Nestled in the Motown discography between Diana Ross' "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and The Four Tops' "Still Water" singles in 1970 was a curiosity: the major label debut of the popular Jamaican singing duo Bob and Marcia, a.k.a. Keith Anderson and Marcia Griffiths.  While the 45 with "Young, Gifted and Black" b/w "Peace of Mind" didn't dent the charts in the U.S., the A-side had made it all the way to No. 5 on the U.K. National Charts.  Now, Cherry Red's Doctor Bird imprint has paired the duo's first two Trojan albums, Young Gifted and Black and Pied Piper, on one CD.

"Young, Gifted and Black" - the song by Nina Simone and Weldon Irvine - certainly described Bob and Marcia.  Bob was already beloved in Jamaica as lead singer of The Paragons, and Marcia had been a member of Byron Lee and The Dragonaires.  Despite their disparate backgrounds (Bob had endured a hardscrabble youth while Marcia remembered a childhood filled with music and love), they proved a perfect match.  Their affiliation began when Bob, an established songwriter as well as artist at Jamaica's Studio One label, wrote a number of songs for Marcia including "Tell Me Now," "Truly," and "Melody Life."  Bob and Marcia teamed up to record "Young, Gifted and Black" for musician and entrepreneur Harry Johnson's new Harry J label.  Upon its release in the U.K. on the Harry J imprint of Trojan Records (set up to distribute Harry J's material in the U.K.), it became one of the first major reggae crossover hits.  (It followed two other Harry J productions, "No More Heartaches" by The Beltones and "Liquidator" by his studio band, The Harry J All-Stars.)  The U.K. version (also released in the U.S.) featured strings not present on the original Jamaican record; both mixes are included on Doctor Bird's CD.

After touring in England, the duo returned to Jamaica to cut their first joint LP.  Young Gifted and Black featured upbeat, reggae-fied versions of such familiar tunes as William Bell and Judy Clay's "Private Number," The Brotherhood of Man's "United We Stand," Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me, Babe," Jackie DeShannon's "Put a Little Love in Your Heart," Simon and Garfunkel's "Keep the Customer Satisfied," and a couple of Motown songs from the pens of Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson: "Ain't Nothing But the Real Thing" and "The Onion Song."  (Perhaps Motown should have released these in the U.S.!)  A second LP followed.  Pied Piper was recorded in London, and the title track (a cover of Crispian St. Peters' 1966 international hit) became Bob and Marcia's second straight hit there, landing just outside the U.K. top ten.  Anderson contributed six original songs to Pied Piper, while the other covers included gentle reggae treatments of the American standard "Let's Fall in Love" and "One Woman," which had also been recorded by Johnny Rivers, Al Green, and Isaac Hayes.  Like the first album, Pied Piper included both duets and solo tracks from Anderson and Griffiths.

After a few sides recorded for CBS, Bob and Marcia went their separate ways, but not before leaving behind a small but beloved songbook.  A brief reunion in 1977 yielded one more album, Kemar, or Really Together.  Marcia would go on to greater success as a solo artist with 1982's "Electric Boogie," the record that inspired the Electric Slide dance.  She also served as a member of Bob Marley's I-Threes backing group with Rita Marley and Judy Mowatt.  In 1986, they recorded an album for EMI America featuring four productions by Philly soul maestro Thom Bell.  Bob continued scoring hits as a songwriter, artist, and producer, and also branched out into acting.

Doctor Bird's two-fer boasts a 16-page color booklet with detailed liner notes by Harry Hacks as well as copious photos and memorabilia images.  Andy Pearce has remastered.  Young Gifted and Black/Pied Piper is available now at the links below!

Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths, Young Gifted and Black/Pied Piper (Doctor Bird/Cherry Red DBCD-014, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Young, Gifted and Black
2. Private Number
3. United We Stand
4. We've Got to Get Ourselves Together
5. Peace in Your Mind
6. It's a Rocking Good Way
7. It Ain't Me Babe
8. Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing
9. Put a Little Love in Your Heart
10. The Onion Song
11. Gee Baby
12. Keep the Customer[s] Satisfied
13. We Know
14. One Woman
15. I Don't Care
16. Strange World
17. You Are Mine
18. He's a Cousin of Mine
19. Pied Piper
20. Let's Fall in Love
21. See You My Love
22. But I Do
23. Save Me
24. Your Love
25. Young, Gifted and Black (Jamaican Mix) (Bonus Track)

Tracks 1-12 from Young Gifted and Black, Trojan LP TBL-122, 1970
Tracks 13-24 from Pied Piper, Trojan LP TRLS-26, 1971
Track 25 from Escort single ES-824, 1970