Symarip
Encyclopedia
Symarip were a ska
and reggae
band from the United Kingdom
, originating in the late 1960s, when Frank Pitter and Michael Thomas founded the band as The Bees. The band's name was originally spelled Simaryp, which is an approximate reversal of the word 'pyramids'. Consisting of members of West Indian
descent, Symarip is widely marked as one of the first skinhead
reggae bands, being one of the first to target skinheads as an audience. Their hits
included "Skinhead Girl", "Skinhead Jamboree" and "Skinhead Moonstomp", the latter of which was based on the Derrick Morgan
song, "Moon Hop".
They moved to Germany
in 1971, performing reggae and Afro-rock
in Germany under the name Zubaba. In 1980, the album
Skinhead Moonstomp was re-issued in the wake of the 2 Tone
craze, hitting the UK Singles Chart
. The band officially split in 1985 after releasing the album Drunk & Disorderly as The Pyramids. The album was released by Ariola Records
and was produced by Stevie B
.
Trojan Records
released a best of
album in 2004 with a new single
, "Back From the Moon", performed by two former band members, Monty Neysmith and Roy Ellis. In 2005, Neysmith and Ellis performed together at Club Ska in England, and a recording of the concert
was released on Moon Ska Records as Symarip - Live at Club Ska. In April 2008, they headlined the Ska Splash Festival in Lincolnshire
as Symarip, and later performed at the Endorse-It and Fordham Festivals. Pitter and Thomas now perform in a different band as Symarip/Pyramids. Their "Back From The Moon Tour 2008-2009" has been with The Pioneers
.
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
band from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, originating in the late 1960s, when Frank Pitter and Michael Thomas founded the band as The Bees. The band's name was originally spelled Simaryp, which is an approximate reversal of the word 'pyramids'. Consisting of members of West Indian
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
descent, Symarip is widely marked as one of the first skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
reggae bands, being one of the first to target skinheads as an audience. Their hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
included "Skinhead Girl", "Skinhead Jamboree" and "Skinhead Moonstomp", the latter of which was based on the Derrick Morgan
Derrick Morgan
Derrick Morgan is a musical artist popular in the 1960s and 1970s. He worked with Desmond Dekker, Bob Marley, and Jimmy Cliff in the rhythm and blues and ska genres, and he also performed rocksteady and skinhead reggae.-Biography:In 1957 Morgan entered the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour, a talent...
song, "Moon Hop".
They moved to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1971, performing reggae and Afro-rock
Afro-rock
Afro rock is is a popular dance music pioneered in the late 1960s and early 1970s by such groups as Monomono, Osibisa and Alhaji K. Frimpong. It is a style of which relies heavily on the use of Western string instruments and guitar effects...
in Germany under the name Zubaba. In 1980, the album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Skinhead Moonstomp was re-issued in the wake of the 2 Tone
2 Tone
2 Tone is a music genre created in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s by fusing elements of ska, punk rock, rocksteady, reggae, and New Wave. It was called 2 Tone because most of the bands were signed to 2 Tone Records at some point. Other labels associated with the 2 Tone sound were Stiff...
craze, hitting the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The band officially split in 1985 after releasing the album Drunk & Disorderly as The Pyramids. The album was released by Ariola Records
Ariola Records
Ariola Records is a German record label. As of the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of BMG which in turn has since become a part of the international media conglomerate Sony Music Entertainment...
and was produced by Stevie B
Stevie B
Stevie B is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer who was influential in the Latin freestyle and High-Energy, mostly from Miami dance music scene of the late 1980s...
.
Trojan Records
Trojan Records
Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica...
released a best of
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album in 2004 with a new single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Back From the Moon", performed by two former band members, Monty Neysmith and Roy Ellis. In 2005, Neysmith and Ellis performed together at Club Ska in England, and a recording of the concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
was released on Moon Ska Records as Symarip - Live at Club Ska. In April 2008, they headlined the Ska Splash Festival in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
as Symarip, and later performed at the Endorse-It and Fordham Festivals. Pitter and Thomas now perform in a different band as Symarip/Pyramids. Their "Back From The Moon Tour 2008-2009" has been with The Pioneers
The Pioneers (band)
The Pioneers are a Jamaican reggae vocal trio, whose main period of success was in the 1960s. The trio has had different line-ups, and still occasionally performs.-Founding and early years: 1962-1967:...
.
Line-up
- Roy Ellis - SingerSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(1969 - 1985) - Josh Roberts - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(1969 - 1985) - Michael "Mik" Thomas - Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1969 - 1985, 2008 - present) - Frank Pitter - DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(1969 - 1985, 2008 - present) - Monty Neysmith - KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, including Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
(1969 - 1985, 2010 - present) - Roy Bug Knight - SaxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
(2008 - present) - Johney Johnson - TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
(2008 - present) - Carl Grifith - TenorTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
& alto saxAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
(2008 - present)
Albums
- The Pyramids - The Pyramids - President - PTL-1021 (1969)
- Symarip - Skinhead Moonstomp - TrojanTrojan RecordsTrojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica...
- TBL-102 (1970) - Simaryp - Skinhead Moonstomp - Trojan - TRLS187 (1980)
- The Pyramids - Drunk and Disorderly - AriolaAriola RecordsAriola Records is a German record label. As of the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of BMG which in turn has since become a part of the international media conglomerate Sony Music Entertainment...
(1985) - Symarip/The Pyramids/Seven Letters - The Best Of - Trojan TJACD154 (2004)
- Symarip/The Pyramids - Ultimate Collection - Trojan (2009)
Singles
- Blue Beat BB-386A "Jesse James Rides Again" (as The Bees) 1967
- Blue Beat BB-386B "The Girl in My Dreams" (as The Bees) 1967
- Clmbia Blue Beat DB-101A "Jesse James Rides Again" (as The Bees) 1967
- Clmbia Blue Beat DB-101B "The Girl in My Dreams" (as The Bees) 1967
- Clmbia Blue Beat DB-111A "Prisoner from Alcatraz" (as The Bees) 1967
- Clmbia Blue Beat DB-111B "The Ska's The Limit" (as The Bees) 1967
- President PT-161A "Train Tour To Rainbow City" 1967
- President PT-161B "John Chewey" 1967
- President PT-177A "Wedding in Peyton Place" 1968
- President PT-177B "Girls, Girls, Girls" 1968
- President PT-195A "All Change on the Bakerloo Line" 1968
- President PT-195B "Playing Games" 1968
- President PT-206A "Mexican Moonlight" 1968
- President PT-206B "Mule" 1968
- President PT-225A "Tisko My Darling" 1968
- President PT-225B "Movement All Around" 1968
- President PT-243A "Do Re Mi" 1969
- President PT-243B "I'm Outnumbered" 1969
- President PT-274A "I'm a Man" 1969
- President PT-274B "Dragonfly" 1969
- Attack ATT-8013A "I'm A Puppet" (as Symarip) 1969
- Attack ATT-8013B "Vindication" (as Symarip) 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1189A "People Get Ready" (as Seven Letters) 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1189B "The Fit" (as Seven Letters) 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1194A "Please Stay" (as Seven Letters) 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1194B "Special Beat" (as Seven Letters) 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1195A "Flour Dumpling" (as Seven Letters) 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1195B "Equality" (as Seven Letters) 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1206A "Mama Me Want Girl" (as Seven Letters) 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1206B "Sentry" (as Seven Letters) 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1207A "Soul Crash (Soul Serenade)" (as Seven Letters) 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1207B "Throw Me Things" (as Seven Letters) 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1208A "There Goes My Heart" (as Seven Letters) 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1208B "Wish" (as Seven Letters) 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1209A "Bam Bam Baji" (as Seven Letters) 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1209B "Hold Him Joe" (as Seven Letters) 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1306A "Fung Sure" (as Symarip) 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1306B "Tomorrow at Sundown" (as Symarip) 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1307A "Stay With Him" 1969
- Doctor Bird DB-1307B "Chicken Mary" 1969
- Treasure Isle TI-7050A "Skinhead Moonstomp" 1969
- Treasure Isle TI-7050A "Must Catch A Train" 1969
- Treasure Isle TI-7054A "Parson's Corner" 1970
- Treasure Isle TI-7054A "Redeem" 1970
- Treasure Isle TI-7055A "La Bella Jig" 1970
- Treasure Isle TI-7055A "Holiday By The Sea" 1970
- Attack ATT-8013A "I'm A Puppet" 1970
- Attack ATT-8013B "Vindication" 1970
- Duke DU-80A "Geronimo" 1970
- Duke DU-80B "Feel Alright" 1970
- Trojan TR-7755A "Feel Alright" 1970
- Trojan TR-7755B "Telstar" 1970
- Trojan TR-7770A "To Sir With Love" 1970
- Trojan TR-7770B "Reggae Shuffle" 1970
- Trojan TR-7803A "All For You" 1971
- Trojan TR-7803B "All For You" (version) 1971
- Trojan TR-7814B (1) "Stingo" 1971
- Trojan TR-7814B (2) "Geronimo" 1971
- Creole CR-1003A "Mosquito Bite"
- Creole CR-1003B "Mother's Bath"
- Creole CR-1006A "Can't Leave Now"
- Creole CR-1006B "Teardrops"
- Rhino RNO-129A "Jesse James Rides Again" 1974