Strut presents an exclusive release for Record Store Day, an 11-minute previously unreleased version of folk-soul gem ‘Fishman’ from 1972 by legendary Caribbean funk band The Beginning Of The End.
Unearthed recently from the band’s tape archives, ‘Fishman’ paints a warm picture of life in Nassau. As The Beginning Of The End’s bandleader Ray Munnings remembers, “There was this guy that would walk through the streets early morning – you’d hear him calling ‘Fishmaaan, Fishmaaan!’ He had the catch, fresh from the boats so you could buy grouper, goggle eye and snapper there on your doorstep. The song is a nice way of remembering that slice of island culture from the early ‘70s.”
This newly unearthed version builds from the 45 version, with the band solo-ing and jamming freely: “it’s great to hear this version after 55 years,” Munnings continues, “we would always stretch out in the studio. We were a tight unit with my two brothers and I at its heart. We just naturally played long during our sessions and it’s great to hear the end part here too – we just started talking together, laughing about cooking up some conk stew!”
This new release features the rediscovered full length version and the 45 version, originally released as a B-side to ‘Doin’ The Funky Do’. It also includes the in-demand full length edit of the band’s rare groove classic, ‘Funky Nassau’ built from the Part 1 and Part 2 versions. ‘Fishman’ is released on Strut on Record Store Day (21st April 2018) featuring a strong new cover design by Bethany Porteous. All tracks are remastered from the original reel to reel tapes by Peter Beckmann at Technology Works.
- First ever release of extended 11-minute version of The Beginning Of The End’s ‘Fishman’
- Includes in-demand full length edit of the band’s rare groove classic ‘Funky Nassau’
- Remastered from original tapes by Peter Beckmann at Technology Works
- Release previews full Beginning Of The End reissue programme during 2018