Pressure Drop (song)
Encyclopedia
"Pressure Drop" is a song recorded in 1969 by The Maytals
for producer
Leslie Kong
. The song appears on their 1970 album Monkey Man (released in Jamaica by Beverley's Records) and From the Roots (released in the UK by Trojan Records
). "Pressure Drop" helped launch the band's career outside Jamaica when the song was featured in the soundtrack
to the 1973 film The Harder They Come
, which introduced reggae
to much of the world. In 2004, Rolling Stone
rated the song #446 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The song has appeared on the soundtracks to the films 50 First Dates
and This Is England
and features on the K-Jah West radio station in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
.
Toots & the Maytals
Toots and the Maytals, originally called simply The Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group and one of the best known ska and reggae vocal groups. According to Sandra Brennan at Allmusic, "The Maytals were key figures in reggae music...
for producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Leslie Kong
Leslie Kong
Leslie Kong was a Chinese Jamaican record producer.-Career:Leslie and his two older brothers Cecil and Lloyd ran a restaurant, ice cream parlour and record shop called Beverley's in Orange Street, Kingston...
. The song appears on their 1970 album Monkey Man (released in Jamaica by Beverley's Records) and From the Roots (released in the UK by Trojan Records
Trojan Records
Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica...
). "Pressure Drop" helped launch the band's career outside Jamaica when the song was featured in the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the 1973 film The Harder They Come
The Harder They Come
The Harder They Come is a 1972 Jamaican crime film directed by Perry Henzell.The film stars reggae singer Jimmy Cliff, who plays Ivanhoe Martin, a character based on Rhyging, a real-life Jamaican criminal who achieved fame in the 1940s...
, which introduced reggae
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...
to much of the world. In 2004, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
rated the song #446 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The song has appeared on the soundtracks to the films 50 First Dates
50 First Dates
50 First Dates is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Peter Segal and written by George Wing. The film stars Adam Sandler as a woman-chasing veterinarian and Drew Barrymore as an amnesiac, along with Rob Schneider, Sean Astin, Lusia Strus, Blake Clark, and Dan Aykroyd.Most of the film...
and This Is England
This Is England
-Track listing:#"54-46 Was My Number" - Toots & The Maytals#"Come On Eileen" - Dexys Midnight Runners#"Tainted Love" - Soft Cell#"Underpass/Flares" - Movie Dialogue From This Is England#"Nicole " - Gravenhurst...
and features on the K-Jah West radio station in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
.
Cover versions
- Robert Palmer covered the song on his second solo album, also called Pressure DropPressure Drop (album)Pressure Drop is Robert Palmer's second solo album, released in 1975. Palmer is backed by Little Feat and other musicians. The title track is a cover version of the reggae hit by Toots & the Maytals. However, many other songs on the album use New Orleans funk ... along with smooth, dated disco...
, in 1975. - The ClashThe ClashThe Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
released the song as the b-sideA-side and B-sideA-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
to their 1979 "English Civil WarEnglish Civil War (song)"English Civil War" is a song by British punk rock band The Clash, featured on their second album Give 'Em Enough Rope, and released as a single on 23 February 1979...
" singleSingle (music)In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
. It can also be found on their compilation albums Black Market Clash, released in 1980, the 1994 Super Black Market ClashSuper Black Market ClashSuper Black Market Clash is a compilation album released by The Clash in 1993 that contains B-sides and rare tracks not available on their other albums. It is a repackaging of the original 1980 Black Market Clash, which was a single 10" EP, containing only 9 songs...
, and the 2006 Singles BoxSingles BoxSingles Box is a compilation album by The Clash. Included within is all the singles that they released in the UK , with the single mixes and edits with the B-sides released, and also containing B-sides from different parts of the world.The discs are packaged in a sleeve which reproduces the...
. The Clash's version of "Pressure Drop" is also featured in Nissan RogueNissan RogueThe Nissan Rogue is a compact crossover SUV that debuted in October 2007 for the 2008 model year, produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan. It is the North American counterpart of the X-Trail sold outside North America , as well as the Qashqai in Europe and the Dualis in Japan and Australia.The...
commercials and was used as the theme to the now defunct Air America RadioAir America RadioAir America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
's "Sam SederSam SederSamuel Lincoln "Sam" Seder is a comedian, writer, actor, film director, television producer-director, and talk radio host...
Show." - The SelecterThe SelecterThe Selecter are a 2 Tone ska revival band from Coventry, England, formed in mid 1979.Like many other bands in the ska revival movement, The Selecter featured a racially diverse line-up. Their lyrics featured themes connected to politics and marijuana, set to strong melodies and a danceable beat...
covered the song on their album Street Feeling. - Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds covered the song on their self-titled debut album.
- The SpecialsThe SpecialsThe Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
covered the song for their 1996 album Today's SpecialsToday's SpecialsToday's Specials is a cover album by The Specials, released in 1996 . It is the first studio album by the group since 1984 although not in the full original line-up.-Track listing:#"Take Five" - 3:56...
This version is also featured in the films Grosse Pointe BlankGrosse Pointe BlankGrosse Pointe Blank is a 1997 American Black comedy film, directed by George Armitage, and starring John Cusack and Minnie Driver.In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted Grosse Pointe Blank the 21st greatest comedy film of all time. The film's soundtrack features mainly independent music hits...
and An Extremely Goofy MovieAn Extremely Goofy MovieAn Extremely Goofy Movie is a 2000 American direct-to-video animated film made by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Douglas McCarthy, it is the sequel to A Goofy Movie, featuring the return of characters from the television series Goof Troop...
(2000). - The OppressedThe OppressedThe Oppressed is a Welsh anti-fascist Oi! band that formed in 1981 in Cardiff. Most of the musicians in the band's various lineups were skinheads. Throughout the band's career, the members openly expressed opposition to racism and fascism — in their lyrics, interviews, on-stage comments and other...
covered the song on their album "Music For Hooligans" - Joxe Ripiau feat. Iñigo Muguruza covered the song in BasqueBasque languageBasque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
on their album Positive Bomb, released in 1996. - In 2003 Keith RichardsKeith RichardsKeith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
recorded a rendition of "Pressure Drop" with Toots and the Maytals; it was released in December 2007 as the B-side of Richards' iTunesITunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
re-release of "Run Rudolph RunRun Rudolph Run"Run, Rudolph, Run" is a Christmas song popularized by Chuck Berry and written by Johnny Marks and Marvin Brodie and published by St. Nicholas Music . The song was first recorded by Berry in 1958 and released as Chess Records 1714...
". - Irish singer-songwriter David KittDavid KittDavid Kitt is an Irish musician. He is the son of Irish politician Tom Kitt.He has released six studio albums to date: Small Moments, The Big Romance, Square 1, The Black and Red Notebook, Not Fade Away and The Nightsaver.-History:Kitt grew up surrounded by music, as his father and uncles formed a...
also recorded a cover of this song on his cover album entitled The Black and Red Notebook. - Montreal punk band the AsexualsAsexuals (band)The Asexuals is a hardcore punk band from Beaconsfield that was a mainstay of the Montreal punk scene in the '80s before evolving into an alternative band following the departure of singer John Kastner, who went to form the Doughboys and, later, All Systems Go!.-History:The Asexuals formed in 1983...
always covered the Clash version of the song during their live shows - Swedish chiptune artist DubmoodDubmoodKalle Jonsson aka Dubmood is a Swedish composer and producer of electronic, pop, rock and dance music best known for his works in the chiptune genre and within the computer piracy movement known as the Warez scene...
covered Pressure Drop on his EP Atari Ska'latac.