Pyramid Label

Steve Skaith / Mike Jones

Song Description

Many early reggae and rock-steady hits appeared on the Pyramid Label, amongst them “007 (Shanty Town)”. “The Israelites” (number one in the singles chart in Britain in 1969) and “It Mek”, all by Desmond Dekker. Many white teenagers at the time were into this music. For the Rastafarians (the ‘Israelites’) the biblical Israel was (and is) the land of redemption. In political reality however, it was actually the aggressor, which contradicted the vision of the Rastas.

Sphinx: Stands for Egypt. Golan Heights: In the Yom Kipper war in 1973, the Golan Heights in Syria was a much fought over territory.