Boris Gardner (left) and Earl Morgan at the launch of the instrumental album 'Guitars On Top' on Sunday at St Andrew Park. - Photo by Mel Cooke

On Sunday evening in St Andrew Park, Earl Morgan located the common place and commonplace origins of a classic album. The original member of vocal trio The Heptones told those gathered in a lush garden that "On Top was written in Trench Town. Most of the things that you hear is "things that happen at the standpipe in Trench Town".

Included on the 12-track set are Equal Rights, Pure Sorrow, Heptones Gonna Fight, I Hold The Handle, Sea Of Love, Pretty Looks Isn't All and Party Time.

Forty-one years after the album was released by Studio One, it was presented as an instrumental, Guitars on Top, with guitarists Earl 'Chinna' Smith and Gibby Morrison leading.

Telling the tale

The two let their music speak at the official launch, Smith saying "Mutabaruka (who played music at the event) going play the album and the music going talk for me".

And he did. Earl Junior, the recording engineer for Guitars on Top, said that the recording actually started in 1998. He laughed as he said "the recording was nice, but a whole heap a fire reach me", as he was new to the mixing board that was used.

However, in addition to Morgan, someone who played an integral role in the making of On Top, spoke about the experience.

Boris Gardner, who played bass on The Heptones album, said 1968 "was a big year for me. I started my own band, the Boris Gardner Happening". He said "Coxsone sent for me" and at Studio One "we sat in and did about four songs per day. We did that for about three months". The total output was about 100 songs.

"We met people like The Heptones, who came with some songs we did not hear before, some fresh songs," Gardner said. "We worked out those songs as they came. Each rhythm flowed, everything went nice. Today, we are still on the airwaves."

Outstanding figures

Another musician who played on The Heptones set, drummer Joe Isaacs, led the drumming and chants that preceded the launch. Jackie Mittoo, Hux Brown and Patrick McDonald also played on On Top.

Earl Morgan pointed out that at that Trench Town standpipe many persons who went on to become outstanding figures in Jamaican music came to get water, among them The Maytals, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bongo Herman and Theophilus Beckford.

"No one no know we a go turn icon an' all that," Morgan said.

"Heptones On Top was written by a group effort," he emphasised. "An' a magic. It was a great feeling. At the time, The Heptones was inseparable."

Mutabaruka played Equal Rights and Party Time as the speaking at the launch of Guitars on Top ended, a band set up holding the promise of live music to come.