Pressure Drop (song)

"Pressure Drop" is the title of a song recorded in 1969 by Toots & the Maytals for producer Leslie Kong. The song appears on the Maytals' 1970 albums 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.^[1] The song later appeared on the K-Jah West radio station in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, released in 2004.

The same year, Rolling Stone rated the song #446 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.^[2]

[edit] Cover versions

The first cover showed up by Robert Palmer on his second solo album, the aptly titled Pressure Drop released in 1975.

The song was next covered by The Clash. They included the song as the b-side to their 1979 "English Civil War" single, and can also be found on their compilation albums Black Market Clash, released in 1980, the 1994 Super Black Market Clash,^[3] and the 2006 Singles Box. The Clash's version of "Pressure Drop" is also featured in the Nissan Rogue commercials and is used as the theme to Air America Radio's "Sam Seder Show."

Izzy Stradlin covered the song on his solo album Izzy Stradlin & the Ju Ju Hounds.

The Specials do a cover of the song that is featured in the film Grosse Pointe Blank.

The Oppressed covered the song on their album "Music For Hooligans"

In 2003 Keith Richards recorded a rendition of "Pressure Drop" with Toots and the Maytals; it was released in December 2007 as the B-side of Richards' iTunes re-release of "Run Rudolph Run".^[4]

[edit] Notes

^ Pressure Drop: Rolling Stone.
^ The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Rolling Stone (2004-12-09). Retrieved on 2007-11-22.
^ The Clash - Super Black Market Clash. Punknews.org.
^ Zentgraf, Nico. The Complete Works of the Rolling Stones 1962-2008. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.

[edit] References

Gilbert, Pat [2004] (2005). Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of The Clash, 4th edition, London: Aurum Press. ISBN 1845131134. OCLC 61177239.
Gray, Marcus [1995] (2005). The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town, 5th revised edition, London: Helter Skelter. ISBN 1905139101. OCLC 60668626.
Green, Johnny; Garry Barker [1997] (2003). A Riot of Our Own: Night and Day with The Clash, 3rd edition, London: Orion. ISBN 0752858432. OCLC 52990890.
Gruen, Bob; Chris Salewicz [2001] (2004). The Clash, 3rd edition, London: Omnibus. ISBN 1903399343. OCLC 69241279.
Needs, Kris (2005-01-25). Joe Strummer and the Legend of the Clash. London: Plexus. ISBN 085965348X. OCLC 53155325.
Topping, Keith [2003] (2004). The Complete Clash, 2nd edition, Richmond: Reynolds & Hearn. ISBN 1903111706. OCLC 63129186.