1963
SCANDAL * DON DRUMMOND * ISLAND 094 * GB
Released on Rolando & Powie in Jamaica, this is sometimes credited as Scandal Ska as by The Skatalites, and although it's the same musicians that are generally regarded as The Skatalites they did not officially become the group until 1965. The Skatalites, as a brand, have selling power as does the term Ska, therefore it is not surprising to see both words used as much as possible. Brian Keyo has identified the first solo as Roland Alphonso, and the second solo as Don Drummond, with Wackie Henry on drums, the great drummer Lloyd Knibb's said of this track, and Don Drummond, "This is just blues. At some times Don come with five tunes daily."
The1989 film Scandal directed by Michael Caton-Jones, and staring John Hurt, Ian McKellen, Bridget Fonda and Joanne Whalley, was named after this record. The film was about England's Profumo scandal in which a member of Parliament was revealed to be deeply involved with a prostitute. In the film social climber Stephen Ward takes alluring young women under his wing, and then introduces them to his influential circle of friends. But when one of these ladies has an affair with both Ivanov, a high-ranking Russian officer, and John Profumo, a British government official, the ensuing sex scandal causes an uproar. Soon, Profumo has been forced to resign, Ward has been arrested, and England's Conservative administration has fallen. Mucky stuff indeed, but it sold lots of newspapers, and although the public were tempted with a revised offering of the salacious events from the original 'Scandal', with a well touted orgy scene from the film, the orgy scene was actually butchered to virtual extinction by the British Board of Censors - part of our Great British Ideological State Apparatus. Is there a Techno track around now that will Christen a film, in 40 years time, about the dirty doings of the sneaky president and his snaky business in the White House, with cigars dresses and lies? There is a track called crooked little Willy, maybe that's the one.