In 1968 The Melodians recorded two versions of the same song – “Little Nut Tree.”
What a difference a year can make.
The first version – recorded with underappreciated and pioneering producer, Sonia Pottinger, after the group had enjoyed a succession of hits on Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle label – is definitely on the rocksteady side of the reggae divide:
Little Nut Tree I – The Melodians
[Pssst: Click on the triangle above to play “Little Nut Tree” by The Melodians.]
Later that year The Melodians headed to Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One label for a “one-off” session that resulted in a new arrangement of “Little Nut Tree” in the ‘herky jerky’ style of reggae that was being popularized then by such groups as The Ethiopians:
Little Nut Tree II – The Melodians
