Frankenstein

Recorded in Jamaica in 1964 for the BMN-era ska sessions associated with Byron Lee and Ronnie Nasrallah. The track appears in the Dance the Ska set, with original BMN-era recordings later documented as having been cut at Federal, WIRL, and Atlantic; Byron Lee is credited as bassist and producer on the period material. It stood out as one of Byron Lee & The Dragonaires’ best-known ska instrumentals and a signature cut from the group’s 1964 Dance the Ska material. Later reissues and scholarship continued to single it out as a classic example of the ska “crooked beat.” The track has remained a staple on Byron Lee compilations and reissues, keeping it in circulation long after its original run. It also continues to be cited in writing about ska’s development and Lee’s role in popularizing the style.