start of the second half at Huish Park
for Yeovil games.
West Bromwich Albion and Wolves briefly re-introduced the track during the 2005-2006 season
, encouraging fans to clap instead of swearing. The request was ignored and the tune was again removed, before reappearing at the 2006-2007 championship playoff, during which West Bromwich Albion beat Wolves.
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
instrumental in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, recorded by the Harry J Allstars in 1969.
Musicians included the core of the Hippy Boys: bassist 'Family Man' Aston Barrett
Aston Barrett
Aston Barrett , often called "Family Man" or "Fams" for short, is a Jamaican bass player and Rastafarian.-Biography:...
, drummer Carlton Barrett
Carlton Barrett
Carlton "Carly" Barrett was an influential reggae drummer and percussion player. His musical development in the early years were with his brother Aston "Family Man" Barrett as a member of Lee "Scratch" Perry's "house band" The Upsetters. The brothers joined Bob Marley and The Wailers around 1970...
and guitarist Alva Lewis. They later formed the core of The Upsetters and The Wailers. Carlton Barrett says the instrumental was originally for a song by Tony Scott, "What Am I to Do". Harry Johnson bought the rights from Scott, licensed the track to Trojan and credited it to the Harry J Allstars. A variation was recorded featuring the sax of Val Bennett
Val Bennett
Val Bennett was a Jamaican tenor saxophonist and jazz and roots reggae musician who began his career in the 1940s. He made a number of releases on the Island Records and Crab Records labels.-Biography:...
(entitled 'Tons of Gold') but the Hippy Boys' original instrumental had most success.
The organ was played by Winston Wright who, as a member of Tommy McCook
Tommy McCook
Tommy McCook was a Jamaican saxophonist. A founding member of The Skatalites, he also directed The Supersonics for Duke Reid, and backed many sessions for Bunny Lee or with The Revolutionaries at Channel One Studios in the 1970s.-Biography:McCook was born in Havana, Cuba, and moved to Jamaica in...
's Supersonics, was acknowledged as Jamaica's master of the Hammond organ. Wright featured on other Harry Johnson hits, including The Beltones' "No More Heartaches" and on Boris Gardiner
Boris Gardiner
Boris Gardiner is a Jamaican singer, songwriter and bass guitarist.-Career:Gardiner performed on the tourist circuit for much of the 1960s and was a member of Carlos Malcolm & the Afro Caribs and Byron Lee's Dragonaires...
's "Elizabethan Reggae".
The Staple Singers
The Staple Singers
The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples , the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha , Pervis , Yvonne , and Mavis...
used the bass line and introduction from "The Liquidator" for their 1972 hit, "I'll Take You There
I'll Take You There
"I'll Take You There" is a number-one single written and produced by Al Bell and performed by soul/gospel family band The Staple Singers, released on Stax Records in February 1972...
".
Alton Ellis
Alton Ellis
Alton Nehemiah Ellis, OD, was a Jamaican musician best known as one of the innovators of rocksteady music and was often referred to as the "Godfather of Rocksteady". In 2006, he was inducted into the International Reggae And World Music Awards Hall Of Fame.-Biography:Ellis was born in 1938 and...
said the core of the song was a lift from his rocksteady
Rocksteady
Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor to ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was performed by Jamaican vocal harmony groups such as The Gaylads, The Maytals and The Paragons. The term rocksteady comes from a dance style that was mentioned in the Alton...
hit 'Girl I've Got a Date'
Use at football matches
The tune is played before football matches in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. West Bromwich Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, Wycombe Wanderers, Northampton Town and St. Johnstone claim to have been first to play it. Chelsea's claims to be first to play it are backed by the first paragraph of the liner notes for "Liquidator - The Best of the Harry J All Stars". It says: "Way back in 1969, supporters of the Chelsea football team revered players such as Bonetti, Osgood and Hollins. The boys performed under the watchful eye of manager Dave Sexton to the tune of Harry J & All Stars chartbuster, 'The Liquidator'.
The Liquidators were one of Chelsea's smaller football firms. The tune is also known among supporters of West Bromwich Albion. West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England.Covering an area with nearly 2.6 million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and also the Black Country; the force is made up...
and safety committees made the club drop the tune because supporters chanted obscenities at their rivals. It is also played before the start of the second half at Huish Park
Huish Park
Huish Park is a football ground in the suburbs of Yeovil, Somerset, England and is the home ground of Yeovil Town Football Club. The stadium replaced the club's previous ground, The Huish famous for numerous FA Cup giant-killings was officially opened on 4 August 1990, with a match against then...
for Yeovil games.
West Bromwich Albion and Wolves briefly re-introduced the track during the 2005-2006 season
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
, encouraging fans to clap instead of swearing. The request was ignored and the tune was again removed, before reappearing at the 2006-2007 championship playoff, during which West Bromwich Albion beat Wolves.